West Hamlin, WV to Red Bush,KY
Big breakfast this AM. Didn’t eat dinner last night. Ate 4 times during the day yesterday and just never got hungry in the evening. On the road at 7:15 AM.
Pleasure ride back road up to Wayne, WV. Several big hills, but mostly flat. Some really nice homes and lots of trailers and shacks. Some goats were grazing on a really nice front lawn. And those pesky dogs continue.
Crossed the Tug Fork and Lavassa Rivers into Kentucky. My fifth state!
Kontroversy in Kentucky: In the town of Louisa, just across the border, I hit the library to check-in. Nearby, on the lawn of the courthouse, a group of people had gathered to protest. I asked one of the protesters what was going on and he told me that one - Truman Evans is to be sentenced today to life +20 for child molestation. All these people felt he was innocent and did not get a fair trial. They asked me to sign their petition and I said, “Sure. “
Moments later, some redneck pulls up in a pick-up truck and asks me if I signed the petition and I said, “Yes.”
He said, “Why?”
I said, “Everyone has the right to a fair trial.” Then he started getting into it with the protesters. I figured it was time to keep “goinacross” and left.
The afternoon ride through Kentucky was hot and hilly. Two really steep ones. Found a spot to take a break on the way to Blaine, KY. A path led down to Yatesville Lake from along Highway 32. Went for a swim. Water was warm - almost too warm to be really refreshing.
The log trucks were persistently annoying. I took a picture of the second of a pair, just after it roared by me. After one last long steep climb over Blaine Hill, I coasted down to the town. The map showed it at the intersection of 201 & 32. All I could see there was a Pepsi sign on a post down 201. I was down to my last sips of water and ready for lunch. I pulled up at the sign and realized the restaurant had burned to the ground. Next door was a hair salon with a soda machine outside. But it wasn’t on. Now what? Nothing else here. Map says 7 more miles to next town. Gotta try - well, a mere 1/4 mile down the road was a general store. YAHOO!! I went in and asked about a sit-down restaurant and the lady behind the register said, “I can fix you something to eat.” She then came out from behind the cash register and pulled a 5 gallon bucket of joint compound off a stack and set it on the floor (that was my seat) and she moved some boxes of cast iron skillets and poof! - instant table! This was great and the air conditioning felt good, too. I got a pound of chicken salad and she gave me some bread to make sandwiches. I drank a quart of milk, a 20 oz. lemonade and had a slice of pizza and a Klondike bar.
While at grocery store where I had lunch on a 5 gallon bucket of joint compound, I took off my shoes and walked around the store in my socks. Talk about “making yourself at home” and shortly afterwards I noticed the lady at the register was barefoot too!
While I was eating, I was staring at the displays. Honey in jars with the honeycomb still in it. Mild chow-chow (whatever that is), sorghum, pickled corn, apple butter, and corn relish. The talk in the store was all about a local woman who was murdered. Shot once in the temple. One local theorizes she shot herself and someone stole the gun after the fact. Possibly the hot-headed brother-in-law did it. Big News in Blaine!
Late in the day, I met two men in Redbush who told me of a lake nearby where I could camp. They said it was a mile off the road. Actually it was 2 miles and the paved road turned to gravel after 1/2 a mile. Not good riding this bike on gravel. Tires too skinny. At the end of the road was a pavilion (no tables) and a circular walk for fishing.
Well, it’s 8:45 PM. The tent is set up by a lake. Have it all to myself. Long day. 81.34 miles today. 7 hr. 35 min. 719.5 mile total. Am near Redbush, KY. Not sure of the lake’s name. Went for a swim and ate dinner. Sprayed for bugs. Hope I’m tired enough to sleep soundly tonight. The flashlight is mounted on the ceiling of the tent and I have “Nancy” on! Thunderstorms predicted tonight. Rain likely next few days.
The scenery today was a lot of tobacco fields, occasional oil derrick in the backyard, often tombstones up on the hills behind people’s houses. They like to bury their kin close to home. Eclipsed 700 miles on Blaine Hill. OK - goodnight.