Mood:  a-ok

Last night I fell asleep prior to 9 PM, and slept well all night.  I kept waking, feeling fully rested, at ridiculously early hours.  I woke at 4 AM, then 4:30 AM and finally got up at 4:45 AM.  When I turned on the lights, I saw that the actual time was 5:45 Am.  I hadn't adjusted my wristwatch to EST.  So I hurried to get ready, and was out the door, fully loaded by 6:15 AM.  The only place that I knew would be open for breakfast this early on a Sunday, was Dairy Queen.  Who, besides myself, would be crazy enough to be up that early on a Sunday morning?  A lot of people, apparently.  It was very busy. 

The road, however, was not. 

There was little traffic and the countryside was almost bewitching in its beauty.  The directions on my map, however, were befuddling.  "Cross the Middle Fork River Bridge and turn left on John Taylor Rd (a single lane road).  Turn right on unmarked Hwy 563"  You get the idea.  After a bit of this, thinking I was lost, then finding out that I wasn't, I made a fatal error.  I turned right when I was directed to turn left.  Soon I was wandering around some pretty remote areas trying to figure out if I was lost or not.  I stopped at several houses for directions.  At the second one, someone was home.  Yes, I was lost.  I go back the direction I came from and turn right, then right again, then right again, then left, and that will take me into Berea.  Easy for her to say. 

An hour later, I stopped by a gentleman who looked like he needed a break from mowing the lawn.  He had me backtrack an mile, but he put me out on a wonderful wide road.  It was only two lanes, but it had 8' shoulders.  The last ten miles were up and down, and then I was in town.

But not before having a few more run-ins with dogs.  The first two, just like yesterday, I was going downhill.  The last one, however, I was going uphill, fairly slowly, and there were four dogs lying next to the road that decided to give chase, two of them Doberman Pinchers.  Fortunately, they were not that interested, and I talked gently to them.  I guess that mathmatically speaking, since I came across 2 dogs yesterday, and six today, then I will have 18 on Tuesday, 54 on Wednesday, etc.  Not.

Despite all my concerns of not getting there until late, I rode in a little after noon.  Getting to Wendy's for lunch was like taking one's life in one's hands.  I walked the bike amidst very congested traffic.  Within two hours, I was joined by both relatives with their families.  It was an experience to treasure.

Monday is a Rest Day.  Primarily, a owner of a bike store is going to come to the motel, on his day off, to replace my disk brakes.  I will need them on the steep hills of eastern Kentucky.  Then I want to look around town, and prepare myself for one of the more difficult days of cycling.

I will be riding on Tuesday to Booneville, KY.  It is 55-60 miles, but there are no services, no conveneince stores, no restaurants.  The road is narrow, curvy, steep and hard to ride.  It will be a long day.  I will probably be out of internet range for several days.

Will McMahan