4/16 Ah! That makes sense, except for the van we passed that was from Rock Bottom Baptist Church near Booneville. Seems like a “Rock Bottom” would be a “Holler.” I suppose it depends on your perspective.
2023-04-18
4/16 Paul did return with the van. We secured the bikes, loaded our stuff, and said goodbye to Buckhorn Lake Resort.
4/16 It took two hours to get to Richmond. Not interested in bicycling those hills we drove over (in case you were wondering). We passed the Log Cathedral and stopped at RC Sparks Kentucky Food Store in Booneville and the courthouse in Irvine. Got to Richmond at sunset.
4/17 Delivered the van back to U-Haul then walked 2 1/2 miles to pick up the Touro pickup truck we rented. On the way we found a brewery with a wood-fired oven and enjoyed libations and food worthy of a Seattle establishment! Oh, and we passed the Jif peanut butter plant!
4/17 We found a local Fred Meyer store called Meijers, where we bought tons of groceries. It is fun to cook our own meals in our VRBO apartment, which we have rented for the week. We both feel like we are playing “house.”
4/18 We went back to Lexington today to check out another bike shop and to see the sights. The theme in Lexington is horses, and they have the art to prove it, even in the windows of old buildings.
4/18 Stopped at the public library for a book sale. Beautiful art there, too. Featuring a pendulum and more horses in the rotunda. We saw other art, too. Including one of the most beautiful hazy IPA’s Paul has ever tasted! It’s refreshing to see so many murals without graffiti.
4/19 Today we delivered the bike to the Bike Shop. They think there is something wrong with the hydraulic system and plan to bleed the brakes to fix it. We went back to Richmond and spent the afternoon enjoying our “hometown”. Paul talked to the Big Bee!
4/20 Picked up the bikes. Rhe’s brakes failed because of a bubble in the fluid in both front and rear hydraulics. Hopefully it’s solved by adding more fluid and bleeding them. Our thanks to Broomwagon Bicycle and Cafe. Then we said goodbye to the truck and now we pedal again.
4/20 Even though Lexington and Richmond are only 20 miles apart, the Kentucky River flows between them and traffic over the bridges sucks. Luckily, we found a one lane bridge with an expanded metal grating deck that had few cars. You can see the road to it from the other side.
4/21 On the Road Again! Said goodbye to the apartment and headed to Berea. It felt so strange to pedal with all the weight again, but the brakes work! Berea is a beautiful town known for its arts and the Berea College. We stopped at the Artisan Center of Berea and had lunch.
4/21 After lunch the clouds were threatening. We pedaled past the Boone Tavern, raced to the Econolodge, and arrived just before the rain began. We may have to make our dinner in the room here tonight if the rain doesn’t let up! .8 inches predicted….
2023-04-21
4/22 We decided to treat ourselves to a fancy breakfast at the Historic Boone Tavern in Berea. It was a Saturday but we were all alone in the dining room. I urged Paul to order the grits, but he chickened out and went for the potatoes. The Tavern is associated with the college.
4/22 After the rain last night, this started out as a magical day of biking. The route took us on some very small roads through dense foliage which reminded us of Ireland. The rivers and streams were muddy and full with the runoff.
4/22 As we left Berea, we met a gentleman who was a fount of information. He told us to watch for stone walls. These were made by the Irish immigrants from the stones removed from the fields by the slaves clearing the land for agricultural uses. We saw quite a few of them.
4/22 Speaking of fences, I am intrigued by the move from the white fences I remember seeing in the 70’s to the black fences (and barns) that are prevalent today. Not sure why this change happened, but it’s everywhere.
4/22 Speaking of barns, we have seen many of them with this quilt panel painted on the wall. Some buildings in town have it, too. I think it’s related to the Appalachian arts and crafts focus in Berea. The town pictured is Paint Lick, KY.
4/22 We had been expecting a fairly easy day of 25 miles. But when we arrived at the Bluegrass Texas Longhorn Ranch bicycle camping, it was on a ridge, cold and windy with no running water and a pit toilet. We opted to ride 16 more miles for a shower and a spot out of the wind.
4/22 We stopped in Harrodsburg for a grocery run, then ate lunch at a state park dedicated to the pioneering past of the area. The chapel is the church where Abraham Lincoln’s parents were married. The tree was just amazing!
4/23 We mostly rode today on a fairly busy two lane highway with no shoulder. But there were some patches of those lovely one lane roads with no traffic. And we ran into more Lincoln history, including the home where his uncle lived.
4/23 Sunday’s mileage update: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 0 miles waiting for the bicycles to be worked on; Thursday, 4/20, 32.2 miles; Friday, 4/21, 20.5 miles; Saturday, 4/22, 44.4 miles; Sunday, 4/23, 41.5 miles. Total mileage to date: 974.21.
2023-04-24
4/23 We should make it clear that we have not ridden 974.21 miles of the TransAm route. Because we ride our bikes everywhere, the mileage includes our trip from Lexington to Berea to get back on the route, our forays to grocery stores and lodging that are not on route, etc.
2023-04-24
