tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69495594297916817802024-03-12T17:20:24.521-07:00TransAm TravelingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-10338979871319613032014-08-14T04:53:00.001-07:002014-10-02T12:37:33.283-07:00Day 61: The Finale<b>96.3 km</b><br />
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In order to arrive at the final destination on time, I woke up at 3:00 am and started biking at 4:00 am. At this time of day, it was pitch black outside and there were no street lights anywhere so I put on my head lamp to be able to make out the road ahead. When I first started biking down the road, I realized that the traffic wasn't as calm as I had expected it to be during these hours so I figured that the danger of not being seen by fast passing cars from behind was greater than not seeing where I was going. I made a quick stop a couple of hundred meters after starting and put my head lamp in epilepsy mode and mounted it on the back rack of my bike. </div>
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I had planned on staying on highway 1 all the way to Washington Monument and I was displeased to learn that the road had no street lights, four lanes most of the time and was mostly shoulderless. Although it was nice to ride in the early morning, the day's riding was in the most stressful and dangerous conditions I have ever ridden in. Having trouble to see the road ahead was particularly dangerous on the descents and I was unable to adjust my eyes to the darkness thanks to being blinded by the bright lights from oncoming traffic. Even after the sun rose over the horizon and the traffic increased considerably until it was heavily trafficked, the riding was bad with about 20 cm of space to the right of the white line and aggressive drivers who often honked and came dangerously close to me, even though bikes was allowed on the road and I hugged the edge of the pavement as tightly as I could. </div>
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After making a few short stops to calm myself down, I knew I was very close as I passed by the Pentagon and got my first glimpse of the monument, towering on the other side of the river. Once I got over the river I had to make a left turn over 3 lanes with a constant flow of high speed traffic, but I gave it up and went for the next exit to the right instead. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">After improvising by going through a tunnel, I found my way to Washington Monument at around 10:00 am, where I met a familiar face. My girlfriend had flown in from Norway and was there waiting in the shadows of the trees in the park with the mighty monument in the background. The feeling of reaching my goal after having been on the road for two months and having someone to share the moment with, was such an amazing feeling that i struggle hard to find words to describe this feeling. It was unlike anything I had experienced in my life. It was still surreal to me that I had in two months crossed the width of the continent on my bicycle, seen so many, so different places and met so many wonderful people. I<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">t was hard to grasp the full magnitude of the moment, but I expect it to be a process over the next few days, or even weeks. </span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-72902945857658742572014-08-10T17:08:00.001-07:002014-08-10T17:08:53.956-07:00Day 60: Off Route<b>107.4 km</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>By 9:00 I had packed up and checked out, ready to head off the ACA mapped route so I had to rely on the intel I had been gathering through Google Maps at the hotel. I had a general idea of where to go but the details had to be studied further and memorized. The plan was to reach Fredericksburg, VA today so that I would have slightly less than 100 km on my last day. Not having the luxury of following a mapped cycling-route, I found my way out by the main roads through town and I had to take some dangerous maneuvers such as taking a left turn crossing 5 lanes of high speed traffic.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5R83rkbkhBAPkpbvuadr8dtSj5CKREDtvy7O0FS1c8S7L4jo7cEGTXD3eQikiQsfGXAOFHTsyXfacCB6sZQScih2lDow3z-b2njOkZAQpBFv7pJUVABHY8qtPZL9hMkKLEZq7ksA9_E/s640/blogger-image--869875236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5R83rkbkhBAPkpbvuadr8dtSj5CKREDtvy7O0FS1c8S7L4jo7cEGTXD3eQikiQsfGXAOFHTsyXfacCB6sZQScih2lDow3z-b2njOkZAQpBFv7pJUVABHY8qtPZL9hMkKLEZq7ksA9_E/s640/blogger-image--869875236.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>The riding was nice and quiet with gently rolling hills and partially clouded weather. Riding today was very emotional as it started to dawn upon me what I was about to complete. Over the last two months I have invested so much time, effort and emotion in getting myself from one end of the country to the other on my own, far away from home. The sense of accomplishment have gradually increased along with the sense of commitment to completing, as the days have passed and I was now getting a very strong empowering feeling. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fbWmxcI3l6VW-1OOckojYB-qvyVi92yFnWPBuCKCqFgON2aitlNovO4T-B7LTqXE6Ku8hY5sWMR5aW5I-N6e76VVdSofIyB40SSnfOVI_SDfPRDPk3KV_giPGRs0MA36QKvTarpl93Q/s640/blogger-image-205144225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fbWmxcI3l6VW-1OOckojYB-qvyVi92yFnWPBuCKCqFgON2aitlNovO4T-B7LTqXE6Ku8hY5sWMR5aW5I-N6e76VVdSofIyB40SSnfOVI_SDfPRDPk3KV_giPGRs0MA36QKvTarpl93Q/s640/blogger-image-205144225.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>After a while, I got to the city of Orange where I stopped for lunch before continuing down the road again. As I got closer to Fredericksburg, traffic increased gradually and when I got to the major road into town, the road was so heavily trafficked, on a shoulderless four lane road, that there were some serious close call encounters with passing traffic.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigul_Xy8jvYtsfVxFLonBI9QE5-X1ZsoRwNXSw5RrMz8GW7V4vRxutsGT4F5TeB5grQV9s58ga4exNEj4I7GoKdLiWHe83ULHcR3ebqXfncLHAkAKnZC-2RsNbvckjPUeHan1gM3slfQ4/s640/blogger-image-1842535731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigul_Xy8jvYtsfVxFLonBI9QE5-X1ZsoRwNXSw5RrMz8GW7V4vRxutsGT4F5TeB5grQV9s58ga4exNEj4I7GoKdLiWHe83ULHcR3ebqXfncLHAkAKnZC-2RsNbvckjPUeHan1gM3slfQ4/s640/blogger-image-1842535731.jpg"></a></div><br></div></div><div><br></div><div>I decided to find a place to sleep as soon as I got to Fredericksburg, without taking location into consideration as I hoped it would be better to get through town at a less busy hour. The plan was to arrive at the final destination tomorrow morning at 9:30, which meant I would have to start cycling at night, so I got to bed at a Super 8 fairly early. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-29815427558330514632014-08-10T17:06:00.001-07:002014-08-10T17:06:58.877-07:00Day 59: Rest Day in CharlottesvilleMost of the day was spent at the hotel, organizing my stuff, talking with my family and watching TV. I also rode my bike to the historic part of downtown where I sat down at a café and wrote a couple of blog entries. <div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgawctzHV_cDYvqBWlQlxJmg70LrklQPUZXaiGDDRf8z3YH3ap5K0ZLQgzdPtSg9U9E8wz0VNZ9zeEbq6m59WUsu2vBDcJhUMLqRhs8xVzcFwDNwffBTcHojFzSi_ZzQOSxAG8C7LSlDhc/s640/blogger-image-270889163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgawctzHV_cDYvqBWlQlxJmg70LrklQPUZXaiGDDRf8z3YH3ap5K0ZLQgzdPtSg9U9E8wz0VNZ9zeEbq6m59WUsu2vBDcJhUMLqRhs8xVzcFwDNwffBTcHojFzSi_ZzQOSxAG8C7LSlDhc/s640/blogger-image-270889163.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-88895727673783288432014-08-09T21:13:00.001-07:002014-08-09T21:13:01.667-07:00Day 58: Closing in<b>49.2 km</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>Knowing I was in no rush to get the day's short mileage done, so I hung back in Waynesboro before setting off into the big hill I had come down yesterday. After riding over gently rolling hills, I stopped at an orchard where I bought some homemade frozen yoghurt. I sat there for quite some time, pondering upon the epic journey I have had so far. It is still surreal for me that it was just two months ago I was on the other side of the country, struggling to find my way on my own over the Cascades. It seems like it was in another lifetime. Although it seems long ago, the days have gone by very fast with so many new experiences every day. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTerRGF55Ylnatd2zn3FMVOqG-AKyJS1px8AeqGF6LnF5NZYXkEDTE660zBtELm0_H9nRn0pynqxiPu4UrDBARAyyvCy2JfkUaLhDCK48AzpPVHyySDY4XPhBFfojEUEXZV8hT7CqrIo/s640/blogger-image-880711953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTerRGF55Ylnatd2zn3FMVOqG-AKyJS1px8AeqGF6LnF5NZYXkEDTE660zBtELm0_H9nRn0pynqxiPu4UrDBARAyyvCy2JfkUaLhDCK48AzpPVHyySDY4XPhBFfojEUEXZV8hT7CqrIo/s640/blogger-image-880711953.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG892C_ZpYxQ1-5Ce5K2qkJKzN-YW61jkghCJ7XlVrMo9jY5qB5tS7zGuTMgm-oUhfoF5JkCIDC0lh0P6-JhyI0lMmZSesqR0p_o0JWckHIeoosHHq-mlcaipBzUrs-LwEEavrV9rJacM/s640/blogger-image--685400012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG892C_ZpYxQ1-5Ce5K2qkJKzN-YW61jkghCJ7XlVrMo9jY5qB5tS7zGuTMgm-oUhfoF5JkCIDC0lh0P6-JhyI0lMmZSesqR0p_o0JWckHIeoosHHq-mlcaipBzUrs-LwEEavrV9rJacM/s640/blogger-image--685400012.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div><div>After a lengthy stop, I headed out on the road again towards Charlottesville. Reaching Charlottesville, was a milestone of its own since this is the place I will be dropping the TransAm trail mapped by the Adventure Cycling Association and finding my own way to Washington D.C. I had planned on using two days from Charlottesville to the official endpoint of this trip at Washington Monument, so I had one day to spare that I decided on spending in Charlottesville. I found a room, checked in for two nights and kicked back after a hot and short day. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-23839889304298649022014-08-07T19:08:00.001-07:002014-08-09T21:11:28.304-07:00Day 57: The Blue Ridge Parkway<b>90.0 km</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>Packed up and checked out, I headed out for breakfast down the road. I knew today was going to be very tough with a highly anticipated climb up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Elliot from day 43 had warned me about this serious climb I would get that obviously was a desdcent from a westbounder's perspective, as he had experienced serious overheating of his rims due to the intense breaking down the steep hillsides. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6PJlPuaYbjtjQ_T38VGotYRRUUYF45kQJ88MmqHYuRU82cr95rUgfNZXJQwzeYvrSsoewrZFTENHEWBvUpEt2IJHwEXOvv0Xllv6RPa7qa43yqZTf6K-tK7GYp4UpbsJhROkF-ErGEQ/s640/blogger-image-17984708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6PJlPuaYbjtjQ_T38VGotYRRUUYF45kQJ88MmqHYuRU82cr95rUgfNZXJQwzeYvrSsoewrZFTENHEWBvUpEt2IJHwEXOvv0Xllv6RPa7qa43yqZTf6K-tK7GYp4UpbsJhROkF-ErGEQ/s640/blogger-image-17984708.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div>After 30 km, I pulled off to the ringt, soon to see the road winding itself upward with a terrifying grade. The climb could easily be omitted by taking some off-route roads, but I had expected this climb for weeks and knew it was going to be taking me up to the last of the mountains for this trip. To be honest, this was probably the steepest climb of the trip and the combination with the distance through which it continued made for an exhausting ride. Once I got to the top, I rode onto the Blue Ridge Parkway - a highway following the Blue Ridge. The ride on top of the ridge offered some breathtaking views on both righ and left side with several vista points to stop at. The ride also included some tough climbs as well as joyful descents before the final major descent from the last of considerable mountains of this trip. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0i3BlagtyPhok-QeOVU_W8fQnEMBAIwHfQ4EedgMo4PwK_EP0i5DvF2scs15DQLaw08LEoM8xTWoyD1cTASFQLa8NpU3KX84pjTnsffPtgaFou6GFn4EK8Y3qv5lpR56yXIhvI5Mrt8/s640/blogger-image--1966560553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0i3BlagtyPhok-QeOVU_W8fQnEMBAIwHfQ4EedgMo4PwK_EP0i5DvF2scs15DQLaw08LEoM8xTWoyD1cTASFQLa8NpU3KX84pjTnsffPtgaFou6GFn4EK8Y3qv5lpR56yXIhvI5Mrt8/s640/blogger-image--1966560553.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgka-p2AiLKd0KIUwLHyZXaerlLvkzFeOiqsDmJfYK_iBqNpABbSJgqjev79C4al30C0eHrecip71g7Jn8ba3GBJrmA4_OA1Z0ctpCHyACpDyO_zGOz8plm8khPxHbkB5NjlVK3VJhVSN4/s640/blogger-image--534461505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7DSYxVUw21MRal6sW3xZAc_2D-nVsApx1EIQYPzoB5zmxM879aZoDAoN4vUQE39Q2_e424PY7rGYm6llYYBnEf4PkpYZ-_F6x44nhSPVfqUDqP9noM6jpatJSVRc7LzLV7bHhyphenhyphenmz8kY/s640/blogger-image-1927517525.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHY3NHipi8wym2egBGxHc9K0g4rmlHQF5_u-fp1qS_lphJmo0ysEz9PtG59odbtk1GUF6IR68AkFjNKgY_01epEDKM8iteQkLlkFMr1fUjiTA3Mr-MaUJYdHfnuZeF-rb5HtAV0QFEsE/s640/blogger-image--1651053939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHY3NHipi8wym2egBGxHc9K0g4rmlHQF5_u-fp1qS_lphJmo0ysEz9PtG59odbtk1GUF6IR68AkFjNKgY_01epEDKM8iteQkLlkFMr1fUjiTA3Mr-MaUJYdHfnuZeF-rb5HtAV0QFEsE/s640/blogger-image--1651053939.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>The 40-50 km on top of the ridge offered no services and I had finished all my bottles and was starting to get increasingly hungry. Luckily, I passed a visitor center on the way down and got to refill my bottles before the urge got too great. Few minutes later I arrived at an junction with some other major roads connecting to some larger cities in the area where I grabbed the opportunity for a meal from a hot dog truck parked by the road. I sat down with a hiker, doing the famous Appalachian Trail hike from Maine to Georgia. He gave me some advice on where to spend the nice. He suggested I roll down a big hill to Waynesboro, a nice little town where I got a motel room for the night. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxZD63XdNlxZNDlgpzIGRYpYaCO8lA28pBHTNBQ18dAZAy9VRSKygdWAL0p2mr6OZO_hXIabRu_o78IZ3Lm3vz1T8ZlhbQTzg57nT9hp3Q4Ajrs2nuMxKP806VHpQrxpuvSG2wFobHu0/s640/blogger-image--678061935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxZD63XdNlxZNDlgpzIGRYpYaCO8lA28pBHTNBQ18dAZAy9VRSKygdWAL0p2mr6OZO_hXIabRu_o78IZ3Lm3vz1T8ZlhbQTzg57nT9hp3Q4Ajrs2nuMxKP806VHpQrxpuvSG2wFobHu0/s640/blogger-image--678061935.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMt5lKK0TulhpvsHJt76hREwwa22ZtgIvDr0u5mbypHQE8aZr-nO-ImIth7a7gN1cVpJyuyl8XgIcNOkghyphenhyphenqYOLT5cbFRbVsrL85ye06fckocfELwfAVZZiPpG0bDBki7VcUrNGI1uhc/s640/blogger-image--1903919764.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMt5lKK0TulhpvsHJt76hREwwa22ZtgIvDr0u5mbypHQE8aZr-nO-ImIth7a7gN1cVpJyuyl8XgIcNOkghyphenhyphenqYOLT5cbFRbVsrL85ye06fckocfELwfAVZZiPpG0bDBki7VcUrNGI1uhc/s640/blogger-image--1903919764.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-56632772337848232262014-08-06T18:23:00.000-07:002014-08-07T06:26:22.644-07:00Day 56: Natural Wonder of the World<b>69.9 km</b><br />
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The day started with a small breakfast before heading out at 9:00. From the start I knew it was going to be a hot day as temperatures were working their way up. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">The first part of the riding was along a ridge towards Natural Bridge that offered wonderful views of the Appalachians. After stopping for some more food, I continued in good spirits.</span></div>
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After another few km I reached a town slightly off route, named after one of the seven natural wonders of the world located there - Natural Bridge. The 500 million year old rock - Natural Bridge is 65.6 m high and was bought (along with the surrounding land) by Thomas Jefferson from King George III of England for 20 shillings which today is about 2.4 dollars. Standing under this enormous structure made a strong impression of the sheer grandeur that Nature is capable of. I took my photos and sat there for a while before heading out again. As I started pedaling towards Lexington, out of nowhere a car slowed down beside me, rolled down the window and the lady in the passenger seat wished me a good ride.</div>
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As I got closer to Lexington, it really started to pour down so when I arrived in the beautiful town, I got changed and sat down at a bar and ordered a burger and a beer. I later walked around the historic town before finding my way to a motel for the night. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-29734445476288616872014-08-06T17:38:00.001-07:002014-08-06T17:38:16.053-07:00Day 55: Troubling Thirst<b>93.5 km</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>I got off to a late start at 11:00 with the sun shining and the temperatures rising. The first part of the day went by very fast going through narrow and windy country roads and rolling hills. After the first 70 km I made a stop in just past Catawba where I sat under the shade of a bush for a late lunch. I didn't pass any store that seemed to be open in the small town and as I made my way further, I realized a little too late that I had passed the whole town in hope of finding a source of water. With temperatures getting close to 40 centigrade, about a quarter of a bottle of water left and 30 km to the next town. I was sweating like crazy and the rate at which the fluids seeped through the pores of my skin was alarming, considering that I had used up all my water.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3uwqBDSxbJs6iYri1DRGNBYdiXpwTfFSKSwMn11UOVOKITu4h73bPGZm4rGreiCWNdSyssq3VkjsK86HdEiGMUYcbRjCBZ76kAm7J1g4W6zGfSfHH0B9H6N3tQJ0eIxa1WIRizWmy-uI/s640/blogger-image--138322489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3uwqBDSxbJs6iYri1DRGNBYdiXpwTfFSKSwMn11UOVOKITu4h73bPGZm4rGreiCWNdSyssq3VkjsK86HdEiGMUYcbRjCBZ76kAm7J1g4W6zGfSfHH0B9H6N3tQJ0eIxa1WIRizWmy-uI/s640/blogger-image--138322489.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Feeling lightheaded, I walked into a gas station 30 km later to ask if I could fill up my bottles somehow. The cashier told me that due to the nearby roadwork, they had to close up the water supply so for the first time of the trip I think, I had to pay for water, but man it was good!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sIvzWr6UlP5HxxgNdR5sIjt0X2ewRQ-JWP4BxqQX37WvO1Iby-pqE7K1YkHQSSZQZBqu661hQ9sGUEKqL7DNDjgpWE05gMKLfZVmTSdNJBycgN84nTTFqXqQL9Py_W8jUKz3MDHoxiE/s640/blogger-image-1774782225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sIvzWr6UlP5HxxgNdR5sIjt0X2ewRQ-JWP4BxqQX37WvO1Iby-pqE7K1YkHQSSZQZBqu661hQ9sGUEKqL7DNDjgpWE05gMKLfZVmTSdNJBycgN84nTTFqXqQL9Py_W8jUKz3MDHoxiE/s640/blogger-image-1774782225.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmM2imrBCpo_xmYrcbeGQu0K4YXDXXcrrl8nW2lHJH1eAwpBJ0iXIviWroCkZkqXjzoQOH3mQRXml50eREQYqFF513GM93Y2zDq0beuYpYPKi91eFT3fH4iRZWs9vkpYKMqVEVOUhiKbw/s640/blogger-image-449145339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmM2imrBCpo_xmYrcbeGQu0K4YXDXXcrrl8nW2lHJH1eAwpBJ0iXIviWroCkZkqXjzoQOH3mQRXml50eREQYqFF513GM93Y2zDq0beuYpYPKi91eFT3fH4iRZWs9vkpYKMqVEVOUhiKbw/s640/blogger-image-449145339.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Later, I stopped by a pizza place and downed a large one before giving up on finding a camp spot and went for a motel in Daleville instead. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-49599334248280626242014-08-04T19:34:00.001-07:002014-08-06T17:35:14.069-07:00Day 54: King Size<b>52.4 km</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>Not very eager to get up early, I finally dragged myself out of the tent at 10:00. Th sun was shining and it was a beautiful day, as most days had been. I sat at the nearby table trying to figure out where to end the day, and by 12:30 I was on the bike. I cruised lightly along the narrow backroads recommended by the maps before I ended up in Radford. The heat had been significantly higher today than the previous days, so it felt good to step inside in the A/C at a Mexican restaurant.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyk-psLc5ZmijUKjcSVvgp8_DywGKhFA6gfCIWGZAr5eW5FrZ68SQbr91KpgYbuEhUp84yJZ6bnl-gOtw-E4w-gaUYrHHnvOOa-vZSLpxg24biLU0-Kl16h5qcD50SZdXBgbkOIdc2Vwo/s640/blogger-image-776576743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyk-psLc5ZmijUKjcSVvgp8_DywGKhFA6gfCIWGZAr5eW5FrZ68SQbr91KpgYbuEhUp84yJZ6bnl-gOtw-E4w-gaUYrHHnvOOa-vZSLpxg24biLU0-Kl16h5qcD50SZdXBgbkOIdc2Vwo/s640/blogger-image-776576743.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0tnnGa3SUD7Jpldiz7WhNPH0G7tXNBqIrCJMLRfM_P_2nbDXEcGvAxycYnNcXKbfZyJK4BThb4jZZb1arYRVCbIqVo7nviiKl7pH6avsE-FKYxvnOaZX-yvhs3EIQj5z0qs-Jfr6vfs/s640/blogger-image--1747757334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0tnnGa3SUD7Jpldiz7WhNPH0G7tXNBqIrCJMLRfM_P_2nbDXEcGvAxycYnNcXKbfZyJK4BThb4jZZb1arYRVCbIqVo7nviiKl7pH6avsE-FKYxvnOaZX-yvhs3EIQj5z0qs-Jfr6vfs/s640/blogger-image--1747757334.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5FiwvaRHZoZIn39AfKmPVVUmsqekcOFbosOfkEwNr6J27y9b1FyEl7r9Qfb7eOV-xCT15koGRiXVxG00WFv94vMiTjCaTDoBtNZkXo-BQcBACfksAGIKtC-obhBlrh3tl44ZLZg_mODI/s640/blogger-image-342729598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5FiwvaRHZoZIn39AfKmPVVUmsqekcOFbosOfkEwNr6J27y9b1FyEl7r9Qfb7eOV-xCT15koGRiXVxG00WFv94vMiTjCaTDoBtNZkXo-BQcBACfksAGIKtC-obhBlrh3tl44ZLZg_mODI/s640/blogger-image-342729598.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>After a hearty meal, I rolled right across the street to a motel to check the prices. The extremely friendly and helpful Indian man at the lobby was sorry to inform me of the lack of available rooms, but directed me to a similar motel on the other side of town that he was the owner of. He wrote down directions for me and called the receptionist and told him to give me a king size bed for about 20% off. I<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "> biked over there, stopping only for groceries and spent the evening doing some writing.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-16421411726957646792014-08-04T19:15:00.001-07:002014-08-04T19:57:01.269-07:00Day 53: One Big Rest Stop<b>68.3 km</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>When I first started biking at 9:30, I felt incredibly strong and rested. I don't remember ever having such a feeling of being able to cycle any distance, loaded or not. The first 50 km went by incredibly fast and I was feeling very motivated. When I thought of the fact that it was no need for me to bike very far for the rest of the trip, it dealt a kind of demoralizing blow to my motivation. Because I had prior to the departure for Seattle set a fixed date for my flight home - paid and everything- I had always had this small bit of pressure to do the daily mileage or more, so that I can relax if an accident was to occur or if I needed rest days or even just to relax at the end. Now that I am at the end, without any accidents to make up for and have had more rest days than ever planned, I find myself in a position where I actually want to bike for a considerable amount of hours a day. I have gotten so used to the routine that I felt restless, even 50 km into the day. </div><div><br></div><div>When I reached Max Meadows - a small town with a convenience store and a railroad cutting through, I spotted a pavilion under which I probably could chill out for some time. I went over to the store and got a cold drink and sat down in the shade, studying my maps. I was trying to decide wether I should push for Yorktown (the official endpoint of the Trans America Bicycle Trail), an option which included I would have to backtrack 150 km and be a little stressful, or just take my time, aiming for D.C. the whole time. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivE8Ag-c2mP3lAC5lMwq7mAVp-ehaZ9vnWMnyqJPUt9rhfqaY5oJ4JBbA0fsqsc_ZVlS6kkhYhzQarbPeBFeWry5Ui97TyOilxDGrFgvY9DOsiwwEdbdt8x1IXRr8cMF8VPqKFvxT5qxI/s640/blogger-image--464016705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivE8Ag-c2mP3lAC5lMwq7mAVp-ehaZ9vnWMnyqJPUt9rhfqaY5oJ4JBbA0fsqsc_ZVlS6kkhYhzQarbPeBFeWry5Ui97TyOilxDGrFgvY9DOsiwwEdbdt8x1IXRr8cMF8VPqKFvxT5qxI/s640/blogger-image--464016705.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidJ0riDgiB71sk4LBQWoJwEJsav1vCB37UVgJsVCpEk4zEmgPbFGkqyIsTLSuJkx8lMgJBXA-KVCiSnijYJIXGrOoOsGexyuTKe95B9CPvlr33qCEqo-d5S0uKgWyoYXwxYTAg2w3h71U/s640/blogger-image-1684548358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidJ0riDgiB71sk4LBQWoJwEJsav1vCB37UVgJsVCpEk4zEmgPbFGkqyIsTLSuJkx8lMgJBXA-KVCiSnijYJIXGrOoOsGexyuTKe95B9CPvlr33qCEqo-d5S0uKgWyoYXwxYTAg2w3h71U/s640/blogger-image-1684548358.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>After spending about 6 hours (!) on the same bench, reading a book and taking nap, I decided it was time to go. It didn't take me long to get to the next campground and after passing it to get a delicious meal at an Italian restaurant, I headed back about 2 km to the campground. I got there as little late due to basically the whole day being spent in procrastination, but I managed to get a sweet spot by the river just as the sun set behind the rugged Appalachians. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0Tu7HZve8nQjfVvHqGbmdt-UNYPi08394q9EeeQRSJ6l8PWb86gqhSTMTA992RMdXHTd7ylGQBY7mhS89w15I0Vf_3__4BHeXg-8UjtJEws23BQLKSLxW2CW0uHtTGinFrw1_V5W1Mk/s640/blogger-image-449524225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0Tu7HZve8nQjfVvHqGbmdt-UNYPi08394q9EeeQRSJ6l8PWb86gqhSTMTA992RMdXHTd7ylGQBY7mhS89w15I0Vf_3__4BHeXg-8UjtJEws23BQLKSLxW2CW0uHtTGinFrw1_V5W1Mk/s640/blogger-image-449524225.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNWLT7PvFNR5GgS1mcMTQ32yGJQLIFXn8iPwnQwNKL02L6MqGwIzloGpyIBYtZRo_BgyqcsOsA8QF2eS9jAr0XmV4WDeERaVWCKOsUGmJU6se1xATvMRja7L3EnH5dvmZqqizEchtOhE/s640/blogger-image--1579273795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNWLT7PvFNR5GgS1mcMTQ32yGJQLIFXn8iPwnQwNKL02L6MqGwIzloGpyIBYtZRo_BgyqcsOsA8QF2eS9jAr0XmV4WDeERaVWCKOsUGmJU6se1xATvMRja7L3EnH5dvmZqqizEchtOhE/s640/blogger-image--1579273795.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-57810513071247485322014-08-04T18:51:00.001-07:002014-08-04T18:51:49.738-07:00Day 52: Layover in MarionI realized I had a couple of days to spare so I decided upon waking up that this was a decent place to take a rest day. I spent the day biking into town to take a look around. I also bought some food, talked to home and generally relaxed in my room. Not too much else to report from this day. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-23392642552203975522014-08-01T19:00:00.001-07:002014-08-01T20:15:36.996-07:00Day 51: Another Day in The Appalachians<b>99.4 km </b><div><b><br></b></div><div>Starting the day at the quiet park was a good way to prepare for those coming steep climbs. Within the first kilometer I arrived at what would be the biggest climb of the day, but gradients were slightly more humane than some of the other hills I had to traverse. Climbing up, I got a glimpse of the valley I had come through over my shoulder of the tree-covered mountainous terrain, with its lush beauty glimmering under the partially clouded sky. The descent from these climbs had been so much fun with winding roads and sharp corners to test your technical abilities on the bike. I had also heard stories of horrible accidents coming down from these hills as the excessive clutching of the breaks can generate intense heat. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBV3Z-sUqEhY01jt1eMnGXurh8folHrLQ6bxtuAIIQDBElEIumJ_h0T9ikxaunDJSjXOuGaEKgXojgDLXbxw8FpBEJb1aWSt2qtxymz6nTLXEZ89Hh5OslJI6vMoJYNQa0DWWWhlHMgk/s640/blogger-image-600872252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBV3Z-sUqEhY01jt1eMnGXurh8folHrLQ6bxtuAIIQDBElEIumJ_h0T9ikxaunDJSjXOuGaEKgXojgDLXbxw8FpBEJb1aWSt2qtxymz6nTLXEZ89Hh5OslJI6vMoJYNQa0DWWWhlHMgk/s640/blogger-image-600872252.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqu3LgPD2c6K_hCFBRB7Y-A966YvwOe7vUsgH4mVn0W9GKjwqcz1Qscx-8amqB2BnJQOO4o4DTNL-hAFW0hfATsFn8OuuQtuRgxWWLD8LCz5WHGnjcJJH8vyXqtztqpn_4E2A1ZxBY_P8/s640/blogger-image-9244463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqu3LgPD2c6K_hCFBRB7Y-A966YvwOe7vUsgH4mVn0W9GKjwqcz1Qscx-8amqB2BnJQOO4o4DTNL-hAFW0hfATsFn8OuuQtuRgxWWLD8LCz5WHGnjcJJH8vyXqtztqpn_4E2A1ZxBY_P8/s640/blogger-image-9244463.jpg"></a></div></div></div><div><br></div><div>After a quick stop in Honaker where I made something to eat, I met a female, lone westbound cyclist warning me about some steep grades and shoulderless roads with heavy truck traffic. I returned the favor by giving her some information on the route ahead. </div><div><br></div><div>I knew the day was going to be hard with several steep climbs of over 300 vertical meters followed by an immediate equal drop in elevation and after making my way through some really beautiful countryside, I arrived in Meadowview. Here I stopped for a lunch at a restaurant that appeared to be a little too high class for a sweaty, spandex-covered cyclist, but at least the food was awesome. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIiZBlKycnuXIOqZOcXHtoj_PyatDrLIQPPrlpQ4u5_kDSVoXgA0a5RKhQ6TUdAff1YOFvoM9viFZNKH1qVHytNWTca1IS13pS1lC32ime_wGeSk5nVKJ6ygkrW7mmm8j2g-yfmrulSU/s640/blogger-image-1253674016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIiZBlKycnuXIOqZOcXHtoj_PyatDrLIQPPrlpQ4u5_kDSVoXgA0a5RKhQ6TUdAff1YOFvoM9viFZNKH1qVHytNWTca1IS13pS1lC32ime_wGeSk5nVKJ6ygkrW7mmm8j2g-yfmrulSU/s640/blogger-image-1253674016.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXpIaKeVoxhkcNYIEIxnH_Hzw1QdQauY0bc70KKg67t6uVCfG8TS5Ryn4mOhJXTQuQMbo7FjshSIWIN7L05Xj82kI0O2JToUs80yxX8hawAeOxi4UwwncdeOmnguOuIaE6IPvGsCimVg/s640/blogger-image-1938600804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXpIaKeVoxhkcNYIEIxnH_Hzw1QdQauY0bc70KKg67t6uVCfG8TS5Ryn4mOhJXTQuQMbo7FjshSIWIN7L05Xj82kI0O2JToUs80yxX8hawAeOxi4UwwncdeOmnguOuIaE6IPvGsCimVg/s640/blogger-image-1938600804.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27Yly1PXkyBFCxGUFkjs6dGXfVkguECLiY-PurEedE-_YD4rv7j8JosD6yCl4SOZMUBLtNwx6Z66dOPS0Gym_6FtFZ0-k4-F3xEOpRhu6jsTlgdCqmu57Jo1ZESwxh9YTrCxtwv6v7SI/s640/blogger-image-12282997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27Yly1PXkyBFCxGUFkjs6dGXfVkguECLiY-PurEedE-_YD4rv7j8JosD6yCl4SOZMUBLtNwx6Z66dOPS0Gym_6FtFZ0-k4-F3xEOpRhu6jsTlgdCqmu57Jo1ZESwxh9YTrCxtwv6v7SI/s640/blogger-image-12282997.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMum608WeczsDvu7WBuNIO7NcQLZm4DqnCO7rKoxdyh9_gm5lGgXiB5l-059Ljb1Q31cAdynPxNSERL7cw1xP5Y_mW5y4pcq_yxnXvyd1eVYXadCeL08QyQrJ2bNaujl_draMFiuy23A/s640/blogger-image--436330445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMum608WeczsDvu7WBuNIO7NcQLZm4DqnCO7rKoxdyh9_gm5lGgXiB5l-059Ljb1Q31cAdynPxNSERL7cw1xP5Y_mW5y4pcq_yxnXvyd1eVYXadCeL08QyQrJ2bNaujl_draMFiuy23A/s640/blogger-image--436330445.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirrrpKDrCE6F0Ej-QGCuXpeLnVri1p2dk2qHvhf67MW4e_2MdvMSJghbsF9iNuFOf0AyIvpBwxCdbJ8dhWVZ1gJ8Lap5Q6YdDdnh-Br_-LQEB5rDs5pP-EVlghXB0jPgPWiWSd75c8DLY/s640/blogger-image--17938099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirrrpKDrCE6F0Ej-QGCuXpeLnVri1p2dk2qHvhf67MW4e_2MdvMSJghbsF9iNuFOf0AyIvpBwxCdbJ8dhWVZ1gJ8Lap5Q6YdDdnh-Br_-LQEB5rDs5pP-EVlghXB0jPgPWiWSd75c8DLY/s640/blogger-image--17938099.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div><div>The ride from Meadowview to Marion took place on a parallel road to the interstate and the intense headwind and the presence of fatigue from the strenuous effort over the days mountains, made me longing for the end of the day. I managed to find a dirt cheap motel at the east end of town after going to the supermarket to make sure I had enough fruit, bake goods and snacks to indulge in for the rest of the month. I<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "> spent the rest of the evening taking a shower, writing and doing some laundry. </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-8878179080420845872014-08-01T18:24:00.001-07:002014-08-01T20:07:40.527-07:00Day 50: Virginia!<b>69.5 km</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>After a good night's sleep, I woke up along with the other three guys that had spent the night at the baptist center. Right after the guys left, the woman in charge of maintaining the place stopped by along with 4 others. They offered me all kinds of foods and homemade candy and they even had a basket with free stuff that cyclists could take with them. These people were eager to give me all kinds of things but with the coming hills in mind, I tried to keep weight to a minimum, only helping myself to some toothpaste that I was running low on.</div><div><br></div><div>Within the first kilometer I hit the first big climb of the day with ridiculously steep gradient. In spite of being battle-hardened my the Cascades, Rockies and Ozarks, the Appalachian mountain range had until now been more tiring than the long steady climbs of the Rockies. I have a theory that some of these roads were laid before proper road making equipment was introduced, whereas the paved roads traversing the Rockies were made much later so that gradients were kept at a reasonable level. With the lack of that smallest ring on the crank, there was no regulation in the use of force to pace myself up. There was either give it everything you have, or come to a complete stop. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioo7Dgj5Ofnfzwur8fO2C2sS8xEzw4quUAKnkXrCUzOQwvtaBxqEDzJXppfmxJaxrZSGbzrjpK_Vp7eBa7Kim07UE2edzxfc3Aj88LpSuxChZTjdAka4TK5eD0ucuwq7qUGLOwBMgSVtk/s640/blogger-image-1068600439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioo7Dgj5Ofnfzwur8fO2C2sS8xEzw4quUAKnkXrCUzOQwvtaBxqEDzJXppfmxJaxrZSGbzrjpK_Vp7eBa7Kim07UE2edzxfc3Aj88LpSuxChZTjdAka4TK5eD0ucuwq7qUGLOwBMgSVtk/s640/blogger-image-1068600439.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVr88s0_fsB7g0Od12cALszpjuvUPxy2geBYfUszLuN4KxV_q_37nBrki2LUzVKlHKWDfRy-MKVQ0dxHtNqQ6J3zy7YyBYWCBjI7amt9SkCpGZMpCVj1TwP6yn1_-sjEJO1vnjTqBQiqA/s640/blogger-image-1435146480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVr88s0_fsB7g0Od12cALszpjuvUPxy2geBYfUszLuN4KxV_q_37nBrki2LUzVKlHKWDfRy-MKVQ0dxHtNqQ6J3zy7YyBYWCBjI7amt9SkCpGZMpCVj1TwP6yn1_-sjEJO1vnjTqBQiqA/s640/blogger-image-1435146480.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>After making my way to Elkhorn City, I stopped at a supermarket to get something to eat and drink and do yesterday's writing before heading into another couple of intense ups and downs. The ride today was very beautiful with scenic treats like Breaks - the greatest canyon east of the Mississippi. I also stopped to pick up a stick to ward off some dogs, due to the vicious attacks I had been met with and I to be honest I was getting pretty sick of it. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20Vb3dZEQBKI7M3Cd8kdR-_8n8XAF4zCF4SGsjkZ2fjNbc0yDyZeL7i2-c0APRqpa4EQhd0GnaJGVHOpVzysyw-zvdNC-f4K6SUqpCOIXT-26bHxquTFXU8rQE0sNKJHJ1W3mNLcFZZs/s640/blogger-image-1919171653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20Vb3dZEQBKI7M3Cd8kdR-_8n8XAF4zCF4SGsjkZ2fjNbc0yDyZeL7i2-c0APRqpa4EQhd0GnaJGVHOpVzysyw-zvdNC-f4K6SUqpCOIXT-26bHxquTFXU8rQE0sNKJHJ1W3mNLcFZZs/s640/blogger-image-1919171653.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRZQgYWnG3DPbj8psuOc8Y-S0IrssBsB2Sz2WW90GUsy6V7NnG36sK5CYkSxaIRuIY2Mz6efnVyQjrSWYtIrXu-rasdNWVoXUjn41LpElSiar-fd5LoDbW_S8waBU1W5ftoCZ6wTCntg/s640/blogger-image-1604838471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRZQgYWnG3DPbj8psuOc8Y-S0IrssBsB2Sz2WW90GUsy6V7NnG36sK5CYkSxaIRuIY2Mz6efnVyQjrSWYtIrXu-rasdNWVoXUjn41LpElSiar-fd5LoDbW_S8waBU1W5ftoCZ6wTCntg/s640/blogger-image-1604838471.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2g4bhCzqK2vy5Dl_w6A7dVK6T-bLwog25jJlWPiBcNP9p_abUPA0jQ-hvPPbsB3NSvR0nDWH6c7XR8LVRsJBIuxue6ywwh4CPvRDBQPOY0UtOmHSbyKQK1g3KBXTLCz9L_rd0M9gVTE/s640/blogger-image-1905490753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2g4bhCzqK2vy5Dl_w6A7dVK6T-bLwog25jJlWPiBcNP9p_abUPA0jQ-hvPPbsB3NSvR0nDWH6c7XR8LVRsJBIuxue6ywwh4CPvRDBQPOY0UtOmHSbyKQK1g3KBXTLCz9L_rd0M9gVTE/s640/blogger-image-1905490753.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv22L7Faz3kYi1QP0HHBUZhPE2uHvEQFAYjOzA70QM2tUZt98cgWG-eoWq89dorUbL2p0aKblXHT804q8g8yZXJiBeAeJqjqURR3xvsst4Uq894t0m0PvpcOeljEXsAdSRGA1Z5rj5LR0/s640/blogger-image-786885917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv22L7Faz3kYi1QP0HHBUZhPE2uHvEQFAYjOzA70QM2tUZt98cgWG-eoWq89dorUbL2p0aKblXHT804q8g8yZXJiBeAeJqjqURR3xvsst4Uq894t0m0PvpcOeljEXsAdSRGA1Z5rj5LR0/s640/blogger-image-786885917.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh16FuAQKBkA-5F2dhYlQqppOB05nzxpfa5S3MfamXbwdGEv4tFuQMwbFt_sJ3xcsEWyXNk66XjEYAK217JTYPFmmlPNcb40L3XA-tgvk7j-z4AqDlAI_Www-w-nTNlrMJbSCooJfx_38/s640/blogger-image-1920602066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh16FuAQKBkA-5F2dhYlQqppOB05nzxpfa5S3MfamXbwdGEv4tFuQMwbFt_sJ3xcsEWyXNk66XjEYAK217JTYPFmmlPNcb40L3XA-tgvk7j-z4AqDlAI_Www-w-nTNlrMJbSCooJfx_38/s640/blogger-image-1920602066.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Rwfrdn91iBUGputpq4XZarhot4iSFI2fXsRXD5TnncyiCl1tS-T_qEYONTpwZoF-7jPis57ipNnlAgNvPLGyGHAj89KM7bCeA9tvjsdpVWyZx6Z5MvVBPmEt0172iZ34RRQ-von_juE/s640/blogger-image--1840633975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Rwfrdn91iBUGputpq4XZarhot4iSFI2fXsRXD5TnncyiCl1tS-T_qEYONTpwZoF-7jPis57ipNnlAgNvPLGyGHAj89KM7bCeA9tvjsdpVWyZx6Z5MvVBPmEt0172iZ34RRQ-von_juE/s640/blogger-image--1840633975.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div><div>By the time I got to Haysi, after several brutal climbs, I was so tired I couldn't tell up from down, so I sat down at a gas station for a bite to eat. I was accompanied by an older guy who had seen my bike and he shared amazing stories from all over the country. He had as a former truck driver been to all the lower 48 states and we both agreed on that the nicest people in the country live in the middle. He went on to explain how if you start at the middle of the country and make your way out towards either of the coasts, people are less likely to help you if you get in trouble. Although I personally find Americans to be generally nice all over, I find that if you ask for help or directions anywhere, people will try to help you but people are more likely to really go out of their way to get you what you need in the midwest. </div><div><br></div><div>Feeling a little better, I headed out again towards Council,VA where I had planned to spend the night. After a while I got to a beautiful park with a shelters and a pool and I sat down on one of e benches trying to call a number to verify that it was ok that I spend the night. After having tried multiple times with no answer, I sat there relaxing a bit before an older guy came over and started asking about the trip. I told him I wasn't able to reach the number I had been trying, so he pulled out his phone and made a call and got it all sorted out for me. He was there to keep an eye on a kid in the playground who's parents were drug abusers and he and his wife had taken it upon themselves to help kids like him. We sat there talking for a good hour and I learned he had worked as a crew member on a surveillance plane in the navy during the Korean war and he had some very fascinating stories to tell. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfA4v9nKhWIK2XgwuafXlt7I4ZhyphenhyphenBWG9odA4hJ2MxCkSL_tdklh5HnDYEK12SSJyif7Q4SZuYdvD9RCJsy1SJ5wiNJfOPCcNk-oWNUKJwJ-9_-FVxReJymfggbLyJD6ruzk2XgOE8ws-o/s640/blogger-image--305391500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfA4v9nKhWIK2XgwuafXlt7I4ZhyphenhyphenBWG9odA4hJ2MxCkSL_tdklh5HnDYEK12SSJyif7Q4SZuYdvD9RCJsy1SJ5wiNJfOPCcNk-oWNUKJwJ-9_-FVxReJymfggbLyJD6ruzk2XgOE8ws-o/s640/blogger-image--305391500.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCd-2IXND7XXpgC0O2b30V8DeAOjhRmCieqAyTu_gN1eOwzihIWymqmsjjzsOyLLEITKAjPeWp7Ki_VBh9BQ1FhqerppLfLxWGjGoBzpWyVNDiMUpmfsVUxC5obhLBEPgSIxTqtOt2HA/s640/blogger-image-305728828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCd-2IXND7XXpgC0O2b30V8DeAOjhRmCieqAyTu_gN1eOwzihIWymqmsjjzsOyLLEITKAjPeWp7Ki_VBh9BQ1FhqerppLfLxWGjGoBzpWyVNDiMUpmfsVUxC5obhLBEPgSIxTqtOt2HA/s640/blogger-image-305728828.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDVr-G1XN1bZ3Y28-jwKvrTW1XI1pSgAvCw4oSZVxz3wDyOV79B9uiUlBSUraD-4gkrsCs8YAL-N46BwMIz_efdUf1ZjiIJuITvayRO2OiLlZ3dyqrCOfRJLPhGLJrvn8S4f4gZocmyz8/s640/blogger-image-599748995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDVr-G1XN1bZ3Y28-jwKvrTW1XI1pSgAvCw4oSZVxz3wDyOV79B9uiUlBSUraD-4gkrsCs8YAL-N46BwMIz_efdUf1ZjiIJuITvayRO2OiLlZ3dyqrCOfRJLPhGLJrvn8S4f4gZocmyz8/s640/blogger-image-599748995.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitecJfcnq1h7oCDXaa3ADc_ngZBhJ-8tjKz9YIkfg_1PhrLomB-QP_LluBmUG9nitoqq5F5FInZju9H-wybyk605w4Zb3eCMGS8eZvdxXkhKM7tJ_bdApSP3zAMwdwlOb8YYvKWls0rw4/s640/blogger-image-812316866.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitecJfcnq1h7oCDXaa3ADc_ngZBhJ-8tjKz9YIkfg_1PhrLomB-QP_LluBmUG9nitoqq5F5FInZju9H-wybyk605w4Zb3eCMGS8eZvdxXkhKM7tJ_bdApSP3zAMwdwlOb8YYvKWls0rw4/s640/blogger-image-812316866.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-41928723759970887402014-08-01T18:23:00.003-07:002014-10-02T12:32:33.571-07:00Day 49: Coal Country<b>114.5 km</b><br />
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We all woke up at 6:00 to a cool and cloudy morning. Ben and Phil were gone by 8:00 and had planned on reaching Council, a good ride from Combs. They were also planning on reaching the endpoint of the trip -Yorktown,VA within a week, so I thought I would have to let them go sooner or later and really start to cut down on mileages. I stayed at the motel until check-out time at 11:00 before heading off into the hills again. Before long, I caught up with Chris and Nathan going up a hill, two older guys doing the TransAm with a support car. They had only two weeks off during the summer so they rode the trail two weeks per year, picking up where they left off the last year. Chris had been clipped by a truck during a climb earlier in the day. The mirror of the truck had hit him in the back and his left arm thanks to a driver who was so blinded by the sun he didn't see the cyclist and Chris was obviously pretty shaken up. </div>
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I stopped shortly after to commence the ritual of wiping and lubricating the chain, loosing touch with the guys. After making a short stop to buy some fruit by the side of the road, I stopped once more in Hindman to restock some food. Here I talked to a very pleasant guy who asked about the trip and told me stories of when the trail was first established in 1976 and hundreds of people from all over the world came pouring through the area on two wheels. </div>
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Biking along one of the bigger roads that had been blasted through some of the smaller hills, it was fascinating to watch the layers that made up the hillsides with seams of coal slicing through. Coal mining was a huge business in Kentucky due to the large amount that could be found here. Unlike in the western part of the state, coal was extracted through huge gashes in the land, rather than through underground deposits but today the industry is developing underground as well. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">Slowly making my way over some of the steeper hills I have ever seen in my entire life, I finally got to Lookout, a place with seemingly nothing but a vending machine where I had planned on spending the night. Chris, Nathan and their driver Joel were already at the Baptist Center that had clearly once been an indoor basketball court. The guys invited me to dinner which they had prepared in the kitchen, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">but I had to decline due the rather large amount of food I was carrying. After a nice shower and some food, I got talking with Joel who was a college student being paid by the two cyclists to drive with them during the summer. He was very religious but very open minded and had some very interesting insights and we sat up talking until midnight. After having my safety and well-being been prayed for, we headed off to sleep on the open wooden floor. </span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-24140470464218028462014-08-01T18:23:00.001-07:002014-10-02T12:32:00.349-07:00Day 48: Steep Hills & Bad Dogs<b>159.2 km</b><br />
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The high level of humidity and the comfortably low temperatures this night resulted in complete soaking of the rain fly. There were some really questionable people camping near my tent so I felt the need to keep the bike close and locked to the tent, but fortunately there was no problem. </div>
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Just as I set off from the campground at 8:30, I ran into two young eastbound cyclists. We biked through Berea and into the countryside together. Ben was a mechanical engineer and Phil was still working on his degree in the same field with one semester left. They had met through bicycle racing and were very strong riders with this being their 32nd day from San Francisco and apparently I was the first cyclist they had met on this trip that was able to keep up with them for more than few kilometers. I had struggled a bit with motivation the last few days since I was well ahead of schedule but meeting up with these guys and riding at their pace was perhaps just the nudge I needed. After getting chased by a pack of 5 dogs that were so fierce they nudged Phil's bike, we stopped after 80 km in the town of Booneville, where people were a bit questionable. The accents in this whole area had been so thick that I really struggled to understand what people tried to communicate, but I took comfort in the fact that even Americans had trouble understanding it. </div>
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The rest of the ride we encountered some very steep and long hills. I stopped to try to capture the steepness of these hills while the guys pushed on so I got to work really hard to catch up with them, but surprisingly I managed to catch them further up the climb. These roads were very steep, narrow and windy, going up as well as down with no shoulder or fence but all that made for some really enjoyable descents. </div>
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We had also passed through some really depressed areas today that I had heard tales of from westbound cyclists. This part was known for some poor coal mining towns that hadn't done very well, rabid dogs and steep hills.</div>
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Apart from being chased a couple of more times, the rest of the ride to Combs went by with no incident. We had decided to split a motel room so when we got there, I hooked up to the wi-fi, googled up a pizza hut 2 km down the road and brought back a large one to the room. We spent the night eating and watching TV and Ben and Phil offered me a taste of a dessert they had been making throughout the trip consisting of root beer and ice cream. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-41199861036409917352014-07-28T18:22:00.001-07:002014-07-28T18:22:23.467-07:00Day 47: Getting There Slowly<b>59.2 km</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>I had a hard time leaving the comfortable confines of the motel room this morning. Until now I had alway had a bit of a positive pressure hanging over me with the deadline being August 11th, but now I knew it would be easy to make it unless I got really unlucky. Me and my girlfriend have also decided that I can neither arrive before 11th as we had both agreed that she should be there waiting at the finish line. Even though it is satisfying to know I have made sufficient progress according to the standard set prior to the trip, it could actually be an effort not to make too much progress as I have gotten so used to the routine of riding every day that the daily mileage is fairly easy to do now. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5TBpm-Z4HkByk-uShdmKDLWIVR8i6rogqJc57QU_9axBU3Vm0T3VXNN84qWybBkg2xU6Z0JAncoiirtOekNhaJ5tcjRuoVOBaOH4C1M9iGyotJcQtpBg6rnXyKXHETIBL0j0ErfPO9OQ/s640/blogger-image-13095317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5TBpm-Z4HkByk-uShdmKDLWIVR8i6rogqJc57QU_9axBU3Vm0T3VXNN84qWybBkg2xU6Z0JAncoiirtOekNhaJ5tcjRuoVOBaOH4C1M9iGyotJcQtpBg6rnXyKXHETIBL0j0ErfPO9OQ/s640/blogger-image-13095317.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>The riding out of Danville was easy with a slight tailwind. I was still off route bound for Berea, KY where the current map section ends. Once I got to Berea - a nice college town, I got to an AT&T store to put a little more data on my plan before sitting down at a mexican restaurant for lunch. I sat there for quite some time, trying to figure out wether to press on or stay in town. This was a larger town with almost 15,000 inhabitants which meant it had everything you could need while up ahead services were kind of spread out. Because of the poorly distributed lodging facilities on route, I would sooner or later have to take a short day and unlike the some towns down the road, this one offered camping, so I headed to a nice campground with showers, wi-fi and a pool for 7 bucks. I spent the evening in the shade by the pool getting up to date on the writing.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-ZARW3KbUrkLGrRUbkYN1s4PQAFAE1Ln68XZ24JsO70X6RvqtGYe_ooZn-XcWnCrqiyUkCYdAEUrEh1F9vyY-CC1sCp_u-B_Wb0HSHIsbo00V9TgpLvZ_wr6ayvohPbe5YopcQL4TSM/s640/blogger-image-1657378417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-ZARW3KbUrkLGrRUbkYN1s4PQAFAE1Ln68XZ24JsO70X6RvqtGYe_ooZn-XcWnCrqiyUkCYdAEUrEh1F9vyY-CC1sCp_u-B_Wb0HSHIsbo00V9TgpLvZ_wr6ayvohPbe5YopcQL4TSM/s640/blogger-image-1657378417.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ64E-5j9SPjz1GiG2iEsBrTyrtmi2GTMzF9FsbCxJ2-jf9C3QFsFJxB5ZwBuptE5rHx32UME2chMPIjq8_w6GuTRf2pJ5NnVJx_TGCKxhkIZZF48UNhomM16k1UZla-RctzjsFaf0494/s640/blogger-image--1696900164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ64E-5j9SPjz1GiG2iEsBrTyrtmi2GTMzF9FsbCxJ2-jf9C3QFsFJxB5ZwBuptE5rHx32UME2chMPIjq8_w6GuTRf2pJ5NnVJx_TGCKxhkIZZF48UNhomM16k1UZla-RctzjsFaf0494/s640/blogger-image--1696900164.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-77295922151601266922014-07-28T17:02:00.001-07:002014-07-28T17:42:44.578-07:00Day 46: Biking Bad Weather<b>137.8 km</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>There had been a severe thunderstorm rolling in over Kentucky last night and the frequent flashes through the bedroom curtains bore witness of lightning strikes. After a quick breakfast and saying goodbye to Charlie, Fabrice and I headed down the quiet Kentucky country roads. We had discussed the possibility of shaving off a few kilometers from the original route by taking a bigger, straighter road through the countryside and figured we didn't miss much. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfr9QxovpxOdAqUEABIJGBZidATtHsT7STgBvuj8bqYJoBvXtOzBYP8dZWAvnBdeRTABdBzTWHkymsjvtpSsLlrsmaQrViFPIsMWrFqC70_G5Qc1zeteEtJLj9SpiInx8t6KxS_VbTWM/s640/blogger-image-846718440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfr9QxovpxOdAqUEABIJGBZidATtHsT7STgBvuj8bqYJoBvXtOzBYP8dZWAvnBdeRTABdBzTWHkymsjvtpSsLlrsmaQrViFPIsMWrFqC70_G5Qc1zeteEtJLj9SpiInx8t6KxS_VbTWM/s640/blogger-image-846718440.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>On the way to New Haven, we stopped by a farm where Abraham Lincoln had spent a few years of his childhood and was where he had his first boyhood recollections. His parents later made the decision of moving to Indiana partly because of the presence of slavery in Kentucky at the time. After a quick stop in New Haven, the clouds really started dumping their payload on us with extremely frequent lightning strikes a little too close for comfort, followed by loud cracks of thunder. Unlike in the Rockies, it wasn't bad at all to bike in this weather, in spite of its forceful nature. The mountain rain was fairly colder than this tempered fluid that poured down over our heads, and didn't necessarily require rain gear, something Fabrice surely took advantage of. I was later to learn that there had been issued several tornado warnings in neighboring areas to the east. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8CGDRAIpjgNDCnAmpg65PvvRTg9ogg5U6qnNyt5O06ZxMc4FpeDvpYSjD-vqxDHI2AkH4Me1JgCmPNGJYXqb6YBnZk-Y4kCE3L3j2WFXmvbjXq5Oy8H4t6_e_yDJy0dVVf88oeadUfP8/s640/blogger-image--1061760659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8CGDRAIpjgNDCnAmpg65PvvRTg9ogg5U6qnNyt5O06ZxMc4FpeDvpYSjD-vqxDHI2AkH4Me1JgCmPNGJYXqb6YBnZk-Y4kCE3L3j2WFXmvbjXq5Oy8H4t6_e_yDJy0dVVf88oeadUfP8/s640/blogger-image--1061760659.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ9b6eaQ_sbojCVAGcTeDwWqfmL0kq7fAiFUV6Bgyi54bVt1PucbWZ9eTsYlzsIQ4I623Tw8kTaKzJAt-J6GBcfwbOdIb7ejhcELhgc0oKMI3fWUjIho224TAXahlha1mFlpS4XhyF9Vc/s640/blogger-image--1800178206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ9b6eaQ_sbojCVAGcTeDwWqfmL0kq7fAiFUV6Bgyi54bVt1PucbWZ9eTsYlzsIQ4I623Tw8kTaKzJAt-J6GBcfwbOdIb7ejhcELhgc0oKMI3fWUjIho224TAXahlha1mFlpS4XhyF9Vc/s640/blogger-image--1800178206.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Upon reaching Bardstown - a very nice small town - Fabrice decided to call it a day while I decided to cover some more ground. Fabrice was headed to New York and will be passing through Washington, D.C. as well. The trip can be followed on www.bikingbad.net. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfM2FmJruiZOEB9BgXFnB29r6UMYENqC1_wu6QmTDUEIllSfCSX7__rdhYp7CPNINNCZb4byjta7NymmbvYllNDrUmKTmi7AtA0v-7X9-NIPNXEfr4NrhjmzYP_rqh2Yrcxgc_hTB24xQ/s640/blogger-image-1655431000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfM2FmJruiZOEB9BgXFnB29r6UMYENqC1_wu6QmTDUEIllSfCSX7__rdhYp7CPNINNCZb4byjta7NymmbvYllNDrUmKTmi7AtA0v-7X9-NIPNXEfr4NrhjmzYP_rqh2Yrcxgc_hTB24xQ/s640/blogger-image-1655431000.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2PCSU4W2iFXfH1STJ899r8-xSPlhzfZoZUvRhGRKtYRvxEloWsF3RpH1QdYehQhFymHiLxzg9vP3c1WzExgajdqokVsIO1gJP-D3dcox1wPr1l4pjWep7izh_X_-E9obJYRAwyFY53-U/s640/blogger-image--960869359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2PCSU4W2iFXfH1STJ899r8-xSPlhzfZoZUvRhGRKtYRvxEloWsF3RpH1QdYehQhFymHiLxzg9vP3c1WzExgajdqokVsIO1gJP-D3dcox1wPr1l4pjWep7izh_X_-E9obJYRAwyFY53-U/s640/blogger-image--960869359.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAGyMFg1N_TUQ0tmLkWgK-pEdd6imM40pWDW3elo5WspYVaTvZHCglQtdx1ZD-HoaNioccbav5-T5jNSikQH4WkjeaCchauF2LYbvfPTPFB-1ZyCIjLMD2oqKQ4EqcvbYkKtaSLXaMK4/s640/blogger-image--116631662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAGyMFg1N_TUQ0tmLkWgK-pEdd6imM40pWDW3elo5WspYVaTvZHCglQtdx1ZD-HoaNioccbav5-T5jNSikQH4WkjeaCchauF2LYbvfPTPFB-1ZyCIjLMD2oqKQ4EqcvbYkKtaSLXaMK4/s640/blogger-image--116631662.jpg"></a></div><br></div></div><div><br></div><div>After tanking up at a walmart, I headed off in solitude on a hilly US Highway. The rain was on and off the entire rest of the day as I passed through Springfield before ending up in Danville. The combination of intense humidity and the heat made it feel like cycling in a sauna and the sweat left my body as juice squeezed from an orange.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">I entered the lobby of a motel with my clothes completely soaked, ready for a shower and in dire need of a washing machine. </span></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibm84js3Ph1aOJxRiIZmiqwdTPoUwqfTJ8kVBlV6KmW1iZztptSHQOAa_rLu_3DsaWmsO8FYgCqS7O8n5yYoXJNaME__EFKjqFrTZxrC32T-BEM4-kHxSPTYttRoMGuvF-8AkN7TQJsiE/s640/blogger-image--983235491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibm84js3Ph1aOJxRiIZmiqwdTPoUwqfTJ8kVBlV6KmW1iZztptSHQOAa_rLu_3DsaWmsO8FYgCqS7O8n5yYoXJNaME__EFKjqFrTZxrC32T-BEM4-kHxSPTYttRoMGuvF-8AkN7TQJsiE/s640/blogger-image--983235491.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf72qOKqJzytOjHxcQ-bpMa6JWAdKeRxZu4LcdF4bIjozlDWHGiyKymFT-kXUo4jdvKIOg64esEP_8ZZrO9bx6ES7qy53aPr26tzHxE-Jm12Mc9qSihWm2395Sj8DD97tXeHdpcv17iZk/s640/blogger-image--736803409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf72qOKqJzytOjHxcQ-bpMa6JWAdKeRxZu4LcdF4bIjozlDWHGiyKymFT-kXUo4jdvKIOg64esEP_8ZZrO9bx6ES7qy53aPr26tzHxE-Jm12Mc9qSihWm2395Sj8DD97tXeHdpcv17iZk/s640/blogger-image--736803409.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Later on in the evening I went out to a supermarket to pick up more food and was lucky enough to catch a staggering view of the storm that had been over my head throughout the day. I watched the massive piece of cloud with very frequent flashes of lightning, generated within the interior of this huge body. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-63506274036347255832014-07-27T17:42:00.001-07:002014-07-28T15:36:43.783-07:00Day 45: Half Day to Sonora<b>66.7 km</b><br />
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I had set my clock one hour ahead before falling asleep last night to prepare myself for eastern time. I took my time this morning to t breakfast at the quiet campground and looking over the remaining part of the trip. According to calculations I was way ahead of schedule and only had to average about 75 km per day which means I can really take my time.</div>
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I knew as soon as I had done a few kilometers that this wasn't going to be a long day due to the exhaustion I was experiencing. After crossing into the eastern time zone and going over some rough hills in the increasing temperatures, I got into what appeared to be Amish country. I passed to older dudes in a horse powered carriage and when I stopped by a supermarket in Sonora I saw a horse and carriage parking.<br />
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I decided to find a place to stay in town and the only thing available was a bed & breakfast. Going up and down the street, trying to find the place, a woman sitting on the porch across the street waved and pointed towards a big brick house, obviously knowing what I was there for. I knocked on the door and got showed in by the host - Charlie who owned two more hoses across the street from which I could choose where I would like to stay. There was only one other guest at the B&B but there was s lot of stuff going on due to the wedding that was going to be held there this afternoon. The other gut was a French cyclist called Fabrice who had biked from San Francisco to Los Angeles and Grand Canyon bound for New York. We spent the evening together watching a movie and discussing the possibity of taking shortcuts from the mapped route. Charlie regularly checked in on us through the evening making sure we had everything including giving us a beer on the house and was able to sneak put some leftovers from the ongoing party. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-78434018781255271752014-07-27T16:27:00.001-07:002014-07-27T17:51:36.926-07:00Day 44: Rough River<b>127.8 km</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>Having said goodbye to Elliot the night before as he knew he would probably kick back half a day at the church, I headed in to town for breakfast. I woke up a little later due to the late night last night but by 10:00 I was on the road. The temperatures were fairly high as I got going and the riding was quiet and pleasant going trough fields of corn and tobacco. I took several stops along the way including a small town called Utica where I was welcomed by a local to their "little piece of paradise". <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">There really wasn't much to report from this day since it was pretty quiet and peaceful.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CMCsAGBZdDNM5T36e0eoQLBdh5r3hS-2WN69D3tfA0-fhHkTiDygfcBzaYmn0BlPvVGNzjSL4OGysIsC47OntDS-1ehJthI6S1nIs435VIHIgMMnIGnA3zog3gQnaMAPB2mvx-D0wTM/s640/blogger-image-1847974395.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8YG4o-NAeYqifsnsQgP87euOrTU5D5rNWKGCC3ScTvX3u9V80x_VjLk3sP_0HYd9_X6k8H3HMcvIDEqRVkelUN7-y0kZqsIkFpj6qPouojUZULGhn66gehysdp5KNfSG6A7hQkMZ-_s/s640/blogger-image-1459396853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8YG4o-NAeYqifsnsQgP87euOrTU5D5rNWKGCC3ScTvX3u9V80x_VjLk3sP_0HYd9_X6k8H3HMcvIDEqRVkelUN7-y0kZqsIkFpj6qPouojUZULGhn66gehysdp5KNfSG6A7hQkMZ-_s/s640/blogger-image-1459396853.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4XMqEE40w4Fhwo84i_bNIzyJXTUEbBnSakK501-Hfw5sK-nMYFDM3ce1b8MlLC6e7ULgXpEOEQijY_GOhBXb31zdx4Ggifm016BzavI0oQR_H5I5pcR0DkIZh74YiBRxbp72oIp0J7o/s640/blogger-image--1679733643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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The tenant told me they had nothing at all but he was kind enough to call another campground 10 minutes further down the road and confirmed that they had room for another weary traveler. I got a nice secluded spot and got myself a nice shower and a meal before falling asleep in the tent. </span></div><div><b><br></b></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-15985172913551146182014-07-27T16:00:00.000-07:002014-07-29T13:23:16.426-07:00Day 43: Kentucky!<b>141.6 km</b><br />
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The day started with breakfast in the form of power bars at the same gas station I had dinner at last night. I had gotten word from Anthony to look out for glass that had shredded his tire on the way in to Elizabethtown so after making my way over hills and getting chased by two dogs for a couple of meters, I managed to navigate through the glass covered shoulder in to Elizabethtown. I stopped at a restaurant where I got myself a meal and got crackin' on some writing. The big Ohio River was running past town and after doing 20 more km over shoort, steep hills, I got to Cave In Rock where the ferry was going back and forth over the river that also made up the border between Illinois and Kentucky. I also met a couple biking across the country from New York who were in their day 40, taking their time across. I was very curious about Kentucky ever since I started planning for the trip because cyclists have been telling stories of poor areas coal mining areas in the eastern part and also the vicious stray dogs that reside here. </div>
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As the ferry made its way over, an older guy in a truck shouted something and waved me over. He warned me about the "awfully steep" hills across the river and offered to take me and the bike in his truck over them. I politely declined the offer and tried to explain to him I had to do the whole thing myself, to which he responded "I ain't gon' rat you out!", in an thick southern accent. I first thought he was joking but after seeing he was dead serious I started to get a tiny bit worried. We talked more on the ferry ride across the river, but the sound of the engine and the accent made it really hard to catch anything this guy was saying. He also told me that I would head into Amish country for a couple of km once we get off the boat.</div>
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Riding into western Kentucky didn't seem much different at first but I really started to notice the accent more and more. After a quick stop in the first town I encountered - Marion, I pressed on in the now hotter temperatures. There wasn't much in terms of a place to stay between Marion and Sebree so after a tiring ride, I arrived at a cyclists-only lodging in a Baptist church in Sebree. I showed up pretty late and hadn't called ahead so I expected having to find someplace else, but the pastor Bob and his wife Violet who lived next door waved me over and showed got me checked in. Bob showed me around the huge basement and invited me and a British westbounder to supper at his house once I got cleaned up. The church had extremely necessary things to a traveler like 50'' TV, pool table and a drum set, but also good-to-have things like water, restroom and shower. </div>
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The other cyclist - Elliot and I got a room and a matress each and headed off to supper. Being on the road for so long had made me miss home cooked food. No matter how good the restaurant food is, you get tired of it after a while and since this is America and apparently many restaurants along the way only consider fried stuff as people-food, it was heavenly with a home cooked meal. We had a most pleasant meal and Violet showed us pictures and told stories from visiting cyclists. Seeing photos of a disabled guy passing by on his cross country ride on an arm powered bike, dragging his own wheel chair really put the trip in perspective. </div>
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After a long and hearty meal, Elliot and I headed back to the basement and chatted for a while before heading off to a bed. We had really hit it off and it was a shame this guy wasn't headed east as he would have made for a great riding partner. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-35626586025157553372014-07-24T12:21:00.001-07:002014-07-24T12:21:45.459-07:00Day 42: Slow Ride to Eddyville<b>91.6 km</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>The early morning riding started in the rain, and the cloudy weather kept the temperatures down as I navigated off route out of Carbondale. Once I got out to the quieter roads on route, I came to find that the road I was supposed to take was closed due to road work but I managed to get back on the route thanks to the help of Google Maps.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWzPHfWA6l30gAX6y6Pto6CcR5McUHys-Z4lK-RGqoPLtws8QRHngLNaKuP8kH_RvVewDQ6OWThGrV75jhWS_AWYqKdQN6FvR84BhpSaJA6F1hqJGcjImsDEPImY416zbmm_5oD8xn9O0/s640/blogger-image--382066258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWzPHfWA6l30gAX6y6Pto6CcR5McUHys-Z4lK-RGqoPLtws8QRHngLNaKuP8kH_RvVewDQ6OWThGrV75jhWS_AWYqKdQN6FvR84BhpSaJA6F1hqJGcjImsDEPImY416zbmm_5oD8xn9O0/s640/blogger-image--382066258.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9RuE7kVxW0I8QRKlPj2d4NgRjORa5lRNhKJgWQcuH4Iv3usMpSWvm47lKyY5Q6Tgi_aqHpX7pbGHQU5M22cEe1V5vSyYPgh5vjVebhaKNjS1Pc7Q6wG_wOEC2bC-14u80gNBIECZszac/s640/blogger-image--1242434810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9RuE7kVxW0I8QRKlPj2d4NgRjORa5lRNhKJgWQcuH4Iv3usMpSWvm47lKyY5Q6Tgi_aqHpX7pbGHQU5M22cEe1V5vSyYPgh5vjVebhaKNjS1Pc7Q6wG_wOEC2bC-14u80gNBIECZszac/s640/blogger-image--1242434810.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div>I wasn't feeling very good today and within the first 30 km I had made 4 wrong turns and one of them forced me to make a long detour. The light rain, thunder, wind and hilly terrain didn't make the day any better and it seemed like I had an endless stretch ahead of me to get to Goreville. I have from my previous tours learned that these kind of days regularly occur once in a while but it is all a part of the game. Once I got there I put on some dry clothes and sat down at a restaurant with a "Cyclists welcome" sign outside. I stayed there for quite some time to wait the worst part of the storm out and after a tasty meal, the nice waiter whispered to me that since I was a cyclist, I get dessert free. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG83TFz3CgmqFv1iqAKszyKNYjDHNw4x2RuS8apo4Hajt9w2wni0PmlD5wFjBgS1PAyX99NX2SHIKXTSyoierO-EnFXoi6W3ukB0IRUeI93jr8pADm9FT6zOkQvqZVh4r3n2TBnV5twew/s640/blogger-image-2143785175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG83TFz3CgmqFv1iqAKszyKNYjDHNw4x2RuS8apo4Hajt9w2wni0PmlD5wFjBgS1PAyX99NX2SHIKXTSyoierO-EnFXoi6W3ukB0IRUeI93jr8pADm9FT6zOkQvqZVh4r3n2TBnV5twew/s640/blogger-image-2143785175.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>The ride towards Eddyville was incredibly tedious. My legs were moving but it didn't seem like I could get any traction. Although, the weather was clearing up and the combination of sunshine and recent rainfall created a dense fog that laid over the forest creating a mystical atmosphere. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJS5Td4jcMS2Zp74r3iFUTZgYcJZGaRueHP8QmYChaEfrCH-ICZ1_EjEwJJ2L2f9PluUl__cF5zTwNSsOU2QdZA7t0Tky2HgUG2-WtfDuW5btpwcjY9uVqA-OAK_nFxDJYerT_nTlOO0/s640/blogger-image--2008367361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJS5Td4jcMS2Zp74r3iFUTZgYcJZGaRueHP8QmYChaEfrCH-ICZ1_EjEwJJ2L2f9PluUl__cF5zTwNSsOU2QdZA7t0Tky2HgUG2-WtfDuW5btpwcjY9uVqA-OAK_nFxDJYerT_nTlOO0/s640/blogger-image--2008367361.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5IJ0I8Goo6JvEq5xmI68jN8LS7IqCxlbyJ-hxr_3P5tjIWGJrJ9T7OJCHid1xqI3_wcbRrJOlUeypNXi-0enxTh4Q57nEesgx0pCZ1lS-2ApIQ2W0m6UGNabdZUhbeGe_YxeLDTwlI5g/s640/blogger-image-2134683398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5IJ0I8Goo6JvEq5xmI68jN8LS7IqCxlbyJ-hxr_3P5tjIWGJrJ9T7OJCHid1xqI3_wcbRrJOlUeypNXi-0enxTh4Q57nEesgx0pCZ1lS-2ApIQ2W0m6UGNabdZUhbeGe_YxeLDTwlI5g/s640/blogger-image-2134683398.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnXn_XwzbEnSa4S7BcN4F2zjFAYt7qnx66q-imG2orAjbifcRA7A-jT-S_nw8d6yFWoES-dlbd-xvSxAac_K1Z_Cjkjxa_j1pObZDqjZeuc8UHnHypV7mgsSWR3-cu62nlsXqQNmKd6o/s640/blogger-image-1155401227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnXn_XwzbEnSa4S7BcN4F2zjFAYt7qnx66q-imG2orAjbifcRA7A-jT-S_nw8d6yFWoES-dlbd-xvSxAac_K1Z_Cjkjxa_j1pObZDqjZeuc8UHnHypV7mgsSWR3-cu62nlsXqQNmKd6o/s640/blogger-image-1155401227.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIk48-3Vh4Guf5KEQQToqgGENMEyOFU0voxFwLcMCEe8h_scnfgDn4fauVOaWYh7GnxndPAQ67FMC-f177B-6_6U19xe5GqR-UOVhZq-as5afha3GhiPVUqxwI-Um9hDuXEWF7RWILFV4/s640/blogger-image--1742631939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIk48-3Vh4Guf5KEQQToqgGENMEyOFU0voxFwLcMCEe8h_scnfgDn4fauVOaWYh7GnxndPAQ67FMC-f177B-6_6U19xe5GqR-UOVhZq-as5afha3GhiPVUqxwI-Um9hDuXEWF7RWILFV4/s640/blogger-image--1742631939.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>After climbing up a hill to Eddyville I was pretty tired and after eating dinner at a gas station I headed over to Hays Canyon Campground. The lovely host showed me to a nice spot near the showers and her kids came running out with a banana and an orange to give me. </div><div><br></div><div>The now warmer weather prevented me from going to bed too early so I sat outside catching up on some writing before falling to a deep sleep in the tent. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-85652142053226847742014-07-22T19:29:00.001-07:002014-07-24T12:13:10.482-07:00Day 41: Illinois!<b>141.3 km</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>Doing my best to leave the hostel in Farmington in the state I found it, I got going at around 7:30. During my stay in Farmington I had downloaded some audiobooks on my phone so the early morning kilometers with storytelling went by in a jiffy. I stopped after about 60 km to apply some more oil to the squeaking chain before pressing on towards Illinois. The terrain had been moderately hilly but as I closed in on the Mississippi river, it started to flatten out. The traffic had been quite terrible with huge coal trucks flying by very fast. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAhmsfkqGEeCa9t2Kd4SnFTeVhKdee8CcJoZuJRMqRSaXZhbmAIQbBI8sqgxie9qkdt2jdm08C1yFbsRUbvK4ytugeMHfXKlkDEuDRmpKYXmlC3xtEF8HWFfk-lVs_Yg4AGK5sZGcjr6g/s640/blogger-image-371154728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAhmsfkqGEeCa9t2Kd4SnFTeVhKdee8CcJoZuJRMqRSaXZhbmAIQbBI8sqgxie9qkdt2jdm08C1yFbsRUbvK4ytugeMHfXKlkDEuDRmpKYXmlC3xtEF8HWFfk-lVs_Yg4AGK5sZGcjr6g/s640/blogger-image-371154728.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87zfi3W5i9OBMq4edkXW0ZbjJVhnMkTGoBP1jqi0PW-d6CUxq0IupSakZuOSvQYRxNh-Ydq-02vHQJiTgF3hYHVNU08wuosrNRLS_L7HrBHiBn85iAuW54Lh8NzVgsdXT70wypfgwmPg/s640/blogger-image-529652382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87zfi3W5i9OBMq4edkXW0ZbjJVhnMkTGoBP1jqi0PW-d6CUxq0IupSakZuOSvQYRxNh-Ydq-02vHQJiTgF3hYHVNU08wuosrNRLS_L7HrBHiBn85iAuW54Lh8NzVgsdXT70wypfgwmPg/s640/blogger-image-529652382.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Crossing into Illinois over the Mississippi river to the town of Chester, I stopped to take a bite to eat. The temperatures were working their way up to the high 30s centigrade by now and the high humidity made it very noticeable. Sweating intensely, I pushed on down the Mississippi levee alternative route hoping to get a scenic ride along the river. I decided to deviate from both the mapped alternative and the main route by cutting straight through to Murphysboro, after seeing that the route didn't offer that great of a view of the river. The heat was bearable as long as I kept moving, generating a wind, but when I slowed down to start a long climb up to Murphysboro and the air was relatively still around me and the increased physical labor made for a tiring ride. By the time I got to the top, I was so warm that I poured half a bottle of water over my head and headed into decent to cool off. When I arrived shortly after in Murphysboro I looked for a park to lay down and relax due to the long ride in the tiring heat. Riverside park was a huge quiet area with trees and benches so I filled my water bottles and found a place in the shade and rolled out my sleeping mat.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLV79H9CzmGJOOrdbxDLdXRNXBF_7AyK5K8e00dAG8axsodVL1R6NwiEOvsWl4Vy6WplUB2Jm3wMtXcXIggNShauhObHpGbrRyVNP_T0qbvqk0US5KtdSkvJsMxc9mghzCnsts2EI2jVc/s640/blogger-image--1833754192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLV79H9CzmGJOOrdbxDLdXRNXBF_7AyK5K8e00dAG8axsodVL1R6NwiEOvsWl4Vy6WplUB2Jm3wMtXcXIggNShauhObHpGbrRyVNP_T0qbvqk0US5KtdSkvJsMxc9mghzCnsts2EI2jVc/s640/blogger-image--1833754192.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJoFPmHhee0LUC1Qqc-9GGJLJES7QDrUdGs_3dplr5DEe8oSkojU9Q9VU834z7bZL9KN_CzPU2eiCCiZDrDuMOUSJ8Aq1prRnXg5MjorVG-1j-8scnfHdJYe-aqO94KYh4zzkemUsXXU/s640/blogger-image-1929177253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJoFPmHhee0LUC1Qqc-9GGJLJES7QDrUdGs_3dplr5DEe8oSkojU9Q9VU834z7bZL9KN_CzPU2eiCCiZDrDuMOUSJ8Aq1prRnXg5MjorVG-1j-8scnfHdJYe-aqO94KYh4zzkemUsXXU/s640/blogger-image-1929177253.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXnoY8Ap_hdNwWcjFMMPI-cJFpOVJJxwo8dvbxgNPPr4jZsQk1ImuYd86YQxxlKzDIgplMnMLSqq-uGdAwrxMdvaoRkSZ7ujc65BUofClgJXj0F-j2KFOxL3vLoWQwAIIT-AujmVsukM/s640/blogger-image-542895580.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXnoY8Ap_hdNwWcjFMMPI-cJFpOVJJxwo8dvbxgNPPr4jZsQk1ImuYd86YQxxlKzDIgplMnMLSqq-uGdAwrxMdvaoRkSZ7ujc65BUofClgJXj0F-j2KFOxL3vLoWQwAIIT-AujmVsukM/s640/blogger-image-542895580.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHNRUatTvGjSkQ8qHNLJnAxRg8vBLAiO9NuLIU4VTxSpJHNZMJLhwXbSR1oKaRUbpbIIU1B92UW0JR7Vv6PXTSvgBSGrqVKWsucW-iCSdPSajaPIfj2HfB0ccSdboKedi-qETedsUGR0/s640/blogger-image-1852482722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHNRUatTvGjSkQ8qHNLJnAxRg8vBLAiO9NuLIU4VTxSpJHNZMJLhwXbSR1oKaRUbpbIIU1B92UW0JR7Vv6PXTSvgBSGrqVKWsucW-iCSdPSajaPIfj2HfB0ccSdboKedi-qETedsUGR0/s640/blogger-image-1852482722.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEillpyAYiU-RhyphenhyphenzgTYTUYbiXNKItbj8CNG-ftuqaTbXCRai2jZKlZC_R4YtkcrpbVWkms_LEXgrgf8AO5nK2hUASFYXExPSoOykNHLjWc24Lkazl3TT4wyuFDK3nB5wfsO6HsDtG3-uHGQ/s640/blogger-image--429803874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEillpyAYiU-RhyphenhyphenzgTYTUYbiXNKItbj8CNG-ftuqaTbXCRai2jZKlZC_R4YtkcrpbVWkms_LEXgrgf8AO5nK2hUASFYXExPSoOykNHLjWc24Lkazl3TT4wyuFDK3nB5wfsO6HsDtG3-uHGQ/s640/blogger-image--429803874.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlgB2F9dobDZBLcbikZylj1kNlhHLpPLZzfLWcf_jb5awmkIUex7f5dZIh1f6O5KFwlyKFAJ9_hBfgjiZroBKPMFCbs9csCNoV6RA6bbU8O-cmF8IIHiuolgCA_C3bB9DKyRLOmG_bx9s/s640/blogger-image--512871878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlgB2F9dobDZBLcbikZylj1kNlhHLpPLZzfLWcf_jb5awmkIUex7f5dZIh1f6O5KFwlyKFAJ9_hBfgjiZroBKPMFCbs9csCNoV6RA6bbU8O-cmF8IIHiuolgCA_C3bB9DKyRLOmG_bx9s/s640/blogger-image--512871878.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>The short ride to the neighboring city of Carbondale was pretty ok and due to the lack of camping possibilities I checked in at shady motel. It was bitter having to take to a motel and I later regretted not pressing on another 30 km to a campground. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-55125611208274111332014-07-22T05:07:00.001-07:002014-07-22T05:07:19.946-07:00Day 40: Layover in FarmingtonIt felt extremely weird not to have to bike today. I had gotten into this routine of cycling every day and I kind of felt guilty but at the same time that I had deserved a day off. I took my time this morning doing some laundry and chilling out. Foster and Anthony had planned to go to the bike shop that didn't open until 10:00, so we hung around the hostel until then.<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZy6bCGiy-6PHuzVa21s1IAZj9CYK18I4pldlkZgb3vfxAQd3Sm2-5_Pg-barz0aZtJEz8IXfzcnfo8RKKcu6X7y9f-6RohHwd0jPLE3ZKrhvXcpkCS5qPNJKVLF02Fb93EexFVSCRXU/s640/blogger-image-2107017059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZy6bCGiy-6PHuzVa21s1IAZj9CYK18I4pldlkZgb3vfxAQd3Sm2-5_Pg-barz0aZtJEz8IXfzcnfo8RKKcu6X7y9f-6RohHwd0jPLE3ZKrhvXcpkCS5qPNJKVLF02Fb93EexFVSCRXU/s640/blogger-image-2107017059.jpg"></a></div><br><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJkgPuGgAJYujmP7aTTcOgHNqYyu52oPsVagdDuCpi-KwQcqVAY5VLj8RN5Cdyzz90hyC_1Zu_XByf8b1yy0gXMigWzcOPTT00ijrWSSLeaAO0NkdDyc0Zt0Hd2rSrqj6wRjxr6lESrM/s640/blogger-image--784509176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJkgPuGgAJYujmP7aTTcOgHNqYyu52oPsVagdDuCpi-KwQcqVAY5VLj8RN5Cdyzz90hyC_1Zu_XByf8b1yy0gXMigWzcOPTT00ijrWSSLeaAO0NkdDyc0Zt0Hd2rSrqj6wRjxr6lESrM/s640/blogger-image--784509176.jpg"></a></div><br><div><br></div><div>I enjoyed a coffee at a nice coffee shop one block away, catching up on some Norwegian news before heading back to the hostel to say goodbye to the guys. The whole rest of the day went by very quickly with some bike maintenance and lengthy conversations with home. I also went to a supermarket and passed by a gun shop that I just had to walk in to. Watching all the stuff they had there and talking to the guys that worked there was quite an experience of its own. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7DCeygWXWWVRkiT6vVOc4wJCN_W93v_by5IjlXj8lh0ohK3k79G7kLw4UzxXQPPWxD2_S7GMS4dm2ZK-H8Sg9PS9bnIq5PXXo92XMIIrMs0m3lL6PRNIhxiNpcEtz_wyIO-IFSl89Nc/s640/blogger-image--1118082825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7DCeygWXWWVRkiT6vVOc4wJCN_W93v_by5IjlXj8lh0ohK3k79G7kLw4UzxXQPPWxD2_S7GMS4dm2ZK-H8Sg9PS9bnIq5PXXo92XMIIrMs0m3lL6PRNIhxiNpcEtz_wyIO-IFSl89Nc/s640/blogger-image--1118082825.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJRSBkaf5FtHN0A7NPQVcQsJgfXaj-EG6dB2jfO3kKTJ_Ld9mJeC3_psaSRxEu-OXIjg7TNNWflMxLMaKoEA9h02EKQjooOZljdY2jmB51bqRJNbwyGLM2UYlrpAcvGQQ0TtcWH3cBY0/s640/blogger-image-1220505222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJRSBkaf5FtHN0A7NPQVcQsJgfXaj-EG6dB2jfO3kKTJ_Ld9mJeC3_psaSRxEu-OXIjg7TNNWflMxLMaKoEA9h02EKQjooOZljdY2jmB51bqRJNbwyGLM2UYlrpAcvGQQ0TtcWH3cBY0/s640/blogger-image-1220505222.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Anthony and Foster had warned that there were some eastbound cyclist headed for Farmington just down the road, so I expected that there would be some more people at the hostel but as the evening went by, no one arrived and I had this huge place all to myself. </div><div><br></div><div>After having a beer and a delicious pasta meal at a local restaurant, I headed back to the hostel and went to sleep - ready for a new period of cycling. </div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-24997311329783536332014-07-20T16:20:00.001-07:002014-07-20T19:46:16.186-07:00Day 39: Welcome To The South<b>101.5 km</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>I got off to a slightly late start at 9:00 and mere meters down the road I entered the first climb of the day. Several more followed as I cruised through the forests of southern Missouri end eventually the terrain seem to reduce to gently rolling.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYFdb9CxhM0KUDrtaRPhpwFjn_3Xseyf_UykvBtsAlieTtcGzLRP4KzdR_Fa6S7ydsVkIP2gtXE66D0xNSDf18yr7Db_pvMJQRip4wwMwj2-TkRGiNbjW5EzuLI2p4PY3Hs1ocw9WZz0/s640/blogger-image-673727612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYFdb9CxhM0KUDrtaRPhpwFjn_3Xseyf_UykvBtsAlieTtcGzLRP4KzdR_Fa6S7ydsVkIP2gtXE66D0xNSDf18yr7Db_pvMJQRip4wwMwj2-TkRGiNbjW5EzuLI2p4PY3Hs1ocw9WZz0/s640/blogger-image-673727612.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>As I passed more and more houses flying the Confederate flag, I got the feeling of being deep into hillbilly country with mobile home parks, wrecked pickup trucks and weird accents. I had left my headphones in my pocket today and that turned out to be a wise choice as I was charged by growling barking dogs several times in the first 30 km. These were not wild dogs. They were for the most part laying around on some lawn and started chashing when they saw a lone cyclist. Although growling and barking and showing aggressive behavior, they seemed to second guess when I turned towards them to scream and bark as loud as I could, but after being chased three times I was getting pretty sick of it. When I passed by a house and heard barking from numerous dogs, I readied the bear spray (as I always do) and looked for incoming beasts. A big, lean, brown dog came up behind me and chased me down the road and I knew I had no chance to out-sprint this thing. I yelled and barked at it but there was no sign of hesitation as it closed in, so for the first time on this trip I made the decision of using the bear spray. I had been reluctant to use it out of consideration for the receiving end, as I had tried it myself during my military service and wanted to avoid using it unless absolutely necessary. Singlehandedly, I aimed the canister at the dog and fired off one short burst, sending a red cloud towards it. From my point of view it looked like I missed, but the immediate reaction of the dog was evident that I had got him. The dog halted immediately and I got the hell out of there to avoid any more trouble. Prior to entering this combat zone, I had mounted my GoPro camera on my handlebar and I had actually videotaped the whole thing, so I am looking forward to review this scene in particular. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6errNBQuzzEcv43UI3kqldXAIobErh12_9Um9ROIl7oCrYsKmbwBMka_RYsC4pM97WRRMLOeXv_gPwy387Zvzikad5wtifRFR2OzU1pJz62AHQFkgOK2HWJvpuH8J0_exrjTsoje8LZA/s640/blogger-image-88920242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6errNBQuzzEcv43UI3kqldXAIobErh12_9Um9ROIl7oCrYsKmbwBMka_RYsC4pM97WRRMLOeXv_gPwy387Zvzikad5wtifRFR2OzU1pJz62AHQFkgOK2HWJvpuH8J0_exrjTsoje8LZA/s640/blogger-image-88920242.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFcCiS75mMyYkJ3wUfErdbdDDST39BBCz_FSBFiCK97bLQ6xqWj2S-x9AbFrl6574iBuBYsZs1LyrHmVOEYbDI-Wp_n7R5Htcom54gnd0NATF0MmnDhdNrezwxS26saQhj2MijBrG-7A/s640/blogger-image--1035919373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFcCiS75mMyYkJ3wUfErdbdDDST39BBCz_FSBFiCK97bLQ6xqWj2S-x9AbFrl6574iBuBYsZs1LyrHmVOEYbDI-Wp_n7R5Htcom54gnd0NATF0MmnDhdNrezwxS26saQhj2MijBrG-7A/s640/blogger-image--1035919373.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPOFhUFb2jQWE6oMroTWkv3KOnk3KydueaeX9R0jbLIJH3mRHVBMdnYeGL-2wrNGhrIGRmjjsB8pebjr5FbEyfT2IrwSbHHqFWmhmIF6pK3lVm0qpwQoSqbPf42FJmUdIfTJuRG3PQoA/s640/blogger-image--1469352078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPOFhUFb2jQWE6oMroTWkv3KOnk3KydueaeX9R0jbLIJH3mRHVBMdnYeGL-2wrNGhrIGRmjjsB8pebjr5FbEyfT2IrwSbHHqFWmhmIF6pK3lVm0qpwQoSqbPf42FJmUdIfTJuRG3PQoA/s640/blogger-image--1469352078.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Riding in the sunny weather alongside the rivers was actually quite pleasant and after pedaling through the winding roads - saving a wounded turtle on the way - I arrived in Pilot Knob. I scouted for a place to eat and entered a subway restaurant where I got a quick meal. I was eager to get to Farmington early today and see if I felt like going further. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIUR9EVKY8ov7D3kIzi2valmC8xpGpa3gVSllCKSWOjF11HvnPW_E2aoWDWBJ2pduDLMY0NaBZvW_Phzt9lkTxjbZunmSNSQCPJuCSJpLhHNR-BzQjGF91n2-G-lUzEJEkK_eGCwIUY4/s640/blogger-image-661144762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIUR9EVKY8ov7D3kIzi2valmC8xpGpa3gVSllCKSWOjF11HvnPW_E2aoWDWBJ2pduDLMY0NaBZvW_Phzt9lkTxjbZunmSNSQCPJuCSJpLhHNR-BzQjGF91n2-G-lUzEJEkK_eGCwIUY4/s640/blogger-image-661144762.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qFJrwzd4-vIk1_hpQm_aVbYH6-mWRaAhPsn7OKTRuwYAYnuoYNwkwg3md8oUey4MkVJdqTnp9WH5h3qsOa9WiCT1wJK3EErJ-chN3Rsin5T9BxNDKKlfl2QtCzn2ipVSFjwpn9pGg60/s640/blogger-image-2007646965.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qFJrwzd4-vIk1_hpQm_aVbYH6-mWRaAhPsn7OKTRuwYAYnuoYNwkwg3md8oUey4MkVJdqTnp9WH5h3qsOa9WiCT1wJK3EErJ-chN3Rsin5T9BxNDKKlfl2QtCzn2ipVSFjwpn9pGg60/s640/blogger-image-2007646965.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRSBX3-vosen9M5rHsIiQPwql2XmWPBbkJuvQF84s1Aqm1Q__NoBYIhY_ZAiSD8zndregCXYy2pt2ji5poZ6v7_u0YIBCkZoCX3jPehnrGj7mcuWzW3ggY2qWm9YfaITjvZIYgOqs-R4/s640/blogger-image-565499185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRSBX3-vosen9M5rHsIiQPwql2XmWPBbkJuvQF84s1Aqm1Q__NoBYIhY_ZAiSD8zndregCXYy2pt2ji5poZ6v7_u0YIBCkZoCX3jPehnrGj7mcuWzW3ggY2qWm9YfaITjvZIYgOqs-R4/s640/blogger-image-565499185.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>When I got to Farmington at about 15:45, after passing through wide streets lined with beautiful brick houses and huge driveways, I decided to stay here for the night. Ever since the middle of Kansas I had heard stories about a great TransAm cyclist hostel in town called Al's Place and decided to check it out. After walking up and down the street where it was supposed to be located, <i>I </i>was stopped<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "> by a lady in a car who gave me directions, without even asking for it. I had to call the police to get a code to unlock the door and as soon as I set foot in this place - wow! Cyclist heaven. Shower, bathroom, laundry room, beds, wi-fi, kitchen, everything a traveler could need, all for a requested donation of 20 dollars per guest per night. I just loved these kind of places that are there especially for touring cyclists with taylor made amenities and it also provides a great place to meet new people. I bore up all my stuff, since bicycles weren't allowed up there and had to be stored in the basement, but on the way up and down I met this guy called Brian. Brian was a local and had done the TransAm</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "> in 2011 and we stood outside chatting for a bit. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTIEXkNaBxMAi-2ToI_NdQMGr1G5sPd5Z6lzY1s92KW9-C5WyN5FOiUJImY4ClTXmf0K2ksJewkpd0hyphenhyphenmHtLEjPD6i_un_jiTBdgXT0CziO8pQQpLQGf5sAtubFypRHRkXBIWkDLJ0pA/s640/blogger-image-1982861418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQuOVJO6IesPMRJ-GdmOkC2FzZ8WqK3P57kXLZsdedB921n8Huwu4te8zNbnSq4b5rUVhczLWTuNMZ2i7eYzGjud_vcpdChGSONAsQFH8LWs7WxY3GzPOVR-6GA09HRIsPvmZ0jcnEAOk/s640/blogger-image--1794655072.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">I got the whole hostel to myself for a while before Anthony from day 32 and his fellow racing buddy Foster showed up, accompanied by a local cyclist called Wayne. After taking a shower, the four of us headed out to a pleasant dinner at a Chinese restaurant and spent the rest of the evening at the hostel.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-eEL-Ctqxw8fzSgwhXIdGkkqmj61coV80XJlChmB1bNCuo9d0HTCJxoTTEsRf1ri04ZZpI3z51YDtQ_G34q_xtXzKxcNUMVD_YMWUVF1eCP7hR2C4eBg_kiWhHglZK_b9j2Xy_f0-e0/s640/blogger-image-545059241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-eEL-Ctqxw8fzSgwhXIdGkkqmj61coV80XJlChmB1bNCuo9d0HTCJxoTTEsRf1ri04ZZpI3z51YDtQ_G34q_xtXzKxcNUMVD_YMWUVF1eCP7hR2C4eBg_kiWhHglZK_b9j2Xy_f0-e0/s640/blogger-image-545059241.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);">I hadn't originally planned to take a rest day in Farmington, but taking into consideration that I am almost four days ahead of schedule with about three weeks to go and that I liked this place very much, I decided to stay here for another day. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><br></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-73592450068869013702014-07-19T18:38:00.001-07:002014-07-19T18:54:11.036-07:00Day 38: Going Vertical<b>113.6 km</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>I woke up to a misty morning in the park, and the riding all morning was incredibly nice and quiet. The part of Missouri I had traveled through had been nice and quiet with beautiful farms and beautiful houses. Today I got to see some slightly more shady areas and I actually saw someone flying the confederate flag. Although Missouri was considered a slave state at the start of the American Civil War, there were powerful forces acting for the abolishment of slavery. As the end of the war drew near, a Constitutional Convention for Missouri was held and the question of slavery was settled with the result that Missouri became the first slave state to free its slaves. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMJM6p7stQupP_Ynutx3hQFpJC5m1mYIH7TGuqnZ_RKsObMxDZUv8yhw052M-xGSU9rWdAr9w5fQZiRycfMBPylbtV4CEwnuJsJOYYdAqApU8yM7wdGfkdrpXC2FpY9aCyxM57l2Dvy4/s640/blogger-image--1739738542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMJM6p7stQupP_Ynutx3hQFpJC5m1mYIH7TGuqnZ_RKsObMxDZUv8yhw052M-xGSU9rWdAr9w5fQZiRycfMBPylbtV4CEwnuJsJOYYdAqApU8yM7wdGfkdrpXC2FpY9aCyxM57l2Dvy4/s640/blogger-image--1739738542.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUP69n_P6-NQBgNkIWe4fTC39Dq-vO-G5Nn4GONNa-9_WoM4AzB2UzET6IGGN6ZccT0Er3USIb0gnQYHpHSj9J8lUxG8Ola8kgqztdp9iYUiDrR5yGJM-Lst_9GHSLe2i8N8yJ5RJ2YbY/s640/blogger-image--2112602306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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The area offered a lot of river activities so tourists weren't hard to find. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVY5SXIwz4NCJCGHlO90up8mAdJ0fh8s1sdlDQ8d4OWZHfI5v8aBbZHGgcR2s_x2eFv1PWslpRtth2qBwUB8ueGllMuA5DDIWXVpXTdCEItVkdUP2MY_IIr_FtsbSuFGrzRU6dORLlWA/s640/blogger-image-398526845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVY5SXIwz4NCJCGHlO90up8mAdJ0fh8s1sdlDQ8d4OWZHfI5v8aBbZHGgcR2s_x2eFv1PWslpRtth2qBwUB8ueGllMuA5DDIWXVpXTdCEItVkdUP2MY_IIr_FtsbSuFGrzRU6dORLlWA/s640/blogger-image-398526845.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>The riding from here was extremely difficult and it started to get a bit hotter than the previous days. It seemed like whoever laid these roads tried to make a point of not letting the road stay level for one single meter. The brutally steep gradients made me feel like I was climbing vertically, lugging all the weight from the equipment I carried which I really started to doubt if I needed at all. I really wished I had that third smallest ring on my crank now. What made this part so exhausting was that the frequent hills were so steep and the fact that I wasn't able to go low enough on my gears to spin past them. Instead I had to grind over them using my momentum, giving it everything I got on higher gears. However, I tried to capture the steep roads through on camera, but cameras don't do gradients justice!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxt9iV1DUFbKXktYEcNi7BkovliW_VsOe8MW6uEnjMuejXiF8sKzeYb27pTvDAxDGHBuLSua-UvoTXisw3aH_5BtrfU9CqtR6jir8zgg9cOREeUALY0kCcDKA-nDo7RbZuFZVE0Yc93VM/s640/blogger-image-1705148068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxt9iV1DUFbKXktYEcNi7BkovliW_VsOe8MW6uEnjMuejXiF8sKzeYb27pTvDAxDGHBuLSua-UvoTXisw3aH_5BtrfU9CqtR6jir8zgg9cOREeUALY0kCcDKA-nDo7RbZuFZVE0Yc93VM/s640/blogger-image-1705148068.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPkALK3TtMEp6dggOgZjEah3-2tb0HchV6kP-2mWOxPxtzXXV3qyRI6VyRMT1Sxn_Vj6qRsOZzP0xtikQQ5XUF4fFsEBRIWe2IZlvxSTNGjYVQVDDzdc7IOmRbrJTLYNAcryo1CuzNq8/s640/blogger-image--2031078280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPkALK3TtMEp6dggOgZjEah3-2tb0HchV6kP-2mWOxPxtzXXV3qyRI6VyRMT1Sxn_Vj6qRsOZzP0xtikQQ5XUF4fFsEBRIWe2IZlvxSTNGjYVQVDDzdc7IOmRbrJTLYNAcryo1CuzNq8/s640/blogger-image--2031078280.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>All the ups and downs of the day made me so exhausted by the time I got to Ellington, and after being chased by another pair of some sort of pitbull-o-saurus', I decided to get a motel room in town. Dinner was on the bed with fruits, chocolate milk and high carbohydrate foods to ready myself for another tough day tomorrow.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949559429791681780.post-90279642782327890812014-07-19T17:25:00.001-07:002014-07-19T18:43:33.826-07:00Day 37: Into the Ozarks<b>108.2 km</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>The day started with dragging myself of bed and onto the open road, appropriately named Farmland road. The roller coaster-like ups and downs persisted throughout the whole day as I headed towards the famous Ozark Mountains. The name "Ozarks" is possibly derived from "Aux Arcs" which is French and short for "in the country of Arkansas". The Ozarks Range is considered one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world and is worn down over time through erosion and shaped over the years by wind and water. The huge area of about 103600 square km, most of which lies in Missouri will take me a couple of more days to get through, but the steep gradients make the Ozarks quite tiring to traverse on a loaded bike. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFHu82AxRcfCjfmhApPuwkjDNwMlUups0-VoD2eKxuzWP_c5yH_aH-0MKGe300tMsjyy0vDDoqnnBm7AXZeX3OwGEUmCd2m57O0NypC4SnNRv5Ih00MeocYFPLR4wQTQL2GeNVzO5VGc/s640/blogger-image--1548657787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFHu82AxRcfCjfmhApPuwkjDNwMlUups0-VoD2eKxuzWP_c5yH_aH-0MKGe300tMsjyy0vDDoqnnBm7AXZeX3OwGEUmCd2m57O0NypC4SnNRv5Ih00MeocYFPLR4wQTQL2GeNVzO5VGc/s640/blogger-image--1548657787.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qjYFIb50m0YgTu0AhqKjHNfCKDIV3ZFpFFyCinRvGFJiw9j6Xxhkwu9QPmsg_Z9ZOsUb4LsfbcKz_czTgdFTCXh3uoDwbkU6_26GxSyDuBFAXxbK9k30vzwMBDHSjOonoaXhrgTuS6Q/s640/blogger-image-12303735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qjYFIb50m0YgTu0AhqKjHNfCKDIV3ZFpFFyCinRvGFJiw9j6Xxhkwu9QPmsg_Z9ZOsUb4LsfbcKz_czTgdFTCXh3uoDwbkU6_26GxSyDuBFAXxbK9k30vzwMBDHSjOonoaXhrgTuS6Q/s640/blogger-image-12303735.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLd0EBJVB2ujm0QfDMyFO9uiP4zs4jd1ku9XZXymNON7YNq_Jp3lD00xACZ2glyZu-whIpKEhwgZ9Rj_eZhcDaVn_QOZfutFkyiSfZIArpn5WOodAUgsz0EEQbhDRNnL0tPW6FnNFmdw/s640/blogger-image--1554399372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLd0EBJVB2ujm0QfDMyFO9uiP4zs4jd1ku9XZXymNON7YNq_Jp3lD00xACZ2glyZu-whIpKEhwgZ9Rj_eZhcDaVn_QOZfutFkyiSfZIArpn5WOodAUgsz0EEQbhDRNnL0tPW6FnNFmdw/s640/blogger-image--1554399372.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Creeping over a steep hill on my way to Hartville, I suddenly heard barking and as I turned my head to the right, I saw two medium sized dogs running towards me. Having grown up with dogs I am usually not very jumpy, but when you encounter them on the road you never know what to expect and this was one of the main reasons I carry the bear pepper spray. It is easy to tell when they are playful, but these guys were seeing me as an intruder in their territory. I screamed and barked as loud as I could at them but when they started snapping at my heels, I released my right foot and gave one of them a hard kick right on the nose, which made them both stop. The one I hit shook his head and snorted as he went back to where he came from. </div><div><br></div><div>When I got to Hartville, I stopped outside a Subway restaurant trying to decide wether to eat or not since I was not that hungry, but when I saw that my phone had automatically connected to the wi-fi from outside, I thought I might as well sit down and update the blog. After spending a couple of hours talking to home, I got going up and down over the hills. It seemed like I was going mostly uphill, even when it seemed I was at the highest point in the vicinity the road somehow continued upwards. The weather was now cloudy and made for very nice riding. The view of the tree-covered surroundings from the ridge I had climbed up on was just wonderful and when I passed by a tower, I couldn't resist climbing up to get a better view. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEFYVa6uL1A9HfuA4wfb-jTgdaHlMvkMashs7_Yjqm-zDguYYGFJmaG_sqHQo_yEyrjsCdiVQG_MH2Lcb4mGx3Ced0ZrbcI9wwmqh-EWemLgv_jKqIVrwaKtZfz07J1JfRxPk6Ub24iQ/s640/blogger-image--7321158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEFYVa6uL1A9HfuA4wfb-jTgdaHlMvkMashs7_Yjqm-zDguYYGFJmaG_sqHQo_yEyrjsCdiVQG_MH2Lcb4mGx3Ced0ZrbcI9wwmqh-EWemLgv_jKqIVrwaKtZfz07J1JfRxPk6Ub24iQ/s640/blogger-image--7321158.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIn_w-Xev6X_m7QKXvBIts5x7AuNHa5vM-ri062A8sJoKS52nIbYBeTFKVYi3G7TUqyZ_U1C7viIOrF1t3NXuqj3Tvo0ToMi8dVGSSzYZjC0ruqmrG8WEAWc-Aev-1qjZfETvrYgDqFho/s640/blogger-image-265305260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIn_w-Xev6X_m7QKXvBIts5x7AuNHa5vM-ri062A8sJoKS52nIbYBeTFKVYi3G7TUqyZ_U1C7viIOrF1t3NXuqj3Tvo0ToMi8dVGSSzYZjC0ruqmrG8WEAWc-Aev-1qjZfETvrYgDqFho/s640/blogger-image-265305260.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCw6jNNCvPRFnYAzp1CHZHsezpRX_8bQ2pj4dkzz9O0g0UKGykBRSboiXH3e37rDKbEVpsQL5hmhpFxgDeCn73QBDA6T8-N7WwIY1AQxKTxIVUh2umpwbMY7YLzadrZHtrCs3MmXqVEBI/s640/blogger-image-1422184607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCw6jNNCvPRFnYAzp1CHZHsezpRX_8bQ2pj4dkzz9O0g0UKGykBRSboiXH3e37rDKbEVpsQL5hmhpFxgDeCn73QBDA6T8-N7WwIY1AQxKTxIVUh2umpwbMY7YLzadrZHtrCs3MmXqVEBI/s640/blogger-image-1422184607.jpg"></a></div><br></div></div></div><div><br></div><div>The whole day had been pretty quiet and I hadn't met any cyclists - westbound, eastbound or recreational. The last part of the day was tedious and I was getting pretty tired as I closed in on Houston, Texas (county). I was also very hungry so I stopped for a pizza before calling the sheriff to get permissions to camp in the park. I saw that swimming lessons were held in the pool in the park, so I asked the teacher if I could borrow a shower, and the night was saved. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpJkWWLJaaygQDjH-4DVw0WFH-s0cnBiPK6Yg-vs7sbYB1jxMwEazJ0mY4_KqcTSSmBdRBv9mTi8nqhvyFC9j_LE4tW0uJxUaw1R7xuH7NyGVtnpELVDSywvxGee8BjphzXcHZaHR924/s640/blogger-image--1495934219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpJkWWLJaaygQDjH-4DVw0WFH-s0cnBiPK6Yg-vs7sbYB1jxMwEazJ0mY4_KqcTSSmBdRBv9mTi8nqhvyFC9j_LE4tW0uJxUaw1R7xuH7NyGVtnpELVDSywvxGee8BjphzXcHZaHR924/s640/blogger-image--1495934219.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09680266706026317515noreply@blogger.com0