Day 19: 47 Miles

Lawrenceburg, IN to Carrollton, KY

Today I had another short day planned. Just 47 Miles from Lawrenceburg, Indiana to General Butler State Park in Carrollton, Kentucky. Since today was a short day I of course went to the bar again last night. There weren’t many people there given it was a Sunday night, but I did get to talk to a few locals.

I ordered a beer and the bartender asked if I want a 16, 22, or 32 ounce. I opted​ for the 22, but she tells me the 32 is only​ $0.25 more. I don’t quite understand the economics behind the pricing, but my night started with a mini 32 ounce pitcher, for the price of just $4.00. The few guys in the bar were watching the golf channel on every TV and having an in depth conversation about the LPGA. It was clear I wasn’t going to get them to change the channel to the basketball game, so I quickly finished my meal and headed back to the room.

This morning I was up and on the road right at 9:00 AM. After a mile of busy road I found a bike trail that followed the Ohio River and was able to stay on that for a few miles. Once I got off the trail I spotted a Subway and stopped in to pick up a sandwich for later. This has been my go to lunch move lately. It makes things much easier to be able to pull over and eat whenever I’m hungry, rather than having to look for a place to eat. The lady at the Subway was super nice and told me to stop back in next time I was in Rising Sun, Indiana. There wasn’t much in Rising Sun to warrant a trip back, but they did have a casino. This was one of 3 casinos I saw in the first 30 miles of today’s ride. In an area that didn’t seem to be heavily populated, I’m not sure why so many casinos are necessary. I certainly wouldn’t stop through this area if you’ve got a gambling problem.

I followed the Ohio River for about 15 miles when I saw a guy waving me down on the side of the road. I pulled over and met Jeff, a cyclist and fellow traveler. He saw me ride past his house and hopped in his car to drive ahead and flag me down. He’d done some cycle touring and mentioned he was someday hoping to do a cross country trip. I guess all the bags on my bike gave away that I was on a cross country trip so Jeff figured he would stop me to ask about it. Jeff also turned out to be a Warmshowers host, which is a network of cyclists who offer up places to stay for other traveling cyclists. Great to know there are people like Jeff out there giving cyclists help along their trips. I’ll definitely be looking into Warmshowers as I continue west.

After talking with Jeff I headed slightly west and away from the river. Leaving the river took me up a nice hill, but saved me some miles. I think it was a fair trade off. After climbing for 15 minutes I got to the top of the hill and found a turtle in danger of getting run over. I got him back to a safer place and then went on my way.

By noon I was 30 miles in and ready for some lunch. I pulled into a gas station to grab a Gatorade and eat the subway sandwich I had in my bag. As I was sitting there eating, a guy in a truck pulls up and asks if he saw me in Lawrenceburg this morning. He was impressed with the good time I’d made. After my lunch stop I headed over the Markland Locks and Dam and into Kentucky. State number 7 on this trip. It was a quick 15 miles along the river to my stopping point. Tonight I’m camping in the General Butler State Park campgrounds. Given I’ll be in a hotel in Louisville the next 2 nights, I figured I could rough it tonight. I set up camp, got a warm shower, and even did a load of laundry in the washer and dryer they have here. Not too bad for $30 tonight.

There is a resort with a restaurant also located in the state park so I’m going to walk up there for dinner rather than trying to cook something. Hopefully I’ll get a quick start tomorrow and be in Louisville by mid afternoon.