Hills, heat, ice cream and new friends

Somebody forgot to shut their 4:45 AM alarm clock off from the previous night. Yup, this guy. Unfortunately, I believe I woke all others in the large tent we slept in, but we ended up packing up and heading out early anyway. We rode in the brisk, cool Kentucky morning air right to the 24-hour convenience store for the ritualistic coffee. You can feel the warm, watered-down bean liquid run down your esophagus during that first sip, and the chill dissipates. A hilly 65 mile day in hotter than normal temperatures loomed over our heads, but we were in zero rush. I watched as the Monday work force pulled into the gas station for their own cup o’ joe and breakfast sandwich, and all I could do was smile thinking, “how did I get here?”

The first 15 or so miles were flat for once, so we cruised on into our first of a few steep climbs today. I felt good, real good. If I were a betting man, I bet it was the buffet nourishment from last night replenishing lost reserves over the past two weeks. We easily made it to up and went right back down, rolling us right into a small burger joint that sold some breakfast items. I settled on the double egg biscuit sandwich, which for the price of 2.19 was appropriately sized. I could have eaten 15, but nothing a few spoonfuls of peanut butter and bars couldn’t fix. I packed up and roll into the post office where I sent out a few postcards, one of which will be considered late (sorry Mom). With the impending hills, I took off wanting to utilize the good feeling I was having. I carefully pedaled up hills I certainly underestimated, and found myself with a little less water than needed. Upon arriving at the top of the last of three hills, a man happened to be working on some sort of construction. We struck up conversation, and he offered some water. I hesitantly denied, but shortly after was informed I was 2 miles from a store. Before he knew it, I was riding Sea Biscuit down to the finish line of the Kentucky Derby for water and food. Alas, the convenience store was in eye sight, and before I could downshift I had already purchased cinnamon pop tarts and an ice cream snickers bar. Somehow along the process I forgot about the water, but the kind fellers offered to fill them up with some ice. I sat there for the better part of two hours enjoying the A/C and Bradley, the little nugget running around my table shooting me with a pretend nerf gun.

Two more hills stared me in the sunburned eyes, but I was ready for the test. When I hopped back onto the bike, my legs felt a little jello-ee. It’s not until you begin to peddle uphill for that feeling to go away, from my experience. Fast forward heavy breathing and profusely sweating later, we made it to town. The second stop was the local library, a safe haven for cyclists. A little trail magic happened today, the kind librarian offered us cold water bottles, cheese sticks, and slim jims. The perfect snack and beverage for the end of the day. I was estatic, I insisted on taking her picture to share with the world. Thank you Miss Librarian! Over the way, we noticed other cyclists in the pavilion behind the church we were planning on staying for the night. I always get excited when I notice other bikers, especially when we stay in the same place! We made our way over, and introduced ourselves to Jeff and Kristen, and Jerry. Jeff and Kristen are from Washington State and Jerry resides in Michigan. They’ve all been more or less riding together since they started. They’re all full of life and stories, and I spent the first couple hours chit chatting about anything Trans Am related. Like I said before, it’s all about the people you meet, and I know already they will be lifelong friends through this bond we have on the trail.

Dinner was laughable, and I figured I’d share for entertainment purposes. Two cans of different flavored lentil soup, sweet and spicy tuna package, and a can of chunky pineapples. In my defense, I do this for the fuel, and the flavor combination doesn’t really bother me. After a Dollar General trip and a phone call back home to Mom, Pops, and Liz, I settled into my cozy tent with both rain fly zips open for the cool Kentucky air, finishing off the last bites of an ice cream cone. As I lay there, I noticed what I thought were shooting stars, but I could never catch it. Then I realized these shooting stars were really lighting bugs! I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness and content, just laying on the poorly blown up sleeping pad looking at the sky. A light nearby blocked the beauty of the stars in their full complexity, but I have many more nights to gaze.

I’ve been meaning to include Suzanne from Guy’s Bicycles back home in Pennsylvania. She graciously provided some very useful pieces of gear without ever even meeting me. If that’s not considered trail magic, I don’t know what is. Thank you Suzanne for supporting me on this trip, and thanks for not talking my Dad into thinking this was a bad idea! Looking forward to meeting you when I return.

Stats

Total mileage: 695 ish

Dogs chased by: Lost count

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