IMPRESSIONS

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MONDAY    JUNE 23, 1997

MILES	DESTINATION	AVG MPH	WEATHER	TOTAL MILES
50	BARDSTOWN	11.7		911

SMALL TOWN TREASURES

I hate that campground at Chimney Rock!!! At 515 AM most of us were awakened by some asshole rooting around the dumpster looking for cans. I wanted to sleep until 6 and this shitmonger decides he needs to be Dumpster Boy. I forgot, I am still in Kentucky. Also found this dog got into my panniers, knocked down my bike and stole some food. All in all, a very lousy experience at this park. Not sure there are many options but for those contemplating the trip, find alternative accommodations.

It was very foggy but I decided I wanted to leave and spend no more time in this lousy park.

The ride through the fog made for an eerie experience. After five minutes in it, I looked down at my arms and they were covered with a mist just barely clinging to my arm hairs. Made them look white. Merle, Hugh, Dennis, and I had breakfast at the Village Inn in Burgen. Highly recommended!!! For $3.50 (including tip) I had 3 pancakes, coffee, and oatmeal.

The fog lifted for good and we hot pedaled it to Harrodsburg where we found Gateway Groceries. Discouraged by my experience last night, I picked up some groceries in case we have something similar happen tonight. I got the strangest feeling in the store. They were playing some Michael Franks on the sound system and right at that moment I wanted to be where I could be cool, sit back, and listen to music. Boy, do I miss my music!!

By 9 AM it was already 80 degrees. YECH!

Made it into Springfield for lunch and I looked up the Home Hearth Café as I’d heard about it from someone else. According to the guy I asked at CarQuest, it turns out it was sold and is now called Suzie’s. Went there and had quite a good lunch. Ordered a plate full of mixed vegetables and spoke with the Springfield Ladies’ Coffee Club. Merle joined Hugh and I and we stayed and chatted for a while. When we pulled into Gateway Groceries, Merle just kept right on going. It was nice to catch up again.

The guy at CarQuest also told us the road we had planned to take to Bardstown was quite hilly and that we should take Highway 150 instead. We did and were glad to have done so. Dick pulled in later and took the Adventure Cycling route climbing almost 500 more feet than us. Finally, a break!

For the first time since the 2^nd of June I averaged more than 11.5 MPH on the day’s ride. Wonder of wonders! Although ending up fairly well spent, I did not hurt as much at the end of the day.

All of us met up at My Old Kentucky Home Park in Bardstown. A very nice park smack in the middle of town with a golf course and club house adjacent. A far better place than the previous two nights. And a place where one of us regressed back into our childhood.

Bardstown is famous for bottling most of the bourbon sold in the US. There are several large distilleries in the local area. Took a break and went into town. Stopped in the Hurst Drug Store and sat at their soda fountain. This idea of a drugstore with a soda fountain is a small town treasure soon to disappear. Like something out of the 60’s. Snarfed down some ice cream and since it was a Kodak moment I could not resist taking a picture. Speaking of Kodak moments and food, take a gander at typical evening fare. Whereas we took quite a few meals in restaurants, especially if we could find all-you-can-eat places, when we prepared our foods, there were differences due to gear. Those with stoves ate warm meals of noodles mixed with vegetables and meat products, or heated beans, or other quick fix meals (sandwiches, raw veggies, fruit.). Those without ate sandwiches, fruits, raw veggies, cold beans/soups, etc. All of us ate a LOT of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and pancakes!!

I have to admit that this area of Kentucky is much better than the Eastern part. It’s cleaner, prettier, flatter, nicer, and has more wealth. It must also be said that throughout the whole state the people have been quite nice. We’ve even had kids come up and ask us if we needed water to drink. May not seem like much but is often appreciated.

At 8 PM it is still 84 degrees and muggy as hell with no breeze to speak of. It got as high as 89 today. Adding to my misery was a precipitous drop in the Dow of 192 points. Have no clue what caused it and will try to find out.

TUESDAY    JUNE 24, 1997

My Old Kentucky Home is definitely a nice park. Good facilities. The only problems are the bugs and the traffic on Highway 49 which is quite close by.

Took care of some errands today among which was a trip to Wal-Mart for film, undershirts, talc. And sunglasses to replace my broken ones. Stores like Wal-Mart have a section devoted to small containers of personal items like shampoo, soaps, talc, mouthwashes, etc. that come in very handy for the sort of traveling we do. So from now on I will look for these places instead of buying large containers.

Took advantage of the nice morning to ride around town and look at the old homes. Saw beautiful pieces of architecture plus I got to see an old one room schoolhouse in use into the 1800’s.

Looks like Dennis, Dick, Merle, and Kurt are going to a 75 miler tomorrow whereas Hugh and I will split it into a 28 miler and a 47 miler so we may not see each other for several days.

Chatted with Merle for a while and found out he grew up in Minnesota and went to a one room schoolhouse with no more than 13 other kids spread out over 8 grades. He also has a brother 10 years older than him and a sister 13 years younger. Quite a spread!

Several of us tried to take a tour of one of the distilleries but they were closed for the summer. That same distillery had 7 of their storage houses burn last year and the event featured prominently in most news programs. Not being a TV watcher, I missed all the hoopla. From what I was told, the smoke and fire could be seen as far away as Louisville, 40 miles distant. The vat houses are enormous buildings six/seven stories high. The bourbon is taken to the top floor (where it is hottest) its first year. Each succeeding year the barrels get moved down one floor until eventually they make their way down to the ground floor/basement to finish aging.

Hugh is getting the creeping crud that nailed Merle, Kurt, and me. I’ve noticed, though, that as it passes from one person to another, it seems more and more weakened. Hopefully it will not bother Hugh too much.

Kurt took off for Hodgenville to see a friend. Should see him again in three days. I do not know why he waited until so late to start his journey but……different strokes for different folks. I’d have preferred to leave when it was cooler but he says it does not bother him.

One thing I do know…Bardstown is a place I’d like to return to. Maybe take in the Stephen Foster story, see the distilleries, go to the proto-cathedral, etc.

Did preventive maintenance on the bike and lay low to avoid the heat. Never did find out what hit the Stock Market yesterday. Jitters. It’ll go back up. Fundamentals are still in place. Next year, though, may be a totally different story. I need to position myself for that eventuality.

Good a reason as any to drink a beer and celebrate being out of the nastiest part of the hills.

Still hot as hell all day and continues into the night. Ugly for sleeping.

WEDNESDAY   JUNE 25, 1997

MILES	DESTINATION	AVG MPH	WEATHER	TOTAL MILES
29	HODGENVILLE	10.3		940

THAT’S STEW-PID!! YOU’RE A DUMB ASS!

Damn! It was hot and humid this morning. At 6 AM it was 76 degrees! Merle, Hugh, and I went to McDonald’s just up the street for breakfast. Not a bad deal—we got air conditioning and a cheap breakfast. And no need to leave a tip. Isn’t America great? All I could do while in there was to imagine my son wearing one of those white shirts with a "Manager" name tag on it. Very strange thought and not really what I had in mind for him. But it is his life and he must choose the paths he takes. The best I can do now is to support him in his decisions.

Kentucky sure has a lot of dead animals on its roads. Almost like open season on Mother Nature. Turtles, skunks, birds, possums, cats. Sure did not notice this carnage in Virginia.

Along the way I stopped at Abraham Lincoln’s boyhood home near Knob Creek. It is a one room cabin and very Spartan affair. He lived here for five years (1811-1816) and according to a plaque outside, Lincoln’s earliest recollections were of this farm.

Took Route 31E South from Bardstown to Hodgenville. It’s a much better road with one mile long hill along the way and a much shorter one approaching town but not at all grueling. Still had to cross a fault line regardless of whether the road of choice was 49, 31, or 62.

Got to Hodgenville and stopped in at the Chamber of Commerce where we ran across a very nice lady who helped us with directions to the park, groceries, and restaurant. On our way to the Larue County Park, about ½ to ¾ mile from town center, we found Stewart’s Drive In Restaurant on the right hand side of the road. Stopped in for lunch and to cool off since it was so hot.

It is here that we had probably one of the funniest moments of the trip. Two waitresses were behind the counter (order at counter, sit, and they bring food to table type of place.) One was young, the other a bit older, say…. late 50s early 60s.

The older woman found out what we were embarked on and while talking to Hugh about it, looked him straight in the eye and said, "that’s stew-pid!." We didn’t think much of that since we’ve sort of gotten used to the weird look people give us when we say what we’re doing. Well ,she continued speaking to Hugh and then bursts out, "You’re a dumb ass! You’re gonna give yourself a heart attack." Personally, I think she took a shining to Hugh. He wouldn’t admit it, though. J

We were floored at her outburst and just busted out laughing. I couldn’t believe she said that. Especially since she’s in the business of greeting and serving the public. But that was my East Coast political correctness kicking in. I also knew she didn’t mean harm by it. Which is what made it so funny. She kept coming back to our table to harangue us but I think she was truly interested in our adventures and VERY concerned for Hugh’s health. Hugh, if you get this far in the journal, I expect a reply from you!!

After pigging out I rode to the Sav-A-Lot just down from the Park and did some grocery shopping. The prices were very good and I wanted to buy lots of stuff but, alas, did not have the room in my panniers.

The Park is quite nice and features a pavilion with showers and a pool ($2), 4 tennis courts, baseball diamonds, etc.

Met Eric Aguilar. He just graduated High School and is headed back home to Oregon. He needs to finish the trip a bit faster than us because he starts attending the Colorado School of Mines in late August under an ROTC scholarship. Seems to be a nice kid and I think it is neat that he decided to embark on this trip solo at only 18 years of age. A while later, another guy rolls in. His name is Matt Hisel and he started his trip in Lexington so did not have to face the grueling Appalachians. He's on his way to various environmentally friendly farming communes in order to get information for a Master's Degree and hopefully do something to consolidate all these small farms into a viable business concern. I'm impressed!! In the picture, Matt is the one standing.

THURSDAY    JUNE 26, 1997

MILES	DESTINATION	AVG MPH	WEATHER	TOTAL MILES
57	ROUGH RIVER CAMPGROUND	12		997

THE NEW "EXTREME" SPORT: DEAD COON JUMPING

Just before hitting the hay last night I observed thunder storm activity from the South. Since the wind was blowing from that direction it was obvious it would not bode well. Truer words were never spoken since at about 2 AM the skies opened up. Luckily we were under the pavilion and did not get wet but what a racket on the roof!!

It was cloudy most of the day and with the temperature hovering around 80 degrees, riding conditions were great. We dodged rainstorms all morning and were able to avoid getting wet. Seems we were either right on the tail end of a front or it had just finished passing by when we got to the area. The wet roads gave it away.

Hugh, Dennis, and I stopped at the Truckstop Restaurant in Sonora for some coffee and breakfast. Merle blew right by us and as we were leaving Dick and Matt showed up.

Endured a long, but relatively painless, climb at the 26 mile point and then stopped at the Double L grocery (corner Routes 84 and 920) for a snack. The owner had a log book for us to sign which we did. It’s the first time I’d seen that in a grocery store.

As we were leaving the store, we came upon some road kill that Eric fancied would be a good place to display his fully laden bike riding skills to us. Unfortunately I did not have my camera ready to capture the moment but he got a good head start and attempted to "jump" the poor creature. All he did was ride over it. First words out of Hugh’s mouth were, "you could have punctured your tires on one of its rib bones." Always the cautionary one, Hugh.

All in all it was disgusting. No respect for the dead. What has our youth come to? OOPS! Beginning to sound like my father.

As is becoming the custom, we find county lines only at the top of a hill. So in order to leave Hardin County we had to climb the mother-fucker of all hills into Breckenridge County. We also made it into the Central Time Zone. Later on Dick said the hill was almost as bad as Danger Hill in Christiansburg. Good Lord it was a pain. At one point I thought I would come to a complete stop while pedaling. That gives you an idea of how slow the pace was. Of course, the Hill Gods deemed it necessary to make the road not only extremely narrow but populate it with a BIG garbage truck also lumbering to climb it----with me in front.

Lunch was at the Chicken Coop Restaurant in Axtel. Not bad.

Made it to Rough River Park. Very nice campground which has a river running through it. Actually the water is generated from a dam release. I imagine at one time a river existed there but now its height is controlled by the dam. If you go there, ask for spot 13 which is huge and flat and near the river far from everyone else and their RVs. We put all 6 of our tents up in the spot and had plenty of room to spare. And it only cost us $2 a piece, too. The C-G has no grocery store or min-mart but does have very clean rest rooms (where bars of soap are provided for free!) and a laundry facility.

All afternoon long we watched two very pretty employees run around in their golf carts hither and yon. Among us, we were very curious as to what they were up to so later on I went to one of them, struck up a conversation, and came away with all sorts of information about that young lady’s life. Eric was absolutely hot to trot over Angie, the little blond one so when I came back and told him I’d just finished speaking to her for over half an hour he almost had a cow. Wanted to know all the details. It was funny to watch his facial expressions. And, of course, I didn't tell him everything at once. Spread it out over two days to prolong his misery. Youth!

She’s 18 and about to enter the University of Louisville to get a degree in physical therapy. She got a full scholarship and is thrilled that she can now go whereas a few months ago she was not sure since her mother did not have enough money to send her (her Dad died 10 years ago.) If she gets her degree she’ll be the 1st on her Dad’s side and 2^nd on her mother’s side to do so and does not want to end up like her sister who attended but never graduated. She has a friend in the missionary service and wants to go to Africa to visit with him and his wife.

I asked her what Dennis and I had considered asking her earlier: would she let us use her golf cart to go to the store for food? It was about a mile away and up a hill. She told me she couldn’t do that but that we could have used her car! I was amazed!

Quite the young lady, really, and I wished her lots of luck.

For days afterwards, she was all Eric could talk about.

Just before turning in, Matt and I were at the river’s edge chatting and taking in the beauty of the various layers of mist floating over the surface. It was too dark to take a photo but would have been a beautiful one.

FRIDAY    JUNE 27, 1997

MILES	DESTINATION	AVG MPH	WEATHER	TOTAL MILES
73	SEBREE	12.4		1070

ATTACKED!!

Thinking yesterday was the best riding day, I was doubly surprised to find today’s ride even better. Averaged 12.4 MPH and the hills, although present, were not insurmountably difficult. Ended up the day by eclipsing the 1000 mile mark for the trip and by climbing 2600 feet and the exertion ate up one hell of a lot of calories.

It was cool this morning, a welcome change from the oppressive heat we’ve been getting. In trying to take advantage of as much of the coolness as we could, today also marked our fastest getaways from camp—only 40 minutes.

Had breakfast in Fordsville at "The Diner." Having ridden 17 miles already, I was ravenous. Wolfed down 4 pancakes, home fries, biscuits and gravy, 2 eggs, and coffee! The restaurant has been in business since 1934 and the menus are designed by local schoolchildren. Go there! Support it! It’s for the children! Damn, am I getting tired of hearing that garbage on the news. Everything we do now is "for the children." What a bunch of claptrap!

OK, I’m off my soapbox.

Chatted with some of the locals and they hammed it up for us. What a bunch of joke-meisters! They kept ragging on this one dude who was just sitting there minding his own business. I think we was used to it and probably gives them all sorts of hell in different venues. They were making comments like he fell too soon off the tree; that his mother put him in the washer and never took him out; that the way to tell if he was lying was to see if his lips moved, etc. All in good nature. I hope!

Today was the day I resolved myself to facing whatever adversity came my way and dealing with it. I refer to the hills. Made a big difference in my attitude especially since the Ozarks are coming up. They are not too fun.

In Utica I stopped at a corner deli/gas station and had a chicken sandwich, candy bar and gallons of Pepsi. Hugh decided he wanted to press on (we would have stopped for the day sooner) so we rode on to Sebree. It was a great ride considering I was prepared for the worst this morning.

The big excitement of the day was being chased by this huge dog (whose owner sat on his porch and never once tried to stop him!) the damned thing took a nip out of my panniers and came close to bringing me down. I was caught unprepared and had no time to get at my spray or I’d have decked him. A couple of hundred yards down the road I stopped and looked at my panniers but they were OK. Had they been bitten through I’d have contacted the Sheriff and demanded reparations from that in-bred asshole called a human being.

In Sebree we went to the park which was next to a pool. It had a pavilion and we rested as best we could in the heat. Got told the local history of Sebree by the manager of the pool. It used to be a bustling little metropolis complete with an opera house, hotel, therapeutic sulfur springs, coal mines, and tobacco houses. The coal is bituminous, which is dirtier than anthracite, and the cleaning process is expensive. Our concern for the environment spelled doom for the town. Now there is almost nothing there.

Although the park has showers, there is no hot water. Didn’t matter to me. I imagine it would not be too comfortable if the weather were cooler but as it was………

Decided to splurge and make spaghetti for everyone. I used my cooking gear and heated up water for each portion. It was a bit of a pain because the pot was small but we were in no hurry. Turned out tasty. Or as tasty as bottled sauce and spaghetti can be!

It was still very muggy in the evening so Dick and I went to the local softball game and chatted with the locals. I guess this is the excitement for a Friday night. The kids play "chicken" with the cars in the road, jump up on hoods, and otherwise make a nuisance of themselves. Dick and I also discussed whether we’d see Kurt again since he’d not been feeling well and maybe spending time with some friends would tempt him to quit. But throughout the trip Kurt had been surprising us so no bets were made. We just wanted him to finish with us. "All for one" type of thing.

SATURDAY    JUNE 28, 1997

MILES	DESTINATION	AVG MPH	WEATHER	TOTAL MILES
60	CAVE IN ROCK, IL	11.5		1130

"TRASH BOY" IS CHRISTENED!

No one slept well last night due to the noise from cars and trucks tearing up and down the road adjacent to the park and trains coming and going. Stayed hot and humid all night.

It was barely dawn when we got up and after putting away all my gear I started to open up a can of fruit cocktail. I asked if anyone wanted some as I was not able to eat it all when Eric looks at me with that expectant air of tremendous teenage hunger. When I asked him what he had to put it in he looked around and dove into the trash barrel and came up with one of Dennis’ Michael Jordan plates we’d used last night. I was slack jawed! Told him, "No way!" It’s probably been crawled on by who-knows-what during the night. He did not seem disturbed by the possibility. I suggested he use his water bottle and then rinse it when he was done. He agreed and we also had a new name to pass out—Trashboy!!

We pedaled into Dixon under threatening weather conditions and had breakfast at Gardener’s Café. Stuffed ourselves silly and then Matt orders OJ. He gets a HUGE glass of it for a seeming pittance. Then Hugh gets it. The Eric. Then me. But never all at the same time. Weird how it worked out but as soon as the waitress brought a glass out it seemed as if someone else wanted a glass. She thought we were pretty weird. She was patient with us---and cute, too!

It started to rain as we sat there so we hunkered down for a while and bullshitted with the locals. We talked of harvests and one of the men said it would be bad this year due to all the rain that had fallen. He had 200 acres to plow in corn and wheat and was not expecting good yields. He’s also a coal miner and one of those like Mike Young (Grundy, VA) who goes down quite a way, in this case 1800 feet and then 12 miles laterally under the surface. Takes an hour each trip.

So far everyone we’ve chatted with has been very friendly and nice. I am beginning to enjoy this part of the trip where we get to know the locals.

Dodged the rain pretty much all day and eventually rode our way completely out of it. It would rain and then the sun would come out then it would rain and the sun would come out. It ended up fun trying to dodge the puddles in the road. Especially since they are so devoid of traffic. Something to do to pass the boredom. Along the way Dick, Hugh, and I were waiting along side the road and this guy in a pick up truck comes by and asks what we did for a living. I said, retired, Dick said retired, and the guy blurts out, "then I’m retarded!" and leaves laughing. WHOA! That was different!

Merle is having a hard time adjusting from his pre-retirement days of being a truck driver. He’ll be up at 430 in the morning, hustles around, leaves, and we hardly see him until the end of the day. It’s like he’s delivering a load of cargo. Gotta get it there as quickly as possible. So off he blasts to his destination for the day. It must be frustrating for him. Hugh and I take our time and I make it a point to keep looking around at virtually everything I pass by. Not much gets by me on the road.

Stopped at Druther’s Restaurant in Marion and had a very good salad buffet. Pigged out on green beans, potatoes, 3 bean salad, cottage cheese, potato salad, beets, etc. etc. etc.

Finally made it to the Ohio River, crossed on the ferry, and got the hell out of Kentucky and its nasty hills and coal trucks and dogs. HOORAY!!

Arrived in Cave-in Rock, IL, headed to the campground just across the street from the ferry, and got separated from the group. Just like that! Weird! It was a bitch of a hill to climb into the park itself and the tent area. Found out it would cost us $2 per person for a site with no showers and pit toilets. Met up with Eric and Matt so we went to a restaurant and had ice cream when all of a sudden the rest of the gas house gang shows up. We decided to splurge and get a motel room with A/C, showers, and a good bed. It was just too hot to put up with that "no shower" shit.

Went back into town because they were having a festival. We caught Americana at its best: The Cave-In-Rock Frontier Days Parade. It was fun. They’d go by in fire trucks, floats, old cars, etc. and toss out candy that everyone scooped up off the streets.

Earlier in the day during breakfast we held a lottery to determine when Kurt would show up. Dennis picked 4 PM, Hugh 5, Dick 530, and I picked 6. Merle thought we’d only see him in Chester. Dennis and I went to get ice cream before the parade when, lo and behold! There was Kurt. At 6 PM sharp! He’d ridden 100 miles today. It must have been brutal.

After the parade we went to see Cave-in-Rock where Jimmy Stewart acted in the film, "How the West Was Won."

Just for shits and giggles, the motel we stayed in was run by a fairly eccentric old man who claimed to be subsiding strictly on Social Security disability and that the motel was kept open as a hobby to pass the time. The place was better than the one Kurt and I had in Booneville---but not much better. At least the room Hugh and I stayed in was better. Kurt said his sucked worse.

Crashed at 820 PM.

SUNDAY    JUNE 29, 1997

MILES	DESTINATION	AVG MPH	WEATHER	TOTAL MILES
87	CARBONDALE	11.2		1217

EARTH, WIND, AND FIRE WE’RE NOT!

Lady Luck was with us again last night. It rained but we didn’t care. We were safely snuggled indoors. The A/C in the room ice over as the compressor never shut off. I think the melting ice would not have left a pretty picture on the floor but there was no way to chip it off the cooling fins.

Got 50 yards down the road and Hugh blew a tire (or at least his bike did. J )

Having slept like a rock, we left at 6 and rode into Elizabethtown for breakfast. What a cool little town! Right on the river, quiet, peaceful, rustic. Ate at Lee and Louise’s Town and Country Restaurant. Nice place. Worth eating at.

Fortunately there was plenty of cloud cover all morning and it made riding so much more a pleasure. We were warned there was a steep hill 9 miles out of town but when we got to it, it proved to be no big deal and we cruised right up it. The problems, though, began when we got on Eddyville Road towards Eddyville. Had to climb six or seven miles of grades some of which were in the 8% grade range.

Suicidal frogs littered the roadway with one even offering his body to Dennis’ spokes. Tried to jump through. Didn’t make it. PING! Bye Bye Froggie!

When in Eddyville we oinked on turkey sandwiches and gatorades at a convenience store with a sandwich bar. Then we went to a local town fair and had a pork BBQ sandwich. YUMMY!

In case the maps still are not changed by the time you read this, note that Simpson Lane is now called Gilead Church Rd.

Zipping along from one top of hill to the bottom I got up to 41 MPH but within seconds was back down to 3 MPH trying to climb the other side. The Lord Giveth and He Taketh Away. Eventually made it to Goreville and had some cherry pie.

We discussed the merits of going to Fern Clyffe since it was three miles back the way we came and unanimously decided we were not for that. We expected Dick to spend the night there, which he did. Kurt was nowhere to be found. I think he tried taking a shortcut to Eddyville and may have been surprised by the climb involved. So we pressed on to a campground 15 miles away. Fern Clyffe is supposed to be very pretty what with tens of thousands of different ferns growing there but I was in no mood to camp among ferns. Once we made it to the area with Devil’s Kitchen Lake and Little Grassy Lake with their campgrounds the decision to go to Carbondale was an easy one. We were not tired and the roads looked good. Sure went through some beautiful countryside and even had tail winds. We ended the day around 530 PM quite fatigued.

Met Mark Robinson and his wife, Rachel. He’s the Bike Surgeon. Bike shop in front, limo service in back. All of us showered and then BS’d for quite a bit. Then one of us asked Mark where we could find a trough to tie the bag on (maybe I’m not supposed to advertise this or maybe Mark was in an expansive mood but….we’d heard from another cyclist who had stayed at Mark’s place that Mark took him to dinner in one of his limos. We were fully prepared to ride to a restaurant but going to dinner in a limo, now THAT’S the way to do it.)

So Mark offered to take us to the Ponderosa Steak House. In the limo! YESSS! It was so cool to be chauffeured around. Merle, Hugh, Dennis, Matt, Eric, and myself went in the back. Rachel and Mark in front. Tooling along, this other car pulls up next to Mark and the passenger, a Black lady, asks if she can get a ride. Mark tells her he’s got folks in the car now and can’t. They chit chat for a few seconds (she keeps looking at our windows to see if, in fact, anyone is back there) when Mark tells her that he could not take her around right now even if she paid because he had "Earth, Wind, and Fire" in the back. You should have seen her eyes light up! "Earth, Wind, and Fire?" she yells. "Yes", said Mark. And we took off. In the back Dennis, Matt, Eric, and I are cracking up. Hugh never heard of them and I do not think Merle had either. What a hoot!

We tied on the feed bag at Ponderosa. With gusto! Also picked up the tab for Mark and Rachel’s dinners. It was, after all, the least we could do.

Mark’s quite an entrepreneurial spirit. He’s got quite the limo service going. As the only one in southern Illinois he is often tapped to take all sorts of big shots around. He also bought a building right around the corner from the shop and is converting it into security storage with a live in guard. He calls it his Area 51. It used to be a crack house and the cops are happy he’s doing something constructive with it. Of course, I am sure the neighbors are, too. He also owns what he calls a party bus for bachelor and bachelorette parties. Keg in the back, toilet, sound system, etc. He also wants to buy several busses and begin a service to Chicago for $40 to $50.

He’s been the "Bike Surgeon" for 15 years and is now located on 800 Sycamore. He lives in the same building as the shop and it is outfitted with antiques. Many of the purchasers are made from estate sales and distress sales. The ceiling in the living room was an old tin ceiling that came from a flooded Masonic Lodge. He and Rachel restored it and boy!, is it ever beautiful!

When we returned from dinner he drove us by a $300,000 federally funded piece of "art" in front of the City Hall originally called "A Flotilla Of Kayaks In A Storm." That name must have offended some bozo in the town because now it has no name. It is merely a ziggurat. What a waste of money!

Back at the OK Corral, Rachel put in a video for us called "The Dancing Outlaw", a biography set in West Virginia (Boone County) about the last mountain dancer. The biographer, a student at a university, wanted to find this mysterious person and ended up locating the son, Jesco White. From there the movie got Tres Bizarre! What a weird person. This guy used to huff gasoline and lighter fluid, drink beer, etc. Anything and everything just to get high. The film did a good portrayal of Appalachian trailer living at its worst. From the satellite dish in the front yard (which I guess is now the equivalent of what I remember as a kid how my Father would comment on people who lived in miserable looking conditions yet had a Cadillac parked in front of their shack) to the trash, and the broken down cars everywhere. The local excitement was to get drunk and drive cars in circles on muddy roads at very high speeds until the engines blew up.

Jesco had three personalities: Jesco, the Devil; Jessie, the nice guy; and Elvis. He even had a "recording studio" in his bedroom (a can on a string hung from the roof and a boom box.) His father was the original mountain dancer but was shot to death in a fight. OOOH, now there’s a novelty! A very strange film featuring his wife (who he threatened to kill on a regular basis), his mother, brothers, friends, etc.

Before getting to the movie, though, Mark told us about some of the people who came through his place. One was a 17 year old girl, the daughter of a professor at Rutgers, I believe, who had never watched TV, never tasted a Pepsi or Coke, and considered herself an "unschooler" a term to describe someone taught at home. She wanted to join an "intentional community"---commune for us 60s/70s types, where the women ate after the men did (she called herself a feminist, too!) and where folks that worked outside the community gave all their earnings to the community which then dispensed back to them a "stipend." Too weird for me. I guess maybe that’s OK for a 17 year old but you have to wonder where her parents are in this whole thing. Much later in the journey she comes up again.

Got little sleep as it was very hot indoors and even the ceiling fan did not help much.

As for the riding conditions today, for the most part all was well. Came across some roller coaster roads where the object was to power down the hill and try to make it up over the top without losing much momentum. A bit of a challenge but was fun to try.

What truly amazed me about today was the fact that Hugh made it as far as he did. I was bushed and when I think of how he’s 67 years old, partially paralyzed on one side due to an injury caused by a fall several years ago and still made it 85 miles, I can only admire the man.

BACK PEDAL

PEDAL ON TO WEEK 5

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