Mood:  energetic

In order to get to the motel near Mammoth Caves before W.T. arrived, I would need to leave early.  Not only was I uncertain as to the terrain, but it was supposed to rain later.  Additionally, I was crossing over into Eastern Standard Time, so I would lose an hour.

I ate breakfast at 6 AM, then hit the road, wondering what the hills would be like today.  In the first hour, I had three hard climbs that left me gasping for breath.  This was going to be a long day.  I passed another restaurant and stopped for breakfast #2.  Yes, I am gaining back some of the weight that had been lost earlier.  Right after this meal, I dipped into a hollow that was so steep that I wasn't sure the brakes would slow me enough to negotiate the curves.  The climb out was torturous and very slow.  But I made it.  This did not bode well for the day, but, fortunately, the worst was over.  There were no more hills this bad for the rest of the day.  Those are apparently being saved for eastern Kentucky.

Not too long after the second breakfast, I passed a grocery, and picked up a cheeseburger for lunch.  Just as Jack and I had done on Sunday, I found a nice shady cemetery to enjoy the sandwich.

It didn't seem like too much later that I entered the town of Sonora.  I was only 12-14 miles to the hotel. I stopped for a bowl of soup and a number of large glasses of iced tea.  It is just amazing how much fluids one consumes.  On the bike I drink but generally don't feel thirsty.  Once I stop for food, I seldom drink less than three large glasses of tea or water.

The road was nice.  I still hadn't been chased by any dogs with serious intent.  Life was good!  A rain drop touched my face.  I started pedalling faster.  It was just a few miles to go!  But there was no way I would make it dry.  I pulled under some cover and tried to quickly put the rain covers on the panniers.  Additionally I donned my rain sponge jacket (that's my new name for it).  It had been raining hard, but by the time I was all situated, the rain started to ease off.  Soon the sun was out, it was still in the high 80's, and I was starting to swelter in the jacket. 

Feeling reatively certain that I had preceeded W.T. in getting here, I ducked into an ice cream store in order to cool off both inside and out.

Our room at the Cruise Inn wasn't bad for as little as they charged.  It had two beds and room for all of our gear (mostly mine) and the bicycle.

W.T., who reminds me of an absent minded professor, called on his cell phone. He had taken a wrong turn somewhere and was on a parkway leading the wrong direction with no exits in sight.  I assured him that I was in no hurry.  He showed up a little bit later.

Before eating, we drove down to Abraham Lincoln's birthplace, about ywo miles down the road.  After seeing a short film on Lincoln's life here (he moved when he was seven) we toured the grounds, which were the actual grounds of the original farm.  The spring still produced water.  A cabin, similar to the one Lincoln lived in was on display.  It was an incredibly poor (economically) start for someone who secured such greatness.

We dined at a steak house in a town nearby, then retired to the room and resurrect memories of brothers, many of whom haven't been seen for decades.

Tomorrow, we are going to the Mammoth Caves.  They have numerous tours.  After we have gone to the tour of our choice, W.T. will drop me back off at the motel, then he will be off to New Albany, Indiana, to the home of a childhood friend.

I am so pleased that he chose to drive all this way just to visit.  He is just as smart and funny and wise as always. 

Will McMahan