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".