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...