Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Bye Bye Bluegrass


This past weekend ushered in my first really hot days. Blazing sun and humidity add a whole new element to the ride. But, yesterday, my last full day in Kentucky was more about the rain than the heat. I rode for several hours through heavy rain, opting to get soaked rather than donning rain gear. Before lunch the skies were a smudge of pale gray in all directions and I thought I would be riding through the rain all day. Yet, by mid-afternoon I eventually rode out of the storm and into drier pastures.

At lunchtime I pulled into a gas station in Whitesville, KY (one of the few places open on the holiday) and found Cam and Don eating lunch at a booth. I had passed them last week, but they got ahead of me again when I went down to Mammoth Cave. It's always a nice surprise to see familiar faces on the Trail. I hope to catch up with folks from the Adventure Cycling group in the next day or two as well.

I ended my ride in Sebree, KY, where the First Baptist Church is well-known for its hospitality to cyclists. The pastor, Bob, and his wife Violet live next door to the church. After showing me the facilities for bikers, complete with a shower, mattresses, television, and a ping pong table, Bob invited me back to his house for dinner. Violet fixed me a heaping plate of food from a BBQ that they had earlier in the day - hamburgers, ribs, beans, potato salad, and cake and ice cream for dessert.

The last few days of biking through Kentucky have taken me past many fields of bluegrass, most of which have already been cut down. Pay lakes dot the countryside and often have a number of fishermen. While many cyclists don't find Kentucky to be the most pleasant state to bike through, I've enjoyed my time here and have been treated well by many. My only complaint is that on the few occasions when I really desired a beer after a long ride I always ended up in a dry town or county. When I mentioned this to a clerk at a motel where I was staying, she said, "Well, maybe you should take that as a sign." I will. A sign that Kentucky needs to change it's liquor laws.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dry towns and counties abound in bourbon country. Ain't that america.