Top lessons from Virginia to Illinois

After being in the road for 4 weeks here are a few other tips not in my other posts in no particular order...

1) My least used item so far has been my 35mm lens. I sent it back to Melbourne for just under $50 (was just under a pound in weight). I find that if my camera equipment isn't easy to hand then it's not going to get used. I'm also not using the SLR much, though its nice to have for higher quality pics when I have time off the bike.
2) My point and shoot has been great at capturing pics and video whilst on the bike. I keep it in my little fuel belt pouch on the cross bar so it's always handy. It's wide angle lens makes it very versatile.
3) My handlebar bag has been pretty disappointing. It droops (although I overload it) but mostly the Velcro plastic map holder constantly tears and I've had to duct tap it a lot to keep it together. Even so I think it will keep together all the way to Oregon (I hope)
4) One thing I do wish I had spent money on is a modern tent. My one is pretty old and takes 2 to 3 times longer to pitch/take down than newer tents. It's also a good deal bulkier and heavier. At this point though I'm not going to replace mid ride.
5) Saddle sores come and go but it's worth making adjustments to the saddle to try to find the sweet spot. Chamois butter has been interesting to use but I may be moving away from using it in future. I've also had lower back and knee pain recently which I think was because of having the saddle slightly too high and too far forward.
6) Top purchase has been the iPad mini. Although expensive it has been great for movie making, musical, books, magazines and general web surfing. Much better than looking at a small iPhone screen.
7) T-Mobile cell signal has been atrocious in the mountains. I find it super frustrating to receive a message and then find I've lost signal and can respond! I've seen that AT&T and Sprint customers have had better luck.
8) Road kill stinks and there is A LOT of it on the roads. It smells for like a 50 meter radius. Unfortunate side effect of being closer to nature.
9) Having clothes to wear off the bike can not be overrated. I have a pair of jeans that are heavy but its great to be able to change into them and wear around town without feeling you look too skoady. Also a pair of decent board shorts are also great off the bike. Padded cycling shorts aren't good to wear 24/7!
10) So far everyone we have met on the route have been warm and amazingly friendly and open to cyclists. This is truly a fantastic part of America to visit and get to talk to the local people. Also the other cyclists on the route are very cool and its a joy to bump into them along the way. Time does fly, 2 months and 3000+ miles to go!

The game

A fun game we have learnt in Kentucky:

1) make a ring with your thumb and forefinger
2) try to get someone to look at the circle
3) if they do look at it then you can punch them in the arm
4) don't forget to wipe the punch afterwards or else they can punch you back

Day 25 to 29, out of Kentucky and into Southern Illinois

Day 25 Sebree to Marion started quite late. Good wifi is a treasure so I Skype with Sonia in the morning before we left the church around 10am. We rode the 12 miles to the town of Dixon before going into Hills Dairy bar for breakfast (hamburgers and wedges). Lots of old timers in there with the owner who couldn't believe that we cycling to Oregon. Was good joking with them. We wanted to get across the river into Illinois but we were beat by the time we got to Marion. There was cyclist only lodging at the Methodist church so we stayed the night. pastor Wayne was a top bloke and compiles the best cyclist log book (with head shots) as well as having a good sense of humor. An excellent place to stay. Also - there was a log of another rider from Banbury! (A brother of a girl that was in my year at school - Nuts!)

Day 26 Marion to Eddyville. I nipped to the grocery store early to pick up breakfast (whole pot of hummus). Quick goodbye to Wayne to wish him the best then across the Ohio river on the free ferry to enter Illinois. Was great feeling so we stopped for lunch at a country store on the river front. We also stopped at a bar in Elizabethtown - we hadn't seen any bars in Kentucky so this was a novelty! A couple of beers later we kept on to Eddyville. There were some tough climbs that really took it out of me near the end. The campsite had live cowboy music and hot showers that heed me to unwind - this was a tough day.

Day 27 Carbondale was where we wanted to get to, possibly even staying for a rest day as our muscles were starting to feel fatigued. We went slow up to Goreville where we stopped for lunch at Delaney's. the owner Pete from NJ was a good chap and gave us free desert. He also regaled us with some stories from his Navy days. After lunch we rode individually up to Carbondale in the rain. It took a while to find a motel and when we did it didn't have hot water = cold showers for us. I splurged on a single room for myself, a whole pizza and an early night.

Day 28 was planned to be a rest day. However the motel still had boiler problems and the immediate area seemed very dodgy. We went up the road for laundry and watched as a drunk black dude was thrown out of the laundromat by a drunk white dude. This made our minds up, lefs check out and head to Chester. We had a mediocre burger and then rode 4 miles to Murphysbro where a driver told Norah to get off the road. Had more food there at a sweet hometown cafe. The road to Chester was very fast and busy so wasn't the most enjoyable. We stopped in Ava and had some food in a bar - A half cut local called Bart was talking to us all (as long as we were 'no islam') so we headed out sharpish. Once we got onto smaller roads I missed the turn and had to take a detour adding a few hilly miles. Got into Chester at 8pm to the cyclist lodging at the Fellowship of Eagles (not a biker gang). Excellent vibe (was volleyball Monday) and good pizza and beers. A great night cap.

Chester has been so chilled and nice that all three of us decided to spend the day 29 here. A good breakfast, seeing the Popeye museum in town (the creator was born here) and then time to chill (and write this blog post) in the sun. It's getting hot though, it's in the mid 90's today - getting on for 35 degrees C!

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).

Day 15 to 19

Day 15 Lookout to Hindman started after ALL of the other cyclists left (so about 9.40 for us). Bang straight into a steep grade hill that I had to stop twice to catch my breath. Rest of the days past fast through valleys. Two more real tough climbs, one tacked behind retired couple Jeff and Barbara (who utterly smoked us on the ascent) and one after a late lunch. There were a couple of smaller hills before we got to the cyclists only camping in the Baptist church in Hindman. More new cyclists in the basement so we headed to the rafters and I slept in the music cupboard next to a drum kit.

Day 16 Hindman to Hazard was short as this was going to be a rest day. It started off with coffee inside a pharmacy and then after 10 miles or so we stopped at a beer shop where the owner gave us a taste of his corn liquor! Ted 'Blue' Ribbon's moonshine gave us a kick for the remaining 10 or so miles to Hazard. We didn't want to stay at a motel so we were able to secure accommodation at a church cottage in town. We settled down for the night with some nice warming bourbon after escaping some interesting chat with the local tattoo artist who was recently freed from an 8 year sentence for home invasion. He was a nutter.

Day 17 Hazard to Buckhorn was another quick day as we had hangovers from the previous night. We picked Buckhorn camp ground as our target (26 miles away). A few climbs again plus a really horrible stretch on highway 15 started the day. Highlights from the rest of it were talking to an elderly couple (Sheila and Willy) who delivered local newspapers, eating our first proper salads of the trip and getting a great campsite. The camp site was peaceful and we had a pretty spot on our own amongst the trees. Just what we needed.

Day 18 Buckhorn to McKee started excellent with us breaking camp by 8. We travelled 200 meters to the first cafe and then spent 1.5 hours on the Internet so we didn't actually start riding till 9.30 which defeated the object of waking early. Hills were tough going again but not as tough as realizing that we had taken a wrong turn that took us 10 miles off route! This combined with super hot temperatures over 90 degrees really took its toll. We wanted to hit Berea but decided that the motel in McKee would be more achievable. We got to the town and ate a buffet at the local restaurant. Extremely dodgy/gross sludge, but we needed the calories. Luckily no need for Imodium the next day.

Day 19 McKee to Bryantsville was efficient and fast. We finally actually managed to get on the road early as planned (7.30) and blew 25 miles to Berea before 9.30. The best section was a smooth downhill blast with a stunning scenic view over the valley below. Getting to Berea meant map 2 was completed! We celebrated by heading to an Amish shop for breakfast where we met 3 college students (Dave, Dave and Sam). We rode with these guys the rest of the day but man they were super fast. We kept up with them and were stopped around 6pm by an impending rain storm on the horizon. We saw a Baptist church and called to see if we could pitch our tents in the yard and they let us stay in the gym instead where it was much warmer - bonus.

Day 10 to 14 and into Kentucky!

Day 10 was our easy/rest day. We woke leisurely and went into downtown Christiansburg (approx 6 shops). The coffee shop had excellent wifi (and paninis) and thats where i wrote most of the last blog entry. We headed to Radford, about 15 miles away after kick out time at our Budget Inn. We heard in Troutville that a 'Doctor Lee' let's cyclists stay at his house for free. We got to Radford at 2pm so went for lunch at the Riverside Grill where we drank 5 pints of Virginian Stout and were pretty pissed. We got to the Lee's around 7 and they were the greatest couple. They let us camp in their yard and use their kitchen and showers. An amazing act of hospitality that I am seeing often on this trip. They even gave us the keys to their car so that we could go to the restaurant (Norah had sobered up by then). Good rest day!

Day 11 We left Radford with an aim to get to Whytheville where cyclists can pitch tents in the Town Park for free. This was a very windy day and very overcast so spirits were down. An Arby's breakfast did not improve morale. The scenery was great though as the woodland gave way to wider pasture lands. Top old guy and shop owner, Bryson gave us some tips on trapping and selling furs at one of our rest stops (his coffee tasted like mud though). We arrived around 7 and went up to an Italian restaurant that served some mega portions - great as we were starving!

Damascus was our target for day 12. Super cold start - down to around 4 above freezing. My sleeping bag and tent was not good and keeping the chill out. We got going and had a good mornings ride. We stopped in the afternoon for an hour talking to a group of people running a Church Fundraiser in the small community of Sugar Grove. Good chili dogs! We pushed on through arguably the best scenery so far. Flat, long grass fields ringed by the heavily wooded Blue Ridge mountain range. 8 brutal miles of climbing to the town of Troutdale followed by a few miles more until the greatest downhill road section of my life. Super fast and long (5 miles at least) of steep downhill, twisting down the side of the forest valley to Damascus. Definitely a go pro moment (but I don't have one). Amazing. Damascus is super chill, good wilderness/holiday vibe. Met some Appalaccian Trail hikers. They aren't as scary as the rumors have it (but still a bit weird). Few cold cans of poor Coors Lite/Busch and laundry and then bed.

Day 13 Damascus to Rosedale started slow. We stayed in Mojoes coffee shop for hours and then finally left at 10.30. I bought a thermal sleeping liner so hopefully that will keep me warmer at night. We want to cover a short distance to more free accommodation 35.5 miles away. We ended up having to go over White Top mountain which was incredibly debilitating. In 3 miles I climbed 1500 feet. Constant switchbacks made sure this took over an hour. Brilliant climb though with dense forest on either side of the road. Plugged some music in and growing up it. The church was also great - the parishioners had left lots of food for spent cyclists like us to cook (in our case Mac and cheese and steamed veg). Getting to sleep was a little creepy after making jokes about stigmata, exorcism etc. my catholic upbringing playing on my subconscious.

Day 14 Rosedale to Lookout (Kentucky) on Memorial Day. This was a big day, especially after yesterday's climbing. 62 miles to cover, across the state line, to another church in the town of Lookout in Kentucky. Started well with a couple of quick descents and then another long climb up 'big A mountain'. The downhill again was fast with sweeping turns and great vistas of the surrounding mountain ranges. Later in the afternoon we repeated the pattern as we went around the Breaks state park. Three times we had brutal long climbs followed by super fast (40mph at least) downhills. I need to get new break pads soon. We hit the state line and were ecstatic - lots of photos! So pleased to have done the first state. Quick 15 miles to the rest stop where other cyclist are also stopping for the night and sleep before tomorrow's run deeper into Kentucky.