Last Post

This should be the last post for the trip, I'm out of ideas! As to where the blog goes from here, I'm not sure. My plans are to print the whole thing out and keep some hard copies for posterity. When Laura and I are old and decrepit, it will make for good reading. I have some tentative plans to retrace the trip in a car and keep mileages, document conditions and terrain a little closer than I did on the bike. Then I can write a sort of travel guide. Laura was the trip photographer, and took a lot of pics, only a few of which appeared on the blog. She will get home and fine tune them, with captions and such, on her Mac. I would be happy to mail some or all of the pics to anyone interested. E-mail us at Lauranewlin@mac.com if interested. It would be interesting to talk to the folks we met one more time. Somehow I think I might avoid spending the night in a few of the choice spots. Big O is in pieces in Tim's garage, plans are to leave it until January or so, when I will make a trip out to pick it up. With kin out here on the east coast, it gives me an excuse to see them. Anyone who travels much knows what it feels like to get out of your crib for awhile. Four months is more than awhile. We are both ready to get home and enjoy some of the routine we're used to. I've always felt like looking forward is the best way to keep a good attitude about things, so I'm looking forward to new plans. Just don't know what they are right now.

To get in shape for the trip, I suggest just riding beforehand as much as you can. We are not exactly big, strong folks, but the riding was not a big issue. It's bike touring, not racing, so we took breaks when we wanted, and stopped to eat or drink as necessary. I probably lost about 7 lbs, maybe ten, and Laura maybe 5. It's because you ride for so many hours, It's hard to determine the effort output. We weren't racing, but it takes some calories to push that tandem for 6-7 hours a day. We ate whatever we wanted, but didn't always find what we wanted.! Fried food is everywhere, fresh food is scarce. It became habit by the end to ride for an hour or two before breakfast, just to break things up. Of course, if there was complimentary breakfast at the motel, we scarfed it. Neither of us had any issues with knees or anything chronic. Give the tandem credit for that.

Overall, it was a great experience. The biggest drawback is the motor traffic. The roads are just not designed for bicycles in most places. Drivers are usually good, and almost are courteous, but the problem is that it only takes one to squash you. By the end,we were knocking on wood that nothing had or would happen. To me, the greatest thing about the whole thing is that it takes you out of your element for awhile. The people we met we'll never forget, nor the places we stayed. Since we've ended the trip, we've talked about it and shake our heads at some of the things we saw. You'd never stay in most of the places we stopped if you had a car because you could just drive on to a spot more in your comfort zone. We ran across a guy in Idaho that had ridden from Virginia and was going to the Pacific, and he told us that “ it may not be the trip of a lifetime, but it is the experience of a lifetime.”

Trip Summary

This is the second post summarizing some thoughts before I forget them. When I get back one of my projects will be to get things in order and maybe print out a copy. More tomorrow.


We found that we could only plan a day or two ahead, there are too many things that might happen to plan ahead any further. The I-phone we had was invaluable. With Google maps we could find any motel in any town, no matter how small. If they are in a phone directory or have a web site, we found it. Coverage was sometimes spotty, but usually we could get to a good spot within an hour or so. Camping is an option for some people, but we need a shower and bed, and rainproof ceiling after riding all day. Besides, usually the campgrounds are out of town and food is an issue. The motels we stayed in ranged from chains like the Fairfield Inn to mom and pop places built in the fifties. The sheets were always clean but the beds were iffy sometimes. We are not too picky, and kind of enjoy a little character, but you never know what you will get. Overall, we were satisfied with what we got almost every time, because after riding all day anything is a luxury.

We would buy a state map at the entry to each state and use that along with our ACA maps of the biking route. After all is said and done, we like our route just as well as theirs. The parkways and major roads are noisy and heavy with traffic, but there is a shoulder. On the side roads, the visibility is less and the curves steeper. With no shoulder on most, we felt uneasy much of the time. So we picked major roads much of the time. We'd put in the I-phone music to cut down on the noise. Although traffic was our major issue, the drivers were generally courteous and respectful of a bike. The trouble is, you never know if the next one that passes you might not clip you. A honking driver is one that you hope you will find in the ditch around the next curve. They have no idea how scary it is to a bicyclist to hear a honking horn at the wrong moment. Do they really want to kill somebody? Coal trucks in Appalachia will appear in my nightmares for months, but I give them credit for not hitting us.

Our clothes were adequate, if minimum. During the first half of the trip, we weren't cold riding, but couldn't go out after the days ride much because we didn't have ski clothes. The last half was always hot, and clothes weren't an issue. We rinsed them out in the motel shower, but they were not always dry in the morning or sometimes we had access to a laundry. Shoes were somewhat of an issue. We had bike shoes and flip flops, which are adequate if you're not going caving or hiking. We actually sent a package forward to Tim because we had too many clothes at one point. For riding the recumbent, you don't need bike shorts or jerseys, so what you have can be used for either riding or evenings. There wasn't much time to do much for us beside ride. We'd get up at 6:30 or so, eat if possible, then ride off and on, with lunch and breaks, until late afternoon. By the time we found a motel, took a shower, found and ate dinner, it would be 8pm or so. I would write the blog while Laura caught up on phone calls or chores. Between watching the Olympics and getting ready and planning for the next day, it would be bedtime by 10:30 or 11:00. That would repeat most days. We tried to take a day off about every 7, but that didn't always work out.

The weather for the first half of the trip, up until Colorado, was horrendous. Windy and cold, it was springtime in the Rockies. I would suggest waiting until maybe June 1 to start from Oregon like we did. The last half of the trip, after July 4, was perfect. We were very lucky, not running into storms or wind. It was hot, but that was not a problem, as we left early to avoid most of it. I'm used to being soaked anyway, so sweating is no big deal. If you want to start a trip across the country early in the year, start from Virginia and go west.

We put almost everything on a Visa card, but carried about $100 or so on us for the places that will not take credit cards. Yes, there are some, and we found them. ATM's are everywhere, so getting more cash is not a problem. I set up all bill paying and such on line, and carried a laptop all the way, so I could check on things. Our home was rented out to our friend Carrie, and she took very good care of our cat, Helen. Planning the trip is tough beforehand, but once you leave there isn't anything you can do about things, so you forget it. I stayed in a little bit of touch by writing the blog, but for the most part we were out of the real world. I have a feeling not much has changed and we will be back in the swing of things quickly.

Orioles

Donald Trump never had it so good. Somehow or other, Dora and Tim obtained tickets to the Orioles/Yankees game on Sunday. I had been saying I wanted to go, and what could be a better reward at the end of a long trip than going to a baseball game with your son. The unusual part of the deal was the luxury suite we had tickets to. After looking for the entrance and seeing the gatekeeper turning people away, Dora approached with our tickets. "Of course you can come in" she said. We walked through the restricted gate into an elevator with our own operator. Fourth floor please. The floor where no one else can go, please. We get off, walk down a hallway to the luxury boxes. Finding the one we're looking for, we enter and see about 15 other lucky or rich folks milling around. A high def tv is on the wall next to the media guides for all the baseball teams. In the corners are two private bathrooms, along the glass walls in front there are doors opening to the 15 or so soft leather chairs facing the field. The really special part was the beer tub full of beer, and the food counter full of gourmet chow. Crab cakes, pizza, brats, wings, filets, a fruit platter, with all kinds of nuts and desserts. If you wanted wine it was there also. We probably could have asked for caviar if we would have wanted. All of it was replenished time after time as we gorged. We walked around in and out of the box to see the game or eat, or watch the replays as we desired. Now I know how the other half lives. The only problem is that when I go to another game tomorrow I will be a regular Joe looking up at the boxes instead of being in one.

The next part of this post is part of the summary of the trip I came up with, somewhat for my memory but also for anyone wanting to read. I have also posted the left out days. Tim showed me the error of my ways and I pulled it out of the computer.

After two days of post ride celebration at Tim and Dora's house, the ride across the country is already starting to feel like past history. I figured that I had better write a summary of the trip now or I might forget half of it. All the opinions are mine, and Laura may have other impressions about any of it. It took two of us to ride but we haven't figured out how to write as a team yet, She may write something later or even better you all can speak to her in person and hear all the stories she has to tell.

When we started back in May, we had some issues with the tandem, and some of them never went away. I wasn't real good at driving, and when someone asked me halfway through the trip if I had bonded with the bike yet, I honestly had to say”not really”. I'm not sure I ever did. It's big, heavy, and hard to handle. In an urban setting it's fairly difficult to find a place to stop and get started easily again. Decisions about stop lights and changing lanes have to be made by me but communicated to her, and she has to blindly follow what I decide. Any input she has will cause confusion, yet if she feels it's important to safety, how can she not say it? We felt much more comfortable by the end, but it's nowhere as easy as being on your own bike. I have to think about shifting gears at every change in grade, yet I'm never really sure if it's the gradient of the road or the change in effort of the pedaling from the back. When she wiggles to take a picture or get something out of the pouch, I feel it and wonder what is going on. Generally there is just much more to think about for me, and it's not as simple as if I was riding by myself. On the other hand, the recumbent tandem is so comfortable that you can ride over a hundred miles per day and get off feeling no sore spots or aches. We can talk to each other, change the music or look at a map, all while riding along. There are no problems with waiting for anyone or feeling like you are getting behind. I know Laura had complaints about not being able to see anything ahead of her. There were many times she wanted a picture but the subject was behind before she saw it. The bike box we carried our stuff in worked like a charm, and although it seemed very heavy to me, balance was good with it on and we didn't notice it at all except for the weight. Hills caused us major problems, maybe because we are wimps, but more probably it's the geometry and weight of the tandem. On a big hill we could only keep about 4mph, and I was very concerned about weaving or wobbling into traffic. With the weight of the bike, which we estimated at about 60lbs, it is very unstable at 4mph. We only had to walk the bike about 5 times. Those hills were about 10-12% grade by my estimation, all in the Appalachians. But riding along on a heavy bike at 4mph is not fun when there are coal trucks around every curve or cars with four teenagers roaring up behind you and honking. Changing tires on the tandem is not easy, because it is big and heavy. Usually there is nothing to lean the bike on, so we had to team up. Normally it's the back tire that flats. I suppose that is because of the weight, causing pinches by rocks. We changed tires in Iowa and had no flats for the last 2000 miles, so I believe in this new brand. For Laura and I or two people like us, overall I would recommend this bike as the only way to make this ride. We make it as a team, I'm not sure it would have worked any other way.

This is enough to read at one sitting, more tomorrow.

Anchors Aweigh

-8">

The first wasp appeared about sunset. We were sitting on the porch of our primitive little cabin, having a few beers we had bought at the convenience store up the road. With the porch light on, it was a cozy little scene, with the cicadas going strong. A different buzzing sound started, and our attention turned to the wasp buzzing around the light. Laura was starting to get worried about more. When two or three of his buddies joined him, we decided to go inside. That's when the fun began. One of the bees came in the door, and was flying madly around the room. Laura was a little more worried. The bees seemed to want the light, and our light was in the ceiling. I climbed on the bed and took a swat with a magazine, stunning him.. As he lay on the floor getting his wits about him, I stomped and stomped. Crisis over. Five minutes or so later we relaxed, and I uncovered the corpse. Much to our surprise, it was still squirming and flapping it's legs and wings. I stomped like I was making wine from grapes, and it finally died. Crisis over. Five minutes later two more of them were flying around the room. There was a way in somehow, and the wasps knew about it. Laura got really worried. It didn't take long to determine that we were not going to sleep in that cabin, especially after I went out to pee and found about 50 bees swarming around the porch light. We bailed, and walked over to the owners house and explained the situation and that we had to be moved. She was not sympathetic, mentioning at one point that she had been doing this for 32 years and “this is the first time I've ever seen this.” Yeah, us too lady. But she did give us a new cabin and we did not hear any more buzzing.

As this was ferry day, we were at the dock at 10:00. The ride over to Smith Island was pretty from the top of the boat. The Chesapeake Bay is popular with the birds, and you see plenty of gulls and heron type fliers. The island is in Maryland, so at some point on the trip we crossed the state line, a big deal to us, but not to the others on the cruise. They charged us $21 each to get on, plus $12 for the bike, which was supposed to be $6 but since it was a tandem she doubled it. I was outraged like last night with the linens, but what can you do. A swim across with Big O just didn't seem possible. We had a nice relaxing day on the island, which is a sleepy, dare I say boring, place with two restaurants and a cake shop. We visited all of them, had some crab cakes, and a piece of real layer cake. The Smith Island cake is now the official state cake of Maryland. It is a ten layer cake, very tasty. The next ferry left at 4pm, so we paid for this one, a more reasonable $12.50 each. They let us take the bike on for no charge, which was a shock. Maneuvering Big O around the ramps to get on and off the boats was interesting, and took help from 3 or 4 people. What a conversation starter. After a 60 minute ride, we arrived in Crisfield, Md. We are now in a motel we found right next to the harbor called the Captain Tyler.

We've been reminiscing over dinner about the summer now that it is coming to an end, The sun set tonight before 8, and there was a slight chill in the air. Coming up with goods and bads is hard, just because the bads always fade. Here is an attempt.

Tough Day 2

-8">

Sore and stiff, we left Elkhorn City at 7:30 in another fog. A big hill started right out of the motel, but we had to ride up it to get to a diner we had heard about 4 miles up. Breakfast was waiting, but first we had to stop for pics at Interstate Breaks Park State Park. It has over looks and is called the grand canyon of the south. I wouldn't go that far, but it is very pretty. The Virginia state line was 2 miles from the motel. After yesterday, we were both ready to get out of Kentucky. With a road system that could be made into a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle, and so steep a motor is required, Kentucky kicked our butts. When we walked into the diner for breakfast, we were in Virginia, but not much had changed. The other customers, two women, were on disability, didn't have a job and weren't planning on getting one. They lived in a double wide up the street. One was butch, both were deadbeats. We talked, asking about all things local. I brought up moonshine, coal mining, kinfolk, and lifestyle. By the time we left, all we could think of was that we were glad we weren't born around here. Continuing on the hill, we rode through the hollers. After about 20 miles, we looked ahead and shifted down. A killer hill started, and after about a mile of it we had to start walking. Pushing the bike for a mile or so, we climbed at about 2.5mph. As yesterday, the cars and coal trucks come around the corners at breakneck speed, many of them honking just for fun. Those we hope to find in a ditch. Thinking we were on the way to lunch and relaxed again, we tore down the hill, only to find another one we couldn't get up. We walked, disgusted, up the hill. The switchbacks ended about a mile later, and we finally flew down the other side into Honaker for lunch. Only 5 miles later our destination for the day appeared, but alas it was not to be. In a light rain, we talked to the owner of the only motel in town. He told us that it would be 30 minutes to make up one, but the dealbreaker was that there was no place to eat anywhere around. We sucked it up and rode 9 miles out of our way to Lebanon, Va. Two of the three motels were sold out, so we ended up at the least desirable. A Chinese buffet sufficed for dinner. Seemed appropriate with the Olympics in progress.

By now we are ready to get out of Appalachia. The riding is not good, due to the heavy amount of crazy traffic, and roads that are curvy, steep, shoulderless. and filled with aggressive dogs and trash. The food is all the same. They could bread and fry a glass of water. When we ride by the houses, we see lots of people lounging on the porch, seemingly unaware that their yard and trailer look like a flea market or a double wide that suffered through Katrina. Of course there are always two sides to things. Despite all the warnings from people we talk to, no one has been rude or hostile towards us. In fact, we have had a great time talking to the locals. Most of those we talk to do have jobs, from clerks to grease monkeys. We like to walk after dinner, but lack of sidewalks or shoulders keeps us inside. Tomorrow we will try to ride about 70 miles to Wythesville. There is one big pass to go over, then we should be out of the mountains and heading for Charlottesville, home of Thomas Jefferson, where we will stay an extra day. Tim, who has been helping me with the map and all else, figured out that yesterday we rode 87 miles, but as the crow flies it was only 48 miles between the two points. The Shenandoah valley is fairly direct, pretty, and level. We should be there tomorrow.

Tough Day

-8">

This post is from Aug 12, just now getting posted.

Today was a classic. Not a lot to say except to describe the ride and the route. As is our custom, we climbed out of bed at about 6:30. The trouble was, there was a thick fog bank making it look like London. We went on down for the complimentary coffee and raisin bran, topped off with a bagel. We sat and sat, waiting for the fog to lift. It was much too scary of a prospect to leave in fog, the coal trucks come around the corners like a NASCAR driver in his first race. Around 9:00 we left the motel in Hazard. Hazard is a coal town with mines all around, and trucks and trains to deliver it. Nothing but hills, there isn't a level spot in town.

We started out going south on a route a local lady recommended. The truck traffic was so heavy, and the shoulder so bad, that we decided to get off and take local roads through the hollers. After riding around a beautiful reservoir, we hit the hollers. Up, up, and more up, until we had to get off and walk. It's a little humbling, but when the speed hits 3mph or less, and the hill steepens up ahead, it's discretion over valor. Once on top of the pinnacle, we roared down to a little convenience store to figure out the map. A charming backwoods couple talked to us for a half hour or so, and turned us on to a diner 5 miles downriver. We sucked all the info we could about how they live and what they do for fun. By the way, they are big Dale Jr. fans, and so are all their friends. After a decent lunch of chili and a banana split, we were off. Up a side road to nowhere, dogs were barking, chickens clucking, goats baaahing, and guys in tee shirts working on cars and four wheelers. We'd wave as they stared at us, most just continued to stare. Trash is all around, junk cars need to be hauled away. Double wide trailers mix with wooden shacks, every so often a brick house appears. On the road, driveways disappear down virtual cliffs, going down into the holler. Other driveways veer off the road and rise so steeply you can't see what's up there.

We made it up the next two hills. The women at the diner said they were worse than the previous ones, but we thought otherwise. Feeling pretty cocky, we rode on. Then we took another turnoff to hell. After about 2 miles, the road climbed like a paved ski run. It didn't take long for us to bail, and walk about 2 more miles to the top of the hill. Down the other side Laura had to use the emergency brake on the rear wheel to keep us at manageable speed down the curvy plunge. Our legs were now trashed, but I just had to say that there wouldn't be any more big hills. That's when the next one came, and we bailed and walked for about a mile up that one. Emergency brake all the way down, we dove down the canyon and came out in one piece. It was a total of 87 miles when we hit the destination for the day, Elkhorn City, Kentucky. It's right on the Virginia border. One casualty of the day has been the brakes, They need to have the cables tightened, and no bike shop in sight. We are staying in a motel that was surely built in the 50's, maybe the 1850's. It has hot water and a tv, the only two requirements. It was 8:15 when we got here, so we won't be here long anyway. It was a rough 87 mile day, part of it pushing a bike up a hill. Tomorrow we hope to go another 60 or so, all in a different state. I do believe we both lost another 5 lbs. or so, and look like brown stick figures. I have to give a shout out to Laura for making it through a long day. Way to hang in there.

Saltwater

Just like NASA, I was counting down. Ten, nine, eight,... The Atlantic was seven miles away and we could literally smell it. As we turned down to cross the pedestrian/bikepath that crosses the bay west of Ocean City, some guy was pushing a stroller with twins right at us. Much too tight for us to pass them, we gave way rather than run over the toddlers. Walking now, we descended the ramp into town and looked for waves. Feeling like a woman in labor for the last 36 hours, we kept asking ourselves"isn't this the end?" Two blocks later, we felt like that same woman when the doctor is holding the baby. "It's actually over!" Oh, but not yet. I was determined to put Big O in the water. We walked it eastward down the boardwalk until it ended. Then we took off the yellow bag that served us so well and stashed it under an umbrella. The tires were buried about 4 inches in the sand as I lugged and tugged and pushed toward the surf. We weaved between sunbathers and beach bums, toddlers and teenagers, mother's and kids. If we had been stark naked we would not have drawn this much attention. From one side and the other we heard kid's asking their parents about what they were seeing. A 9.5 foot orange bike with pedals out front being pushed by a guy with a matching bandana is not something you normally see out there. When we had gone as far as we could, Laura picked up the back end and spun it around. She took a couple of pics, then we had a lady take some more for us when we were high fiving. It didn't seem like salt water was going to do the bike any good, so after a couple of big waves almost took her out to sea, we walked west for the first time in a long time. We had come as far as we could go.
The bed last night was one of those motel beds that is covered in plastic to avoid staining the mattress from a bed wetter. I'm getting older, but I don't think that was necessary. We slept poorly, maybe because the plastic rustled when we moved, or perhaps we were too excited about the day. At 7:00 we left the motel in Crisfield, and rode 20 miles to Princess Anne for breakfast. It seemed appropriate that when we walked into the diner on main street, there were about six old geezers drinking their coffee and solving the problems of the world. We've seen that all across the country, except for Kentucky. Another 30 miles and we were in Berlin, where we stopped at a farmer's market and bought some raspberries and blackberries. All of the riding today was on roads as flat as Wile E. Coyote when he's been steamrolled. There wasn't much road left after Berlin, so the countdown started. Laura is making phone calls now to our kids and some others letting them know about the end of the trip. Last night internet was unavailable, so I wrote about the day on the ferry and stored it in the computer. That post and 4 or 5 others will be on the blog as soon as someone shows me how to copy and paste them or whatever. I know that there are some readers thinking of a trip like this, so tomorrow or the next day from Tim's house I will write some about what it takes and the goods and bads. I made a partial list, but I'll have more time in the next few days. This won't be the last post but it is the last "action post." So long from Ocean City, Maryland and the Atlantic ocean.

Bare Mattress

The Days Inn we stayed in last night must be next on their list for updating. It was old, about sixties vintage. It did have hot water and a working tv. But the so called continental breakfast left something to be desired. Like food. Desirable food. There were outdated pastries, a couple of boxes of cereal with milk, and coffee. We just about cleaned them out and departed the town of Tappahannock at 8:30. Crossing the interstate right away, I started looking for a food stop that wasn't just a convenience store. I like my pancakes, paper, and coffee. Here in Virginia they must not believe in those things because every little town we passed through had nada. So about 11:00 in desperation we pulled into a Food Lion supermarket and bought a bag of bagel chips and some fruit. A poor substitute, but beggars can't be choosy.The stop at the Burgess Food Lion was pleasant, there was a bench outside the door and we people watched.

Off again, we headed for Reedville, our destination for the day. It's right on the Chesapeake Bay. The museum was a bust, not worth the admission charge and the tour guide drove me crazy. I now know her life story but nothing new about the history of the town. Hungry again, we found a seafood deli by the water that had delicious crab cakes and french fries. Suitably stuffed, we rode off to find the cabins that we had reserved, right next to the ferry that will take us across the bay tomorrow. The campground is a Daniel Boone's delight, with woods and small clearings right up to the water's edge. We completed all the paperwork, walked to our cabin, and opened the creaky wooden door. The outside of the cabin is all wood logs, the inside is identical. That was the problem, there were no sheets, blankets, pillows, or towels. Had we not made it clear we were on a bicycle? Did the lady think we carried all that with us? Does she think it's normal to spend the night in your dirty, sweaty bike clothes that have been on you for 4000 miles? We could always use our dirty laundry in heap for a pillow, right? I marched over to make it clear we didn't want to do any of those things. They graciously offered to rent us a linen package, for an extra $5. Did I have a choice? Now we're calming down and enjoying the place, which really is a beautiful, quiet place next to the water. Dinner tonight consists of peanuts and beer, which Laura was smart enough to pick up on our way here. There is no tv or water in the cabins, our shower was at the bath house. I am somehow getting the internet from her office. My little laptop has been performing admirably.

We rode 52 miles today but it seemed really easy, although my legs really need a day off. Laura seems to be in better shape, but a day off the bike will be nice. Tomorrow is ferry day. We get on at 10:00am, and it's basically an all day operation to get over to Crisfield, Maryland. There are hotels there, so hopefully something will work out and we can get one with sheets and pillows. Being here on the water is strange, I still remember the Pacific ocean those first few days out in Oregon, but it seems like a distant memory. There has been a lot of pavement and plenty of foot circles since then. Between one thing and another I didn't get a list of peeves and pluses together, so I will try on the ferry. I hate to say it, but fall is creeping into the air here, and it is getting dark noticeably earlier. Yuk. We'll be back in town shortly and hope to see all our Denver friends. Good luck Tina, hope you're getting better.

Tappahannock

My healing butt is telling me the riding is getting easier. We're at sea level now, and there aren't really any hills left in this floodplain they call eastern Virginia. We ride along at 16-18mph for a couple of hours, then arrive at a stop and take a rest and get a drink. Music makes the time go faster, but as they say, time flies when you're having fun. It's hot, actually reached 96 today, but with a breeze and a tailwind, the riding today was marvelous. The worst part was the breathtaking garbage trucks that passed us non-stop, heading for the dump. They took your breath because you were afraid to breathe the smell for about 20 seconds. But there was actually a shoulder!! As the trip winds down, I can tell we've put a lot of ourselves into it. There's a kind of " what do I do now" feeling after something this involved. Today we rode 50 miles to Tappahannock, Va. from Ashland. Tappahannock is an Indian word meaning "the rise and fall of water". I kept thinking about other classic journeys, not much more famous than ours.

Marco Polo, who was a Venetian, traveled the Silk Road to China from Venice from 1271-1295. If this trip took that long I would be 80 years old when I got back to Denver. Ferdinand Magellan started on a voyage in 1519 intending to sail around the world. He ended up getting killed in the Philippines, but one of his five ships made it back, with 17 of the original 270 crewmen still alive. They had to eat the leather straps from the rigging to stay alive. We're sick of the fried leather we've been eating also. Columbus took just one year for his voyage, from 1492-1493. He brought a few things back to Europe when he returned, including tobacco, pineapples, turkeys, hammocks, and syphilis. Thomas Cook, Captain Cook himself, left England in 1768 and returned in 1771. He knew enough to take citrus and sauerkraut along to prevent scurvy. We forgot to bring those things in our yellow box, so may end up with scurvy ourselves. My gums are starting to get sore. Then there was Thor Heyerdahl, who sailed in a homemade balsa wood boat from Peru to the Polynesian Islands. It took him 101 days, about the same as us, and he traveled 4300 miles, very close our distance. Does this mean the ocean waters move along as fast as we can pedal? The Race Across America riders cross the country in 8 days, and if you don't finish in 12 you are stopped and get a DNF. This makes us look pretty weak. You have to average 250 miles every day for 12 days, almost 400 per day to be among the early finishers.

We're at sea level now, on the Rappahannock river. I will come up with a summary list of goods and bads tomorrow if we can get internet. We are staying in some cabins on the Chesapeake Bay so we can catch a ferry across the water for Maryland. They may be rather primitive. All this water reminds me of Ishmael's journey on the Pequod looking for Moby Dick. That was quite a journey also. At one point the crew kills a sperm whale and dismembers it. This process involves the harvesting of spermaceti, a mysterious fluid found on the head of a sperm whale and a key ingredient of cosmetics. Ishmael's account is memorable. " Squeeze! Squeeze! Squeeze! All the morning long; I squeezed that sperm till I myself almost melted into it; I squeezed that sperm till a strange sort of insanity came over me, and I found myself unwittingly squeezing my colaborer's hand's in it , mistaking their hands for the gentle globules."

We will look for Moby Dick tomorrow in the Chesapeake, but if we find him I'm not going to squeeze any sperm.

Patrick Henry

Give me liberty or give me death! Those were the words of Patrick Henry, who shouted them in a 1775 speech. We were at one of his homes today, on the way to Ashland. The road from Fork Union follows the James river towards Richmond, Va, and Ashland is basically a suburb now. Leaving the motel and passing by the military school that Fork Union is famous for, we had to travel 25 miles to get to some breakfast. They were great miles on the bike, with long stretches of straight level road between curves. At 7am when we left, the mist was rising from the fields, and the moon was still visible even though it was light. It was about 9 when we pulled into Goochland, in Goochland county, to eat. Lo and behold, there was a table full of geezers reading the paper and talking NASCAR and politics. Haven't seen that since Nebraska. In Kentucky they are already at the stills by 9, by themselves. Blueberry pancakes and a newspaper reminded me of home.

We finally left the restaurant and rode down the historic route. The revolutionary war was fought in this country, and there are markers all around telling of what happened where. It's a little eerie to stand at a place and realize events happened one day long ago in the exact spot. The road follows the route that Lord Cornwallis, with his mighty British army, used to chase the army of the colonies, led by Nathaniel Greene. The strategy used by Washington and Greene was to run away until Cornwallis tired of the chase, In fact it worked, and Cornwallis eventually retreated back down the same road to Yorktown and his fleet. About 10 miles from Ashland is the Patrick Henry home, also the home of Dolly Madison, who was a cousin. We talked to the guides, but didn't want to pay the $7 each to get in. So we took a long, winding road 10 miles into Ashland, seeing some deer and fields of peanuts along the way.

Ashland is notorious for being a part of the beltway shootings in Oct. 2002. A 37 year old man was picked off as he left a Ponderosa steak house here in Ashland. Now the downtown is a sleepy town with a library right on the railroad tracks. We visited it, asked for local advice, and found a motel next to a mexican restaurant with some great margaritas. The road through town is the old stage route from Richmond to Washington DC, now a busy train track. The weather has been great, warm and calm, and with the evening so nice we went to a Starbucks and sat outside to drink our decaf. Tomorrow we hope to get to Tappahannock, on the Rappahannock river. It is about fifty miles. The 65 we rode today were nice riding, but my legs are trashed. Putting them in an upright position is getting tiring. We haven't had a full day off since we descended into the cave, and that was awhile ago. Talking to Tim and Dora has got us amped up to get to Baltimore. As it stands now we will ride to Ocean City, Maryland where they will pick us up on Saturday. I want to say hello to all the folks at the tracon, you have my sympathy.

Appalachian Laura

Virginia is named for Queen Elizabeth 1, who never married and so was known as the Virgin Queen. I felt like a virgin this morning as I walked into the Huddle House for breakfast. It was my first time!!! As I huddled over the maps trying to figure out a plan for the day, the coffee kept coming. Laura arrived about 7:30, and we huddled some more and decided on a plan. Soon we were riding out of Appomattox toward the National Park where Lee surrendered to Grant. On the way is a small confederate cemetery where one guy is buried after surviving the entire war only to be killed in the last 24 hours. Arriving there after only about 3 miles, we paid the $4 admission charge and walked toward the courthouse. We did the tourist thing and meandered around all the buildings in the original village of Appomattox. It is interesting to see how Grant chased Lee all over before the surrender. They have the room where the meeting took place as it was in 1865, so you feel like you were there. The rangers answer every question with a canned response. After noticing this, I wanted to touch their belly button and see if they would respond like a Tickle Me Elmo doll. Tired of the jaded rangers, we left there about 12:30.

Hungry again, we looked in every little town for any place to chow. These villages don't have diners, so we ended up at a convenience store, eating day old cheesesteak and pretzels. After lunch as we rode through this area, I was reminded of Thomas Jefferson, since we are in his neighborhood. Monticello is only about 25 miles away. When he became president in 1801, there were 5 million people in the U.S., and 20% of them were slaves. T.J. himself had 200 slaves, one of which is rumored to have lost her virginity to Tom. He played the violin, invented the dumbwaiter, and suggested a decimal money system. There are only 2 presidents that signed the declaration of independence. Thomas is one, who is the other? Every day for 60 years, he took a cold foot bath. Why? He was the first president to shake hands instead of bow, and the first to have a grandchild in office. One of my favorite stories is about Jefferson receiving a 1235 lb. hunk of cheese, giving us the term "big cheese".

Fifty three miles later my ruminations ended as we pulled into Fork Union, Va. Named this because the forks of some rivers fork here, there is one motel in town, with a surly clerk behind the desk. We are averaging higher speeds lately, because the terrain is almost flat. Recovery is slow, but we are looking a little better. Laura looked a little rough for a few days in Appalachia, as you can tell from the picture I posted of her by some hillbilly's mailbox. She wouldn't let me show anyone until she was sure she'd get back to normal. The bandana she's wearing is stylish in that region. As you've all noticed, I also began wearing one as a fashion statement. Tomorrow we plan to get to Ashland, which is just north of Richmond. There is not even one place to get food in the morning here, so we'll have to leave sans nutrition. It's hard to find food here, but easy to find 40's of beer for lunch. Thanks to all who bother to read the blog, it really does make us feel a little less homesick. I love all the comments. We are inspired by Michael Phelps, but will someone tell me where he got those ears? Without a swim cap, there's no way he could go through the water that fast.

Bike Shorts

The Olympic women's marathon is on tv. We are watching here in Appomattox, Virginia. Why is it that most of the women have bikini bottoms but the Algerian has bike shorts? Our marathon is winding down. As has become routine, we lingered in the morning and didn't leave the room in Roanoke until 9:00. What is unusual is that we took an hour and half to get out of the city. The motel was on the far side, so we had to cross town through a maze of streets. After getting lost and having to backtrack, we found the way. It was like going to the hedge maze at the park and finally finding the way through. Once that crisis was over, another reared it's ugly head. After coffee in the morning, getting lost in the city for that long is not good for the bladder. I don't have to remind all of my age, but at this advanced stage of life, when you have to pee, you HAVE TO PEE. Fortunately a restaurant appeared, we pulled over, and found a place in the parking lot for big O. Waddling into the lobby like a penguin, I asked the hostess for directions to the restroom.

Resuming the journey, I looked at the computer and realized that we had ridden 10 miles and were just getting out of town. A sign whizzed by showing that we still had 72 miles to Appomattox. Debate started as to how far our legs would take us. Traffic was still whizzing by as Laura had a minor meltdown. It's understandable, both of our legs are pretty wobbly. We decided that if the hills would let up, we could go the distance, otherwise we would stop short. These were basically rollers, but our momentum is about the same as a big fat dude entering the water in a belly flop. For the next 30 miles we went down the side of a drainage, then crossed the bridge and went up the other side. Each up and down involved shifting through every gear. The Blue Ridge Mountains were in the distance, but north of us so we avoided them. Western Virginia is much like Western Kentucky, rolling hills with big long hills, not the tight, steep hills of Eastern Kentucky, But even so we were pretty beat when we stopped at a convenience store after 60 miles in the heat and sun. Sitting down with our slushies, a local geezer started flirting with me. Barely able to understand him, we talked for awhile. He was a real southerner, saying at one point that he wished the south had won the war. At some point we decided to go the distance, even though once I heard Laura behind me checking out other towns for lodging on the Iphone. Setting off, we soon ran into a local rider out getting his miles. His name was Dale, some day we may see him in Colorado because he likes to climb hills. After about 10 miles and some conversation, he turned around for home. The Dukes of Hazzard car appeared in an intersection revving his engine. Wasn't that car named General Lee? That's what this car had painted on the roof along with the Confederate flag.

Appomattox is a sleepy little town in central Virginia, with it's claim to fame being the location of the surrender of the south in the civil war. On April 8, 1865, General George Armstrong Custer of Indian massacre fame captured and burned the supply train for General Lee's army. It was the last straw in a losing cause, so the next day Lee surrendered to U.S. Grant at the Appotomax courthouse. We are going there tomorrow on our way east. The Olympic marathon is about over, with a 38 year old Romanian women out of sight of the rest of the pack. We'll resume our marathon tomorrow.

Next National Holiday

On this day in 1969 the Woodstock music festival opened. I still remember that day because I had a chance to go but passed it up. In 1998 Bill Clinton apologized to Hillary for his dalliance with Monica. On this day in2008, Laura woke me up at 6:30 and I went down for the motel breakfast. We had fresh blackberries I had purchased at a fruit stand so I added them to the microwaved oatmeal. A couple of bagels later we left the Ramada Inn at around 9am. It was a little hard to get moving, cool and overcast outside, warm and inviting inside the cozy little room. Getting back on the bike after the last few days reminded me of the pony express rider that looks at another horse. One of the first towns we went through is named Fort Chiswell. It is the fort where travelers started towards Kentucky on Daniel Boone's wilderness road. The road went 200 miles west to the Kentucky River through the Cumberland Gap. He built it along with 35 ax men by hacking it out of the forest.

Following the Virginia roads through countryside that looks like what you see the hounds chasing the foxes through, we skirted the foothills for 40 miles to a town called Radford where we ate lunch. Over huge calzones, I contemplated some more on the day in history. Will Rogers was killed in a plane crash in Alaska on this day in 1935. We was only 55 years old. MacBeth, the real one who was King of Scotland, was slain by his own son in 1057. My daydreaming had to end around 2:30, because we had to cover some more miles to get to Roanoke. Luckily, it is downhill for the most part as you head north. Even so, we didn't get to Roanoke until 5:30. Then it took an entire hour to navigate the city traffic and get to the newest motel. We were pretty beat after the 91 miles today. All is better now after a mexican dinner and a pitcher of beer. My mind still on the day in history, I realized that Napoleon was born today in 1769, Julia Child in 1912, Ben Affleck in 1972, and the March playmate of the year in 1996, Priscilla Taylor, was born in 1976.

Big O is making some funny noises, the brakes are rubbing some, and the shifting is getting a little erratic. Our elderly bodies have some creaks too. Like a horse on his way back to the barn, we sense that the ride is almost over. We have ridden the bike almost 350 miles in the last 4 days over some tough country. We've decided to fly back, on Sept. 1, from Washington DC. Any one thinking of sending a mermaid to meet me at the ocean, we plan to be at Rehobeth Beach on Aug 23 to end the journey. During a ride of about 4000 miles, you have a lot of time to think. Somewhere in my head I knew that on this day in history the Panama Canal opened in 1914, the Mayflower set sail from Southampton with 102 pilgrims in 1620, and the city of Asuncion, Paraguay, which happens to be the city my son Nic has been for the last 6 months, was founded in 1535. Of course, there are many other thoughts that have crossed my mind. No one would want to know what goes on in my head.

Thinking about this day in history, Eisenhower was elected president in the year 1952. In that year, and on this day in history, Donna Lou Newlin had a little baby boy at 7:30 am who is now very proud and grateful to his mom. Without her help and guidance years ago this ride would have never happened. Bernie, his dad, was probably at work at the time, but did have a say in naming him Larry.

By the way, my sister in law Tina is in the hospital. Best wishes to her. Get better Tina so we can start giving you a hard time again.

Back in the USA

Phew. It's been a tough couple of days, but we're still alive. We sit now in Wytheville Va. The last time I could get online was in Hazard, Ky. Between these two places is an area that belongs back in the days of the Hatfield and McCoys. I've written a couple of posts since, but they are stored in the computer and I can't seem to get them transferred to the blog. I will summarize, because much of the reason I wrote to the computer anyway was to keep a type of diary. The day from Hazard to Elkhorn City on Tuesday was a classic. Riding east of Hazard, the roads become a perfect jigsaw puzzle. Tim estimated that as a crow flies, we would have ridden 48 miles,instead we had to follow Kentucky pavement and rode 87 miles. If you add the ups and downs, it would be more like 100 miles. Immediately out of Hazard, in a fog, we began dodging coal trucks. They never stopped. After about 10 miles, we turned up a local road trying to get away from traffic, and 5 miles or so later, we hit a huge hill. We struggled up half of it, then just had to bail and start walking. I could barely push the bike up the hill. As they say here, you could see the back of yer traik when you turn the corners. To sum it all up quickly, since I have 3 days to cover, we had to ride 3 or four more huge hills in the middle of the woods. Unfortunately, we also had to walk those same hills. Every holler has a little road leading up it, but we stayed on the main one. No one really knows what goes on up those hollers. On the main road, the houses look like Katrina hit them, there are chickens, dogs, goats, and junked cars in all the yards. Folks are sitting in the porch, whiling away the day. They look at us like we're from outer space, but won't wave. Four wheelers are all over, with some dirt bikes running. Trash is everywhere. From what we can gather, the general population gets disability for one reason or another, and collects food stamps. It was a tough 87 miles, Laura deserves a shout out for hanging in there. The motel was Appalachia like, but like heaven to us. It had hot water and a tv, with a bed of sorts. What a day. Yesterday was another tough one, going 67 miles from Elkhorn City to Lebanon, Va. Crossing the state line felt good. Eastern Kentucky had kicked our butts. Unfortunately, we weren't done yet, and hit hills just as steep and isolated as on Tuesday. We had to resort to walking up some of those also, which is humbling but unavoidable. Of course, in the heat and humidity, walking up a hill pushing a bike causes mucho sweating, and by the top, I am soaked to the bone. We get on the bike at the top and roar down, clothes so wet they don't even flutter. It is a relief to be here in Wytheville, which seems civilized at least. From Lebanon this morning, it took us from 9 until 5:30 to ride 81 miles. There was a dense fog preventing us from leaving until 9. We have been freaked by traffic for two days now, with all the coal trucks and maniac hillbillies. We weren't going to leave in fog. But once we got started, the riding has been fantastic in Virginia, with not much of a shoulder but less traffic, no coal trucks, and hills that are reasonable.

Devising a plan for the end of the trip has been a long time coming. But that time is here now, and we have come up an itinerary. Tomorrow we plan to get to Roanoke, which is about 80 more miles. Hopefully all will go well. We are both fried, from head to toe. I look like a brown stick figure, Laura much the same. We are out of sunscreen, and couldn't find any in Pakistan....I mean Kentucky. Hopefully tomorrow we can get some, along with something that crunches when you bite into it. They could fry a glass of water in eastern Kentucky. As we go across Virginia, we are going to Appomattox, then Monticello on our way east toward Maryland. Tim will pick us up there at the Atlantic.

The posts I wrote the last couple of nights have a lot more details about the last couple of days, they've gone by in a haze. With some technical help I may be able to get them posted. We need some well deserved sleep, so I can only put so much down tonight. Hopefully I will talk to you all also, we miss everyone and have lots of stories to tell. The pics I will post are representative of some of the events of the past days, I'll just put six on to avoid tedium. I know you all have a life. Maybe not all.

Coal

"We have met the enemy and they are ours". That battle report was made famous by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. He had just won a crucial battle in the war of 1812 at Lake Erie against the British. We are now in Hazard, Kentucky. We are also in Perry county. Both are named for the commodore. Eastern Kentucky is in the heart of Appalachia and coal country. We know about the coal, the trucks passed us all day, for the entire 65 miles. We weren't planning on a real tough day so we had an 8 o'clock start. Breakfast was included in the room cost, so of course we had it, but it was just some cold cereal, oatmeal,and what passes for coffee. We hit hills right out of town, so it took us about 2 hours to go about 20 miles before we stopped at a Huddle House for coffee and a snack. It's fascinating to talk to the locals, because it is such a different culture here. One waitress had just graduated from high school, and out of 425 kids in her class, only about 100 graduated. The rest just stay in the hills, don't do much, and get food stamps and unemployment. About 10 miles later we stopped to pee at a convenience store, which was in the hills. I had a good chicken sandwich while I enjoyed listening to the conversation. The Kentucky accent is beyond anything I've ever haird. A beautiful cemetery rated a stop along the side of the road, then we pulled into Hazard. When we couldn't find the motel as usual, we stopped to ask some guys at the lube shop for directions. "I dun aint never seen nutin lak at afore", the first one says. We drew a crowd, and talked for a long time, just cause I didn't want to leave. They grew up in the holler, but didn't want to work in the mines. Going home is a 30 minute drive from the big city of Hazard. I asked what there is to do, they basically told me they get on the 4 wheeler, fish, and hunt. Their daddies and pa-pappies worked the coal mines. After a much needed shower, we headed for the steak house next door, where they have a bar, this being a wet county. Draft beers were $1, I had two and was drunk. It was time to eat. After 2 trips to the salad bar and spaghetti I had sobered up. When she asked if we wanted ------, my mind went right to hair, then I realized she said braid. The guy next to us wanted a soda, so she brought him a doctor payper. It never stops. Every once in a while I want to start a recorder.

The riding is pretty tough around here for us on the tandem. The hills are constant and pretty steep, but more than that it's the no shoulder and coal trucks that make it tough. Looking in my mirror, I see a truck coming from behind, and I wait for the blast like a beach house waits for a tidal wave. Shifting all the time, we go from over 40 mph to 4mph on the uphills. Level ground doesn't happen. Weather the last few days has been like Colorado in Sept. All green against blue sky like the blue on the Wildcats uniforms. No wind at all. We spray sunscreen on even as we roll, and drink from the water bladder. We've both been caught bonking, getting light headed, then eat an energy bar or stop for food. I have started looking like one of the Chinese women gymnasts. Laura too, except her breasts are are bigger........ Tomorrow should be the toughest day of all, because we have to go through the toughest hills and still make about 65 miles for shelter. A woman we met after dinner has given us an alternate route we may use. We have been warned repeatedly about not messing with the local's "patch", mostly because of Kentucky's biggest cash crop. When I asked one dude what he meant by that, he looked around warily, then bent over to whisper in my ear "marywayner". A detective we talked to at the bar tonight said that now there are a lot of meth labs back in the hills also. We won't mess with anyone's patch. Laura has the dowg stick ready. "We have met the enemy and they are ours".

Dry

A recipe for moonshine requires corn meal, sugar, water, yeast, and malt. Mix all the ingredients together, and put the mixture in the still. Heat the "mash" to 173 degrees. This will produce a vapor, which is trapped using a coil or tube. This is the coil you always see running from one container to the other. The resulting condensation is collected in the second container. This can be drunk. Or it can be left to age. As a bonus, you can use the original mash up to 8 times before you need to replace it with new. The process is simple, even though it takes a little time for the heating and cooling. Usually the stills are in the back woods or a yard with chickens running around and barefoot kids playing in front of the house. Kentucky has 120 counties, third most in the U.S. They are small, due to the oldtimers that made sure you could drive to the county courthouse and back in one day. 53 of of the counties are dry, 37 are "moist". The rest allow liquor to be sold. We're in London, Ky. now after riding 65 miles today. It looks to be a moist county, with no liquor sales, but some restaurants and bars, and golf courses, allowed to serve. To buy liquor over the counter, you have to drive to a wet county. Prohibition was a law passed by Congress over the veto of Woodrow Wilson. The congressmen were influenced by the temperance movement, and wanted to get reelected. They passed an unenforceable law, and to enforce it 1520 federal agents were put out into the field. Al Capone had a field day, and so did the bootleggers. Down here in Kentucky the sheriff was kin to most of the beverage makers. The law was repealed in 1933 after being on the books for 13 years. But here in Kentucky, the bible belt voters have gone back in time about 80 years.

We left Mammoth Cave at 7:30 on Saturday, and had a long day of riding, 85 miles, to get to Russell Springs, It was in a dry county. The road was long, curvy and back in the woods. A few times I think I spotted smoke from a still. We did see chickens in the yard. A couple of dogs ran out and chased us, and Laura raised her weapon, but never had to use it. We couldn't outrun them, but they're too inbred to know that. The hills were short, but steep. Up and down, about 500 times. On a water refill stop, we started talking to the locals and they advised we start taking the Parkways, which are like interstate hwys. Bikes are prohibited. We have been taking Parkways ever since. The cops must be out busting the moonshiners because we haven't seen one yet on the road. It makes the riding change from a chunky supermodel to a long, lanky one. We don't go up and down in every nook and cranny and holler, but ride up one long hill, then down a long hill on the other side. Last night, we stayed in Russell Springs at a mom and pop motel with no internet, hence the absence of blog. This morning we left at 6:30 and rode parkways all the way to London on the wide shoulder. I really miss the country roads, but for ease of riding we plan to take a parkway tomorrow. I miss meeting the dudes with the faces that are a study in seams and have 60 years of Kentucky grime under their fingernails. And we don't get the wild dogs or the caterpillar nests that Dora asked about. Bootleggers don't run on the parkways.

Bootlegger is a name put on the fellows that hid the flasks of moonshine in their boot, which went high up their leg. I'm sure the revnooers never looked there. I'm looking for a flask in every leg now. Tomorrow we are riding to Hazard, Ky. I beleive it may be the site of filming Dukes of Hazard, but more on that tomorrow if it turns out to be true. We are in Appalachian country now, so are expecting more hills. All is fine on big O, some squeaks and squeals, but that may be our knees. The St. Christopher medallion Mary gave us is working, we are having good travel luck. I listen to music, Laura listens to the book on her ipod. We sometimes go for a hour or more in silence, except for my singing with the ipod. This is what brings the dogs out. As I sing, they howl in annoyance, then come after us like they are chasing an ambulance. It's been about 5 weeks since we left Denver, and I will try to come up with another list of goods and bads, as a list of what to expect should anyone reading this be crazy enough to try a similar trip. We crossed into the eastern time zone today, another landmark for us. We would be able to smell Virginia by now, if it wasn't for the smell of corn mash.

Common names for moonshine: white lightning, skull cracker, popskull, bush whiskey,stumphole, 'splo, ruckus juice, rotgut, cat daddy, mule kick, hillbilly pop, old horsey, block and tackle, wild cat.

Underground Ice Skates

Journey to the center of the earth premiered in 1960. We joined the cast today when we took a 4.5 hour tour into Mammoth Cave. It was the nicest, least humid day of the summer, so what did we do but go below ground. Our tour guide looked like a black Sgt. Carter from Gomer Pyle. He was all spit and polish. He was also the best part of the tour. I'm sure all of his lines have been used before, but the delivery is what made him so funny. Sounding like a southern preacher, he would draw out his words, and make you wait for the punch line to his jokes. The cave is not really that spectacular, just big. 372 total miles of cave, the largest system in the world. We walked 4.5 miles of it, up and down over a path constructed by workers in the 1930's. Unfortunately for us, our choice of footwear was limited. Flip flops or bike shoes. We chose the bike shoes. Walking on metal soles on steep rock and mud made the tour a little more exciting for us. The cave has 5 levels, we only made it to level 3. Level 5 is a river. Most likely the river Styx, the border between Hades and the promised land. That's a Greek belief, and the reason the ancient Greeks were buried with a coin on their forehead. They had to pay the boatman for a ride across. The last half hour of the tour was the best, with stalactites and stalagmites galore. Also columns. Not pillars, those are what New Yorkers sleep on. We learned all about the cave, and how the men were paid a dollar a day for their labor. Hence the phrase, another day, another dollar.

The route from here on out is convoluted. Kentucky has one of the most complicated road systems I've ever seen. All the hollers and hills cause the roads to meander everywhere. We can't ride on the parkways, which more or less go direct, so we ride about 30 miles to go 20 miles east. We figure 2 more weeks on the road and we're done. Tomorrow we plan to ride about 70 miles, but as of yet we haven't figured out a good place to stay. It may come down to looking for a house with a light on and no dog. We'll just go knock on the door and ask ourselves in.

One World

A spelunker is a person that explores caves for fun. Cavers are people who explore them for scientific purposes. We're about to become spelunkers exploring Mammoth Cave in south central Kentucky. It's smack in the middle of the bible belt south. We can tell that as we ride along the roads. The houses and yards are much smaller than they were up north. These folks don't appear to have much money, but they have a lot of belief. The consistent pattern is to enter town with one or two Baptist churches, with cemeteries alongside. Then a few houses, with a small well kept yard, columns holding up the front porch roof, with a rocking chair and glider on each porch. Statues of Mary are common, and we see signs every so often like "come to Jesus" or "it's back to school time, how about back to church?" Then as we leave town about 2 blocks later, two or three more white churches, each with another cemetery alongside. Average people to church ratio is about 20 to 1. We are in a dry county now, as most seem to be. Laura is having withdrawal issues.

We left Leitchfield and the Hatfield motel about 10:30. They had a free breakfast which we couldn't pass up, then we lingered. I enjoyed talking to the manager and maid. It was only a 35 mile ride today, we decided to take a detour south to see a cave. By noon we were hungry again and spotted one of the numerous produce stands next to the road. Laura has been wanting a tomato from one, so I pulled a uturn and stopped. It was quickly apparent that these weren't city folks. They quickly offered up a tomato, wouldn't let us pay for it, then had to run up to the house to get salt. I grabbed a peach, which they also would not let us pay for, and ate it on the spot. Do we look like we need food that badly? We talked and talked, each of us fascinated with the others. They loved the bike and the trip, we loved just talking to these dudes. While getting the salt, we heard the wife wanted a picture. I said not unless she comes on down so we can meet her as well. It took awhile but here she came, kind of shy but curious. There really is a parallel universe where we're all the same but we're nothing like each other. I'm not sure these folks have ever been out of the county, much less Kentucky. They don't have much money, they are land rich cash poor, as they own property that has been in the family for generations. The government pays them to not farm it. We walked the yard, looked at the view from the house, she showed us the "holler". She also told me at one point, "it's hard to eat land". I bought a loaf of banana bread that the Amish made, which I insisted I pay for. $3.50 didn't seem like all that much. Some locals came by and bought some mushmelon. I didn't know there was such a thing. We all got pics, and they seemed to marvel at the bicycle built for two when we rode away an hour later. We sure won't forget these guys.
Fifteen miles down a curvy road we pulled in to our cabin in Mammoth Cave National park. It's primitive but suits our needs. We bought tickets for a 4.5 hour cave tour commencing at 10am tomorrow, lunch below ground. Walking around here after the ranger talk tonight, it seems to have sunk in a little bit that I can do this for a long time. I really love these warm evenings, it doesn't take much to entertain me, and I especially love having no one, especially no account boss men, tell me what to do. The riding is not always easy, especially when I misjudge a hill and get in the wrong gear, and we both get pretty tired sometimes, both physically and mentally, but we're on our own agenda. That's a pretty big deal.