Distance traveled: 49.37 miles
Total distance: 597.42 miles
Average speed: 8.1 miles/hr
Time on bike: 6 hrs and 3 min
So today we biked past a lot of gas stations and I said to Joe, "wow gas prices are on the rise", then I remembered... I don't care! Apart from all the food we get to eat, the best part about cycling is not paying for gas!
Today was a hot one right from the start. At 9am we were already sweaty and out of breath... ew. Today's ride wasn't as pleasant as it could have been either. We were in the sun almost all day and passed through a lot of construction areas which were not cyclist friendly and full of gravel!
The past few days we have been cycling through coal country. Most of the mines are shut down, but because of all the mining the water tastes bad... but I mean really bad. It smells of sulfur and it tastes like metal. I felt kind of snotty but today we bought a gallon of water to fill our bottles. It really made me appreciate that fact that I live in an area with clean drinking water.
In KY, every single shoulder of the road has those warning bumps just in case a car starts to go off the road. The problem is, they aren't little!! We have three choices of how to ride on the road. (1) We ride on the warning bumps, sure it's fun for a while but talk about shaken baby syndrome. (2) We ride to the right of the bumps to the part of the shoulder that is either full of broken glass or leads to a terrifying cliff. OR (3) We ride in traffic. Unfortunately, sometimes the best option is the traffic.
We climbed some very big hills today and mixed with the heat we were pooped after 45 miles and decided to call it quits. About 5 miles before we stopped we met up with a couple from Wisconsin and we talked with them for a good 45 minutes or so! This was not their first tour and they were riding a tandem bike! (www.bike42.tumblr.com) Something Joe and I decided we probably wouldn't be good at! We also camped with a cyclist from California and it was interesting to hear his cycling stories! It's so much fun to meet other people who love touring just as much as we do!
Mary and Joe
PS Mom, I'm still alive.
Total distance: 597.42 miles
Average speed: 8.1 miles/hr
Time on bike: 6 hrs and 3 min
So today we biked past a lot of gas stations and I said to Joe, "wow gas prices are on the rise", then I remembered... I don't care! Apart from all the food we get to eat, the best part about cycling is not paying for gas!
Today was a hot one right from the start. At 9am we were already sweaty and out of breath... ew. Today's ride wasn't as pleasant as it could have been either. We were in the sun almost all day and passed through a lot of construction areas which were not cyclist friendly and full of gravel!
The past few days we have been cycling through coal country. Most of the mines are shut down, but because of all the mining the water tastes bad... but I mean really bad. It smells of sulfur and it tastes like metal. I felt kind of snotty but today we bought a gallon of water to fill our bottles. It really made me appreciate that fact that I live in an area with clean drinking water.
In KY, every single shoulder of the road has those warning bumps just in case a car starts to go off the road. The problem is, they aren't little!! We have three choices of how to ride on the road. (1) We ride on the warning bumps, sure it's fun for a while but talk about shaken baby syndrome. (2) We ride to the right of the bumps to the part of the shoulder that is either full of broken glass or leads to a terrifying cliff. OR (3) We ride in traffic. Unfortunately, sometimes the best option is the traffic.
We climbed some very big hills today and mixed with the heat we were pooped after 45 miles and decided to call it quits. About 5 miles before we stopped we met up with a couple from Wisconsin and we talked with them for a good 45 minutes or so! This was not their first tour and they were riding a tandem bike! (www.bike42.tumblr.com) Something Joe and I decided we probably wouldn't be good at! We also camped with a cyclist from California and it was interesting to hear his cycling stories! It's so much fun to meet other people who love touring just as much as we do!
Mary and Joe
PS Mom, I'm still alive.