July 23

July 23, 2013

Well, we decided to stay and camp and not do the lodge.  Real troopers.   Rain held off.  Dave prepared a great meal of spaghetti and salad and Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip cookies that he claimed to have baked.  Jay provided some beet salad.  Ate like kings and queens and shared a lot of good conversation.  Dave was given a lot of good friendly criticism, and he took it like a champ.  Besides his “Cadillac” tent, he also provided a tarp for the tables.  We tried to hire him on as “extra” personnel for the remainder of the trip, but he declined. How he could pass on that opportunity, I can’t figure.

So Dave and Joan and Jay deserve a shout out for taking care of us for the evening with food and good companionship.  But there is a disclaimer, Dave did not leave the extra spaghetti sauce like he said he would.

Most of us took a walk to the top of the dam to view Buckhorn Lake which is about 40 feet below the top of the damn.  The three of them got to view firsthand how our day goes and how we prepare for the next.  They were of course amazed.  Of course, everyone got to witness my new air mattress.  I brought an air mattress down that Mary bought.  It has a remote control for deflating and inflating.  It barely fits in my tent.  Little story about my tent.  Back in Missoula, our tents were wet from the night before.  Jerry and I thought it would be ok to put my Coleman, $69.99, special tent in the dryer for a short time.  Well, it went in a 3 man tent and came out a 2 man tent.  The plastic shriveled up on part of it.  Lesson learned.  So, the air mattress goes wall to wall.  But it is a dream.  All got a good chuckle out of the exhibition.

We left just before the break of dawn around 6:00.  Went through Chavies.  Had three “climbs” very early.  Went though Dwarf, but never really did see a sign.  It was probably really small.  Continued on through Emmalena, and Carrie (remember Sissy Spacek in that movie) and Hindman, pop 798.  Hindman was a cool little city.  Very artsy fartsy.  Little café that I wish we had stopped at, but we already had coffee earlier.  Neat little art town for those of you who like that sort of thing.  Would be a good day trip.  We went through Mallie and then into Pippa Passes, pop 295.   Pippa Passes is where Alice Lloyd College is located.  Nice little college.  It was 52 miles out.  We had talked about staying there.  They have a cycling course there evidently and we thought maybe we could talk them into letting us stay on the grounds.  But we decided that 52 miles was too short of a day and decided to move on toward Lookout which we did.  It was 90 miles total today.  Mountain just before Lookout was a de ja vou experience of Missouri.  Toughest mountain so far in KY.  We also went through Melvin where we met a guy sitting outside the gas station.  Said he used to go to Cincinnati to see the Redlegs play but hasn’t been back since the Big Red Machine days.  I couldn’t talk him into coming back.  Even offered my brother-in-law’s ticket.

Few dogs today.    No attacks.  We don’t seem too phased by them anymore.  Sue bought us some air horns to ward them off just in case.  We have whistles, air horns, and pepper spray.  We’re packing  and we’re loaded.

Scenery has been good.  Going through some Appalachia territory.  Lots of poor folks.  People living right on the road with their front doors open to get air.  You can look right in.  Kind of sad.  Places these people live in are just….. Hard to put into words.

We stopped or coffee in a gas station near Hazard.  The young lady behind the counter offered to give us free water out of the fridge because she said even she doesn’t drink the walter out of the tap.  Her accent did not fit her, but she had some good stores about bicyclists who had stopped by in the past.  She was very entertaining.  We saw a  lot of kudzu  on the side of the road overtaking an entire hill.

Jerry used his whistle to scare away some dawgs today.

Found a cemetery spelled “cemetary” .  Janet, there is a need for reading teachers in Eastern Kentucky if you are interested.  I also saw a sign the other day that said”krunchy kreemes.”  I am a little worried.  I have seen misspellings all across the country.  We also noticed most of the cemeteries (?) in Kentucky are located up on hills.  Strange.  And they have names on them.

In Lookout, as we approached the destination which we weren’t sure of where it was, a little girl flagged us down and said we could stay  there.  It was the right place.  It is a pastor and his wife who have like a gym/community center that they make available to bicyclists all the time.  It has AC, a kitchen, showers, a pantry filled with food and treats.  A fridge stocked with shtuff.  And they just do this out of the kindness of their hearts.  This isn’t the first time it has happened.  Tomorrow night we already have a place lined up very similar.  Sometimes these places are a little “dirty” from the bicyclist the previous night.  Jack and Sue are currently doing a little sweeping.  Best part is "no tents”.

Sue had to get creative tonight since Dave did not leave his “special” sauce.  No one went away hungry.

Tomorrow, we head toward Rosedale.  60 miles.  Some biguns between here and there.  Our last day in the Bluegrass state.  Onto the Mountaineer state, our final state.

Jeff, Jerry, Jack, and Sue