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Day 55- August 1 - Berea, KY to Boonville, KY - 62 miles Click on the thumbnails to view larger pictures.
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Getting up early in the morning seems to be getting easier and easier and it
has helped to avoid a lot of afternoon heat the Midwest is famous for.
We ate breakfast at a nearby Denny's Restaurant and began riding just as the
sky started to lighten. It was foggy and cool this morning which helped the early
miles go by quickly.
It didn't take long to realize that the gently rolling hills of central Kentucky were behind us and the Appalachians were rapidly approaching. The further we got into the ride the steeper the hills got. However, without the extra gear that we sent home yesterday the climbing went well. Lunch time found us at Darrell Steel's Grocery. At first glance we thought we'd be eating another PBJ sandwich and candy bar, but once inside we noticed they had a small deli. We asked if they could make us a sandwich and the lady said, "Sure, what kind would you like?" We had the best fresh sliced ham and cheese sandwich with tomato, lettuce, and pickle. We topped this off with a banana and ice cream bar. The owner even gave us free cups of ice to go along with our drinks. He added, "We get a lot of cyclists in here and we like to take care of you." We enjoyed the food and company so much that our stop turned out to be longer than expected. It's difficult to leave such pleasant surroundings. We'd been warned all along by west bound cyclists to be careful of the dogs in eastern Kentucky and today we found out first hand. At he top of one particularly long, steep climb we were greeted by a pack of four angry dogs that came from behind a mobile home. Fortunately Gary had his Halt ready and was able to spray the leader, which caused the others to back off. Before the day was over we sprayed 4 others. We can say from experience that Halt does work. We stopped for the day in Booneville. Local historians told us that their town was once known as Boones Station and Daniel Boone camped in the area as he passed through. In fact, some claim that he had a residence here for a while. Today the population is about 250 and the conditions of the town were a grim reminder that we were entering Appalachia. Run down mobile homes, an increased presence of trash, and government assistance offices everywhere speaks of the depression these people live in. |
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