KENTUCKY, Generous Church, and once again, hills

Early start
I was the first awake of the group around 4:45 AM. I couldn’t wait to get back on the bike. I likely woke everyone else us making breakfast and coffee (sorry guys and gal!), but I wanted to be about by 6AM. You can pack and organize as much as you’d like the night before, but there seems to always be more chores in the AM. I really like the eating part of the AM, but largely dislike deflating my air pad for some reason. Eventually the whole room was awake, coffee was brewing, and I was ready to hit the road. I said goodbye to my fellow cyclist, and was off by 6 AM on the dot. At this point, the sun begins to offer some light, but I’ll still turn on front and rear lights, along with my headlamp. I was determined to cover some serious miles by 11 AM, and that I did. The hills weren’t difficult to start, so I was averaging 11 to 12 miles per hour. Rain started in the AM, so I was constantly putting my rain jacket on and off, which becomes annoying after a while. I chose to keep it off during my first real hill, but was blasted with mist on the downhill, enough to consider myself soaked.

Dollar Store Lunch Break

Eventually the rain stopped, and I rolled in Haysi, where I needed to pick up some supplies. I had my first casualty of the trip, I left my toothpaste on the window sill in Damascus. Luckily, Dollar General is common in small towns. I grabbed some other supplies, and sat on the pavement for a quick lunch. A lady kindly asked to take a look at my bike, and I answered some questions she had. The perfect convo for a break. After a whole bag of granola and other snacks, I took off for the three big climbs ahead. The first one was nice, but I was feeling great after lunch, so I easily conquered it. The second one, definitely winded. The problem was you could see the top, and its never better seeing what you’re about to climb. The third one was unique, because it offered a spectacular canyon view halfway up. It’s the “Grand Canyon of the South” and I couldn’t help but smile as I carefully walked down the slippery steps to view the beautiful beast. The moment was the best I’ve felt all day.

KENTUCKY

How the hell am I still in Virginia? Not anymore ladies and gents. At the bottom of one of the today’s hills, you cross into Kentucky, and what a feeling that was. Although it felt like forever, I can finally say I biked across Virginia. The works not done yet, but it’s a minor victory. I had huge walls of rock to my right and rushing river water to my left with very little traffic rolling into the bourbon land. The beginning part of Kentucky was a real treat. I took a couple hours in Elkhorn City to relax, munch, and talk with Liz (and Biscuit). I had put in 50 miles before noon, so I only had 10 more to Freeda Harris Baptist Church, our home for the night. When I arrived, I wasn’t expecting how incredible this spot was. A huge gymnasium with a bedroom of four beds, HOT showers, and kitchen with food/coffee. The owners were extremely kind, and we met some other women who took care and made sure we had all we needed. I spent the evening calling my parents to catch-up, shower laundry, and treated myself to a mac-and-cheese from the cupboard and ice cream from the freezer. Nights like this really blow my mind how generous people are, and I’ll continue to do my part in hosting others during their travels. We shall see what the next day will bring, I have a feeling dogs are in my future.

Stats

Start: Elk Garden United Methodist Church, VA End: Lookout, Kentucky

Today’s mileage: 60ish Total: 590ish

Donuts: 9

States completed: Virginia