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 My bicycle waiting to be transferred to a new bus to Pittsburgh Waking up, I had a fear, “What if I can’t get on Greyhound?” I’d bought the fully refundable fare so I could travel anytime plus could get a refund.
So I started trying to think of what to do if Greyhound didn’t work. As so often is the case in the USA, Amtrak was not an option. A one-way rental car is now only possible airport to airport so I’d have to get to Lexington, KY which is about 50 miles from Berea. A day’s work. Plus the rental companies now charge about $200 as a fee for one way rentals. So I was going to have to spend $350 to rent a car from Lexington to Pittsburgh. Then I realized there is still a company that gives a one way rental: UHaul. I could rent a ten foot box truck from Berea to Pittsburgh for $350 and unlike the car rental I could take up to three days to get there. Expensive option but an option. Continue reading Day 75: Berea, KY to Pittsburgh, PA by Greyhound Bus (November 12)
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 A tobacco drying barn with geometric pattern This morning was very cold when I got up — about 25 F. Even after the sun was up for a hour it was still below freezing. It would be a slow start. I normally go slow to warm up but today would be even slower and involve multiple stops for layer adjusting. Looking at the ACA route, there would be no restaurants along the way to buy lunch. I’d be snacking it today. Plus with it so cold, I would not be sitting by the roadside to enjoy a lunch either. Somehow this 52 miles felt like a long distance between services sort of like being out west.
The ACA routes are nice because they try to put you on roads with little traffic. Today was certainly one of those days. It seemed like hours that I could ride in solitude with no noise but my tires and the birds.
I did run into a few dogs who charged my bicycle barking but now I have found that if I ignore them they lose interest pretty quickly. But there was one today I could not ignore. He ran out in front of my bike right in front of the tire. I was going about 12-14 mph which seemed a little fast for him to run along with his head turned completely around barking at me. It was a little comical but I was worried about running him over. I kept having to brake and steer aside. Eventually he gave up. Continue reading Day 74: Harrodsburg to Berea, KY (November 11)
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 Kentucky Bluegrass with blue skies and puffy clouds I stepped out in the morning just before sunrise, and was faced with a crisp, cold morning. It was below freezing by quite a bit. The weather channel said it was about 24 F. I had some breakfast and hoped it would warm up by the time I was ready to go.
When I left the temperature was just about freezing. I bundled up so that I’d warm up warm instead of trying to go out cold and warm up. I knew that I’d have to change out of something in about twenty or thirty minutes. The day was somewhat breezy so it might be even longer. Continue reading Day 73: Bardstown to Harrodsburg, KY (November 10)
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 The birthplace of President Abraham Lincoln I woke up this morning thinking I had to get going to cover a lot of ground. But I stopped myself. The birth place of Abraham Lincoln was just minutes away. I could not be this close without visiting. I had read Bill Bryson’s less than enthusiastic description…but he basically hated everything he saw while driving through the USA so I didn’t feel it was a useful guide.
The birthplace park is small. There is a visitor center and a stone, monumental building that houses a log cabin. The cabin is supposed to represent the cabin that Lincoln grew up in. Unfortunately, the monument was closed for repairs, but the visitor center was interesting. The rain started as I got ready to leave the birthplace. The route would take me by the Lincoln homestead and another farm that Lincoln lived on as a child before the family moved to Illinois. The farm was in a little valley that was extremely picturesque. The steep hillsides came down onto a lush green field. If it had not been completely pouring rain I would have stopped for more than a couple minutes. Continue reading Day 72: Hodgenville to Bardstown, KY (November 9)
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 Falls of Rough State Park I had the thought today another reason to miss cycling in the west. The route is easier to follow. In Nevada, the basic instruction is: “Get on Route 50, follow until you leave the state.” Now I have to pay attention to street signs and the unmarked ones are fun so I have to remember to check both instructions and bike computer.
Continue reading Day 71: Falls of the Rough to Hodgenville, KY (November 8)
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 Fall foliage in Kentucky Today had more chicken farms. And more dump trucks of chicken crap leaving a wake of putrid stink. Continue reading Day 70: Sebree to Falls of the Rough, KY (November 7)
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 Another Kentucky church I planned on going to Sebree today. Not too ambitious a distance. My decision was partially based on the Baptist Church in Sebree being renown for its hostel quarters for cyclists. It also satisfied my requirement of 45 miles a day.
The road was through forests with a few farms. I came across a new kind of farm: chicken farm. There were several Tyson farms. They are long single story buildings with giant fans on the sides, and a terrible, foul odor. Funny how there are no chickens visible but more foul than a cow feed lot. Chicken farms proved to me that breathing is necessary while cycling. No matter how hard I tried not to breathe so I wouldn’t smell it, I couldn’t. The dump trucks full of chicken crap also challenged my breathing leaving a trail of odor. Continue reading Day 69: Marion to Sebree, KY (November 6)
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 Ferry across the Ohio River I had big plans for today. I was up early, going to Dari Barr for breakfast then start riding at sun-up (07:15 or so). As soon as I opened the door if the motel I knew there’d be a problem: fog. Dense fog. In the darkness visibility was only about 100 feet. I carefully rode down to the Dari Barr diner with all lights flashing. It was about half full at 06:15 but the parking lot was full.
Overhearing other conversations, two people had hit deer with their trucks that morning because as one said “I couldn’t see where I was going.” That was good enough for me to wait. When the library opened at 09:00, I went over there to use the Internet. Then went to the post office to mail some excess. The fog finally clear almost instant at 10:00. I headed out. My new goal was Marion, KY. There was a good place to stay at the United Methodist Church in Marion. Continue reading Day 68: Golconda, IL to Marion, KY (November 5)
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