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.