Berea, Ky to Bardstown, Ky – 91 miles
Yesterday I woke up at Maya’s house in Berea, well rested and ready to do some big miles with the impending rest days coming up. Although Maya claims to not be much of a morning person she was up before me, whipping up coffee, eggs, sausage, and toast.
After breakfast, I packed up my gear, said goodbye to Maya, and was on the road by around 830 AM.
On the way out of town I stopped at the Berea Artisan Center. Tons of awesome handcrafted goods. I read in the Adventure Cycling map for this section that there has been a big initiative to get the people from the Eastern Kentucky mountains to start selling some of their handcrafted goods to bring some outside money and interest into their communities to help alleviate the poverty there. I bought a small dish for Kari, locally made strawberry-rhubarb jelly, and some bourbon flavored chocolate candy.
Although the terrain wasn’t too tough, it was hot and humid and the blowing wind made for a slow pace through midday. Passed through Bryantsville and then Harrodsville, where there is a reconstruction of an old fort, one of the first settlements in the area. I stopped for lunch and explored a for awhile.
After lunch I tried to pick up the pace a bit so that I could make it to Bardstown in time to meet Kari. On the way the route passed through the Lincoln Homestead where President Abraham Lincoln’s parents lived for awhile. By the end of the day it had cooled off and I was making good time.
Arrived in Bardstown at around 9 PM. There was some sort of festival going on where they had closed down a street downtown and were serving alcohol. I took the chance to grab an ice cold beer and in the process struck up a conversation with the lady working the beer tent, Debbie. She ended up donating to the cause! I actually ran into another person at Subway earlier in the day who also donated. The generosity of people is amazing!
After having a beer, Kari, Murphy and I drove to Evansville, where her mom, Kathy, had prepared an amazing dinner even though it was nearly midnight by the time we got there. Steak, baked potatoes, and salad! Exactly what I needed after such a long day riding. Grabbed a much needed shower and some good sleep. Taking it easy today at the Stieler household in Evansville resting up to resume the journey on Monday morning!
