Day 18 May 29th

Sebree, KY to Eddyville, IL 90 miles

There’s always something to ruin my sleep. At 11:30 last night the toilet flooded the basement. I was up for an hour mopping it up. There was something wrong with the suction in the back and by the time I fixed it water was everywhere. So I didn’t get to bed until almost 1. I did get to watch the office on tv though.

Riding in the morning was good. It was relatively flat with the same sort of rolling hills and farms lands. I met two British guys named Bill and Steve Adventure Cycling group outside the Dixon library. They did about 40 miles by the time I did 12 but they start really early and I was leaving the library as they were getting there. Plus they said they only do about 55 miles a day.

I crossed the Ohio River into Illinois by taking a ferry. Right before that I met Dolly’s mom. She was one of the original people who rode across in 1976 and is supposed to be the first person to talk to the Cookie Lady and tell her what was going on. So I have her to thank for my first night in doors and out of the thunderstorm. I like IL a lot more than KY. You can actually ride on the shoulder since there aren’t rumble strips everywhere and the roads are in much better condition so far. The scenery is similar though with the same sort of farms and hills so I doubt I will be taking many pictures. There were still about 4 major climbs in Il before I got to camp and they really broke my spirits. My back wheel is bent and I had to remove the back break so it could fit through. That took about an hour of playing with it and now I only have the front break.

I made it to Eddyville eventually though and found the campground that was recommended. Danny was already there and setting up his camp. I was able to get another shower there which makes 5 days in a row. I didn’t have any soap or shampoo but it still helps. The campsite also had a restaurant with another all you can eat buffet with meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and salad. I’ll probably get a good nights sleep tonight since I’m pretty tired.

When I was walking back from the bathroom I looked up and saw the stars for the first time. I hadn’t really noticed it before but they are really beautiful. I’m definitely going to take more notice on the nights where I’m not staying in a town.

Day 17 May 28th

Hardin to Sebree 90 miles

Lucy made breakfast of eggs, toast, and sausage biscuit which were all very good but unfortunately wasn’t enough carbs for the long day ahead. I left around 9:30 but I was passing into the central time zone so I would be gaining an hour. The weather wasn’t very nice in the morning. It was overcast but there was no rain. I started having a little trouble with my gears again but it was all sorted out by the end of the day. But besides a few slow points I was averaging over 15 mph for most of the morning so I was really happy with that. I stopped at a dollar store to get some new socks but they were quickly soaked too. I found an all you can eat pizza place for lunch in Whitesville so that was awesome and was able to get filled up on carbs.

The sun came out in the afternoon but there were more storm clouds on the horizon. Luckily I only got drizzled on. Other people said they got soaked so I was feeling pretty lucky. There was a strong wind though in the afternoon, especially after I got through Utica. Utica was where the people from the Adventure Cycling group were spending the night. I met some of them but wanted to push on and didn’t meet the whole group of 14. One of the people is on a recumbent bike, the ones where it looks like you’re more in a chair and your feet are in front of you. It looked like it would be impossible for him to make it up any of the hills.

I got to Sebree around 5 and called someone listed on the door of the church that would be able to let me into their basement. While I was waiting for the guy, Danny from a few days ago walked passed and said he was staying there too. He said that another girl, Dolly, should be coming in later too. The place is great! Laundry, food, shower, mattress, tv, sofas, and ping pong. It’s a real treat and I feel like I’m getting spoiled.

Danny and Dolly are both really nice. She is going to OR too but is having knee problems that keep her from doing a lot of miles. I’ve decided I want to get back to PA by July 16^th so I can see the midnight showing of Harry at home with Ali and Greg. Riding 80 miles a day should get me there with a few rest days built in but no many. So I’m really going to have to move and probably save some just in case.

Day 16 May 27th

Bardstown to Hardin 80 miles

It was a pretty bad nights sleep last night. I killed about 20 ants in my tent and they kept me up for hours. But I was planning on getting a late start and slept until 8. i spent some time in the library and didn’t leave town until 11. I saw on a sigh that Bardstown is the bourbon capital of the world. When I was leaving town I rode by a distillery and I could smell the alcohol from the road 100 feet away.

My shoes were still wet from the day before but I was making good time on the relatively flat ground. Around 2 o’clock you could see a major storm system on the horizon. I put on my rain coat and set off into the storm. I made it about 1 mile and turned back towards that last town I went through. There was lightning, pouring rain, and a strong wind right in my face but when I turned around I made it back to town in no time since the wind was at my back. When I went through town the first time I saw there was a gas station that sold pizza too so I stopped there and decided to wait out the storm. The gas station had a place where you could sit down and eat while watching tv. But the only thing on tv was the weather channel and it was showing clips from last year of an F-5 tornado going through Kansas, where I was going to be in about a week. I hadn’t really thought of it but summer is tornado season in the Midwest. Theres nothing I can really do about it though. One pizza, two liters of 7-up, a bag of Doritos, and 2 hours later I was ready to set off.

I hit one more storm in the afternoon but it wasn’t terrible but it got my shoes completely soaked again. I knew there was a convenience store that lets bikers camp outside about 40 miles from where I had lunch so I made for that. I got there before 7 and met two older guys named Jim and John. There are each being supported by their wives, Sherry and Susan, who are driving in cars behind them. The shop owners, Arnold and Lucy plus their daughter Lauren were amazing. Lasagna was being served right when I got there and everyone was so friendly. We ate and sat around talking for most of the night until I was ready for bed. I slept on the porch in a recliner and was glad to have a roof since there was another thunderstorm coming through that night. I didn’t get much sleep though since I’m not used to sleeping in a chair like that. Plus the police came by, turned on their spot light, and asked Susan if the owner knew we were here. I was pretty glad he didn’t ask me since I was completely out of it.

Day 15 May 26th

Berea to Bardstown 89 miles on trail but 120 since I got lost
I missed two turns today which added on a lot of extra miles. I missed the first turn because it was blown over by a tornado. An old man stopped me and told me about it and said how most bikers miss it and he turns them all around if he can. The second turn I missed because the street signs in this county are different. They are carved into posts and impossible to read if you are going past them. So I did 60 miles by lunch and was completely wiped by the time I stopped. I G-chatted with Ali at the library for a bit and she told me how one of Greg’s friends called her over the weekend and was hitting on her. He texted “you make me sweat.” I probably would have done the same thing if I were in Greg’s shoes.
There were at least 4 sun showers which were very welcome in the heat and even though you can’t really drink the water it helps with your thirst. There was a strong wind in my face for a while after lunch which really bothered me since my spirits were a little down from all the extra miles. Luckily the road is flattening out. There are still a lot of hills but they are much smaller and have a lower grade.
My feet are killing me though. My shoes were soaked from the heavy rain yesterday and they didn’t dry overnight so my feet were soggy all day and I’m paying for it now. I’m in a camp ground and just got another shower and was even able to shave. It took me 20 minutes to shave my face since it was so thick. I went to an all you can eat KFC buffet for dinner. I felt like I was going to throw up on the ride back because I was so full. Its supposed to thunderstorm tonight but I’m exhausted and hopefully I can sleep through it.

Day 14 May 25th

Elkhorn to Lexington by cab, Lexington to Berea 50 miles
I called the cab at 7 and was packed and ready to go when it got here at 7:30. I didn’t say goodbye to the guys since it was early and they said they usually sleep till 9. I feel kinda bad about it especially since I don’t have any of their contact info. The cab ride was fine and there were a lot of good views of the mountains. I’m pretty glad I didn’t have to ride through anymore of them though. Alex the cab driver was alright. He told me he worked about 18 hours a day and smoked 5 and a half packs of cigarettes a day.
I got to the bike shop around 11 and everyone there was great. They helped out a ton and they even offered my free doughnuts. I left by 12 and all I had to do was stay on Route 25 to get to Berea. It poured as I left Lexington but everything that was packed away stayed dry. I was soaked but it wasn’t too bad since it was pretty hot out.
I met some really helpful ladies at the Berea tourist center and they let me use their own computer and told me where an all you can eat Chinese place was. Yesterday James had told me how he had been staying at fire stations and they would let him shower there and everything. So I decided to give that a try and it really worked out great. I got my third shower of the trip and am camped out behind their station. It might get loud tonight but it’s free and I got a shower so there are no complaints. I spent about 90 minutes in the Chinese place and took a break to write and call home between servings. This is the first time all trip where I am actually full and its great. When I got back to my tent I spent some time hanging out with the firefighters before bed. They were a lot of fun and had a ton of good stories and kept me laughing.

Day 13 May 24th

Elkhorn City
I woke up today to the sound of a banjo and some song from the 1860’s. It was raining a bit so I stayed in my tent and read one of the books I brought along. When I finally looked at my clock after what seemed like hours of reading I learned that it was only 10:45 and I was ¾ of the way through the book. I finished the book just in time for the reenactment that afternoon. It was kinda dumb since you decide on your own when you are going to get shot. But I got a bunch of pictures and now I can say that I’ve seen one. There was a person dressed as Lincoln and I wanted a picture with him but I couldn’t find him once it was all over. Most people packed up to get ready to leave right after the show was over and only on tent was there by nightfall.
I started reading my second book in the afternoon as everyone was leaving and while I was doing that I heard three voices that didn’t have a Kentucky accent and they sounded young. So I turned around to see three guys about my age on bikes. Thank god. James, Jed, and Sean live in Chicago. Jed and Sean are traveling together and James met up with them and coincidentally is living in Chicago but originally from PA. We got dome food at the dinner and killed some time before setting up camp. We tried to get a case of beer but we learned that Elkhorn is a dry town. Sean made a fire and we all sat around talking under some trees while it rained around us. My tent let in some water from around the zipper but its easy to get out and as long as I keep the dirt out it doesn’t get to annoying.They were all really cool guys and I would like to have spent more time with them but they were only doing about 50 miles a day and I wanted to make up for lost time.

Day 12 May 23rd

Elkhorn City

I spent most of the day in the library trying to figure out how to get out of here. I finally found a taxi that could take me to Lexington but it was going to be pretty expensive so I figure I’m going to be eating only peanut butter for the next few days. That’s what I had for breakfast lunch and dinner today. I tried to see if the cops could give me a lift anywhere but they were no help. I went to the station 3 times and there was only someone there once. Since half the town is down at the reenactment you could probably loot the entire place.
They had a reenacted battle today but I missed it to stay in the library and try to figure everything out but there is one tomorrow and the library is closed so I’ll probably go just to kill some time. Their library actually has a Wii and an X-Box They fired a cannon tonight and I was able to get a good video of it and will try to post it later if I can figure it out.
There are about 30 civil war era tents in front of me and one is actually a covered wagon. Every person staying in the tents is dressed up too. I can’t imagine how hot it must get in all the wool they are wearing. Even the kids are dressed up. And there are at least 2 people here named Bubba.
Berea is only 40 miles from Lexington so losing my map wont be a problem. Making a route wont be nearly as bad as leaving DC since there wont be anything close to the amount of traffic.