Mood:  accident prone

What a great night's sleep!  As I got up, the left leg felt fine.  A little tender with lateral movement, but there is no lateral movement on a bicycle.  Jack was already up, so we ventured down to Rudy's Cafe for a large breakfast.

Since all church services were late in the morning, we decided to leave early.  I would attend a service in the evening after Jack left.  The lodging facilities in this neck of the woods is scant.  No motels, but one can camp in the Sebree city park (no bathrooms), or stay in the Baptist Church (kind of a hostel-type of situation), which would work well for me if they were still allowing bicyclers to stay.

After packing stuff up, and re-depositing it in Jack's car, I took off down the road.  Jack had a little shopping to do. 

Up ahead loomed the high but narrow bridge over the Ohio River.  As I approached it, it still looked narrow, but, for some reason, not as steep as it appeared yesterday from the car.  I started over it.  I don't know why, but it seemed easy.  I was in my low range chain ring fully expecting to have difficulty climbing, and never went below 7th gear (on the mountain passes I would be in 2nd or 3rd gear).  It must have been the lack of weight.  There was no traffic on the bridge except Jack and one other car. 

I'm in Kentucky!  Only two more states to go! 

Most people don't know this, because most bibles have deleted this scripture, but in the book of Genesis (I think in the second chapter) God made a pact with Adam.  He said "Adam, I am going to make a beautiful area which I will call Kentucky.  It will be an exceedingly beautiful area.  However, I will also make it hilly with lousy cell phone coverage.  Don't worry about what this means, Adam, future generations will understand."

Suddenly, just like yesterday, I was flying.  In Morgantown, before 9 AM, we had breakfast #2.  Still rolling well, we had a nice break under a shady tree in a cemetery.  The double cheeseburger was still warm.  I was feeling strong.  The leg was responding as if nothing had happened yesterday.  It looked like we were going to get into Sebree way before noon.

So we took out the maps, and reset our goal for a town called Owensboro, KY.  It had a population of 54,000.  There should be motels all over the place.  It had a bike shop so I could have it checked out.  It would likely also have other amenities so that I could have a rest day.  It had been Manhattan since I had rested, a long 9 days earlier.  I had been averaging close to 70 miles/day in all sorts of hot/rainy/humid weather.  A day of rest sounded good, I would have a chance to catch up on this journal.

Jack went ahead into town to scout out motels.  I was pleased with the rapidity of the day because Jack had a long drive back to Bloomington, Minnesota, and if he could get partway back today, then he should have no trouble getting home Monday evening as he wished. 

He returned to report that he only saw a Holiday Inn Express.  They were a little pricier than I liked but it might be worth it.  It cost $76 last time.  I rode in, and entered the lobby.  Yes they had a room available.  Only $130.  Why so much, I asked?  "There is a national tournament of 144 teams for Girls 16 and under Fastpitch Softball this week."  Oh Lord!

I did some digging and found a cheaper room but timing is everything, and my timing was stinking in Owensboro.  Jack went ahead to meet me at the Ramada.  A quarter of a mile from the Ramada, I crashed again!  This one wasn't near as bad as yesterday, but the cause was similar.  Instead of a gap between the shoulder and the highway, this one's highway was raised about 1 1/2 inches higher than the shoulder.  Again, I didn't take enough of an angle in the transition, and I flipped over.  Three falls in four days!  I hope this is the last one!  It wasn't bad:  a few cuts and scrapes.  I rebumped the bruise on my left shin.

I didn't say a word about it to Jack, but I am sure he was wondering where the fresh blood on my arms and legs came from.  Jack doesn't miss much.

I hated to see him go.  He had been so instrumental in making the last two days so pleasant.  Not just the riding:  he is smart, fun and funny.  A good traveling companion--but now he needed to get home.

Tomorrow will be a day of rest, sightseeing, and hopefully, bicycle rehabilitation.  In a couple of days I hope to hook up with another fraternity brother of mine, W.T. Wrege.  W.T. is the only person I know that is smart enough to be a professor of accounting in college, yet has trouble punching in a code to get a security gate to open.  He really is delightful and funny.  I look forward to seeing him again.  We will be touring Mammoth Caves together.

Will McMahan