Day 23: 71 Miles

Falls of Rough, KY to Sebree, KY

Today was a fairly uneventful day of riding. I started at my usual 9:00 AM and headed out on what would be a day full of Kentucky back roads.

My only real stop for the day was in the town of Fordsville. I saw a diner on the map and thought I would get my usual french toast with bacon. Unfortunately, by the time I arrived at 10:45 they were no longer serving breakfast. I settled for a turkey club and fries which was excellent, but not what I’d hoped for.

In the last 2 days I’ve put in 150 miles of riding. Those miles have not been easy. Western Kentucky doesn’t have many big hills, but the hills are constant. It’s rare to go more than a mile without having to completely break rhythm and start climbing a hill. This becomes mentally exhausting, because all of my pedal strokes are the hard up hill ones with rest coming on the easy downhill. The hills certainly slowed me down, but the 71 Miles today we’re tolerable. With a couple of gas station stops for food and Gatorade I got through the day and arrived in Sebree, KY.

Tonight I am staying at the First Baptist Church in Sebree. They have accommodations for cyclists with showers and cots and it doesn’t cost a thing. The best part of tonight was meeting Bob and Violet who live across from the church. Bob was a pastor at the church for 35 years and he and his wife Violet have been taking cyclists into their home since 1980. I met Bob on his porch and he told me there were already 2 cyclists in the church and they could show me around. I walked in and met Matt and Charlie who are also in the process of biking across the country. They are traveling solo but have seen each other a few times along the route.

At 6:30 the 3 of us headed up to Bob and Violet’s house. They had invited us for dinner. It was by far the best meal I’ve had on the trip so far. We had a great spread of chicken, mac and cheese, butter beans, corn, tomatoes, corn bread, and strawberry pie for dessert. Violet also took out her guest book and showed us the many cards she’s received from the thousands of cyclists who have passed through. It is truly amazing what Bob and Violet have done in opening their home and church to anyone stopping by on bicycle. We heard some amazing stories of the people who have stopped by and the generosity that Bob and Violet have shown them. I was a little out of my element but grateful to have experienced that dinner with everyone.

Tomorrow looks like bad weather so I’m going to try and make it a short day. I’m not sure where I’ll be staying yet, but I am getting very close to hitting my next state.