Thursday, May 31, 2012

18- Illinois-y is Rad



Last nights camping spot was sweeet. I made a big ol' fire to get warmed up after the sunset dip in the Ohio River. I slept amaazing and woke up to a beautiful sunrise.
My legs didn't want to pedal yesterday at all, but I took it nice and slow and got a bunch of neat photos with my real camera. (be patient, I will upload all of them next hotel I stay at.)
Luckily after a relaxing evening and a good nights rest I felt much better.
I had a very entertaining day on the bike today.
After three days of trying, I finally figured out how to whistle super loud like mom and dad does when they can't get my attention. I think it was great training trying to learn to whistle and ride at the same time. My lung capacity had to have increased.
I saw not one, not two, but three cozies on the side of the road today and a hilarious lifted 4x4 ford Ranchero, yeehaaw. Country is country wide for sure.
Tonight I am camping at the Devil's Kitchen  Campground outside of Murphysville-town-burro. Haha I don't remember.
Its a beautiful place right on the lake, Complete with showers and power to charge my phone.
Southern Illinois is absolutely beautiful. The road conditions... Not so hot. The last part of the day felt.more like a mountain bike ride.
That's all for now. If y'all are reading this daily give me a shout so I know my audience. I will also answer any questions anybody has.
Loooove T.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

17 - Ferry good day

Camping tonight at the Tower Rock recreation area just outside of Elizabethtown Illinois. Very beautiful place right on the Ohio River.
All for now-my battery is very low and I'm going to go cool off in the river.
Loooove.T

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

16 - 1k and first rain!!

Today we hit the 1,000 mile mark!
I woke up at 5:30 am to crashes of thunder like I had never heard before. The sound seemed to keep coming for 30 seconds at a time. Then came the rain, the first round lasted until 8:30 or so. When it let up I poked my head out of my tent and was a bit surprised to see the sun shining. I packed up my panniers and rushed to get my bike ready, as round two was closing in quick from the west.
As I threw my leg over my bike the rain drops started to fall. I made it to the laundry room just up the hill from my camp site when it really started to throw down. I hung out there for a good half hour before I made a run for the lodge. Abi was waiting there for me - drenched. We went and filled up with breakfast and coffee and then we hit the road.
The first two hours of the day was spent riding in rain. Its actually pretty fun to ride in the rain. It's when it stops when you pay for it. My toes, hands and bum were all water logged.
Aside from the rain and one slight detour as a result of my negligence, the ride was great. The rain brought the turtles out - bringing my turtle rescue number up to seven.
The terrain is a blast to ride on. Its been fun putting my big rig to use.
I love these gentle rolling hills and beautiful farms. A few of the fields resembled lakes after the morning storms.
We knocked off 70 miles of the route, but thanks to my detour, the mileage for the day was closer to 80.
We are staying at the First Baptist Church here in Sebree. It is ammaaazing. The hospitality has yet again been phenomenal. Bob, the pastor, gave us the grand tour and told us supper was at seven. His wife Violet had made spaghetti and man o man was it great. I made mention that Abi had been craving watermelon and every one gave her a hard time about taking all the watermelon for herself. She ended up leaving with a to-go bag.
I checked out the Pastors bike for him and pointed out a few things I would address to get it back up to speed.
Yet again a amazing day on the bike. Kentucky is a beautiful place, the people are super nice.
Loooove T!


Monday, May 28, 2012

15 - I love Mondays

Mondays are the best.
Today I got a new time zone, two sun burnt hands, and a sweeet cow boy hat from the side of the road. Also I saved turtle #5 of the trip.
We have set up camp at the Rough River State Park for the night. I showered and did a load of laundry. Oh so fresh!
Right now I'm sitting in the nice air conditioned lodge at the golf course just up the road. I'm stealing wifi and enjoying this ultra plush chair.
I don't remember how far we rode and the maps are back at the camp site.. Soo I will get back to you on that one.
It was a phenomenal radio day, I had the same station coming in loud and clear for a good two hours. I now have Mambo #5 stuck in my head though... Maybe it wasn't so good after all.  We ate at a all you can eat Buffet for Supper   ...   I love Mondays!!
looooooooooove T!!!!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

14- Lincoln Lincoln Lincoln

60 miles of fun today. We rode out from Lincoln Homestead park with the birthplace of Lincoln as our destination. Man thats alot of Lincoln history.

We are staying the night at LaRue County Park in Hodgenville Ky. Abi and I just checked out the Lincoln Freeze and ended up staying for a hour and a half. Nothing like cheese burgers and ice cream on Memorial Day.

It was really cool riding past all the family cookouts today. And im pretty sure 1 out of 4 vehicles I saw today was hauling a boat. Great day of rolling hills and farm land.

I got to draft behind a round baler being pulled by a tractor today!! The tractor was rolling along at 15 mph and I just sat behind enjoying a nice resistance free ride for a few miles.

loooove T. & happy memorial day.





Saturday, May 26, 2012

Day 13- It's getting hot hot hot


We rolled out of Berea early this morning to beat the heat. It didn't work, by 9am we were stopping to cool down at lil' store. It was a neat gas station with quite the collection of taxidermy. I decided that its never too early for lunch so I ordered a ham n turkey sandwich and a extra one for the road. Delish!
I felt like a piece of bacon riding a bike for the majority of the day. I could feel my insides cooking. Thank goodness for 50 spf sun block and my sweeeet safari shirt Kirby hooked me up with. It was in the mid 90s all day with a heat index of 106.
I have been jamming out to my radio  (which I have recently relocated to my front rack for easy tuning). It seemed like the pesky weather report would come  on every other song reminding me of how hot it was.
The best radio moment yet happened today, I rolled into Burgin a hot spot for motorcycles, absolutely rocking out to eye of the tiger. I rolled my rig right up to the parking lot full of bikers and lifted it up on the center stand like I stopped in there everyday after work. By the time I could get my helmet off they were rolling out.
I must of scared them off! Yeah right.
We stopped in Kentucky's first settlement, Harrodsburg to take a breather and cool off. We ended up finding a place called Kentucky Fudge. It was a beautiful old general store converted into a ice cream shop and cafe. I ordered a large coke float, who cares that I had just had ice cream not a hour before at a gas station. We ended up sitting at chilling for at least a hour.
Today we knocked another 74 or so miles off the maps. Not bad if I do say so myself.
We are camping at the Lincoln Homestead State Park. Turns out our man Abe was actually born in Kentucky.
There is power outlets here at the pavilion so I can charge my camera and a bathroom! Living a life of luxury!  The water from the faucet looked more like milk than water so I went out on the search for clear cool water. Ended up running into a family cleaning up from a wedding. I filled my bottles at their cabin and even got a bag of ham biscuits for the road. I love people!
I'm glad to be at the park and glad its cooling down. I love ice cream, sun block and air conditioning.


Looooooooooooove Mr. bacon... I mean T.




Friday, May 25, 2012

On the 12th day of touring

1- Indy fab
2- Schwable Marathon supreme tires
3- Pairs of bib shorts
4- Hospitable Churches
5- Dogs a biting at my panniers.......

Well you get the point. I know you start at 12 in the real song buut... hey this was easier.
Last night was the most pleasant yet, it was a clear night in Boonville. As the sunset the fire flies started to show. As it turns out Cali Bill had never seen a lightening bug before!
I slept under the stars, it was really amazing to lay and watch the fire flies blend in with the stars.  I woke to a soggy sleeping bag but it was well worth the view.
Michael rolled out early, planning on logging a big day in the record setting Kentucky heat. I'm pretty sure he is gonna do his own thing from here out. This decision resulted in a quiet first few miles for Abi and I. Bike touring is all about finding a pace you can sustain and enjoy, and mine and Abi's pace is a bit different than his. Who knows we may run into him again before the summer is out.
Abi and I rode the 50 miles to Berea before it got too hot. We are out of the big mountains and getting into the foothills now. There were more hayfield's than coal mines today. And lucky for me, only one dog tried to eat me today!
Berea is a fun little college town, it is known for its artists and shops. We milled around and checked out all the shops in the old part of town. We watched a lady making glass beads and ended  up getting a lesson on the process. We also checked out the music store, chocolate shop, and a bunch of the other artists shops.
We got dinner at a sweet lil'coffee shop near the college campus. It was delish.





I'm glad the mood of the day picked up and super pumped we got to check out this cool town.  Michael we miss you bud!

Thomas

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Day 11- Kentucky 4H


I know some of you think that 4H stands for head, heart, hands and health ... Not in Kentucky! It's heat, humidity, hills and hounds. It was a hot one, a humid one, a very hilly one, and I was chased by as many as five dogs at one time. Buuut a very good one.
Today was a blast to say the least. Abi, Bill and myself rode together. We left Hindman riding through the clouds and climbed our way to the sunshine. The terrain may be mellowing out mile by mile but the climbs are still no joke. We rode right at 65 miles today.
I had the best coca-cola ever at a little shop in Cow Creek. It was ice cold and the lady running the store was the sweetest lady ever. She had been in Cow Creek for 45 years. Her and her late-husband started the store and did very well for themselves.
In the stores earlier years, she told us, they had a wide selection of goods and gas pumps. Today the store was down to very few items, the bare minimum actually. A few boxes of little Debbie cakes, soda, and some bubble gum. She blamed it on the "meanness" that is taking over the county.
"You know, pills, dope, booze... These kids are doing everything but the right thing."
Bill and I sat and enjoyed our cold sodas and her stories of her and her late-husbands success, and her take on why it has since changed. I left there with chills, it was wonderful hearing her share bits about her life.
It's interactions like that one over a cold coke, that makes this trip so great.
We are staying tonight behind the Presbyterian church in Booneville. Its a nice set up with two pavilions, one of which even has a shower.
I'm going take it easy tomorrow and slow my roll a bit. Its going to be very hot again but hey, that just makes for more opportunities for talks over cold cokes.

Cheers, T.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Day 10- Church hopping

Last night= Freeda Harris Baptist Church in Lookout.
Tonight= Hindman First Baptist Church.
Today's ride was pleasant. There were three big climbs that I got to sit, spin and smile up. It was a short day, riding just at fifty miles. Its kinda crazy that fifty miles seems like a short ride to me now. 
We rode with Bill all day today. Man he can climb! It was great hearing about his career as a fire fighter and listening to him talk about his three sons.
We ate cheeseburgers for lunch at a lil' joint just off the route. It was yummtastic!
This church is amazing, we are staying in the youth center just down the hill from their main building. It has air hockey, ping pong, a pool table and ultra cozy couches. The church's praise and worship band is practicing right now by the way. They are sounding good. Like I said this place is amazing.
The hospitality we are receiving day after day is really great. I love bike touring.
T.


Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Day 8 & 9 - Bye Virginia - Hello stray dogs!!!

The last two days have been great! Lots of great climbs and screaming descents.
Today we crossed into Kentucky! So far there have been a number of stray dogs. Luckily Abbi who we met in Dublin on Sunday, gave us a heads up about the dogs. She also recommended that we try spraying the dogs with water bottles rather than the Halt pepper spray we all brought along. Great advice Abbi, It stops them in their tracks!
We are staying at the Freeda Harris Baptist Center, here in Lookout for the night. There are five of us here, including AJ and Bill from California. Bill gets the award for trickiest bike of the trip. Its a teal Atlanis (made by waterford) complete with Phil Wood everything, and a Brooks! It makes the I.F. look like a joke.
Warm showers, homemade food and good company. Couldn't ask for a better evening.
Loooooove T.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Day 7 - Rest and Radios


Today has been great, it was just what we needed to wrap up week one on the road. We all slept in this morning, then headed to the farm for breakfast. Dad made sausage, eggs, biscuits , gravy,  and cinnamon rolls. Very filling and very delicious.
Then we went to church at Heritage on Route 100 in Dublin. We got there fashionably late but still caught the majority of praise and worship and the message. It was great to see Bubba and the fam there!
I installed Michael's new kickstand and then got on the road. We kept the mileage low today so we would not have to race the sunset and so we could let the legs rest a bit more.
Since I stayed at home last night I was able to drop off some clothing and gear that I hadn't used yet. That being said I also had the opportunity to pick up some new goodies. The best addition was a solar powered FM radio. We had a blast jamming out to 94.9 today.

We stopped at the draper mercantile for a late lunch and ice cream. My mom was there to greet us and take some pictures of us riding together.
I am beginning to think this is as much a culinary tour as it is a bike tour. I may be gaining weight!
We rode slowly, jammin dancing and singing the whole way to Wytheville.
We had a slight mechanical hic-up when Michael's chain decided it wanted to get to know his drive side spokes, but never fear! bike mechanic was here. We unlodged the chain, checked for bent links and tightened the low limit screw as to avoid it happening again.

We are camping tonight at the park in Wytheville. Its a beautiful, peaceful place to camp. I played in the frigged creek just like I used to as a youngin.
Also, we met two cyclists heading East. Abbi and Evan were stopping for a break just outside of Dublin. We had a nice chat and exchanged cards. Abbi and Evan if you read this, y'all rock, it was great meeting you and safe travels!
All and all a greaat day! Bike feels great. I think I'm at a much more manageable weight.
Thanks Mom and Dad, Memaw and Granddaddy for the good food and nice visit.
Looove
Thomas

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Day 6- Hey, I know this road!

Today we rolled out of Troutville after crushing the continental breakfast. I made friends with the fellas at the oil change place, and bummed a 1'' wrench to tighten my brake rotor.
Today's ride was scenic and enjoyable buuut I think we all were feeling a little less than fantastic. The last 20 miles of the day were a bit like work and not so much fun. Good news is we are staying in Dublin tonight at my house!! I dropped 10 pounds off my bike and gear weight and I'm feeling really happy about that.
Memaw made her famous lasagna for us, it was delicious. We celebrated Michael's birthday yet again with a ice cream cake my Mom picked up. All around a great evening.
We will be going to church in Christiansburg tomorrow morning and then riding to Wytheville.
I hope that my crew from the shop will join us for part of tomorrows ride.
It was great riding familiar roads and seeing folks out on their bikes. I love Virginia, love my family aand going to love the relaxed day tomorrow.
Heart T.



Friday, May 18, 2012

Day 5- lions and tigers and bears.... Wait no thats a cow

I just uploaded all my photos to facebook so checky checky.
Today's highlights include.
Michaels b day
Rolling hills and beautiful streams
A bunch of railroad crossings
Good food
Michael mistaking a cow for a bear
A sweet antique store
And lost blog posts. I have lost three now!! I am just going to start doing this simple like. So check out my photos, enjoy and ride your bike. If you don't have a bike go for a walk. If you don't like walking buy a bike. Simple
Love Thomas!!!!!

Day 4

Day of climbing on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Fun stuff!



Facebook update <3 LEH

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Day 3- Hokie in hooville


I woke up early again. (I think I will stop saying that, it goes with out saying) I was pleasantly surprised to find that I wasn't soaked. It stormed a bunch last night but the tent my man Wyatt at Blueridge Outdoors suggested did its job well. We got on route and kept the pace very relaxed most all day. The hills are getting longer and the scenery is getting nicer by the mile.
The ride into Charlottesville was a pain, as we got closer the road got narrower and more congested. We stopped in at Thomas Jefferson's place (the Monte hello as I called it) but there was no convenient way to secure the steeds and the next tour wasn't for hours. So we gave up, not with out taking the best photo so far though.






We rode on to Charlotsville and got ten shades of lost, we eventually found the bike route 76 signs and our home for the evening.
John, with the blue motobecane from day 1, had suggested that we camp in the yard of his old fraternities house. Its literally 50 off the route. We arrived exhausted from the climb into town, and the heat.
John had stayed at the house the night before and was planning another high mileage day to keep on schedule. Unfortunately his knee said otherwise and he logged 8 short miles, before hitching a ride back to the house.
This resulted in us being able to stay in the house, shower and do laundry. The house is huge with 25 or so guys calling it home. Only one of which was home when we got here. Its beach week here apparently and everybody is out celebrating the end of the semester.
John was a great tour guide and showed us his favorite places in town to eat. We went with The White Spot, a greasy burger joint.  We all got the Gus burger completed with a fried egg on top. We sat and ate and slowly we all came back to life.
After we ate John went back to the house to rest his knee and the three of us checked out the shops on main street and downtown. Its actually a cool place with lots of open air dining areas and neat shops. My favorites were the used book store and a high end antique shop with lots of bizarre goods.
We stopped on the way back for ice cream and it was delicious.
When we got back to the house John gave us a heads up that 10 of the guys were coming home tonight.
As we sat on the couch it was a parade of guys all sunburned and hungover. They didn't seem concerned in the slightest that three random people were on their couch with their bikes leaning on every empty wall, clothes bags and maps spread out on the floor. Too funny. All super nice guys though, and amazed that we are spending the summer on our bikes.

I'm not sure where I'm going to sleep yet but its all good. I'm happy to be here.










I KNOW THE PHOTOS ARE SIDEWAYS BUT I CANT FIX THEM!!!! haha ahhhhhhhhhhh