Day 20 to 24

Day 20 Bryantsville to Bardstown. We left the church gymnasium nice and dry after escaping the previous nights storms. We cycled a quick couple of miles to Burgin to get a big egg breakfast. We spent a long time digesting out in the sun and posing on a motorcycle statue before kicking onto Bardstown. Overcast weather and gentle rolling hills (read accidental sunburn) ended with us talking to a local business owner called Ricky. He loved Ben as he had an Australian mate and so invited us to sleep in his RV and have a great dinner with his family. An interesting experience talking about cattle, wheat farming, strength of Coors light (6% my arse) and guns. Great hospitality.

Day 21 Bardstown to Buffalo was a great day that started with us going to the Heaven Hills distillery for a tour. They make some good Bourbon, the best seller being 'Evan Williams'. 10.30 was a little early for bourbon tasting but was still an excellent experience, the highlight was going into the buildings where they store the barrels for a minimum of four years. We started running out of energy at a small town called Buffalo so we stopped at a church to ask if we could camp in their yard. It resulted in us becoming a central attraction at their summer bible camp. Quite intense but was fun to talk to the kids and get to understand what it's like for these kids growing up in rural Kentucky.

Day 22 Buffalo to Rough Falls. We woke early and David from the church helped us wake up with a few warm McDonalds breakfast sandwiches. We targeted a campsite at Rough Falls state park for the days target. We only moved 100 meters from the church before we bumped into our Georgian mates. Dave's chain had numerous broken links and Ben spent a while repairing what he could before they went off route to find a bike shop. We met up with them later that evening at the camp ground. A quick swim in the warm waters, pizza delivery, a camp fire and beers (and Bourbon) and then sleep in the sleeping bag underneath the night sky. Couldn't have gotten any better (cleaned the drive train on the bike too!)

Day 23 Rough Falls to Utica started with an omelette breakfast at 'Little Daves', a delightfully sloppy roadside diner that serves massive plates with friendly service. We had a 55 mile target to hit Utica where the volunteer fire department lets cyclists sleep indoors for free. Some hills to start before a long lunch/nap in a town called Whitesville (good name - an Eddyville is coming up too). I rode the last 19 miles alone and it felt great. This was the first time without any other riders immediately around and meant I could truly go my own pace. Utica fire dept was deserted but the hot showers and laundry were put to use. Sleep by 10 on the sofa after watching City Slickers 2 on VHS.

Day 24 Utica to Sebree (rest day). We weren't feeling like our legs had any power today. We hadn't had a rest day for over a week so we decided to cycle the short distance of 19 miles to Sebree where there is a church that houses cyclists (and has a great reputation for facilities). Good BLT sandwich for lunch at Beech Grove and then last blast to the Baptist church. It's a great spot, lots of space, sofas (that are so much better than a saddle) and fast wifi. Sent home a camera lens via the post office ($45), ate a chicken sandwich at the local dairy bar and then settled into a lazy-boy armchair for Netflix marathon (hiding in the nursery away from old seniors doing Zumba in the basement and teenagers playing religious rock in the chapel).