Ill&Noisy

Yesterday: we started in Sebree,ky, and took the ferry to Illinois at Cave In Rock, IL. We checked out the cave and then rode a few more miles to Tower Rock where we swam in the Ohio river and Thomas built a lovely fire which we got to sit by for the rest of the night. We ate two boxes of Kraft Mac and cheese and two PBP(peanut butter pecan sandwiches). I slept mighty well on that rocky ground. This morning it was up an at 'em and after a few miles we stopped for a huge breakfast in Elizabethtown. We rode about 70some miles (who knows anymore #whatwemisswithoutmichael #bikecomputersareforsquares) anyways, it was a pretty hilly day, but it was fine and Illinois has been beautiful thus far. The second to last road we rode on today, N. Lick Creek rd., was some of the prettiest land we've passé so far I'd have to say. Farm utopia. All aglow. Wonderful. We're camping at a really pretty spot on a lake tonight, devil's kitchen. And tomorrow we cross the Mississippi. Oh also I should mention: sebree was the official 1,000mile point on route, so by now we've probably done about 1,140 miles. Groovalicious. Roadkill count: 312 (yesterday we had less than 10! That's the first time for that since like the second day)

Rain, rain come again

The morning started with me waking up at 5:20 to loud thunder, warning me of the storm that was about to break loose, so I got up to put my rain fly on my tent and then crawled back in, after two hours of sleeping through torrential downpour and lightning and thunder, I awoke to start getting ready for the day. When Thomas and I were about ready, another storm cloud had moved in and literally as soon as I hopped on my bike buckets started coming down. I rode the short mile to the Rough river lodge and by the time I got there literally looked like I had jumped in a swimming pool but it was warm rain and I honestly had a blast in the very short ride that it was, laughing and singing to myself, as I so often do. Thomas arrived about a half hour later after giving up trying to wait out the rain in the laundry room at the camping site and we went down to grab some breakfast in the restaurant. After we ate we figured that since we were already wet we might as well just ride on. We were having a grand old time, hooting and hollering all through the insane downpour and thunderstorm. Honestly some of the most fun riding I've had yet. Definitely in the top ten. It was coming from every angle: my back wheel, the sky, Thomas' tire in front of me. So hilarious . We rode in that for about 2 and a half hours. The rest of the day it cleared up and was just cloudy enough to be not too hot and very pleasant. More of the fun rolling hills today, which made the 70 miles on route to Sebree, KY quite enjoyable. Now, I'm horribly sad that I forgot yesterday to mention in the blog about Thomas' fifth turtle save, so that's what I'm doing now, and on top of this, today he saved TWO more, bringing the total to seven. He's the Turtle Whisperer. We are staying at probably my favorite place so far, the first baptist church in Sebree. The pastor and his wife, Bob and violet, are literally the cutest nicest most generous people you'll meet; violet cooked us dinner complete with chicken pit pie, spaghetti and meat sauce, Lima beans, broccoli, garlic bread, and WATERMELON. It was bomb. And she even gave us ice cream for dessert:) couldn't be happier. Tomorrow will be great, I can feel it. Roadkill count: 289 (and I've decided that road kill is way grosser when wet)

If you can bike with all the colors of the headwind

Today was our first day with some headwinds slowing us down, so I guess this is foreshadowing. As the land flattens out, the wind becomes the hills. But that's okay; it was kinda nice--it was so hot but the wind kept me feeling pretty cool. We rode just a little over fifty miles today, but seriously hammered the last 21, and I didn't even realize it, I just looked at my watch and was like wiggidy what? With wind and all we did it in just a little over an hour. It was another pleasant day, rolling through pretty farms and such, and the catholic church count is breaking records at a whopping FOUR! But Suriously, it's good to see them showing up again. We're camping at Rough River Dam State park in Falls of Rough, Kentucky, and we got showers and our laundry done! So that's pretty stellar. Roadkill count: 256 (with some good smelling skunks making the ranks today, love it. Really, I do)

Thomas

I name my post after the good sir I am riding with for several reasons today: 1)he saved his fourth turtle from imminent death today 2) he fixed my first flat of the trip for me. 3)he is currently wearing an American flag bandana. Today was another good and another hot day. We rode about 60 miles, and are camping a few miles off route at Larue county park in Hodgenville, KY. This city is the birthplace of Abe Lincoln. So that's cool. The terrain is smoothing out more and more which makes for very pleasant riding; gentle hills, slight climbs, and a few good downhills to cruise down. I had superman ice cream for the third day in a row--groovy. Gotta get it while I can. Also, Thomas just added it up: so far we've ridden 872.5 miles on route. In two weeks. Boom. I'm getting grimey with these two hottest days and no shower, but when am I not a little grimey in the summer time. Embracing it. Roadkill count: 234

D(et)oura the Explora

And that's all I have to say about that. Haha Today was a a great day. Today was a hot day. In the 90's. I sweat like a pig, but on a bike it all gets blown away, so basically at the end of the day my skin just looks like what the Dead sea would look like if it were drained. We rode from Berea to the Lincoln Homestead state park near Springfield, KY. We rode most of the day but took an awesome hour long ice cream break in Harrodsburg, the oldest city in KY, founded in 1774. It was really cute, and my waffle cone of superman icecream was just what I needed to get me through the last 25 miles in the sun. But about at the point where we only had like 7 miles left, a little delirium from the sun baking my brain must have set in, and I think I was scaring Thomas un poco. That's alright, he's gotta discover my insanity at some point. It's still really hot and will be really hot tomorrow,but we have a shorter day, slash we're champions, so it'll be fine. The church hunt begins. Oh, and Happy Memorial day weekend! Roadkill count: 212! We've officially broken 200.

Beautiful Berea

Today was a great day. Woke up to the sun rising in Booneville and got on the rode by around 7:11. It was just me and Thomas. Bill was gonna take a little longer getting ready and Michael left about an hour earlier.He's probably gone forever; he wanted to set a pace for himself that Thomas and I didn't want to keep, but it's chill. He was planning on doing an 87 mile day today in the extreme heat, while Thomas and I kept it cool and did a 50 mile day to Berea, KY. We got in at about 1, and due to the lack of camping or free lodging, we splurged on a motel. After we showered we took a refreshing little adventure into town on our deloaded bikes and checked out a buch of local artists and their crafts in the Old Town Artisan village. It inspired me and I wanted to buy so many souvenirs, but I don't have money or space in my panniers:( so I settled for the purchase of a piece of caramel vanilla nut fudge, yum! We then ate at BC&T, Berea Coffee and Tea, because Thomas asked a local college kid where a good place was as we were passing him. It was delish; I had a panini and an iced chai latte, yum again. So yeah, it's been a good day, through some nice rolling hills as the terrain flattens out and now i'm feeling good resting in the motel room. Hope I don't get fleas.... Oh yeah! And we've just finished our second map: onto the next one! Roadkill count: 172 (the first one for today was a dog on the side of the road, so sad, so terrifying)

Cali Swag

So yesterday we started in Lookout, Kentucky at the great baptist center where we hooked up with Bill from California, who rode 50 miles with us to Hindman, Kentucky, where we stayed last night at another baptist church and got showers for the second night in a row. It was really nice. Today we rode 64 miles and are posted up behind a Presbyterian church in Booneville, Kentucky. Thomas, Bill, and I stayed pretty tight together all day through the climbs, and it was quite fun. We saw our first Walmart en route today, which I'm glad took 11 days. We had a great stop on top of a mountain in Buckhorn where we got ice cream. Superman ice cream. All memories from the ice cream parlor in Roanoke we would go to when visiting my grandparents came back. Delicious. Tonight I ate a home cooked southern meal which Bill graciously paid for. Mm, Kentucky fried chicken, the real way. I got a shower for the third night in a row, tooooo, though it was cold. We shall camp and wake up early so as to beat the astounding heat, but apparently the worst of the mountains are over, so that might be good news, though I'll miss the downhill speed racing. Also, thought for the day: Bill kept complimenting me yesterday as I would finish the climbs after them, because of my high-geared road bike, so today, when going up the hills, I kept one specific compliment in my mind. "you're an animal" Thanks, Bill. Road kill count: 151 (today and yesterday were better days for the animals, at least compared to the two days prior.)

Nothing is Hell-ier than Hellier, Kentucky

But seriously the last bit of Virginia we rode through today and the first part of Kentucky that we've seen have been pretty rough. Coal mining territory. Sad places. Businesses shut down, lots of poverty, and lots of annoying freaking dogs that chase you as you ride by! But also lots of extremely beautiful country. Quick look back at yesterday: Wytheville to Meadowview, 71 miles. Two big climbs with really great downhills. We met a really chill couple in Damascus, Sam and lisa, headed west too. They were super cute in their matching neon. Then we camped behind a general store. Michael woke up early today to beat the heat of the day, that never came, (it was hazy and overcast all day). We planned to stay in Elkhorn city tonight but it was sketch, so we went about 14 more miles to Lookout. We're at a baptist community center thing, with showers and such. Rita or "red Riding Hood" is the host and she cooked us some good pinto beans and corn bread and chicken casserole. We played a little b-ball and did a little swinging on the swingset. Now Virginia, the longest routed state, is now over, and I'm excited for what lies ahead, but I hope we get out of this dismal area soon. Roadkill count: 127. (We hit the three digits yesterday coming into Meadowview, after seeing 30 in a day, because Thomas jinxed the 10 a day average.)

"Just Wait til I Hit Puberty."

Says Michael. In reference to what, you ask? Probably everything. Anyways, today was a great day! Last night we had a phenomenal dinner and Thomas' farm was stellar as were his parents, and then I got a bed for the second night in a row so that was restful and glorious. This morning we took it slow: ate a supa breakfast cooked by Thomas' pop and then we went to church, and then went to Thomas' bike shop to get Michael his kickstand bolt and we finally got on the road by about 12:45. We're now in Wytheville, Va after a shorter 45mile ride, to promote the restful vibes of the day. It was hot, but good, and the ride was hilly but pleasant. Today was the first day that my first gear was really struggling though; my bike isn't geared as low as theirs since it's just a roadie, but I just pushed through it and Addie made it here just fine, being the loyal steed she is. We're camping on a stage thing tonight, right by a pretty little creek which I just washed myself in.and Thomas brought a solar-powered/crank radio which I think I shall play some jams on soon and do some performing on the afore-mentioned stage;) We also met a great couple going east, Abbi and Evan, who started in Illinois and were from Colorado. They offered me a place to stay when I come through their area which apparently I will, so that was nice; thanks, y'all! Annnnd that's that. Onto somewhere tomorrow. Still excited for Kentucky, though now I'm scared because Abbi and Evan warned us about a pack of crazy city dogs who chased 'em--yikes. Roadkill count: 71 (72 if you count the discarded Barbie, poor Barbie, sometimes people just can't help but hate you because you're beautiful. I would know)

Remember that time when I thought the parkway would be the hardest part?

Yeah, me too. Well, it's not. And of it weren't for the fact that we get to stay at Thomas' house tonight and ate great lasagna made by his grandma today, I would throw this day to the dogs. But we still have a lot of climbing to do. I'm tired and not in the mood to blog. Read Michael's. Roadkill count: 52.

The Sun Never Sets in Ohio

They also don't have Shoney's, their bears look like cows, and chic-fil-a is a new thing. ITS MICHAELS BIRTHDAY TODAY. And he has been cracking Thomas and I up. He'd never been called a Yankee before today, but we made a big change outta that. He saw a brown cow drinking in a stream and told Thomas to quiet down ad he approached because he thought it was a bear. He also ate about ten shrimp with their skins on at Shoneys seafood buffet tonight. Anyways, the ride was good and we went on some rollers that got us going FAST. It was awesome and I kinda think it's my favorite thing to do. We left Vesuvius and Gertie's store at about 9:30 this morning and arrived in Troutville this evening; a 65 mile trip. Bringing our total to 346. Tomorrow we're waded to Thomas' house in Dublin, Virginia, right outside Christiansburg or something. Thanks to my dear friend Virginia Rose, we got a sweet deal on a comfort inn tonight so we'll be rested up and clean for the ride tomorrow. Speaking of clean: in 5 days of all day, sweaty riding, I've worn the same pair of shorts for four of them, only two pairs of socks, and two different tanks. I've showered twice now, as of tonight. Things are looking good;) (are ya proud, mom?) I would apologize for my grime, but what do y'all expect? A few funny things that have happened so far that I have et to mention: 1) "littering is illegal" sign--three shotgun holes through the middle. Pretty sure shooting signs is illegal, too, but in Central Virginia, the law don't matter. 2)we stopped right on the outskirts of Lexington to meet Thomas' coworker's grandparents, and they were the cutest, and they had portraits of Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson above their fireplace mantle. It rocked. Something to aspire to. 3)I got lost riding solo today, but not really lost, just passed our turn and rode down a great hill about 3/4 of a mile, then came back. No biggie. Roadkill count: 36 (mostly from the sharp peak we experienced in the period coming in and going out of Lexington) Now I am stuffed beyond comfort and want to sleep. Night.

"Best apple, best donut, best sandwich, best spaghetti"

BEST DAY EVERRRR! [the above quote is from my riding buddy Thomas Hash] But seriously. I have been dreading this day since the day I officially decided I was going cross country. Crossing the blue ridge mountains was a scary prospect, but I am VICTORIOUS! The climb was hard, but honestly it was still so enjoyable. Views aplenty. And the downhills were BOMB, especially the 3-mile straight downhill coming into Vesuvius where we have camp for the night. I almost flew off the mountain a couple times, and had to stop in the middle to let my wheel cool down from the brakes' friction. Insanity. Anyways, what I thought would be the worst day ever was the best so far of this trip, if not MY LIFE. There is nothing like cruising down the blue ridge parkway going at ultra high speeds downhill with the wind on your body and just a little aluminum under you. Now, for a few side notes explaining why I love bike touring so much (so far): 1. You see so much! Not only just land and farms you would never see otherwise, but every flower and view and animal and bug you pass is noticed. For instance, many of you may have driven on the blue ridge parkway before, but did you know there are centipedes ALL OVER it, creepin and crawling or squishes into the asphalt? Well, there are, and I saw'em. 2. You eat so much (great) food. Since I've begun I have eaten two special k protein bars, a nature valley bar, 3 fiber one bars (;)gotta stay regular), so much candy, a mega slim Jim, a whole bag of goldfish, some other power bar, a whole pizza, a milkshake, an Archer from Arch's in cville, a Gus burger and fries,a huge plate of spaghetti with about 8 meatballs and four large pieces of garlic bread, a ham and egg bagel from Bodo's, a pink lady apple and apple cider donut from a farm in Crozet, a pastrami and ham sandwich and BBQ chips at a "deli" in Love, a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar, and probably more but that's all I remember now. 3. You get so much time just to think and be calm and pray, (especially when you can't keep up with your group) Roadkill count: 26 (now I must mention, several of these have been snakes, which don't seem as valid as other roadkill, but see my criteria below and you will understand where I'm coming from.) Criteria for roadkill categorization: the subject in question for roadkill classification must either A) have the form of an identifiable animal, or B) smell so bad and be covered in flies that even if it is indistinguishable you know it must have at one time been alive. Bugs do not count. and neither do banana peels. On to Troutville tomorrow, nighty night

Storiez of Sore kneez

So. Two in one post today. Yesterday was killer we rode 92 miles through some rolling hills or should I say stop-you-from-rolling hills and when I got to our campsite behind the fire station in Mineral I literally just wanted to eat and sleep. Luckily, a storm was coming through so I would have just enough lightening and thunder to sing me to sleep.. But actually, after my heavenly peanut butter caramel cookie dough milk shake and pineapple pizza I slept soundly in my tent through the frightful weather. We rode through Ashland which was probably my favorite place on the trip so far though it was such a quick pass through. And in Ashland we met an interesting character, Andrew, who was headed to Maine and then planning on taking the northern tier west. Wow. He was traveling with a ukulele--respect I rode the second half of yesterday by my lonesome because the boys were setting a faster pace than I could keep/wanted to keep. On a break I met a fellow cyclist who was headed to Vermont: quite the handsome chap, by the name of kevin. Kevin, if you read this, hit me up. And then I arrived in Mineral about a half hour after Michael and Thomas. Onto today. We set out from Mineral at about 9:45am to go to charlottesville. Overall it was pretty uneventful; didnt get lost until the city of Charlottesville. Saw a lot of prettiness and glimpsed the mountain for the first time. Palmyra was where we took our lunch break and the super clean gas station impressed me. As we arrived in C-ville we tried to stop in at Monticello for a tour but the next one wasn't til 5, and it was 3. Finally after a few killer hills we reached our destination of the Fiji frat house offered to us as a place to stay by OJJ (from day one) because he is a brother. And we spent the evening eating burgers with fried egg atop and walking around downtown and finishing with some great froyo at Arch's. Now I want to sleep. We hit the mountains tomorrow........... Peace love and knee pain, Abi. Roadkill count: 18 (with 3 preventions by Thomas "the turtle saver" Hash!)

Transamerica Twenty-Twelve

Today I began my trek across the country on my bike with two fine gentleman whom I only met this morning. My parents dropped me off in Yorktown, and my aunt met us there to see me off, and all six of us ate breakfast then Michael, Thomas and I dipped our back tires in the York River and were off! We missed a turn within the first two minutes, but this was no bad omen; the rest of the day went swimmingly and even though I haven't ridden seriously in a whole and only slept four hours last night I felt great on the road. In total we only made one more wrong turn for the day, bringing us to two small map-reading mistakes, we saw three turtles (one dead)and two groundhogs, and we've met a whole lot of great people already! OJJ or Orange jersey John or Dirty Jersey John rode with us for a while after meeting us at our first bathroom break, and "Frederick" from Frederick, Maryland (actually AJ) passed us early on but we are now staying at the same place for the night (Willis united Methodist church). There are three Netherlandish people at the church tonight, too, one couple Danielle and Stan and coincidentally Elaine rolled in hours later unknowing of her fellow country men. The church is great, I get to sleep on a couch for the first night and embrace a dry, warm, safe place to begin the journey smoothly. Anyways, I took zero pictures today because I was always too lazy to get my camera out and I am quite sunburned on my back (shoulda listened to ya momma), but hopefully I pick up my game and do better in the days to come. Honestly I'm pretty surprised at myself that I actually wrote this little thing up, so if you're reading it, consider yourself lucky;) Thomas and I had a few good singing while riding seshes, and now "good morning" from Singing in the Rain is stuck in my head, but for now I shall say Good Night. Abi Roadkill count:2