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.