Crossing into Colorado

Kansas Prarie Scenes
Big Cloud over Kansas
Todd
Yes, that's right, Colorado already. In a month we've been able to get to Colorado from Virginia on a bicycle loaded with gear. It's pretty incredible. Mind-bottling [sic] even. So what happened to Kansas you may ask... Kansas flew by. We had a tail wind pretty much the entire way, only one pretty hot day, and even a few showers and a pool session or two. Kansas was the most dreaded part of the trip. From other people's journals, and books I'd had three preconceptions about Kansas. It's super hot, the wind is killer, and the scenery is god-awful boring. Well, in my experience, it worked out so none of the above three were true. It was really only hot one day, as mentioned. The wind was always blowing us forward, and the scenery was actually pretty awesome. I mean, to look out and be able to see miles and miles to the horizon is pretty cool. I never really got bored with it. Not to mention, the people in Kansas are, in general, really really nice. I can't say that I thought that was true the first few days as we met a girl who had her bicycle trailer stolen and saw an episode of Jerry Springer at a state park. A whole group of dumb rednecks were drinking heavily lakeside on a Sunday night, you know, the beginning of a recipe for a nice family outing. Well, I guess calling a friend of yours a sissy when he's on the last beer of a thirty rack calls for a fight. Maybe not so much a fight as a brouhaha. the guy got sucker punched, and kicked in the face karate style about 4 times...that is once per occasion on four separate occasions. Ahh...Kansas. Welcome to the state with the nicest people you'll meet along the trail... Well, a few days later it redeemed itself. I broke a spoke on my bike in Buhler KS. So Jake, Bonnie (the girl we temporarily adopted on account of a stolen trailer) and I at lunch and tried to fix it with this temporary spoke I had. It broke immediately, maybe because we're dumb, but I think it was just too old. So I talked to the girl working at the diner and asked her if she could maybe give me a ride to the next town over with a bike shop. She called her dad, a pastor/cyclist/mobile bike mechanic, and within 15 minutes he was there with a bike stand, about 60 spokes, and all the tools necessary. He had me back on the road in about 45 minutes and didn't so much as ask for a thanks. I felt like I was in a movie, and Todd (the pastor/mobile bike mechanic) was like batman for down and out bike mechanics..."what?!? a cyclist is in trouble....I'll be RIGHT there!!" With an immediacy I was up and running, armed with two spare spokes that are the highest quality spokes on the market all gratis. THEN...he offered Bonnie an old rack and set of panniers (bike bags) that he had laying around, he gave her a cookset and a new seat too. All for free...all she has to do is send them back to him whenever she's finished w/ them. So...Kansas has some nice people after all.
Eastern Colorado ended up being more like how I imagined Kansas than Kansas was. They actually had more sunflowers in Colorado than were in Kansas...and Kansas has roadsigns with sunflowers around the highway numbers. Silly Kansas. But, other than that, eastern Colorado is barren. There's lots of grasslands sure...but that's it. We were hard pressed to find a tree on the horizon for about two days. It was pretty amazing actually. It really was like being in the middle of the ocean, except there's land everywhere instead of water. We stayed last night in Ordway CO at a lady named Gillian's house. She was awesome, and we got showers for the first time in a day or two. She just leaves her house open for bikers, and leaves them notes with instructions etc. She took us to breakfast with a group of about 15 other cyclists going from NY to San Diego. They're all Illini...so Rob and I let them know we were going to school at UNC in 2005. They took it well I suppose. Anyways, we're on the threshold of the Rockies and were sitting at about 4700 feet elevation. We're all giddy with excitement and I imagine our day off will be met with ambivalence...although its much needed. We have done about 650 miles in the last 7 days, and for a few days before that we were doing about 80 or so a day. So yeah, rest day...

Hippies and Indians

We left Salem MO in the morning and we originally planned to do about an 80 mile day. So close to halfway through we stopped in a KFC/Taco Bell to eat some lunch. While we were there, a Native American man comes up to us and tells us that he owned the hotel across the street and he would love it if we came over, signed his register and had a beer...even if we didn't stay in the motel. So when we heard the word beer, we all stopped eating, threw away our food, and sprinted across the street, ignoring all traffic and traffic laws. We went inside and he had a huge list of possible free beers we could choose from. They were all good beers too...I think the only mass-produced American pilsner was Miller High-Life. So we had our free beer, and ended up running into about 4 or 5 other cyclists on the route. We all, having tied on a one-beer buzz, decided to camp out for free behind the motel, which he offered for us. It turned out to be a good decision because there were about 14 cyclists in total that ended up staying there that night. The owners cooked us all dinner and hosted some crazy games in front of the hotel in the yard. It was probably the most entertaining night we've had thus far. So we all drank until about 1 AM. I think when we meet other bikers we bring them down to our level. Everyone was talking about how they'd get up at 5 or 6 in the morning and ride off for the day, but we got them all drinking hard and I think we may have left earlier the next morning than 3/4 of the riders we were with. We're definitely bad influences on other bikers...

Skirting the Ozarks...There's no Such Thing as Cheating When You're Bicycling Across the Country!

We left Farmington and headed through the Northern tip of the Ozarks on a more direct route than that which was mapped for us. The only problem with the route that we decided to take was the massive amount of tractor trailers. It's not really that big of a deal, it's kind of annoying, but I'm sure we annoy them too. The ride was pretty hilly, but mostly it was roller coaster hills that weren't too terrible on the legs. I've seen much worse. We heard from some other bikers that said they went the Transam route through the Ozarks and supposedly it was pretty tough. I would have liked to see them, but then again, we saw some pretty sizable hills ourselves.
We made it to Salem in good spirits, spent the night in a city park and departed pretty early the next morning.

Crossing the Not-quite-as-mighty-as-I-had-imagined Mississippi

We left Illinois today with a renewed vigor. Jacob had a new bike, mine was adjusted to my body a little better than before, and we were all full of energy from a day's break. It almost felt like our first day of riding again...considering we're now in the traditionally defined "west," as in west of the Mississippi.

The first part of the ride was very pleasant. We rode along a levee for a while. That was gorgeous. We got to see the cornfields from a new perspective (that is, above them, not from eye level.) That was awesome, because the tops of the plants were an incredible golden color that wavered gently with the breeze. We also caw a coal loading station on the river. We crossed the Mississippi in Chester Illinois and went into Missouri. Here come the Ozarks. Not so bad today...but they're going to make themselves present tomorrow.
We rode another 100 mile day...well I think it was actually 98 or so, but I round up when its that close to 100. The terrain definitely got a little more rolly...but nothing unmanageable for me. I forgot how much I missed the short rollers. You can get going really fast on them with minimal effort. There are some parts where you have to get down into the lowest gears and grind it up a hill, but that's not usually more than a 5 minutes at the most of grinding before you get a steep downhill. We spent the night in a city park in Farmington MO. The town isn't remarkable, but it was okay. Their Mexican food was good. Although I like most all Mexican food, so I guess I'm not a very good judge. We spent the night in another city park under a pavilion.

Onward to Carbondale it is...and Our first 100 Mile Day!!

So we did our first century today (100-mile ride). and got to Carbondale Illinois. I didn't realize it, but we almost went through Illinois in one day! pretty crazy. It was flat the entire time and there were corn fields galore. Its interesting to see the different stages of development vary from field to field. I always imagined that it was pretty uniform from field to field. It's not though. Maybe that's a dumb assumption, but I never grew up on a farm, so I don't know these things.
I wasn't that tired considering we did 100 pretty quick miles today. My but hurt a little, but my legs were fine. We ate at Taco Bell and slept behind a fence in a brush field behind a ball park. It was okay except it rained just enough to require a rain-fly at about 4 AM. and Then it got so hot at 6 AM I had to remove it again. Not such a great night's sleep. We all woke up pretty early because of the heat, packed up, and searched for a hotel we could sleep at for tonight. We found one and hit up downtown Carbondale's bike shop scene because Jacob's chain stay broke yesterday morning. Not a good thing... Jacob bought a new bike, a pretty sweet Raleigh bike with a carbon fork and STI shifters. He got it for a steal too. So while they were moving all the crap from his old bike onto the new one, we went down to the local coffee shop/bar and had a beer or 3 or 4...
We ended up meeting a crazy old Vietnam Vet sitting outside. He told us about growing up in Chicago, a little about guns and a lot about life, or something like that. His voice reminded me of Tommy Chong a little bit. He was entertaining to say the least. He brought us across the street and bought us all a bunch of shots and beers and talked to us for a few hours. After that we went up to the bike store for a bit, got Jake's bike, did some adjustments on mine, and finally went home to the hotel, a little more tipsy than originally planned...but whatever...it's vacation.

Hot dogs and Hamburgers You Say? What!?!...Homeade Ice Cream Too? No Thank You, I'm on a Diet...

We got up and rode another 80 miles to Sebree (See-bree...don't ask) Kentucky today. We rolled into town at the famed Sebree hostel. Supposedly this will be the nicest hostel that we will stay in on the trip. It was definitely incredibly nice. The common room was huge, the fridge stocked with chocolate milk and oreos, sandwiches, etc. They had showers and a tv...all for free. The family even fed us hot dogs and hamburgers as soon as we rolled in. It was amazing. The ride to Sebree was pretty flat, and there was so much corn I couldn't really even fathom how much corn it would produce. The fields were so extensive that It looks like grass far off in the distance. Mile after mile after mile of corn fields. Sometime there were soybeans but not too often. It was a pretty fun ride though b/c you can just hit the accelerator and fly until you're flat out exhausted, and then recharge and do it again. The flat-lands are fun...

Crazy Chapel Hillians

We woke up after a long night of 12 oz. curls and rode 80 miles to Rough River state park where we met a guy from Chapel Hill doing the Transam route for a bit, then I think he was headed up to follow the Lewis and Clark Trail, through South and North Dakota...pretty twisted. Supposedly there's some rugged terrain through that way and some large gaps between services.
Rough River state park had the first shower we had taken in close to a week (since Berea I believe). So that was the most welcome and incredibly long shower I've taken in quite some time. The ride was pretty easy, nothing to complain about. I mean I guess you could complain about the heat, but it's summer, and it will always be hot. The heat is something I've learned to deal with pretty easily. I get sort of cold inside restaurants, grocery stores, etc. pretty quickly now. Although a nice, well air-conditioned hotel room doesn't really bother me for some reason. Maybe its mental. I don't know, either way...showers are nice...

Inside the Belly

The ride into Mammoth caves wasnt' so bad, we only had to ride about 30 miles from where we set up camp in Munfordville the night before. Unfortuneately we missed the tour we really wanted to go on, but we still go tto see some interesting features of the cave. I'd never been in a cave before adn the initial descent in from the entrance we took would have been incredibly intense, if it weren't for the steel staircase. I wasn't so happy about how commecial it seemed. There were small auditoriums set up in some of the larger rooms so the tour guides could speek to the crow. I guess its necessary for the general public, but I was sort of annoyed. I wanted to see it without all the seating and fluffy crap. Oh well. Jacob, our resident cave expert told us he'd take us to cave he k,nows really well when we all get back to NC, so I think I'll probably do that in the fall or something. We spent the night in the national park campground and ended up meeting some girls from North Dakota who were more than willing to share a 2 cases of beer with us. Two cases you say? Nah, that's okay, I hate beer...
So we drank into the evening and did some star gazing. The stars were out pretty good that night, although nothing like they will be further west I would imagine...

Doesn't Kentucky Make Bourbon or Something?

We left Springfield this morning around 9:30 and got into Bardstown KY and hour or so later. As we rode into town we saw some road signs pointing to some distilleries around the area. SWEET... I love bourbon. In the interest of saving some time and miles, we decided to forgo the Maker's Mark distillery and went to the Heaven Hill distillery. Negative Nancy (Rob) tried to dull my excitement by telling me that Heaven Hill was the lowest tier bourbon on the market and not to be so excited because it will be gross. I told him I was sure they made some nice single-barrels or something, as distillers don't just make rott-gut liquor. Master distillers like to drink the nice stuff too... Boy was I right. Heaven Hill is the home of Elijah Craig, and Evan Williams (who does an incredible single barrel bourbon...award winning actually) As we rolled onto the distillery grounds we were punched directly in the face with strong vanilla and bourbon scents I will never forget. The smell comes from the "angel's share" or the volatile alcohol released from the barrels during the aging process. We went on a guided tour, learned some things about bourbon and the aging process that I never knew, and got to sample the Evan Williams single barrel, which I've had 2 bottles of prior to this...it's good stuff. We also got to try some Elijah Craig 18 year. The Elijah was definitely my favorite. The first bottle of liquor I ever bought when I turned 21 was Elijah Craig, but it was the 12 year. So after that we left town and set out for Munfordville, about 40 or 50 miles away. Tomorrow we're going to Mammoth Caves National Park...the largest cave system in the world...sick! That should be really fun, and I'm really excited about it. It's about 80 total miles off course, but definitely worth the trip.

Smooth Sailing on Smoother Pavement

Today was probably my favorite day on the road thus far. The morning started out quite well. We left Berea and hit some small rolling hills. It was fairly easy riding with some slightly steep hills with which to contend, but nothing compared to Eastern Kentucky. We went off course a bit to go to a bike shop in Danville KY. Danville had a bike shop and Rob's and Jacob's bikes needed some work. So while the bikes were in the shop we went to a coffee shop/bookstore/sandwich shop with really good food. They also had the first sweet tea I was able to find in days...I love sweet tea. I don't think I'll be able to pedal without it when I can't find it out west. We sat down and ended up talking to a guy named Nate who was thinking about doing the trip himself next year. He asked us a lot of questions about the trip, our motivations for doing it, cost etc. Then he told us how to get around the whole "dry county conundrum...that is, go to an Applebee's or similar chain. Apparently they can serve beer in a dry county. So Nate borrowed a friend's car and drove us to Applebee's and bought us all a round. Beer is good...
Danville was a very nice town with a lot of character. Apparently we missed a huge town brass band celebration weekend by about a week. Too bad. After the beers we went back to the bike-shop, got the bikes back and left town with the quickness so as not to run out of daylight before getting to Springfield KY. The ride from Danville to Springfield was the flattest and fastest riding we've done thus far. It was fun because you can make the ride as easy or difficult as you like. It seems like you can always go a little faster. I like to push myself to the limit. I got to a point today where I was, at any given moment, teetering on the edge of exhaustion. Its really fun though. If I find that I've pushed myself a little to hard, then I back off a little, stop pedalling and recharge. My rebound time is really fast now. It takes only a few minutes to feel completely recharged and ready to attack the road again.
As we got into town Jacob and I ate at the local Mexican restaurant. The food was great and they had beer! We had a few, I got a free 32 or 34oz beer for drinking one without stopping. I think I drank it in about a minute, with very minimal spillage. I impressed myself, and then had to chill a while before the next one.
We slept under another pavilion in a city park next to a playground. Jacob and I played on the seesaw and Rob climbed on the monkey bars. Come to think of it, maybe we had more than a beer or two...

Doing nothing in Berea

We left the hotel around 11 AM and hit the town. We found the library at Berea College and set up base for the day. The cam[pus was very nice, lots of large tress and walkways a plenty. We all spent some time catching up with our blogs, and calling friends and family, etc.
Then we explored the town a little, found out what the college kids do, and did some window shopping. Rob bought a really nice window. We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant with the best garlic bread I think I have ever had. After dinner we went around campus looking for places to set up camp. We found a nice pavilion-type structure right next to the tennis courts and the track, and we finally got some rest.

Into the Heart of Darkness...

Some parts of Kentucky look more like part of a rainforest with all the vines.

A strange little elementary school in Berea, KY.

Me and a future bicycler killer.

Wildflowers that grow along Kentucky river banks

The only thing I can really say about today is that I was so tired and ready to get to the end of our second map section that I burnt myself out pretty early and didn't save much energy for the second half of the ride. We had a few very short climbs out of the state park we stayed in last night, but we finally got out of the bigger altitude hills into those that peaked in the 1000 ft range. The first part half of the day was okay, a few stores along the way, and we ate lunch in the small city of Boonevillle. After that, however, were a lot of really really short, but super steep hills, and miles and miles and miles and miles and miles of farmlands with small 1000 footer mountains that all looked the exact same. We went 40 miles or so, maybe more, without passing a convenient store that hadn't closed because of lack of business. The mountains around us changed pretty quickly but they all looked the exact same, there was always one in sight that had a very sharp point, and one or two that were long and flat on the top and terminated on either side with about a 45 degree angle or so.Notice how the mountains in each picture look the exact same? They're not the same though.

It really felt like we were pedalling and pedalling ever further into more and more of the exact same scenery. It really dulls your senses after a while and it made me want to never ever visit Kentucky again...at least on a bicycle. I'm sure in in a car with air-conditioning it would have been a breathtaking ride. Not so on a bike when you have very little water. We actually had to stop at some one's house and ask them for some hose water. They were very kind, and the guy's wife brought us some ice for our bottles. That pretty much saved us from dehydration.
The dogs today were pretty bad too, I got chased by quite a few, one of them was a St. Bernard. That was pretty intense, but luckily I'm pretty fast when I need to be.
We finally got into Berea and got a hotel. We were all so tired and excited to be done with the second section of the map. We went down to the convenient store to get some beers to celebrate, only to find out that Berea is in a dry county. Kentucky didn't make any new friends today...

Strip Mines and Strip Malls

The terrain today hasn't changed much, we still saw many roads carved through sedimentary rocks that crumble a little more every day. We didn't see too many coal trucks today, nor did we see a lot of dogs, but we also skipped part of the "scenic" road for a slightly shorter day as got sort of a late start. It was probably a good decision b/c Jacob got a flat again. He may not have gotten it if we'd stuck to the maps, as there would most likely have been less debris, however we saved some ride time, which is always nice on the bum. We got right outside of Hazard Kentucky and say a giant strip mining operation across the street from a large strip mall rising out of the dust of an older strip-mining operation.(The leftmost part of the bottom picture is supposed to match up with the rightmost part of the top picture...its all one scene)

The strip mine had obviously removed a mountain or two from the landscape. It was a pretty sad thing to see. I guess that's the price we must may for our coal-derived power. I don't think (and I hope I won't) forget that the next time I turn on a light or leave one on unnecessarily.
The ride today wasn't too bad, there were some long, low-grade hills with which to contend, but I got a feel for what I imagine climbing the Rockies will be like. The mountains will soon end, and I believe we art to expect some rolling hills, straighter roads, and farmlands further west. I like the hills, but I'm anxious to see what our average speed will be through the flatter parts, There have been some rolling hill areas through which I have been able, for the most part to average around 18-20 mph. That is fun. Hopefully I'll see some of that tomorrow...

Hills, Coal Trucks, and Dogs--OH MY!!

One state down, nine to go

We entered Kentucky today, and boy did we get a welcome. The climb out of Haysi was brutal. Almost immediately upon leaving our camp we began climbing. It wasn't too bad, we've climbed a lot worse mountains. However, I wouldn't say it was an easy climb to Breaks Interstate Park. It was pretty long, and the fact that there was little to no warm-up time really made my legs feel the burn. The descent into Kentucky was nice though. Rob and Jacob crossed the border and were immediately greeted by a German Shepard who was hungry for some bikers. They outran him just fine, but still a fitting introduction into Kentucky.
The first thing that I noticed upon entering Kentucky were the walls of sedimentary rock, and the fine-grained weathered rock and debris that had accumulated at the bottom of this cliff faces. It's pretty wild. Almost every road we were on today either had rock faces running along side it, or a river running to the side of the road, almost mirroring the roads. Kentucky is very interesting from a geological standpoint.
Besides the dogs, we were greeted with a few coal trucks with whom we had to share the road. They're not too bad though, and there were surprisingly fewer truck than I imagined. Speaking of which, we stopped in a library this morning before leaving Haysi and saw a young guy there, not too much older than myself, who had obviously just gotten off of a coal-mining shift. He was covered from head to toe in coal dust, so much so that Jacob mistook him for a black man before Rob and I brought it to his attention that he was a white coal-miner. It really must be a horrible life. I guess someone has to do it, but I'm really glad that it's not me who has to mine coal...
Entering our first new state brought with it an excitement not experienced thus far. It also brought with it a little sadness, at least on my part, as my attention was focused on how quickly it seemed we got through the longest state of our route, and a near end to the beautiful Appalachian vistas. That being said, I really wont mind leaving the Appalachian climbs behind for some flatter, and faster riding.
I always knew, or had hear of, how poverty gripped much of the Eastern Kentucky regions, but you really don't get much of a feel for it until you actually ride through the heart of it. Trailers galore, some without external walls, some burn down and left to rot. There was a plethora of homes with old beat-up and thoroughly rusted cars salvaged for parts and left in the yard, toys that have seen better days, trash and clutter in the yards, and everything else you would imagine the poorer communities would collect in their yards. The amount of trash along the roadsides also increased dramatically upon entering Kentucky. With some of the most beautiful mountains and hills around, people just toss all kinds of garbage out their car windows like the world is their dumpster. Its very sad...
The Kentucky hills are different than many Virginia hills, For one thing, it seemed like every single house had its own small steep "hill," but they were definitely classifiable as mountains. We had quite a few steep climbs today, but nothing unmanageable.
I've become quite stubborn in my young age concerning how I attack a hill. I now refuse to stop for water, a rest, or anything of the like until I reach the top (but I drink plenty of water so I'm in no danger of dehydration). I'm in such great cardiovascular shape now that it doesn't get me huffing and puffing so much as it just drains your energy. I've really learned to sync my breathing and pedaling into a rhythmic motion to propel myself up a hill. It's actually been quite a lot of fun. I much prefer the uphill battle that the downhills, only because I excel in getting up a hill. Down hills are fun, but sometimes pretty scary with weight on the bike and worn brake pads. The Kentucky roads aren't nearly as smooth as Virginia roads, thus adding to my weariness. Either way though, Kentucky has been challenging thus far...

Arduous Uphills and Screaming Downhills

Some scenery from today.

It seems as though we have shook the bad bicycle karma for now because when we got up this morning, we noticed that the neighbors across the street from the church at which we spent the night left us all $10 each for breakfast. How incredibly nice is that? I was so deeply touched by their hospitable nature. I spent about 7 dollars at the grill down the street for breakfast. It was the largest breakfast I have ever seen for $6 and some change. I was amazed, and hungry. I did some damage on it, but I couldn't conquer it. Oh well, maybe next time. The climb up and over Clinch Mountain was long and pretty steep, but I didn't push at all. That made me feel like I could do most anything now. It was actually a lot of fun. I haven't really had a good hard handlebar soaking sweat in a few days. That was nice. Going down the other side of Clinch was a white-knuckled screaming descent. I hit 43.5 mph. Jacob hit like 48 or something insane. I can't bring myself to throw it all on the line and not brake at all. But I respect the kid for being able to do it. We stopped over in Honaker (Hoe-Naker--a phonetic guide for you out of towners) for lunch, and ate at this place called the Farmer's Table. The place was full of really nice locals, who were very friendly and asked us a lot of questions about the trip. They made us feel like we were physical specimens. They told us some crazy stories that could probably only happen in Appalachia...two involving horses and ponies on people's front porches. That was pretty funny. After lunch, we climbed for a mile or so out of Honaker, and then up another small mountain. This climb was only about a mile or so, maybe 1.5 miles. It was much more fun and rewarding that the Clinch because for the most part, it was all down hill for the next 15 or so miles. The descent was another screamer. None of us could get quite as fast as we did going down Clinch, but it was just as fun, with some hairpin turns and some steep steep downhills. The ride into Haysi (Hay-sigh...again for you non-locals) was fun. It ran along a river valley and we hit some flats for quite a while. I was cranking it at about 20 the whole way through the flats. That made me feel really strong. We're staying tonight in Haysi and hopefully we'll be able to wash up a little because today was hot and sweaty for a while.
On a somewhat random note, as I couldn't quite figure out how to work it into today's post...we've noticed that every single town name that we think we're pronouncing correctly is so incredibly off of how it's actually pronounced that it's laughable. We're soooo obviously tourists...

A Comedy of Errors

We got a slow start this morning because of the unknown status of the tires' delivery and the time it took to dry out our tents, clothes, etc. Jacob took a taxi to town from the park, and Rob and I put our bikes in the trunk so we could make the climb out without weight. That was my idea. The climb wasn't nearly as long or difficult as I had imagined when we were riding down into the valley yesterday, and I don't think it would have been much worse with weight. It warmed me up quite nicely actually. Rob, on the otherhand didn't have such a great time. He hit a shard of glass and got a flat. Apparently bicycle karma actually does exist because Rob had a discernible attitude about Jacob's delay yestertday/this morning. After Rob patched his flat, he and I went to get lunch. We came back and Jacob had his tire on and ready to go.
We got all packed and ready to got, and left Marion around 2 or 3. We made our way about 8 miles out of town and after getting of track for about a mile, Rob got another flat. He patched it again (in the same place, as his patches apparently don't work that well for our tires) and we were off...for about 50 feet when again...Rob's tire went flat. Jacob and I laughed a little about how Rob was now the cause of some burnt daylight. Jacob and I didn't pitch a fit thought because we understand these things happen. Rob was pretty hard on himself though...as he should have been. Finally he replace the innertube and we left. We went about 20 miles and decided we could'nt do the 40 mile day we'd planned on because daylight was running out.
So, we stopped in a town called Meadowview, with a population of probably 2 or 300. We asked around and eventually found a church at which we could stay. A neighbor who lived across the street from the church called the preacher for us, and they gave us their blessing to stay for the night. So we went to the laundromat, talked to a guy from Meadowview who'd been to Yellowstone. He told us about his trip and what we should expect the next few days of riding through the Appalachians...hospitible people and incredible scenery. Tomorrow morning is the big climb over Clinch mountain. We're to expect a lot of switchbacks and some pretty serious elevation gain. We're well rested though, so it shouldn't be much of a problem. Unless the bad bicycle karma pays us another visit...

And Unexpected It Was

Today started off at a decent time. We were packed and ready to leave town by around 8:30. We ate breakfast at McDonald's and headed out. We skipped a large part of the route that went over some sizable hills. Instead of battleing with the hills, we battled a headwind all day...again. Today we learned a pretty valuable skill...teamwork. After taking on the intense headwinds individually for a few hours, we decided to start drafting off the lead rider. It worked well. We were all able to take the lead and push through the wind, and when our energy dulled, we were able to pull back and lessen our air resistance enough to recharge. I feel like this allowed us to go a lot faster, and feel a lot stronger than would have otherwise been possible. We made our way to Marion after a few stops, ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant, and went to Wal-mart and the local bike shop for a few random things. On our way out of town, Jacob felt something odd goin on with his back tire. It turned out the tire tread was ripped and worthless. So we turned around to get a new tire for his bike at the local shop. Only, it turned out that the bike shop didn't have the size tire that was necessary for his bike, nor any towns close by. AWESOME... I get to rest a little. So, Jacob called a place in Raleigh and had one shipped overnight to the shop. That way we could be on the road the next day. Rob was noticably less than happy, but I could care less. These things are to be expected when you're out in the boondocks.
We spent the night in Hungry Mother State Park. It had a nice restaurant that served beer...always a plus.
It rained really hard as we left the restaurant but it stopped soon thereafter. I learned to try and wait out a storm before putting my tent up. But it was good to learn how to put my tent up when its pouring rain. Hopefully Jacob's tires will be ready tomorrow and we can press on. Rob and I have to climb an awfully long hill to get out of the state park and back to town. About 3 miles of hills it seems...FUN!!

So Barry Barry Windy

All I can really say about today is that it was windy and slow-paced. We were still getting some winds from the tropical storm I guess. We got a really late start today because we all went to a bar in Radford until around 11 or so. We had a great time at the bar, met some locals, had a few drinks. However, the continuous days of riding are beginning to take their toll. Motivation was difficult to come by today. We eventually left around 11 AM and hit the road pretty slowly. We met a guy a few days ago that was telling us around day 8 or 9 you'll hit a wall, and it will make you wonder why you are out there, what you are doing, and why you would ever want to do this to yourself. That day was today, but it wasn't quite as bad as I had imagined. We met some East-bounders today who started in California in April. They told us a little about what were were going to see in the next few days, riding conditions etc. That was a little encouraging, but it was also a little discouraging. They did tell us how to miss a whole section of climbing. I'm a little ambivalent about not going the actual route, but if I can miss hours of climbing by going a different way, I don't really care much about the route.
We battled with a headwind for what felt like all day. The mountains around the area weren't too bad, and we stopped in a rest stop for lunch where a lady told us how to bypass about 5 miles of the route so we could get to Wytheville a little sooner. I probably wouldn't have been so adamant about the detour if it wasn't quite so windy. You could put in as much effort as possible, and still only get going about 9 or 10 mph. Then a gust would come and knock you back down to 8 almost immediately. The one word I would use to describe today would have to be daunting.
Wythville (With-vill)
Wythville is nice though. We set up camp by a small stream that flows through a tiny city park. It seems like a really nice place to set up camp, except for all the bears...they eat humans you know...a lot...that's pretty much their main source of nutrients...human...

Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head

So we woke up in Blacksburg, and it was pouring outside. Apparently we got part of tropical depression Barry. Riding in the rain is probably not my favorite thing in the world. No matter what kind of rain protection you have, you still get wet, either from rain or sweat. It was also kind of cold, especially going down hills. Not to mention, my sunglasses either had too many rain drops to see through, or they were too foggy. I felt like I needed to wear them so my contacts wouldn't fall out from a forceful rain drop. Other than that, I didn't really care whether or not we rode in the rain. I mean, don't get me wrong, on any day of the week I'd much rather ride in hot weather than rain. It's easier to read the maps...b/c you don't have to read them through raindrops and condensation. Your hands and feet also don't turn into prunes in the hot weather. So basically riding in the rain is something we're going to have to get used to.
We spent the night in a hotel tonight. But that is the first time since the night prior to departure that we've spent money on a place to stay.
The next few days coming up shouldn't be absolutely horrible. I think we're going to hit some pretty hairy spots, but once we're out of the Appalachians, it should be pretty smooth sailing. I'm somewhat ambivalent about leaving them though. Once we do, the daily rides shouldn't be quite so challenging, however, the scenery won't be nearly as breathtaking, which I'm sure I will miss. I'm excited to see some different geographic regions of the US though. I've really only ever seen the east coast (with Phoenix, AZ as the only exception.)
We finished the first map section today, so we smoked a cigar that I got the day of departure in celebration. It was kind of dry and cracked a little, but it was mighty tasty. So now we only have 11 more sections to go. I imagine the next few maps will go by much quicker than the first. Virginia is supposed to be the longest, toughest, and one of the most scenic states through which we ride on our route. It sure has been tough. I can't wait to get out to the flats and pump out 100 and 120 mile days. Hopefully we'll catch all the tailwinds to the west coast...riiight. Either way, I think 100 mile days are in the near future, once we leave the Appalachians behind.
I think thats about all for now, I'll let you know how the next few days go when I can. They're supposed to be quite a difficult undertaking, but I think we're in shape enough to get through without much stalling. At least, I hope we are...

Memories Wilt

We spent the last night and today in Blacksburg. We really didn't do much today, we're resting up for tomorrow and the days to come. This morning we had breakfast at a vegetarian restaurant. It was really good, and pretty cheap considering the quality of the ingredients.
After that, Jacob got his bike from the bike store and we rode down to the Virginia Tech campus. The campus is gorgeous. All the buildings look very similar in architectural and material design, giving the campus a very uniform, and large feeling. We also saw the memorial to the victims of the shooting in front of Burgess Hall. It was a very odd feeling. Seeing the names of all the people really hits you hard when your actually there. Many of the victims' friends left notes, and some personal belongings on the lawn by their respective memorial stones. There were a lot of wilted flowers, some were fresh, some were dead. It seems like the memories of the tragedy had wilted along with the flowers, but it was very clear the memories would never die. We also saw Norris Hall. There was a large fence around it, and there were "No Trespassing" signs everywhere. It was surreal to think that a few weeks before, this was the site of the largest collegiate massacre in history.
To get off the somber subjects, we rode through campus a little more, and went to Taco Bell. We have to get up early to ride tomorrow. Hopefully it will be a relatively painless ride...

To Blacksburg it is...

So we didn't get to Christianburg today (the end of the 1st map section). There wasn't a bike shop in Christianburg, so we went to Blacksburg instead. They have two bike shops. We needed to go to a bike shop because Jacob had a 10-speed and we're about to hit some serious serious mountains. We're going to take a day off here tomorrow, and explore Virginia Tech and the town a little.
The ride today wasn't terrible. The breathtaking scenery through which we rode all day made the pain a lot more bearable. The climb into Blacksburg was a bear though. The morning started out very slowly. We were all moving as slow as molasses. It was frustrating. Once I got warmed up it was pretty smooth sailing. The scenery through which we rode all day isn't a lot different from what we've seen in the last few days, but it is always awe-inspiring. Farmland surrounded completely by mountains never gets old.
There was one point during the ride today where I really felt in tune with the geography of the area. The road seemed to flow perfectly with the flow of the mountains and hills beside me. I really learned how to exert as little effort as necessary to ride roller coaster hills today.
Blacksburg seems like a fun town to live in. It has a lot of character. The people are very friendly as well. We actually met a guy that lives upstairs from where we're sleeping tonight that has mutual friends with Rob and me. It's such a small world. I never imagined that I'd end up in Blacksburg meeting someone randomly with whom I have friends in common. Crazy.
I miss home, but living on the road and seeing and experiencing other peoples' reality for a day or two at a time is a lot of fun. I really love to travel. You never know what to expect or who you will meet along the way. I hope the rest of our journey will be as fun and unexpected as it has been thus far...

Day 6--River Valleys and Rolling Hills

Today was a short day. The beginning of the ride was gorgeous. Flats for around 15 miles. The road we were on ran through a river valley surrounded by the majestic Appalachians which we battled the day before. It was a crazy experience looking up on the giant mountains from which we were looking down yesterday. After the flats we hit some rolling hills all the way to Lexington. Nothing unmanageable, but it was obvious the previous day took its toll. Lexington was a great town. We toured the chapel at Washington and Lee University.A Building Across from the Chapel

They had a statue of Robert Lee on his death bed inside the chapel that took three years to create. The texture on the sheets and blanket was flawlessly done. Lexington was a very unique town. We wandered around a while, ate lunch, and went to the library. Then we made our way along another river valley. The sights of huge farms overshadowed by mountains never gets old. I could see the landscapes I saw today every day and never get bored with it. I would really like to see this part of Virginia in the fall.
We were going to stop by the Natural Bridge (one of the 7 natural wonders of the world) but we were limited by time and inclement weather. It would have been nice to see, but it cost money and I was pretty tired from the ride, too much so to go off course to see it.
We made our way to Buchanan after ducking out of the weather. This is probably my favorite town so far. Its tiny, but it has probably 3/4 a mile of businesses and churches on both sides of the street. Behind that, on the opposite side of a highway, is a giant mountain called Purgatory. It's a beautifully laid out town.
The James River also flowed through Buchanan. Speaking of which, I got to take my first "bath" in the river since Charlottesville. It was cold, but refreshing.
We ate dinner at a dive in bar, washed our clothes and stealth camped near a bridge going over the river.
Tomorrow we finish the fist section of our 12 section map of the US. Sweeeet...