To Utica KY

The welcome sight of a Pepsi vending machine at the t-junction at the end of a seemingly endless string of rolling hills.

To Utica KY

Pedaling the Kentucky rollercoaster. You crest one roller and there's the next one waiting. They just kept coming today. It's fun in the morning but the legs don't think so in afternoon!

Thunderstorm

We were heading into an angry dark storm. They call them frog stranglers here. Took shelter under a church porch, but not before getting totally drenched.

Hardin County KY

L to R: Carl (70) from California, New York Bob, and me taking a break in the shade of a country store's veranda. Free popsicles for cyclists here!

Hodgenville

The community hall where we showered, a local clogging group practicing their joeys, donkeys, double cross steps and a bunch of other crazy named moves while having a whole lot of good country fun. Yeeeha!

Hodgenville

Bill (closest) and Steve doing email and journals while supper is getting rustled up in the background.

Bardstown KY

Tent area in My Old Kentucky Home State Park. We've been spoilt with eating out the past days either because of the long cycling days or lack of facilities, but it's back to the cooking routine tonight.

To Bardstown

Some of the log and stone buildings in the Lincoln homestead state park.

Sign at campground in Berea KY.

To Lake Harrington

Had a sweet ride this morning. Only 35 miles so the legs were happy for the short day after the heavy days last week. Some of the houses on route showed the damage a tornado can do.

Berea

Layover day at the Oh! Kentucky campground. We are nicely spread out but the RV section is rather crowded. With the daytime temp. reaching 90deg F the pool was the place to be.

To Berea

The scenery improved today. There were fewer coal trucks, trashy mobile homes and chained dogs. The views are back to rolling farmland dotted with old wooden barns. Everyone is looking forward to our rest day tomorrow after a hilly week.

To Booneville

We've passed through some depressed areas of Kentucky the passed two days. Pedal faster boys, I can hear banjos!

Hindman

After a 70 mile day with many brutal climbs, we had to contend with this driveway. Our host for the night, David, was waiting at the top with iced tea.

To Hindman

Some of the counties are 'dry '. This tavern at the top of a steep hill on the county line must do roaring trade.

Camping at Breaks

The reward for todays effort is camping in a mountain top forest. As you can see, another part of life on the road is the daily laundry.

Breaks Interstate Park

The final climb up to the park. The severity of the gradient never seems to show in the pics! 1st gear was often not low enough.

To Breaks

We had to haul groceries about 10 miles up 3000ft cumulative climbing from Haysi to Breaks Interstate Park. Here's Bill in his orange riding vest dividing up the shopping into portions for everyone. The cooks for the day are responsible for the shopping and tomorrow's cooks do wash-up today. You don't have to cook very often our group of 14.

Big A mountain

The first big climb today was up big A mountain. Some of us stopped for coffee before the climb. An old farmer started chatting to us. I asked him what big A stood for. He went on to say how his grandma told stories of how they had to haul supplies to the farm up that mountain and that she always called it Big Ass Mountain. So I guess if his grandma called it that, then I guess its OK to call it that!