TransAm Day #11 Hindman, KY

TransAm Day #11

June 5, 2018

Hindman, KY - Booneville, KY

68 Miles

Ride Time 5:34 Hours

Tour Total Miles 733

details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180605-0615-11848

#TeamBR2S got up at 5am, quickly used the bathroom, and tried as hard as possible to be considerate and not wake the 15 other cyclists sleeping scattered on the floor around us. I packed in near darkness and brought my panniers downstairs and out front of the church. As I was loading up, I talked with Dennis, one of the guides for the ACA assisted ride. He sports a long white ponytail, and has plenty of good stories. He did the TransAm unassisted last summer.

Brian, the two Steves, and I rode for about 20 miles until we found a breakfast place. It was cold, and I wore my windbreaker, down vest, and baclava. A rival blog wrote that I looked like Kenny from South Park.

I ate at the Circle T. and I had my usual, two egg sandwiches and coffee. They didn’t have any orange juice. Four professors sitting around the breakfast table in Hazard, KY. I wonder if there’s an academic travel grant Steve H could get me for today’s conference. There were people smoking inside the restaurant and Keno was the big attraction. The cigarette smoke was disgusting. F you Mitch McConnell and all you horrible Republicans. Smoking is disgusting and is a killer. Why don’t you regulate the dangers that harm your people instead of lining your own pockets? So revolting. How can smoking in a restaurant still be legal anywhere?

Yesterday it was coal trucks, and today it was dogs. Eastern Kentucky is living up to it’s reputation. There were a few close calls today. A pair of fast dogs chased me up a hill and I rode so fast, I was completely out of breath at the top. Just before Buckhorn, a really big mean dog came after me. Our local guide and translator, Steve H. later classified it as as a scary mean-ass Heinz 57 junkyard dog. He said that you could tell it was a fight dog, from the scars. This monster could have easily taken a piece out of me. He was up close on both sides of the bike. I was on an uphill and terrified. I just kept yelling commands at him. You sit! Sit down! Sit! I was so lucky I didn’t get bit. When we later met back up, Steve G showed us the teeth marks in his rear pannier. Ortlieb panniers are strong, and the dog’s teeth didn’t pierce it. I wondered afterwards, if the dog had been attracted to Steve G’s rear panniers because they were red.

I caught up with the fast pack from the ACA assisted tour. They had past me while I was at breakfast. I love chasing fast packs like a dog after a bunch of rabbits. I believe they were all from LA. The woman asked me if me if it was my alarm clock that went off this morning at 5am, and I replied that all four alarm clocks of #TeamBR2S went off at 5am. She wanted to know where we were all staying tonight and I replied, “Same place as you”. She shot back with, “Can you guys not set your alarms for 5am tomorrow?”, as if she owned the churches we were staying in. What nerve. Keep in mind that these pussies aren’t carrying any gear. Their suitcases are all packed in the trailer Dennis was pulling behind the van. Even with 90 pounds of gear, I still managed to catch them. I’m handling out coins, stickers, and cards to every unassisted TransAm cyclist I meet, but F these guys. When Steve H heard about this, he was so mad he threatened to get up tomorrow morning at 4:30, just to show ‘em.

The lunch place was scary. I’ve never seen such obese people in my entire life. One guy was the size of a grand piano. We were able to order Steve H's beloved bologna sandwiches. As he had promised, the bologna slices were half an inch thick. We found it difficult to un-see the grand piano guy, though. It wasn’t an appetizing experience.

I love riding along train tracks especially when there are two sets of tracks. I know it’s going to be a mellow grade. I was particularly excited this afternoon, because I was familiar with this part of Kentucky. My grandparents used to bring me down to a church camp near Irving every summer, where I would climb bluffs, catch bats and moths, and explore caves. I took my son there a few years ago. It’s a special place.

Every municipality around here seems to be having an upcoming election for local jailer. I've seen an assortment of signs and candidates all day long. I noticed that a guy, out along the road cutting his lawn, had a Jesus bear box. There were pictures of our Lord and Savior on all four sides.

They use railroad rails for many purposes around here, like vertical posts to hold an embankment or for beams to support a bridge across a stream. I wonder if all this rail use was done with permission of the railroad companies. In addition to the barking dogs, I heard a lot of roosters today going cock-a-doodle-doo.

There was a lot of riding between rocks and rails today. Rock cuts into the side of the hill on one side, and guard rails shielding is from a sharp drop on the other side. We are slowly coming out of the mountains. The terrain is starting to feel like foothills similar to what we saw on the other side outside of Charlottesville.

When I got to Booneville, we noticed an ACA visibility triangle out in the front of the Methodist Church. This was welcome news, because I would be staying at the a Presbyterian Church. When I arrived I met Charles Bennett, a local from these parts who showed #TeamR2S where we could set up camp and grab a shower. Charles is a ‘good ‘ol boy’. Our interpreter explained this as being an open book. When I asked Charles what he did, he didn’t give me an ambiguous answer. He said that he hunted, fished, and rode around on his bike. A ‘junior’ on the other hand knows everything about everything, and weighs over 300 lbs. I've seen a lot of both.

I set up my hammock and took a nap. When I awoke there was a text from Val of Val, Tucker, & Butters. They made it over the mountain and are in Wytheville. Woohoo! Their blog address is: https://transamhoneymoon.tumblr.com/

The food prices around here cannot be beat. An egg sandwich is only $1.50. Dinner with two sides and a drink is $7.50, tax included.

#TeamR2S had it’s last dinner tonight at the Ole’ Bus Stop Diner. Steve G flies back to Annapolis on Thursday to resume his responsibilities at the Naval Academy. He’s been a great riding companion. We’ve been through a lot together, and I will miss him.