Day 17

We have now been traveling for 4 days in Kentucky with one rest day in Berea. Eastern Kentucky (the Appalachians) is an area of tremendous contrasts. If you look up, you see beautiful mountains, but along side the road is trash and garbage (of course, right next to the sign that states "$500.00 fine for littering"). I saw shacks with $40,000 loaded pick-up trucks in their front yards. This is an area of coal-mining and the trucks loaded with coal would come barreling past, almost blowing me off the road. What was really startling was when they would blow their horn right as they were passing!!

Yesterday, we had a wonderful rest day in Berea, KY, the home of Berea College. I didn't realize this, but the students attending this college pay no tuition, they all work in different industries that support the college (e.g. furniture making, pottery, farming, etc.). I also didn't realize this, but Berea College was one of the first interracial colleges in the south. I spent most of my rest day visiting the different artisans and watching them make jewelery, etc. I met one woman who makes beautiful glass jewelery - she calls them "Hot Flash Beads," since she only started making them when she was going through menopause. She was a cytotechnologist for 30 years before she decided to make her hobby of jewelery making her full time occupation.

Today's ride was wonderful! We are now finally entering flatter country with just rolling hills rather than mountains that we have to cross every day. We passed through lovely expansive horse farms. The route generally takes narrow little back roads with minimal traffic. Every now and then we have to get on a major highway for a short distance, but generally we are seeing the best of what the countryside has to offer. Many of the barns that we passed today had gorgeous quilt patterns painted on the end. Usually the barn was black so the contrasting colors were beautiful. I've been told that these patterns have to do with the Shaker culture in this part of Kentucky.

Tonight instead of camping, we are staying in the gym of the local YMCA here in Harrodsville. We make the snorers stay in one corner of the room when we all have to sleep together. Luckily, the gym is quite big - I just hope that the snores don't echo. I prefer sleeping inside rather than pitching my tent. Even if it doesn't rain, the tent gets wet from the dew and you have to worry about drying it out later.

I'm not sure when I will have time to post another blog - our next rest day is in 6 days in Carbondale, IL.

Talk to you soon.