Robyn's 2021 TransAm Bikecentennial: My Old Kentucky Home (Missive 3)

NOTE:  This is the third missive for Robyn's 2021 TransAm Bikecentennial ride.  The first and second missives can be found at https://attitude-maneuver.blogspot.com/2022/01/robyns-2021-transam-bikecentennial.html.  The fourth and fifth missives are at https://attitude-maneuver.blogspot.com/2022/02/robyns-2021-transam-bikecentennial-in.html .

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Slideshow

A slideshow of photos from Kentucky can be found at https://photos.app.goo.gl/zhnj7N9zMwzaHCJr8 .

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Missive No. 3:  Kentucky

After leaving The Breaks a week ago Sunday, I descended into Kentucky.  Then I climbed.  Then I descended again before climbing once more.  You get the picture.  The Blue Ridge and mountains of Virginia were behind, but the first days in Kentucky were not easy.  The Appalachians are a challenge for any bicyclist, yours truly being no exception with her 40 pound load and legs that began pushing pedals when Eisenhower was President.

Those first days were in the heart of Appalachia.  I had been warned that I would feel I had entered a third world country.  The region is indeed depressed, but I didn't find it any more depressed than some parts of Maine, let alone the countries I have been posted to overseas.  The people I encountered were uniformly kind and helpful.  I remember in particular Louis, who chatted with me at the side of the road that first morning, welcomed me to Kentucky, and gave me a flower that I carried on my front rack trunk for the rest of the day.

Berea is where Appalachia meets the Bluegrass.  I immediately felt the difference.  The Appalachians were behind me now.  The terrain turned to rolling hills with prosperous farms.  Not climbing a mountain or two every day was a welcome change, but the lack of shade made riding tough in the afternoon sun.

In the days after Berea, I passed through the land on Daniel Boone, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Merton.  In Bardstown I found myself in the bourbon capital of the world.  As a Northerner, I came to understand that Kentucky was the original West for the young United States.

In Kentucky I sometimes felt like the proverbial general who plans for the next war based on the last one.  After three weeks I can say unequivocally that the TransAm is different from the Northern Tier.  There are the heat and humidity, of course, but that's just part of it.  For example, there is lodging.  Last year I stayed exclusively with WarmShower (WS) hosts, at campgrounds, and in cheap motels.  In Kentucky I have stayed largely in churches, hostels, and even a volunteer fire station.  I have used my tent all of four times since leaving Yorktown.  As I struggle up hills, I sometimes question why I am carrying all the camping gear if I'm rarely using it.  But will I camp more as I get further west?

Another difference is the number of cyclists and the sense of bicycling history.  The TransAm is the original Bikecentennial route from 1976.  Some of the churches I stayed at have their guest logs going back to that first year.  

Last year I encountered several cyclists going west to east, but I never met anyone going east to west.  I really did feel alone.  This year I feel I am on a bicycle highway.  I indoor camped at churches two nights in a row with Cathy and Richard.  Then Joe caught up with me for two nights.  Nearly every day I encounter bike-packers going the other way.  Moreover, endurance racers in this year's TransAm west-to-east race speed past, giving a shout or wave as they go by.  They are doing in three weeks what I plan to do in three months.

Levi, a student at Western Kentucky University (WKU), was my high point for the past week.  We met virtually in 2017 when I spoke to WKU students about the Department of State and LGBT+ issues.  His name popped up when I was typing in a telephone number after crossing into Kentucky.  We reconnected.  He came up from Bowling Green and camped with me at Rough River Dam.  The next day he rode with me to Utica, where we stayed for the night with our LGBT WS host family Angelica and Jo.  We were both emotional when it came time to part the next morning.

Where am I overall?  I try not to think about it, but I believe I am about a quarter of the way through this year's 4200 mile journey.  I did cross into Central Time a few days ago.  That puts me about a week or ten days behind where I was on last year's Northern Tier adventure.  60-80 miles/day was my norm last year, but this year I'm averaging a standard 50.  I have done 70 miles twice, but I've also had days when I've done only 40-45.  Between the mountains, hills, and -- most of all -- the heat and humidity, that's the most I can do.  Doing 70 miles on the two days I have done so required waking before sunrise and rolling out just as the sun was coming up.  Only in the mornings is it possible to make good progress.  In the afternoons I slow to a crawl with ever more frequent hydration breaks wherever I can find a tree.

So when will I finish?  Again, I try not to think of it.  At the current pace I would guess sometime in the first half of September, but I really don't know.  I'm taking this day by day.

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Daily Log 

 

Sunday, June 20, 2021 -- 16,191 km cum - 117 km/day

This was a solid 72 mile day from The Breaks to Hindman, KY.  Lots of climbing.  The heat and humidity are back, and thus I was not shy about walking up parts of a few of the hills.

Highlights of the day include:

• Dogs -- Not as bad as I thought, but there were several.  Dismounting worked best, but I still had to use the pepper spray once.  The whistle seems useless.
• Louis -- A hiker and biker who lives in Ashcamp and who welcomed me to KY.  He gave me a flower that I secured to my front trunk for the rest of the day.
• Dave & Lisa -- They run the historical society B&B in Hindman.  Turned out the B&B is closed due to Covid, but Dave & Lisa are wonderful people.  Democrats even.  They gave me a wonderfully cold Coke.  (I had given away my own bottle of Coke to a thirsty girl along the road a few tens of km earlier.)
• Steve & his son Grayson -- They are with the Baptist church where I'm actually spending the night in Hindman.
• Cathy & Richard -- A TransAm bike-packing couple with whom I'm spending the night at the Baptist church.  They left the Methodist hostel in Elk Grove the morning of the day I arrived.

Monday, June 21, 2021 -- 16,253 km cum - 62 km/day

Shot down in Chavies after only 38 miles due to thunder stoms that are supposed to last through the night.  I'm at The First Church of God with Cathy and Richard from my last night in Hindman.  They got here before me and made arrangements with Brian the pastor.  The church is not listed on the AC maps.

I had hoped to get to Booneville today, but oh well.  When I saw the stormy forecast, I nearly stayed in Hindman.  62km for the day is better than 0.

Tuesday, June 22, 2021 -- 16,360 km cum - 107 km/day

What a difference a day makes.  The rain ended, and I set set out about 15 minutes after Richard and Cathy at 7:45 a.m..  I caught up with them on the first of three big hills on the road to Buckhorn.  By noon I had gone the 30 miles to Booneville.  The sky was clear, and the air was cool.  I decided I could do more and pushed on to Sandgap for a daily total of 65 miles.

The topography is changing.  It's still hilly, but the real mountains were behind me after Booneville.  Appalachia is also fading.  The homes and towns look more prosperous, wealthier.

I'm at the City Gone Country B&B for a luxury night.  I first called Theresa from Booneville and was lucky that the B&B was not booked tonight.  Rick picked me up from the Family Dollar in Sandgap.  I had hoped Cathy and Richard might catch up and share the B&B with me, but I think they called it a day in Booneville.  (I later learned they made it to McKee.)

Wednesday, June 23, 2021 -- 16,479 km cum - 119 km/day

Today's ride was just one km short of 75 miles.  It should have been more like 70, but I missed two turns and had to backtrack.

It was also a pretty day in rolling countryside.  This is a prosperous agricultural area, quite a contrast to Appalachia.  Harrodsburg is the oldest city in KY and the home turf of none other than Daniel Boone.

It's a cheap motel night.  There were no other options in Harrodsburg.

Thursday, June 24, 2021 -- 16,562 km cum - 83 km/day

How nice to have ridden just barely over 50 miles.  I detoured to Bardstown when I learned the inn in New Haven is closed.  I'm glad I did, as my ride took me through pleasant rolling roads through Abraham Lincoln country.  Thomas Merton also lived in the area at the Abbey of Gethsemane.  Bardstown itself is the birthplace of Stephen Foster and is the self-styled bourbon capital of the world.

This is another cheap motel night insofar as there were no other options.  I arrived early enough to go out to dinner.  How wonderful!  The next several days should also be on the short side.

It was one year ago today that I set out from Marine City to begin my ride to Washington State on the Erie Connector, Northern Lakes, and Northern Tier routes.

Friday, June 25, 2021 -- 16,642 km cum - 80 km/day

A good 50 mile day through pretty, rolling countryside.  Passed the Lincoln boyhood home in the morning and the Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site in the afternoon.  In between I stopped at the Sweet Spot in Hodgenville.  I'm camped indoors tonight at the VFD in White Mills, surrounded by fire trucks and rescue equipment.

Tomorrow will be a short 35-40 mile day to Rough River Dam State Resort Park.  Levi from Western Kentucky University (WKU) will meet me there.  He's a glifaa connection from 2017 and plans to ride with me for a day.  It will be nice to have a companion for a bit!

Saturday-Monday, June 26-28, 2021 -- 16,898 km cum

Saturday:  ~68 km/day

Sunday:  ~68 km/day

Monday:  ~120 km/day

These were two short 40+ mile days followed by a long 74 miler.

On Saturday I covered the short but tough ride to Rough River Dam Park.  The heat and humidity are back.  Levi met me at the park, and we camped for the night at the park airport.  We enjoyed a great dinner and breakfast, and then we rode together the 40+ miles to Utica.  How wonderful it was to have a riding companion for the day!

In Utica we had a WS night with our LGBT+ hosts Angelica and Jo, who cooked a wonderful pasta dinner for us.  We were joined by TransAm cyclist Joe Stallone.  The three of us slept together in the hippie room in the garage.

It was tough saying goodbye to Levi this morning.  We had bonded quickly.  The ride to Marion was long and hot with temperatures in the upper 90s, but at least the worst of the hills are behind.  On the other hand, the land is agricultural with little in the way of shade.  It was hot, hot, hot.

Joe and I are together again tonight at the cyclist hostel hosted by the Methodist Church of Marion.  We have bunks and a shower.  The church has been hosting cyclists since the bicentennial year of 1976.

Robyn's 2021 TransAm Bikecentennial: Journey's Start and "The Breaks" (Missives 1 & 2)

NOTE:  These are the first and second missives for Robyn's 2021 TransAm Bikecentennial ride.  The third missive can be found at https://attitude-maneuver.blogspot.com/2022/01/robyns-2021-transam-bikecentennial-my.html.

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In Robyn's 2020 Bikecentennial, I rode Adventure Cycling's Northern Tier route to its western end point in Anacortes, WA, on Puget Sound.  I had not intended to ride cross-country again in 2021, but that changed in March.  A colleague at the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, was trying to put together a bike-packing trip on the Pamir Highway.  She invited me along.  I was tempted to join, but I found myself writing back that I had no confidence that borders would be open given our continuing Covid reality.  My fingers kept writing.  Before I had even thought it, my fingers had written, "I think I'll ride the TransAm this year."  As I read back what I had written, I thought to myself, "Why not?"  Given the uncertainties of international travel brought about by Covid, why not indeed?  And so I did.

The TransAm route from Virginia to Oregon is the original Bikecentennial route from 1976.  I set out from my home in Maine in mid-May.  After a break for a family reunion, I stood at the TransAm's start in Yorktown, VA, on June 6.  Three months later on September 6 I rolled up to the end at the mouth of the Columbia River in Astoria, OR.

As I rode, I wrote missives to family and friends.  What follows below is the first of those missives that I wrote from the VA/KY border.  After the missive itself, I have transcribed the day-to-day log that I kept in a spiral notebook as I inched westward.  You will also find a link to a slideshow of photos taken along the way.

Will I do a similar trip in 2022?  As long as health and strength allow, I'll be riding onward to some destination.  I know by now that bike-packing is in my blood.  

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Slideshow

A slideshow of photos from Maine and Virginia can be found at https://photos.app.goo.gl/xbcyMpoLCzzYHzeJ8

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Missive Nos. 1 & 2:  Maine and Virginia

I'm at Breaks Interstate Park on the VA/KY border.  It's Saturday.  After seven solid days and 358 miles of riding, I've earned a day off to rest up, do laundry, and to explore a bit on two feet instead of two wheels.

What a difference a week makes.  I'm much stronger and have regained my climbing legs.  The weather has been beautiful, both cooler and less humid than on the day of my miserable ride from Williamsburg to Richmond.  The scenery and small towns of southwestern Virginia have been pleasingly reminiscent of the hills and mountains of New England.

Those hills mean I've regained my legs the old fashioned way by climbing hill after mountain after hill.  I did one 60+ mile day, but I've also had a 40 mile day.  This pales in comparison with my 60-80 mile days last summer, but then I remember that I was quite content with 40 mile days when I crossed the Greens of VT and Whites of NH in 2019.  Better mileage days will come when I'm out of the Appalachians.

The highest mountains are, in fact, already behind me.  I was consistently above 3000 feet on the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway, and I was at 3800 feet crossing through the Mt. Roger's area a few days ago.  The descent from the Blue Ridge to Mt. Vesuvius was memorable for its steep grade.  I'm glad I heeded advice from Martha and Jim Gullo to take breaks to give my rims time to cool.  They were almost too hot to touch.  I did the same on a few other descents.  On the steep ascents I took frequent hydration breaks, sometimes every half km, but in the end I was able to get to the top with both feet on the pedals.  I've drunk so much Gatorade and eaten so many bananas that I should buy stock. 

I stayed in motels twice when there was no other choice and, in the second instance, to avoid severe thunderstorms that were about to break over my head.  I've also had two good camping nights and was able to put my stove to good use.

My most enjoyable nights, however, were at hostels.  The first was The Broken Fiddle in Damascus.  The Appalachian Trail passes near Damascus, and I was the one cyclist in a full house of AT backpackers.  (Thanks to TransAm cyclist Mike Lowan for recommending it!)  I had dinner that night with Midnight and Breezy, a young couple from MA who are thru-hiking the AT.  They asked me for my trail name, and I had to explain that this tradition has not caught on with bike-packers.  At least not yet, so they suggested I start it.  So here it is:  Never too Late.  That's my self-selected trail name for the summer.  I missed my chance to ride the TransAm when it was first mapped in 1976, but here I am on it at last.  Most of the route is signed well as U.S. Bike Route (USBR 76), a reminder of that bicentennial year.

My second hostel was the community hall of the Elk Ridge Methodist Church.  I was alone this night, but I used this solitude to read through the log of cyclists who have stayed here since the Methodist community opened its doors to cyclists in 1976.  Again I felt surrounded by the history of Bikecentennial and the TransAm.

Problems?  None to speak of other than overcoming the hubris with which I got off the train in Newport News on June 6.  The Atlantis, aka Woodswoman II.  My only physical problem has been a pain in the neck that I woke up with one morning.  I must have slept in some funny way during the night.  I suppose one could say I'm my own pain in the neck.  It's nearly gone after a couple of days of Ibuprofen.

Tomorrow I cross into KY for more, albeit lower, hills and legions of bike-chasing dogs for which the state is infamous.  Forward I go!

From The Breaks,

Never too Late Robyn

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Daily Log

Starting odometer reading:  15,055 km

Wednesday-Friday, May 12-14, 2021 -- 

Wednesday:  15,134 km cumulative - 79 km for the day

Thursday:  15,187 km cumulative - 53 km for the day

Friday:  train to Boston - 0 km for the day

Just had a wonderful Amtrak sendoff with Lily and Ellen at the Brunswick train station.  I'm on the Downeaster to Boston, where Jessica will meet me with her bike.  We'll find dinner somewhere, and then I'm off to Washington on the Night Owl -- with a sleeper!

I must admit almost to having tears in my eyes as I left home, but soon it felt good to be on a fully loaded bike again under my own power.  I am carrying more in the way of cooking gear -- espresso maker include -- and I am out of shape after the winter.  Still, it was a good ride down to Bangor on Wednesday.  I stayed the night at Gret and Mark's and went out to dinner with Greg.  How strange it is to eat out in a restaurant after this long Covid year!

I had a shorter but equally wonderful ride to Searsport on Thursday.  Ellen me me there with her pickup.  We put Woodswoman II in the back and went on to Belfast for a good dinner at a small pub near the waterfront.

Today Ellen drove me to Brunswick over the same 80-mile route that I biked last year.  Lily met us there with coffee.  Having the two of them with me as I boarded the Downeaster felt like a real bon voyage!

In short, this year's adventure has begun.

PS -- Jessica led me on a delightful 15-mile ride around the Boston waterfront followed by a seafood dinner.  I'm now in my sleeper to Washington.  It's the first time I've been in a Boston-DC sleeper since the 1980s!

 

 

Saturday, May 15, 2021 -- 15,214 km cum - 27 km/day

Just a short ride today from Odenton to my sister's apartment in Gambrills, MD.  I don't know where the extra km came from.  The distance from Odenton to Gambrills is less than 8 km.  I did have to do some walking to/from the "Bike Doctor" to have my rear fender replaced after it was broken by Amtrak, but that's too short a distance to explain the extra km.

Wait a second.  It was the ride around Boston with Jessica.  That explains the extra distance.

Sunday, June 6, 2021 -- 15,299 km cum - 85 km/day

Only a 53 mile day on flat terrain, but it was tough.  Despite walks and fitness room while I was at our family reunion in Arizona in the second half of May, three weeks of inactivity took their toll.  My legs are woefully out of shape.  I knew the heat would be intense on the ride from Newport News to Yorktown to Williamsburg, and given that Amtrak didn't get me to Newport News until after 11 a.m., I knew I would be riding in the hottest part of the day.  But I forgot just how oppressive the heat and humidity are in Virginia.  I'll have to keep my days short until I'm back in shape, but the heat may keep the days short even then.

The good news is that I'm staying with a wonderful WS family, Jartha and Jim Gullo.  They fed me, and I've had a wonderful shower and a bed for the night.  I can't put into words what their hospitality means to me at the end of this first day.

Monday, June 7, 2021 -- 15,411 km cum - 113 km/day

I'm writing this on Tuesday in Richmond.  This, my third day in, is a down day.  Already.

Monday was the worst, most difficult riding day of my life, worse even than my 2008 ride from Tashkent, UZ, to Khujand, TJ.  It was even dangerous.

The day started well enough with a good breakfast in Williamsburg.  The first 50 miles went well on the mostly flat Capital Trail.

Things began to fall apart in mid-afternoon.  At first I was just tired and increasingly weak.  I had to push Woodswoman up even the slightest inclines.  I had to take longer and more frequent breaks.  Then the cramps started, not only in my legs.  My hearing became funny as though I had wax in my ears.  I could tell my heart was racing.  As I walked the final blocks to the Hampton Inn in downtown Richmond -- I had abandoned all thoughts of camping -- I had to sop, sit, and rest.  Frankly, I was getting scared.

Heat exhaustion.  For the first time in my life, I experienced severe heat exhaustion.  It wasn't funny.  I pushed myself too far.  I may even have been in a state bordering on heat stroke.

I may have to curtail this trip.  I'll continue forward for the next few days starting as early as I can and keeping my miles short.  Then I'll take stock.  This trip is supposed by be challenging, but it is also supposed to be fun.  Yesterday was not fun.

Wednesday, June 9, 2021 -- 15,492 km cum - 80 km/day

It's now Thursday, and I am chilling out, resting with my friends Ron and Ellen in Afton.

I got up at 4:15 a.m. on Wednesday and was pedaling at 6:15 a.m.  I took the Google-recommended route to Mineral because it was only 50 miles, some 15 miles shorter than the official AC route.  It definitely was a better day with good roads and light traffic, but I remained spooked by Monday's experience.  I took frequent breaks, drank lots more water, downed a sports drink at the halfway point, and ate a banana for potassium.  It took me 5 1/2 hours to go the 50 miles to the B&B I had reserved in Mineral.

But it was sticky and uncomfortable the whole way.  The trip was better than Monday's but it decidedly was not fun.  I called Ron and asked him to pick me up.  I announce to the world that I planned to abandon the trip.

This morning, after a long, restful and deep sleep, I'm not so sure.  Might it be cooler on the other side of the mountains?  Could I shed some weight and plan on more motels?  Perhaps.  Stay tuned.

Friday-Saturday, June 11-12, 2021 -- 15,571 km cum - 79 km/day

That's actually only 79 km over two days, but I'm going forward.  On Friday I rode the steep climb up Afton Mountain to Rockfish Gap.  That was all of 10 km, but it was steep.  Ron met me there with his car.  We put Woodswoman on the back and returned to his and Ellen's home, stopping along the way to visit the newly reopened Blue Ridge Tunnel.

I spent the evening repacking.  The Chromebook is going home, and Ron & Ellen will mail my cool weather clothes and other supplies to me down the road.  This morning, Ron returned me to Rockfish Gap, and off I went!  I'm camped for the night at Mallard Duck campground on the road to Lexington.

How far will I go?  I really don't know.  Today's was a hard ride on the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway with a number of long climbs.  I pushed Woodswoman at times.  I'm clearly not in the shape I was in last August.

Highlights of the day were one black bear, one deer, better weather, a rim-heating descent into Vesuvius, and a snow cone at Jimmy's outside Vesuvius.  Dinner consisted of canned black beans (courtesy of Ellen) and quinoa cooked on my MSR International stove.  Hurrah, I'm camping!

Moreover, today my ride started to become fun again.

Sunday, June 13, 2021 -- 15,665 km cum - 94 km/day

A good 59 mile day to Troutville.  I'm slow and clearly out of condition as compared with last summer, but I am doing better than I was a week ago.

I lingered far longer in Lexington over a second breakfast than I had intended.  Reason?  Claudia and her husband Frank.  They are fascinating people who are athletic into their 80s.  Both are geologists, and Claudia is also a journalist.

I opted for the Comfort Inn tonight.  It's a good thing I did.  Severe storms struck shortly after I checked in.  It's good to be indoors.

Monday, June 14, 2021 -- 15,786 km cum - 91 km/day

This was another good 51-52 mile day to Radford, VA, that took me to the end of Map 12 and on to Map 11.  I'm finding the going harder than last summer, but I am moving forward steadily if slowly.

Why is it harder this year?  Heat and humidity are a big part, but I'm also a year older and out of shape after the long Covid winter.  There isn't much I can do about the heat and humidity, but I do feel my riding strength and endurance returning.

I also shouldn't discount the terrain with its ups and downs.  It reminds me of the Alleghenies north of Pittsburgh where I rode in 2019.

Today I met my first eastbound bike-packer.  Mike Lowham started from his home in Laramie, WY, on May 17.  Oh, youth!

I'm at the Quality Inn in Radford.  There are no campgrounds or WS hosts in the area.  Given the heat, I don't mind these motel nights.

Tuesday, June 15, 2021 -- 15,857 km cum - 101 km/day

Finally I have had a good, normal bike-packing day, some 63 miles from Radford to the campground in Rural Retreat.  Why was today better?  The humidity was low, and the temperature rose only to the upper 70s F.  Also, after a week on the road, perhaps I'm getting my legs back.  Perhaps.

I was even able to enjoy the rolling VA countryside.  At a truck stop, I met and talked with Sue from Connecticut.  She's driving down to NC.

At last a truly enjoyable day!

Wednesday, June 16, 2021 -- 15,936 km cum - 79 km/day

The good weather and the good riding continue.  I just checked in at The Broken Fiddle in Damascus.  It's a hostel for backpackers and bike-packers.  For $30 I get a bunk, shower, and laundry.  Damascus is reputed to be "The Friendliest Town on the AT."

If only this wonderful cool and dry weather could continue!

PS -- I had dinner at the local diner with Breezy and Midnight, two young AT thru-hikers from Massachusetts.  In the diner we met another couple who are biking the TransAm.  Perhaps I'll see more of them along the way?

Why do AT thru-hikers get trail names but TransAm riders do not?

Thursday, June 17, 2021 -- 16,001 km cum - 65 km/day

This was a short 40 mile day by design from Damascus to Elk Garden.  It was by design because I knew there would be a 3.7 mile climb of 1500 feet at 8-9% grade.  I took it slowly with hydration breaks every 0.5 km, but I made it without having to get off and push.  By 3 p.m. I had arrived in Elk Garden and checked in at the bike hostel sponsored by the local Methodist community.  After dropping my rear bags and emptying most of the front two, I rode into Rosedale and back to get a few things for dinner.  Then it was off to the outdoor, summer cold-water-only shower for a most refreshing wash-up.

I should also mention this morning's good Southern breakfast (i.e., biscuits, gravy, and grits) at the diner in Damascus.  I said goodbye to Breezy and Midnight and talked with others at The Broken Fiddle before I headed on my way.

Last but not least, I had my first truly good night's sleep.

In short, after six days of riding since leaving Ron and Ellen's, I'm feeling stronger and am beginning to enjoy myself.  I know there will be hard days ahead and that this spell of cooler, drier weather will end, but for now it's enough that in these days I have re-captured the feeling of last summer on the Northern Tier.

Friday, June 18, 2021 -- 16,074 km cum - 73 km/day

A 45-mile day to Breaks Interstate Park, the VA-KY border, and my firt rest day since leaving from Ron & Ellen's last Saturday.  That's about 358 miles for the week, not bad but not great.  Not bad because I was going up and down in the Blue Ridge and Appalachians the whole way.  I was remembering today that I was quite happy with 40 mile days when I went through the Greens and Whites of VT and NH in 2019.  Not great because I'm nowhere near the consistent 60-80 mile days of last year.

I had more steep climbing at the start and end of today's ride.  In another week, will I at last be out of the Appalachians?  Perhaps, but I need to get through Kentucky first.

Enough.  I have earned tomorrow's rest day.