Day 14 - Dogs and ATVs...I'm in Kentucky

As I was in the hotel in Rosedale, I was looking over the maps to see find a good place to spend the following night. I was going to pass through many cities including Honaker, Birchleaf, Haysi, Breaks, Elkhorn City, and Lookout. However, only cities within 50 miles from Rosedale had lodging. I wanted to ride a bit further than that. After Elkhorn City, the next city with lodging was Hindman. Hindman was going to be a long ride.

I started at 7 AM and entered Kentucky through Breaks Interstate Park a few hours later.

Breaks: The Grand Canyon of the East

Kentucky

As soon as I entered the state, I was chased by a couple dogs and passed by a couple ATVs driven by what looked like 13 year old girls. Later, I was passed by a guy driving an ATV and sipping on a Busch. I was also chased by approximately 10 different dogs throughout the day. They are all bark, no bite..so far. 

I got hungry for lunch around 1 and stopped in at a gas station with a restaurant in the back. The menu was huge and I could not decide. The kind lady suggested I get the chicken strips dinner. I said ok to that and she let me know it'd be about 7 minutes to fry the chicken. Not a problem. I had some real Kentucky fried chicken. 

The chicken cook and I got to chatting and I told her I was heading to Hindman. She quickly told me I was going to the wrong way. I didn't believe her. She insisted. Then a guy came back from the the front of the store and she told him that I was heading to Hindman. He rattled off about 10 different turns in a few seconds that would get me to Hindman. He also said I was going to the wrong way. So, I got my map and my netbook out and sure enough, I missed a turn in Elkhorn City and rode about 3 miles out of the way. It was great chicken though.

The ride to Hindman was long and very difficult. There were a two very steep, mile long climbs in Ashcamp and Lookout. They came late in the ride and I was exhausted. They were no steeper than Hayter's Gap, but I was tired. I'll admit that I did have to walk about .2 miles to the top of Ashcamp and about .5 miles to the top of Lookout. I'm still human. I think you and I were beginning to wonder. Well, at least I was.

Finally, I arrived in Hindman 117 miles later! That's right, after a 12 and a half hour trip with nearly 10 hours on my bike, I rode 117 miles in one day! I called up the Knott County Historical Society that offered camping. The gentleman, David, who ran the society told me there were three other guys already there including an American, an Aussie, and a Brit. Not to mention, I could get laundry done, a shower, and food delivered right to me for only 25 dollars a night! 

The Aussie was an gentleman named Terry, perhaps in his early 50's, from a suburb east of Brisbane. He was originally an english teacher in Australia and spent much of his career teaching the indigenous tribes there. He claims he is trying to retire. Terry is a well traveled man and told many stories from Malaysia, Europe, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and the Himalayas. I really liked hearing his view of Americans. He cracked me up pretty good. He was bloody funny. 

Ryan was in his 20's and from Britain. He was busy fixing a leaky tire for most of the night so I did not get to talk to him as much. 

Cooper was from Minnesota, a suburb west of St. Louis, and graduated from American University in 2006. He is going to Berkley in the fall to get a master's degree in public health. 

They were a good group of guys that met up on the road and were now riding a bit together. In the morning, they left ahead of me. We are stopping in the same place tonight so, I am sure I will meet up again with them there. 

Also, my bike has been taking quite a beating. Particularly, my brake pads have worn down from all the downmountain riding and need to be replaced. They still work, but it is very loud when I stop. 

It is also interesting how I can really tell I am not in Virginia anymore. It is obvious that I am in Kentucky. There are so many different types of churches. To get in favor with the locals I am thinking of putting a sign on my back that says, "I Love Jesus".  With that sign and some dog treats, the rest of Kentucky should be no problem.

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