The Big Ride

Poor Louise had another rough day. First, she fell over and broke her phone mount which required some electrical tape and duct tape wizardry by Brad. After lunch, she got a front tire puncture from a large staple. Fortunately, this occurred about two hundred yards from a dairy bar so we ordered root beer floats […]

Today was full of THE 4 H’s – Hills – we’re in Appalachia now. Very hilly Humidity – 80%+ again today Heat – got up to 93 degrees Hounds – we were charged at by at least 12 dogs today. A record for the trip. The whistles and horns worked, but their attacks are scary

Our day started off with a bit of anxiety. We drove an hour to a bike shop in Lexington with the hope of arriving right at the opening and getting my bike, Louise, a new wheel. Fortunately, manager John was super helpful, knowledgeable and sympathetic to our timing needs. We had Louise out of surgery

Today was a mixed bag of highs and lows…. Beautiful scenery as we rode, lots of rolling hills, gorgeous homesteads and estates, decent roads. We were prepared to be less than impressed with Kentucky – not sure why because it really is pretty and one of our prettiest areas of the whole trip. Put it

We didn’t ride, but it was a busy day! First, friend Karen from our neighborhood in Utah drove from Louisville with her Mom, and friends Roman and Steve, to meet us at our hotel with some Kentucky goodies. It was so nice to see another friend during our journey and to meet Jean, Roman and

Today’s ride was similar to yesterday’s (except no cool ferry), so there’s more to say about our hotel last night, which was a real surprise. The Holiday Inn Express Owensboro Riverfront, right on the Ohio River, is next to a cool convention center building, has a nicely designed lobby with a very tasty restaurant/bar, but

Does taking a ferry for 1/10 of a mile across the Ohio River count as cheating??? Great start to the day. The ferry crossing was a fun change of scene, plus the early morning light was cool. We’re in Kentucky now. And more than 3/4 of the way through our journey’s mileage and days. Also,

We both felt rested after spending yesterday in the hotel so were able to exceed today’s planned mileage. But first, we have to talk about the takeout Illinois barbecue we had (we didn’t know there was such a thing either!). 17th Street Barbecue in Murphysboro won the Grand Champion’s award in a BBQ contest in

Today was a BIG day – Big elevation gain – 3,927 feet – for some reason we thought it was going to be more downhill – WRONGO! Big temps and humidity – 94 degrees, 80% humidity. Big, scary coal trucks passing us in Illinois Big Guts – we had to cross over the Mississippi River