Bloody hell...I'm in Virginia !!  :)

I need to stop sleeping on such quality hotels lol!

Kentucky stream

Micky mouse panckes

Scott and Ann planning tomorrows rides

Set off at a more civilized time today after a great breakfast . The ride was a short one...around 50 miles to the small village of lookout.

...but...then came the really steep climbs...three of them...in a row...but I got up and over each of them without to much agony and the downhills were fun!

The mountains here are covered in trees and they restrict the view almost totally. But trust me, its a long way down at the side of the road!

Along the way I had a major ice cream relapse and stopped twice to sample the local soft ice!

My legs felt great and I could have kept on for another 20 or so miles but decided to stop at the baptist church centre to sleep. The only problem being it was locked and the guy with the key gone on holiday. So...I asked the neighbours and the girls in the gas station store and soon the village was all involved...but to no avail the keys were still on holiday lol!

So u just put up my tent anyway and ate gas station pizza ans green tea until Anne and Scott arrived. I knew they were a way behind me and were relying on the hostel being open. I could have gone over the next mountain to the campground at the state park lake but decided to wait for them here and called back to let them know about the food drill here etc.


The accent here is really hard for me to follow...and tonight I had a real laugh with the pizza people about it as they were also clueless as to what I was saying..great fun!

This part of Kentucky is very poor. The people are friendly but have little compared to those in the previous parts of this state I have ridden through.

The dogs here try to take food from cyclists panniers I was told even though I had no trouble with dogs today.

Ah...here us a lady with a key...gotta go!

...well..as always on this trip when I need a lucky break something good always happens. The neighbour I asked earlier tracked down a key...so tonight I'm sleeping in the gym here. It has a full shower washroom set up, a basketball court, and enough food to feed an army!

Also I'm protected from the free running pitbulls outside tonight.

Ann and Scott showed up to so we are all sleeping on the basketball court!

I had a good day...a great ride and have a safe place to sleep tonight. Tomorrow I cross the state line into Virginia!

The climbs here are steep switchbacks that look ominous at the bottom but once into my stride they were actually not to bad. Lowest gear all the way up and real dig in and let's get this done mind set did the trick.
It reminded me of the climb up McKenzie pass at the begging of this tour...steep sharp switchbacks.

The basketball
Court where I'm sleeping tonight.

Breakfast this morning in Kentucky ...best breakfast on the transam at the historical society here in hindman.

Pictures of yours truly today ..taken by Chris from south Carolina who I rode with today.

Appalacian roads go up..up..and then up a bit more. But going down was never so much fun!

Well it needed a hug after I trod on it lol!

I loved this house I rode past today...green , space, modern,...in the mountain forests...hmmm...shame I don't understand the language here lol!

Scenes from a day riding in the appalations mountains in Kentucky...which I will remember as Americas green state.

Today was all about climbing...here in the appalations the hills are long and steep...but nothing I couldn't handle. Mostly its quiet narrow roads with well behaved traffic...then there is the highway to hell...80..from hazard to dwarf. Apart from that stretch the ride is really scenic...green everywhere. I rode with Chris ...Scott went to hazard and Ana rolled up later and here we are at the hostel in the historical society on top of what has to be the steepest hill on the transam...thankfully its just the guys driveway but it has to be a 50% grade no kidding!

Here the are cats...and so far I've only trodden on one kitten lol!

I rode 68 miles today in these mountains...my legs could have ridden another 40 I felt so good up here in these green hills...free...and within a day or twos ride now of Virginia.

I'm having a.problem slowing down...my body and mind is conditioned to riding at least 50 miles everyday...niether wants to stop...I feel like I just want to ride forever...I suppose that's the endorphins talking lol!

Camped on the hill here at the hostel...Kentucky has been good to me so far.

Welcome to the Appalachians Rolf!...this is the climb up big hill the first climb in the Appalachian mountains riding east. It's bigger than the picture but so far the climbs today have been ok. After yesterdays long ride I stopped at 50 miles today at a church bike camp site...here I met up with Chris from Carolina, Anna from Australia and Scott again. So tonight l four of us are camping in booneville...Kentucky.

The scenery here is really nice...I'm told the hills get a lot tougher soon.

Kentucky is a beautiful state to ride through...so green and sunny but not to hot.

No dog attacks today...because there were no dogs..lol!

Keeping it short tonight as I'm exhausted.

Breakfast of eggs bacon tomato American biscuits and gravy.

Scenes from the first day in the appalations today.

Bike camp at the church in booneville

Scott, Anna & Chris. We are all riding independantly but happened to all land here at the same time as we are all going the same direction...east.

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The church at kirkville is typical of the kind of churches all over this part of Kentucky. There were less on todays ride than in the previous few days...sometimes less is more as this one was beautiful I thought.

Earlier in the day I had been 'blessed' by a guy who owned a gas station store...he said I should feel important as he had actually got put of his chair because I was English...he then told me all about how we had lost what he called the revolutionary war...and then with a smile on his face and a chew of his tobacco he asked the lord to protect me on my ride.
..which I thought was most slendid of the old codger!

A tobaccaco barn on todays ride on Kentucky.

Harrington lake kentucky

Kentucky kows

Kentucky kows

My first view of the Appalachian mountains to come

Abe's place

Todays ride was wonderful! I rode 98 miles to Berea Kentucky the gateway to the Appalachian mountains. I really enjoyed it..the countryside is rolling hills..steep in places and I had to keep telling myself this was not an English summers day in Surrey or Sussex!
Blue sky warm but lots of shade , green grass and trees everywhere...one of the prettiest rides of the trip yet!
Only one dog charge and he gave up when he realized he'd have to rum uphill to get me lol!
I rode to Abraham Lincolns homestead house...the guy clearly came from a poor upbringing.
I met a rider from Kansas city going east..Scott. we rode together for a few minutes ..had a few navigation cock ups because the map was clearly wrong...so I put my.faith in god technology for the test of the ride and set off...when I looked back Scott was nowhere to be seen...oops.
I headed on to Berea and found water at a church in kirkville. The hills here have a habit of making me feel seasick as they are like riding a rollercoaster all day!
Eventually I got to Berea and my stomache took me directly to subway and ordered the biggest sandwich with all the trimmings and four refills of Gatorade! Refills here are free for those Brits reading this.
I was going to camp at the rv park but it was out on the freeway and I valued my life to much..besides I just had a great ride and finished map section 10 of the 12 on the transam so I got a motel with a swimming pool as a treat!

I've ridden through another time zone change...think I'm on eastern standard time now...it actually feels a bit different as I'm more tired in the mornings and the sunsets earlier. Five hours behind the UK now.

Basecamp in bardstown Kentucky...probably the greenest town so far!

Tomorrow I will have been riding for two months. So far I have ridden through Oregon, idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, ilinois and I am currently about halfway across Kentucky. I still have the rest of Kentucky, west Virginia and Virginia to ride. I am so used to riding 70miles a day now that to slow down feels wrong...I.get bored easily.if I am not riding. So I am going to keep going and make sure I get to the Atlantic ocean. Then I will think about what to do if I have any excess time before the flight home.

I am noticing a distinct change in the accent of people.I meet.  It's got that southern drawl and I'm having trouble understanding what some people are talking about lol! They of course have no idea what I am saying either ha ha!...

The roadkill situation has changed from the wholesale armadillo massacre I saw in Missouri to full on skunk slaughter.

It is still humid here...and I am often buzzed by dragonflies as I ride.

I saw strange big birds today..the guy in the gas station said.._" well dems wiiild turkeys...dems for shootin..day makes for goooood eatin!"
..roll on Xmas.