Rest day in Springfield, Virginia

We woke at 8:30 am and met Eric Decker, Amy's brother, and his boyfriend Max Sutherland, who are also visiting for a couple days. We had breakfast and talked about our trip with them. Lorraine played with their friendly kitty, Copper - he is very even-tempered and a good cat for three young boys. He is also the only cat that we had ever met that like to play "fetch" with his toy mice! We went for a ride in the car to see an alternate route that Pete thought we could take to get to the Mount Vernon Bike Path. Lenny stopped at the post office, we had lunch at McDonald's, and then bought some groceries for tomorrow. Eric and Max were following us in their jeep. They both had their shirts off so the kids started calling them "the nudie boys"! 

We came back to the house and spoke to Ed Passarelli, Pete's neighbor. Ed is a biker, and Pete thought that Ed might know of a way to get to the bike path that was not as heavily travelled. He came over later on to tell us about a way to get to the bike path, and offered to accompany us tomorrow with his son Eddie. He also left some trail information that was quite useful. It showed that the Rock Creek Trail, which we would be using, continued much further than we thought, and would keep us off the congested roads for an additional 23+ miles. 

Lorraine called her parents and her friend Kara. Eric and Max made dinner for us, a delicious meal of ribs, burgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, salad, and baked beans. Max entertained us with stories about his mother's tiara, his closet full of shoes (including 6 pairs of cowboy boots), growing up in Indiana and Germany, and proper etiquette at the opera. We said goodbye to them, and to the kids, since we would be leaving early tomorrow. We had such a wonderful time with the Henrys and company. Being in their household with its fun-filled environment made us think about having some kids of our own!

Fredericksburg, Virginia to Springfield, Virginia -- 68 miles

We woke at 6:30 am, grabbed donuts and muffins from the continental breakfast, and began biking at 7:15 am. We made it through the morning rush hour traffic to get off the highway and out of town. As we got further away, the traffic decreased. Around 9 am, it began raining hard - we were riding past an abandoned house, and ducked into the open garage to get out of the rain. It slowed down about 15 minutes later, and we got back on the road. We stopped at country grocery store to buy sodas and eat our lunch, but they would not fill our water bottles for us.

Traffic increased on the road as we reached Dale City. We passed through Occoquan, a cute river town and walked our bikes across the river. In Lorton, we got off the route and followed our friend Pete's directions to his home in Springfield. It started thundering, but we made it there before it started raining. Lenny has been friends with Pete and his wife Amy since high school. They are part of a group that call themselves the Penguins. Now, Pete is a "Mr. Mom" who takes care of their kids full-time, while Amy brings home the bacon! We talked to Pete and their 3 boys - Neil, Christopher, and Nathan. Amy was at work for her second to last day before her new job starts. We had Chinese food for dinner and turned in at about 9:30 pm. We had a restful sleep on their comfortable AeroBed.

Ashland, Virginia to Fredericksburg, Virginia -- 62 miles

Lenny woke at 6 am, sweating and feeling sick to his stomach. It turns out that he had a mild case of dysentery, probably from the Mexican food yesterday. He felt awful, so Lorraine got him a cold washcloth and comforted him. We fell back to sleep and woke at 8:30 am. Lenny was feeling better, so we got on the road at 9:30 am. Today's route retraced the TransAmerica Trail for about 9 miles, then headed north along the Atlantic Coast Trail. Unfortunately, the back country roads did not pass any service stations, so Lenny had to make a few pit stops in the woods!

We stopped in the town of Cedon to buy sodas, and the grocery store manager told us their rest room was out of order. We didn't believe her. Lenny commented to Lorraine that McDonald's considers its bathrooms to be an asset - some people just stop to use the rest room, but others will buy food as well. We thought the route would take us right past the Stonewall Jackson Shrine, but it was on a different road, and we didn't want to go off route. When we reached Fredericksburg, the traffic increased. We met Eric Smucker from Lancaster, PA, who is a freshman at Mary Washington College. He was on his bicycle, exploring the bike routes in the area, and asked us about our trip. He is a practicing Mennonite, and spent two years in Chad as an exchange student after high school.

We stopped for sodas at 7-11, then went to the visitor's center to ask about motels in town. The only way to get to the motels was biking along a 4-lane highway for 2 miles, which was rather nerve-racking. It took us 15 minutes to walk our bikes across one exit ramp coming from Route 95. We stayed at the EconoLodge and did our laundry at the Best Western laundry room, based on a tip from another guest. We ate at Aunt Sarah's Pancake House, and took advantage of their "unlimited side dishes with any dinner." Both of us had 2 salads each, plus breadsticks, and our dinners of fried chicken, pancakes, meatloaf, and mashed potatoes.

Williamsburg, Virginia to Ashland, Virginia -- 89 miles

We woke at 7 am, and began biking at 7:45 am. Lorraine stopped at Dunkin' Donuts to get a breakfast treat! We rode down some pretty streets, through town and past the College of William & Mary, before getting on the Colonial Parkway towards Jamestown. This scenic route added several miles to our route today! We had taken a short cut on the way into town, but decided that this route was safer. However, when we turned west on Route 5, there were many big trucks speeding down the road (on Sunday, there weren't any trucks on this road). All the trucks made Lenny anxious, and he wanted to hurry to get off this road. He started yelling at Lorraine to pedal faster, which got her upset. After a good screaming fight, we pedaled in silence for most of the day. Lorraine did pedal faster, but it was because she was so angry.

We stopped at a convenience store near the entrance to the Berkeley Plantation to eat our lunch. The traffic increased again because we were in town and because it was rush hour. At one point, some teens in a small car yelled at us and threw something at Lenny. We stopped at a Mexican restaurant to have dinner and to get away from the traffic for awhile. We enjoyed a great meal. We continued another 10 miles to Ashland, where we stayed at the Super 8 Motel.

Williamsburg, Virginia to Yorktown, Virginia and back -- 34 miles

We slept in this morning, took the packs off our bikes, and started riding at 10:30 am to finish the final leg to the coast. We navigated through town to get on the Colonial Parkway - a bumpy but scenic road with tall trees, and bridges that spanned several creeks and rivers. After a few miles, the tree-shaded road opened up to amazing views of the York River. We went to the Yorktown Victory Monument to take pictures. The Victory Monument commemorates the American victory in the Revolutionary War, and also commemorated our cross-country victory!

We met Jay Brosnan who was also finishing his coast-to-coast bike ride. His wife Mary was there to pick him up and drive back to their home in North Carolina. We went down to the beach and dipped our front tires in the Atlantic Ocean! We met Marty from Newport News, who took photos for us. We talked about our journey with him, and he said he was going to check out our website. 

We had big burgers for lunch at the Yorktown Pub, then rode back to Williamsburg. We didn't have time to see anything in Colonial Williamsburg! We stopped at a bike shop for mechanical adjustments, a t-shirt shop for Lorraine to get postcards, and the grocery store for breakfast food. The motel owner would not share his laundry detergent, so Lenny had to walk to K-Mart and buy some before we could do our laundry. As soon as Lorraine went into the laundry room, the skies opened up and it was raining buckets, thundering, and lightening for about a half-hour. It continued raining sporadically for the rest of the night. Later, we walked across the street to IHOP and had omelettes and pancakes for dinner!

Ashland, Virginia, to Williamsburg, Virginia -- 79 miles

We woke at 6:45 am and began biking at 8 am. The roads around Mechanicsville (north of Richmond) were busy with traffic, and the area was filled with new housing developments. We rode past several plantations, but didn’t stop to sightsee. We stopped briefly in Charles City for soda and snacks. The flatter route allowed us to move faster, averaging 9.5 mph. We reached Williamsburg and stayed at the Colonial Country Inn motel. We checked the menus at a few expensive restaurants and ended up eating at Applebee’s.

Mineral, Virginia, to Ashland, Virginia -- 51 miles

We woke at 7 am and had breakfast with Tony and Louise. Lenny packed our bikes and gear in the back of their station wagon. We crammed ourselves in the car and left at 9 am. We traveled 35 miles to get back on the bike route – Lorraine navigated using the state map. We took one more photo and said goodbye, then started biking at 10:30 am.

Just down the road, we met Jin Lee and Lee Childers, who had biked around Europe and were now heading from Yorktown to San Diego. Lenny realized that he had left his camera back where we started from, so he raced back to get it. Lenny had taken a group photo of all of us and when we said goodbye, he forgot to get the camera off the air conditioner. The camera was set on a mini-tripod and some vibration must have caused it to fall. When Lenny came back and didn’t see it, he thought someone had taken it until he looked on the ground. The camera was okay with the exception of the flash, which would no longer stay closed. Lenny was relieved that it was still there, since he had all the pictures of his godfather on that roll.

Today’s route was much flatter; we rode past farms, homes, and horses. When we arrived in Ashland, we rode past the campus of Randolph-Macon College. We stopped at the visitor’s center to find out where the stores were in town. We went to the hardware store – Lenny got velcro to keep his flash closed and electrical tape to fix Lorraine’s rear view mirror. We ate at the Smokey Pig restaurant, bought groceries at Food Lion and rode the last 4 miles to the AmeriKamps campground. We got cleaned up and fell asleep to the roar of traffic on the adjacent 8-lane highway!

Charlottesville, Virginia, to Ruckersville, Virginia -- 17 miles

We woke at 6:30 am and were out by 7:15 am. We biked out to Route 734, the road we were taking north to Ruckersville. The route would have been fine except that it was rush hour and there was a procession of cars that kept us on guard. After a certain point, the traffic trailed off to almost nothing and we could once again relax and take in the beautiful scenery. The hills were rolling, and the landscape alternated between pasture and farm to wooded forest. 

We were going off route today to see Lenny’s godfather and his wife. Lorraine had asked Lenny a few days before if he knew where in Virginia his godfather (Tony Zarillo) lived. He said he didn’t know but would find out and called his dad. His dad was delighted, as Tony is his closest and dearest friend. Lenny told Tony if we arrived on Friday, we would only be able to visit for a couple hours as our schedule was tight. We came to a home where the owner was outside and asked where Cordelia Drive was. He told us and we arrived at 9:30 am on their doorstep! 

Tony and his wife thought we were coming on motorcycles, not bicycles, and were amazed that we made it across the country. We had breakfast of eggs, toast, fries, bacon and ham. We talked for some time and then Tony convinced us to stay overnight. We could tell it meant a lot to them, so we agreed. Besides, it was nice to get a break from pedaling! We asked them to take us down Route 33 tomorrow to get us back to the route. We would miss about 35 miles of the TransAm and pick up the route in Mineral. Tony is 87 years old, and his wife Louise is 71. Tony has known Lenny’s dad for more than 75 years. He affectionately calls Lenny’s dad “Lenny-boy” and started calling Lenny the same. Louise has two daughters by a previous marriage, Dale and Karen. They also have a daughter, Roseanne, who was born just about 6 months after Lenny. She came by the previous day to meet us, as there was confusion as to when we would be there. Tony and Louise have been married for 47 years. 

Tony took a nap in the middle of the day, so we took the opportunity to rest, catch up on the journal and watch TV. Their kitty Lara was very upset by our presence, and when Lorraine tried to pet her, she scratched and hissed at us! We had a delicious dinner of ravioli and meatballs. Later, we sat on the back porch and talked. To our surprise, Tony ordered Domino’s Pizza at 9 pm, then we listened to some Jewish and Italian comedians on their record player. We went off to bed at about 10:30 pm.

Vesuvius, Virginia, to Charlottesville, Virginia -- 61 miles

We woke at 7 am and began biking at 8:15 am. We climbed the remaining very steep 2 miles to reach the Blue Ridge Parkway. The terrain on the Blue Ridge Parkway consisted of long, slow uphill climbs and long, gradual downhill coasting. Surprisingly, there was very little traffic, which made the riding more enjoyable. We stopped at several scenic overlooks to take in the views and to take photos. We met Kevin Yates from Atlanta who was biking the Northern Tier route to New York City and then continuing from Washington DC down to Atlanta. He was trying to catch up with some bikers who had a Winnebago sag wagon; he said they shared great food with him, so he wanted to continue feeding on the gravy train!

As we got off the Parkway, we stopped at a regional visitors’ center to get a Charlottesville-area map and directions to Ruckersville. Lenny’s godfather, who he hasn’t seen in more than 30 years, lives there, about 20 miles north of Charlottesville, so we were planning to take a detour and visit him. We stopped in Afton to visit June Curry, the legendary “cookie lady,” but she had gone out for groceries, so we missed her! We went off the route to take a more direct road, and spoke to Dave in the town of Crozet. Lenny told him more about straight chiropractic and about our trip.

When we began riding on US 250, we decided it was too busy with cars, so we turned back onto a smaller road. At an intersection, we met Jim and the boys, who told us which back roads to take to get into town. The roads were still busy with commuter traffic. We stopped at Vinny’s Italian Restaurant for dinner. The food was mediocre and expensive. Lenny picked up a FedEx package with more brochures, which Karen had sent to a local motel. We checked in and relaxed for the evening.

Fincastle, Virginia, to Vesuvius, Virginia -- 62 miles

We woke at 6:30 am and started riding at 7:45 am. The route wound along misty, rolling hills. We stopped in Buchanan for breakfast at Burger King. The route had several turns but paralleled the interstate highway for several miles. We stopped in Lexington and walked around Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery. We saw Stonewall Jackson’s burial monument as well as the monuments of many other confederate soldiers and officers. We spoke to Randolph Harrison – he said that this town is the center of adoration of Confederate heroes such as Jackson and Lee. His dad wanted him to go to Virginia Military Institute, but his friend said he wouldn’t have lasted an hour there! The freshmen of VMI all wear red shorts and experience a week of insults and being yelled at. 

We stopped at a convenience store, and on our way out, we saw a bat hanging on the brick front in broad daylight. We hoped no one would bother him. We rode up the wrong road by mistake – it turned hilly, windy and gravel-covered, then abruptly ended at someone’s house. We turned around and got directions from DOT workers to get back on route. In the town of Vesuvius, we stopped at Gertie’s Store – when we walked in, the owner said, “Want something to eat? You’ve come to the right place!” We had great turkey subs, chips, and home fries. We talked to some locals about directions for tomorrow. When we were leaving the store, the owner said enthusiastically, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll fill you up again!” We began the very steep climb up the mountain to the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was at least a 10% grade. Lorraine was screaming because it was the steepest climb of the whole trip. After about two miles of climbing, we arrived at the Tye River Gap Campground. It was a beautiful setting. We did some laundry before calling it a night.

Christianburg, Virginia, to Fincastle, Virginia -- 59 miles

We woke at 6:15 am and packed up camp. We spoke to Leonard Keegan and Michael Washburn, men in the military who were taking a 4-day trip on their Harleys. They rode from Alabama to Pennsylvania in 2 days, which they said is called hard riding. They laughed and said it doesn’t seem so hard compared to what you two are doing!

We began biking at 7:45 am. After we left town, the route turned to winding country roads. We stopped in the town of Ellet to get food and use the phone. Lenny was taking lots of pictures of the scenery. The rolling hills were steep in some spots, but fun to ride past the countryside. We ate lunch in Catawba, and Lorraine had ice cream. Lenny called and made arrangements to meet his godfather on either Thursday evening or Friday morning. We stopped in Troutville to buy groceries, and ate dinner at Greenwoods Restaurant. Lenny had roasted 1/2 chicken and Lorraine had crab cakes. We camped at Camp Bethel, a beautiful secluded spot for kids and groups that also accommodates individual campers. We heard a strange noise outside our tent, like an irate duck, and when Lenny looked outside, it turned out to be a squirrel in the tree above. We guessed that he was protesting our presence! There was a group of developmentally disabled campers in one of the nearby buildings. They were outside enjoying a campfire, and we could hear them carrying on until way after dark!

Wytheville, Virginia, to Christianburg, Virginia -- 57 miles

We woke at 7 am and began biking at 8 am. We had gone off the route to get to the Motel 6, so now we had to figure out how to get back. The locals directed us to a service road that ran beside the highway. As we rode down a hill on the service road, the shoulder changed from asphalt to gravel. As Lorraine rode over the gravel, the bike fishtailed and then slid to the ground. Lorraine grabbed the guardrail and managed to avoid falling. She was upset by the near fall and wasn’t sure we were heading in the right direction. We spoke to a couple of men in an auto garage and they pointed us in the right direction. The road we were looking for had no name on our map, and it turned out that it was called Lovers Lane. We were tickled by that! It was a hilly back road that headed north and put us back on the route. We stopped at McDonald’s for breakfast. 

The roads ahead were mostly rolling hills, with some steep climbs like we’ve been warned about! Lenny stopped at post offices along the way to send back more film. Just past the town of Newburn, a 12-year-old boy shouted to us, “Where are you coming from?” and when we told him, he said, “Oregon!!!” then asked “Where are you going to?” and when we answered, he said, “New Jersey!!! Jeeez!!!” We stopped in Christianburg to get groceries, then had a buffet dinner at the Country Cooking restaurant. We camped at the Interstate RV Park and listened to the sounds of the highway all night long. The cool, breezy weather in the evening was wonderful for a change!

Rosedale, Virginia, to Wytheville, Virginia -- 70 miles

We woke at 6 am and started biking at 7:15 am. We said goodbye to Rich and prepared for the ascent of Clinch Mountain. It turned out to be 2 miles up and 4 miles down – we were expecting a longer climb! We took the recommended shortcut on Route 11 North to bypass the hills around Damascus and cut about 25 miles off the trip (today’s route was actually 95 miles). We stopped in Chilhowie and ate our lunch on benches in front of a store. The road varied between 2- and 4-lanes, with local traffic and gently rolling hills.

We stopped at Williams Orchards to buy fruit and talked to the owners about our trip. We crossed the 4,000 mile mark today – less than 1,000 miles to get home! In Wytheville, we stayed at the Motel 6 and had dinner at Bob Evans restaurant. We considered buying a whole pie for dessert tonight and breakfast tomorrow but controlled ourselves and just had one slice each of raspberry and coconut custard pie. Around 8 pm, the wind was blowing like crazy and rain was coming down in sheets. Lorraine was glad that we didn’t camp tonight!

Elkhorn City, Kentucky, to Rosedale, Virginia -- 49 miles

We woke at 5:45 am and began biking at 7:00 am. We started the day with two steep climbs around Breaks Interstate Park. This park is called “the Grand Canyon of the South” – we stopped at a few scenic lookouts to see the river gorge below and take photos. 

In Haysi, at the service station at the bottom of the hill, we met Rich Jirsa again. He told us about a shortcut that would save us about 30 miles tomorrow, and much mountain climbing. The locals warned us about one more steep climb ahead called “Big A Mountain.” In Birchleaf, Lenny stopped to go to the post office, and in Davenport, we rested and ate our lunch. Past Council, we went over Big A Mountain – about 3 miles of steep climbing. From the top, there were beautiful views of the valley below. Past Honaker, the shoulder turned to gravel and traffic increased. 

We reached Rosedale and ate dinner at the Oaks Restaurant. Lenny and Lorraine both had pork chops. The portions were too small for our big appetites. Afterwards, we continued on to the Elk Garden United Methodist Church hostel, which was another 2 miles down the road. The shoulder narrowed to 6 inches and traffic was whizzing past at 70 mph – we walked our bikes on the grass for 1.5 miles. The church is always left unlocked – bikers can stay for free and use the kitchen as well. There is a log book, where bikers can write messages, tips, and shortcuts for other cross-country riders! We left a donation for the church. Rich Jirsa was also staying there. We chatted about our experiences and the people we had met on the trip. We slept on the plush carpet in the sanctuary.

Pippa Passes, Kentucky, to Elkhorn City, Kentucky -- 56 miles

We woke at 5:45 am and started biking at 7:15 am. We went over 3 mountains today with long, steep climbs and steep, twisting descents. In certain areas, the side of the road was littered with garbage. Appliances, broken-down cars and other junk surrounded the homes and was cast into nearby streams. Amazingly, there were many well-kept houses interspersed between the junkyards and falling-down shacks. Most people had a downtrodden way about them. Lenny says that poverty is a state of mind – a belief system that keeps a person from achieving his or her own greatness. We stopped in Bevinsville for Lenny to go to post office. When he used a credit card, the postal clerk mentioned that it was the first time this year that someone paid with a credit card! We ate our lunch, loitering outside the Shop & Save store. We had planned to go to Breaks Interstate Park, but the motel in Elkhorn City was much less expensive. We ate at Rusty Fork Cafe, stopped at the ATM, and bought groceries in town.

Boonville, Kentucky, to Pippa Passes, Kentucky -- 72 miles

We woke at 6:30 am and started biking at 7:30 am. The roads out of town were busy and the sky was foggy. When we got to the bottom of a hill, the fog had gotten thicker, so we pulled over to the side of the road. Lenny repaired Lorraine’s cyclo-computer while we waited for the fog to lift. The terrain was more hills to climb. We stopped at a grocery store in Buckhorn and talked to the owner. He had us sign his bike log – at the top of the page, it said, “You’ve climbed 2 mountains to get here, and you’ve got 2 more to leave, so why not sit down and rest awhile?” He said he had 60 bikers sign the book last year, and there have been 80 visitors so far this year. He told us to be careful of the coal trucks, because sometimes they get overloaded and the coal can fall off. We found the drivers of the coal trucks (like the automobile drivers) of Kentucky to be quite courteous.

We sat on the porch of the post office in Chavies to eat our PB&Js for lunch. For part of the route, we rode along Route 80, a major highway with a large shoulder – it was still unnerving to hear the sound of semi- trucks whizzing by. When we came off the highway, we were riding along a country road and decided to stop in a convenience store to fill our water bottles. The store owner said the tap water is not fit to drink because of the salt content, so we bought a gallon of water instead. He said there is little well water fit to drink in Eastern Kentucky because of all the blasting they have done for coal mining. He said it cracks the rock and causes the water to mix with contaminants. He also said that in his lifetime, he has seen the land become much flatter because they have taken the tops off so many mountains by stripmining. We asked about the economy, because the last store owner we spoke to in Booneville said things were getting worse. He said things were not too bad in his county because it is pretty industrial, but he wonders how people get along in other counties. He said with government assistance being reduced, there is not too much money to go around. He told us a couple stories about other bikers that had camped on his land and of two women that had borrowed his truck to go see a bluegrass festival. 

We rode another 14 miles to get to Hindman, where we thought we would spend the night. One hotel had closed and directions to the other began with, “You ride about a mile up the mountain…” so we decided to continue to the hostel in the next town. Before we left, we stopped in Yoder’s Grocery Store, owned by Menonite or Amish proprietors who are not related to the Yoders we met earlier in Kentucky. We spoke to a young lady who asked why we were dressed so strangely, and we told her that we were biking across the US. She asked, “Is this a dream of yours?” and Lenny enthusiastically replied, “Yes!” She wished us a safe journey, and we were off to have dinner at the mall restaurant in Mallie. Lorraine had chicken stir-fry and Lenny had chopped steak. We finished the last 8 miles to Pippa Passes and stayed at the hostel, which is hosted by Charlotte and Edward Madden. The Maddens have been hosting cyclists since the original BikeCentennial event in 1976. Fortunately, we had the whole air-conditioned room to ourselves!

Berea, Kentucky, to Booneville, Kentucky -- 61 miles

We woke at 5:45 am and left at 7 am, saying goodbye to Mary, the innkeeper, on our way out. About 5 miles outside of town, we hit lots of morning fog, and had to stop and wait for the fog to clear. We took the Murphys Ford shortcut to save about 7 miles and skip some hills. At the end of the road, we made a wrong turn and went a couple miles out of our way – the shortcut still saved us about 5 miles. We stopped at a house and asked to fill our water bottles from their pump. We spoke to Ruby and Darvel Barrett, and Jesse Metcalf about our trip. Ruby & Darvel told us that many more bikers used to go past their house in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. We ate our lunch at a picnic area in the town of Vincent. 

We spoke to one of the National Guardsmen who also had stopped there. He said they were out looking for marijuana crops and cutting them down. They use helicopters and ground vehicles to spot and collect the illegal crops. He said they’ve assisted the state police in 73 arrests since June 1st! He said that sometimes the owners set booby traps around their crop – the worst one was a rattlesnake tied to the base of a plant! We were amused to see their dune buggy-type vehicle, piled high with marijuana plants, and later wished that we had taken a photo! 

We got to Booneville by 3 pm and checked into the Goodman Motel. When we went out to get something to eat, the sky was cloudy and it began pouring rain. The rain stopped after just 15 minutes, and the air turned humid. We enjoyed filling, homemade food at Dooley’s Diner. We stopped at the local grocery, where the shelves were sparsely stocked. When Lenny asked the owner how he was doing, he replied that business was not good and the prospects did not look good for the future. Lenny made a few phone calls from the pay phone, then we watched TV before bedtime.

Rest day in Berea, Kentucky

We woke at 7:30 am, and had cereal and juice for breakfast. We met Tom, an 82-year-old gentleman from England who was staying in the other room at the B&B. Lenny confirmed the location of the campground and rode his bike there to pick up the film, then stopped at the post office. We looked at the remaining maps to calculate our schedule for the rest of the trip. At “Hogg Heaven,” we had barbecue pork & chicken for lunch. We stopped at Edwards Chiropractic Clinic to drop off a brochure and spoke with Dr. Stacey Edwards. We walked around Berea and looked in the shops & galleries. At Wal-Mart, we picked up suntan lotion and food for breakfast. We had heard quite a story about the hurricane, fire and flood that “Sweet Betty” had gone through to open her restaurant, so we went there for dinner and enjoyed the tasty buffet. On the walk back, we stopped at the Mitchell Tolle Studio & Gallery to see his watercolor paintings. When we got back to our room, we packed and prepared to leave tomorrow.

Springfield, Kentucky, to Berea, Kentucky -- 75 miles

We woke at 5:30 am and prepared our bikes to leave. We enjoyed the continental breakfast provided by Days Inn and watched the Weather Channel on TV, then began biking at 7 am. Rich decided to take a different route, so we said goodbye. We rode over rolling hills, through patches of morning fog. We stopped in Harrodsburg to fill our water bottles at a convenience store. In Bryantsville, we walked our bikes for a short stretch because that section of the road was too busy with cars to ride on. We ate lunch at convenience store in town – Lenny had a roast beef sandwich and Lorraine had a cheeseburger. We navigated along small country roads with beautiful farm scenery.

We arrived in Berea at 2:30 pm and stopped at the visitor’s center – they recommended some places to stay. We stayed at the Morning Glory Bed & Breakfast in a large comfortable room. The innkeepers are also weavers, so the bedspreads, curtains, and throw rugs are all works of art! We walked to Papaleno’s Italian restaurant, where we had salad, pasta and big buttery breadsticks for dinner. Lenny had to pick up slide film that he had ordered and shipped to the “Oh Kentucky Campground”. Lorraine made a mistake reading the map and thought the campground was nearby, when in fact it was on the other side of town. We walked for about 45 minutes before we realized her mistake, then had to turn around and walk back. Lenny spoke to Mary Colmer, the innkeeper, about vertebral subluxation and checked her spine. We got cleaned up and were happy to relax in bed and watch TV.

Hodgenville, Kentucky, to Springfield, Kentucky -- 46 miles

We woke at 7 am and prepared to leave by 7:30 am, but the fog outside was so thick, we couldn’t see across the street! While we waited for it to clear, we watched two episodes of “My Favorite Martian” and left at 8:30 am when the fog lifted. We visited the location of Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace along the way. At the visitor’s center, we watched a short video, then walked up to an elaborate marble memorial building which housed and protected the original 18’ x 12’ cabin. We left the Lincoln home at 9:30 am and headed down the road. The route was especially beautiful, with rolling hills and farmhouses dotting the landscape. A few dogs chased us but there were no serious attempts. We stopped in New Hope at a convenience store and bought sodas and Fritos to snack on. Lenny took lots of photos today because the scenery was so picturesque. When we arrived in Springfield at 2:30 pm, we were going to continue to Harrodsburg, but decided to stay in town. Rich shared a room with us at the Days Inn. We picked up some groceries and ate dinner at Wendy’s.

Falls of Rough, Kentucky, to Hodgenville, Kentucky -- 59 miles

We woke at 6:15 am and started biking at 7:15 am. The skies were gray and overcast when we left. As we reached the town of McDaniels, it started to rain. We put on our rain gear and waited under a covered porch until the rain slowed down. It rained for about 2 hours. We reached the town of Hudson and stopped at a convenience store for Pepsi and orange juice. We met up with Rich Jirsa, who is also on the TransAm route. He was talking to some of the local farmers about their crops – tobacco, in particular. One farmer mentioned that his allotment for tobacco was reduced and as a result, it is hard to make ends meet; he added that the only way to afford to stay on the farm is to work off the farm. 

We biked with Rich for the rest of the day. We crossed over to Eastern Standard Time in Hardin County, Kentucky. In the town of Sonora, Lenny met teenagers Grayson, Wes, and Jon. They were skateboarding nearby, and flagged us down to find out more about our trip. They were amazed when we told them we had come from Oregon. We told them about our cause, and they were excited to find out that their picture would be posted on our website. 

The sky had been threatening; it started to thunder and lightening, and the wind was picking up, so we headed for a sheltered area before it started to rain. The owners of a small grocery store offered to let us sleep in the store that night if we wanted to! We waited about an hour for the storm to subside, then continued the last 12 miles to Hodgenville – Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace. At the motel, they told us that they no longer had camping, so we shared a room with Rich. We had dinner at a “lunch plate” style restaurant. We had fried chicken, barbecued pork, mashed potatoes, cooked apples, chocolate pie and peanut butter pie.

Owensboro, Kentucky, to Falls of Rough, Kentucky -- 45 miles

We woke at 5:15 am and took time to enjoy the big complimentary continental breakfast – waffles, bagels, donuts, cereal, orange juice, fruit and coffee. We started biking at 6:45 am. Route 54 was a busy 4-lane highway heading out of town, so we biked on the sidewalk when we could. The road became 2 lanes on the outskirts of town, but we turned off and rode on Old Hwy. 54 for about 5 miles, a residential road with no traffic. We stopped at service station in Whitesville to fill our water bottles. There was a bank attached to the convenience store – in the lobby, they had a skeleton wearing a baseball cap with the name of the bank on it and a sign around his neck that said, “Worked to the bone”. 

As we were heading out of town, Lorraine’s front tire slipped where the road dropped off and she fell. Fortunately, she only scraped her knee and arm. Mike Lindsey from Whitesville stopped his truck and walked over to see if we were okay. The people of Kentucky have been wonderful to us! Lenny wanted to send Lorraine home again, but she told him that she would overcome adversity to reach her goal of finishing the trip. One of her adversities is Lenny himself! 

As we biked along the back roads, we saw a sign in front of a house that said, “Beware of dog and wolf.” Lenny would have stopped to take a picture if he wasn’t so scared! We stopped for Pepsi at a service station in Falls of Rough, our destination town for the day. We stayed at the St. Clair Motel and spoke to Betty Jarboe, the proprietor, for a while. Lenny spoke to Dan and Kim from Louisville about our trip and took their photos, along with their children Danielle and Tyler. We had a filling dinner at Gene’s Restaurant. Lorraine made Lenny watch “Fashion Emergency” and old reruns of “Family Feud” on TV!

Marion, Kentucky, to Owensboro, Kentucky -- 72 miles

We woke at 5:15 am and began biking at 6:00 am. The sky was overcast and we were making good time. We passed a number of chicken farms, namely Tyson and Perdue. We stopped at mini-mart in Beech Grove to have lunch. The counter girls said they used to get hundreds of bikers coming through, but it’s dwindled quite a bit. We talked to farmer named Kelly Baird who was telling us about a local bicycling fundraiser, sponsored by the Williams Corporation. We arrived in Owensboro and rode an extra 6 miles around town, trying to find a reasonably priced motel. We ended up at the Best Western and ate dinner at the Moonlite BBQ. Their buffet took up 2 rooms; they had BBQ mutton, pork, steak and chicken, as well as lots of side dishes, a salad bar and dessert bar.

Golconda, Illinois, to Marion, Kentucky -- 38 miles

We woke at 6 am and got on the road at 6:45 am. It was cloudy and HUMID outside – Lenny said it felt like we were biking through syrup. We stopped at Cave-in-Rock, to see the cave where pirates used to hide out and rob the flatboats that came down the Ohio River. Lorraine thought it was pretty cool, but Lenny thought it was pretty disgusting. She explained to him, “It’s a cave in a rock, it’s not the Holiday Inn! If you were a pirate, you’d be living there too, along with the pigeons, bats and mosquitoes!”

We took the ferry across the river – it was free, paid for by state funds. A tugboat chugged past us, towing barges loaded with coal that stretched a thousand feet back. When we arrived on the other side of the Ohio River, we had come to our 9th state – Kentucky. 

We saw “horse-and-buggy” road signs and found out later that an Amish community had moved to Kentucky about 20 years ago. We stopped at the Pilot House convenience store to get a map of Kentucky and some granola bars. When we asked a young man if this is where we would get tourist information, he said yes and added, “Welcome to Kentucky!” It was a nice greeting and the first time we were welcomed to a state. 

The woman working there told us to visit Yoder’s Variety Store – an Amish store; she said it was just down the road on the right. We asked what they had there, and she said, “You name it!” It turned out that Yoder’s Store sold everything from jellies and spices to Amish-style black hats and boots. Lenny talked to Melinda Yoder, who is 12 years old. She asked him questions about our bike ride and told him about her cousins from Montana who came to visit for her sister’s wedding. Lenny asked if she had ever visited her cousins in Montana and she said no, but some of her siblings had, and it was her turn next. Melinda was joined by two younger sisters and a young male cousin who she said probably didn’t understand us because he only spoke German. She has 9 sisters and 3 brothers! She said that she likes to bicycle, but prefers riding her pony in the fields. We bought some dried pineapple, dried papaya, and mustard pretzels – yum!!!

As we were leaving, we met Rich Jirsa who started biking along the Northern Route, then rode down to follow the TransAm route. He told us that he had landed in the hospital a few days earlier with heat exhaustion, so he was taking it slower now. We continued biking to Marion and stayed at Tobin’s Tourotel motel. We had a great meal, including the best pork chops ever, at the Magnolia House restaurant.

Carbondale, Illinois, to Golconda, Illinois -- 67 miles

We woke at 5:30 am and began biking at 6 am. The route went through the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, along tree-lined roads and past two pretty lakes. We met Brian Flatley and Ben Kull from Washington DC, who are biking east-to-west. We talked to them about the dogs in Kentucky – they said that they sprayed them with their water bottles and, also that the dogs seemed to run out of steam after a short distance (which made Lenny feel better). We stopped in Goreville to buy some groceries and fill our water bottles.

We went up and down more long hills. We stopped again in Eddyville to get sodas, a bite to eat and to cool off. We talked to horseshoer, his assistant, and some Illinois DOT workers. They commented that we were taking a roundabout way to get from one place to another. We stayed at Michael’s Motel in Golconda, a couple miles off the route. We stopped at the library to check out our website, then walked along the main street so Lenny could take photos of the town. We had pizza for dinner.

Chester, Illinois, to Carbondale, Illinois -- 49 miles

We woke at 5:15 am and began biking at 6:00 am. We had a choice of 2 different routes – the hilly main route and the flatter “Mississippi Levee Alternate.” We decided to take the alternate route. As we left town, Lorraine was wobbling on her bike - the problem was low tire pressure, so we stopped for Lenny to inflate her tires. We missed one of the turns because of road construction, and missed the part of the trail, which ran beside the river. When we turned off from the highway, we were riding on back roads, past cornfields and little houses on the prairie.

We reached Carbondale by 11:30 am, and rode through the campus of Southern Illinois University, trying to find our way to Main Street. We stopped at Carbondale Bikes to get another cyclo-computer and more Halt dog repellent spray. We checked into the Uptown Motel and turned on the air-conditioning! Lorraine surfed the Internet at the library while Lenny walked about a mile to go to the post office. We had an early dinner at Murphy’s Bar & Grill. Lorraine had great tortilla soup, Lenny had salad, and we both had burgers and homemade cheesecake with strawberries for dessert.

Pilot Knob, Missouri, to Chester, Illinois -- 67 miles

We woke at 5 am and got on the road at 5:45 am. Lorraine noticed immediately that her cyclo-computer (which measures speed and mileage) had been stolen off her bike. There were a lot of cars on the road - we were surprised, since it was Sunday. We stopped at gas station in Doe Run for orange juice and to fill our water bottles. As we rode through Farmington, we admired several pretty houses. Lorraine missed a turn in the route and we backtracked about 1/2 mile. Jason passed us after about 36 miles. 

The terrain turned back to rolling hills, and there were more dogs to deal with. We filled our water bottles at a water fountain outside a school in Ozora. Josh and John passed us on the road. The terrain became flat land and corn fields as we entered the flood plain of the Mississippi. We could see the bridge over the Mississippi, but it seemed to take forever to get to it. It was a 2-lane bridge with no shoulder, so we had to ride in the car lane and cross as quickly as we could. Crossing the Mississippi was an exciting and significant milestone – we had arrived in Illinois. 

There was a small park near the bridge with a statue of Popeye (the creator of Popeye was from Chester, Illinois). We checked into the Hi-3 Motel, but the proprietor still had to clean the room, so we ate at a restaurant next door. After we got settled in our room, Lenny made some phone calls and went to the grocery store. Lorraine became engrossed in watching “Anne of Green Gables...the Sequel” on TV. Later, we had take-out Pizza Hut for dinner.