Saturday, May 31, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Day 27: Carbondale, IL (rest day)
We recently finished our first 1000 miles and Yorktown is already a faint memory! We are starting to see a few West to East TransAm bikers. I met two yesterday who are from Holland. They are carrying less weight than we are since they are not camping, but they are averaging over 100 miles every day.
We always introduce Terry as the Mayor of Yorkshire when we meet locals. Recently he said, "Where I come from, that is not such a great compliment." Initially we were confused until he said he is not a mare female horse.
Everything is going well and we are in good health. The only thing I am lacking is news. The newspapers in the small towns we frequent every day mainly contain obituaries, high school graduation pictures and classifieds for farm equipment.
I plan to spend the remainder of my rest day in Carbondale watching the new Indiana Jones movie, eating (will probably seek the notorious man in Carbondale who barbecues bagels) and reading (thanks for the books John Williams).
"So after 1000 miles of hills, they finally give us warning." -Mike
a sign graveyard
Caitlin calls this a "rookie tattoo"
My daily dose of ice cream
a confused tree (Harrodsburg, KY)
a mailbox...I think
gone fishin'
replica of he the house Lincoln was born in
a round house
Rick proceeded to tell a joke: Why is it good for a man to live in a round house? Because his wife can never back him into a corner.
Our home for the night at the White Mills Volunteer Fire Department
Taking a break from the rain and lightening
After the storm
Crossing the Ohio River on the ferry between Kentucky and Illinois.
Finally out of Kentucky!Sunday, May 25, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Day 19: Berea, KY (rest day)
Hello from Berea where we are stretching and resting our tired legs. Things are going well and we are all in good spirits. Last night we ate an all you can eat dinner at Ryan's Steakhouse where we stuffed ourselves full. My internals are still paying the price for the feast. This morning we slept in late (7am) and ate pancakes at Cracker Barrel. Our Brit (Terry) said, "All my expectations of an 'American breakfast' have been fulfilled here at Cracker Barrel."
Yesterday was an exciting day. The day began when I realized a bracket on my back rack had snapped in two. Caitlin and I applied a roadside band-aid fix with a ziptie, but hopefully I will be able to permanently fix it today during the rest day. The dog chasings are just as frequent as when we first entered Kentucky. Pete was attacked by two dogs. One of the dogs took a bite out of his pannier cover. He was flustered to say the least and I could hear the sailor yelling at the dogs from where I pedaled 300 yards ahead. In addition, Caitlin was attacked by a wild pig! It was staring her down in the middle of the road as she approached, so she stopped to get her camera. When she started taking pictures it charged her and tried to attack her pannier. I wonder if dog mace has the same affect on wild pigs??? When we road into Berea, a grey-haired lady swiped Terry's handlebars, which caused him to hit the concrete. He is lucky that he and his bike survived unharmed. The lady did not stop and likely didn't know she almost killed someone.
Recent pictures...
Two AT hikers, "Grin" (left) and "Main Man" (right) in Damascus for the Trail Days Festival. Grin is from Round Rock, TX and I ran into Main Man at a lunch stop in Catawba, VA. (AT hikers go by aliases.)
This is another overlook at Breaks Interstate Park which overlooks the border of VA and KY.
Mister Ed.
Yesterday was an exciting day. The day began when I realized a bracket on my back rack had snapped in two. Caitlin and I applied a roadside band-aid fix with a ziptie, but hopefully I will be able to permanently fix it today during the rest day. The dog chasings are just as frequent as when we first entered Kentucky. Pete was attacked by two dogs. One of the dogs took a bite out of his pannier cover. He was flustered to say the least and I could hear the sailor yelling at the dogs from where I pedaled 300 yards ahead. In addition, Caitlin was attacked by a wild pig! It was staring her down in the middle of the road as she approached, so she stopped to get her camera. When she started taking pictures it charged her and tried to attack her pannier. I wonder if dog mace has the same affect on wild pigs??? When we road into Berea, a grey-haired lady swiped Terry's handlebars, which caused him to hit the concrete. He is lucky that he and his bike survived unharmed. The lady did not stop and likely didn't know she almost killed someone.
Recent pictures...
Two AT hikers, "Grin" (left) and "Main Man" (right) in Damascus for the Trail Days Festival. Grin is from Round Rock, TX and I ran into Main Man at a lunch stop in Catawba, VA. (AT hikers go by aliases.) 
A foggy morning.
Overlook at Breaks Interstate Park where we camped one night.
This is another overlook at Breaks Interstate Park which overlooks the border of VA and KY.
KY border crossing
Pete and Terry finish off the top of yet another steep hill
This is a roadside coal mine in KY. There was quite a bit of coal rocks and black dust on the side of the road left from the many coal trucks.
Mister Ed.Sunday, May 18, 2008
Day 16: Hindman, Kentucky
We finally made it to Kentucky! Today we rode from Breaks Interstate Park on the border of Virginia to Hindman, Kentucky to total over 70 miles of riding. It rained several times and I even hid under a bridge during one of the storms due to lightening.
We were welcomed into Kentucky by packs of unleashed dogs and 3 undereducated 12 year old rock throwing boys. We were expecting the dogs since Kentucky is notorious among bikers for its many dogs, but we weren't warned about the rock throwing boys who threw rocks at each of us as we passed. Most of the time the dogs are looking to play a game called "Chase The Bikers", but I have Hault (mace spray for dogs) waiting for the first dog that tries to eat me. Terry, Rick and I were chased for over a quarter mile by two dogs. It became quite humorous, especially watching the relentless dogs respond to Terry's dog zapper that gives off a high pitch tone inaudible to humans but really irritating to the dogs' ears.
Beyond the rock throwing boys and attack dogs, I have not been impressed with the first 70 miles of Kentucky. There is a lot of litter on the side of the road and many of the neighborhoods look like a collection of small junk yards with attack dogs protecting it. My favorite yard had a car turned on its side so the guts of the car face the street.
On the other hand, the people have been very generous to us. One lady made donations to each of Pete and Terry's organizations. Another lady gave Pete two bottles of water. Pete bragged to us that he is finished drinking that awful tap water.
In short, the group is glad to finally be out of Virginia but isn't so excited about Kentucky. I'm sure tomorrow will be another adventure and have many more dog chasings. Tomorrow's ride has been described as "a death march" by previous groups...so we'll see what that is all about...
We were welcomed into Kentucky by packs of unleashed dogs and 3 undereducated 12 year old rock throwing boys. We were expecting the dogs since Kentucky is notorious among bikers for its many dogs, but we weren't warned about the rock throwing boys who threw rocks at each of us as we passed. Most of the time the dogs are looking to play a game called "Chase The Bikers", but I have Hault (mace spray for dogs) waiting for the first dog that tries to eat me. Terry, Rick and I were chased for over a quarter mile by two dogs. It became quite humorous, especially watching the relentless dogs respond to Terry's dog zapper that gives off a high pitch tone inaudible to humans but really irritating to the dogs' ears.
Beyond the rock throwing boys and attack dogs, I have not been impressed with the first 70 miles of Kentucky. There is a lot of litter on the side of the road and many of the neighborhoods look like a collection of small junk yards with attack dogs protecting it. My favorite yard had a car turned on its side so the guts of the car face the street.
On the other hand, the people have been very generous to us. One lady made donations to each of Pete and Terry's organizations. Another lady gave Pete two bottles of water. Pete bragged to us that he is finished drinking that awful tap water.
In short, the group is glad to finally be out of Virginia but isn't so excited about Kentucky. I'm sure tomorrow will be another adventure and have many more dog chasings. Tomorrow's ride has been described as "a death march" by previous groups...so we'll see what that is all about...
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Day 13: Damascus, Va (rest day)
I'll be resting today in Damascus while the town starts gearing up for the "Trail Days" festival where thousands of AT hikers come to town for the festival this weekend. Here are some pictures from the past several days...
Blue Ridge Parkway in the Appalachian Mountains
an Appalachian Trail hiker, John and Mike (TransAm'ers) at the lunch stop in Catawba, VA
"The Cookie Lady" (aka June Curry)
The Cookie Lady's bike hostel
Jerry Lisenby (a "Biggest Loser" contestant) who is also biking the TransAm
one of our mid-morning breaks
This man puts fake roses on his holly bushes. They bloom year-round!
a mailbox
the gangSunday, May 11, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
The Cookie Lady
Tonight, I sleep at The Cookie Lady's bikers-only lodging in Afton, VA that doubles as a type of TransAm bikers museum. The Cookie Lady's name is June Curry and she is an 87 year old lady who has been providing hospitality to TransAm bikers since 1976. The walls in the biker's lodging are covered with thousands of postcards from bikers all over the world thanking June for her generous hospitality. The legend of The Cookie Lady is told in blogs and articles all over the Internet by the 14,000 bikers who have signed her guests books and accepted her hospitality. Until I have time to post pictures, you should do a Google search for "June Curry Cookie Lady" to read more about her.
Cheers!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Day 6 (Rest Day) : Charlottesville, VA
Today is our first day of rest. We are in Charlottesville, VA and just finished visiting Thomas Jefferson's home at Monticello. It is a beautiful and historic place.
Enjoying dinner and the sunset on William's porch. (William is on the left)
Two nights ago we camped in the front yard of William Hale's place just outside of Mineral, Virginia. William is an Adventure Cycling instructor who happens to live close to the TransAm route.
Enjoying dinner and the sunset on William's porch. (William is on the left)
I am loving this life as a "bike gypsy", seeing the beautiful countryside and meeting many people who each have their own story. I enjoy stopping to ask the country folk on the side of the road, "Is this the road to Oregon?" They all have the same reaction...
My appetite has doubled and I am devouring something at least every hour. Pete says it best: "I'm so hungry I can eat the south side of a pig heading north." We have been creatively accommodating when it comes to dinners with Caitlin as a vegetarian and Rusty who doesn't like pasta. Stir fry with some type of meat has been our typical dinner. Pete and I have cooking duties tonight so we are skipping the kitchen and taking everyone out for a little carb loading session at the local pizza place.
Here is a picture of me and the boys at the Beaverdam Antique Shop in Bumpass, Va (unfortunate name for a town, don't ya think?!?).
Like many of the towns we ride through, Bumpass has only 1 stop sign. Some of the towns we ride through don't even have an intersection much less a stop sign! However, these small towns have one thing in common...the people wave at you as you ride by. Rusty says, "If you ever lose faith in the goodness of humanity, just take a long bike ride."
I should also mention, we have a new addition to our team. Mike is joining us here in Charlottesville and will ride with us the rest of the way. He is 27 and has ridden across the country once before with his dad. He has also biked the perimeter of Florida.
I wish I had more time to share some stories, but my time on this library computer is almost up. Don't worry 'bout me, I'm having the time of my life!
Monday, May 5, 2008
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