Tough Day

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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.