Day 48 (86 miles) Metropolis IL to Hopkinsville, KY.
Today were joined by two guest riders from Kentucky, one of which rode the whole day with us. Our first stop was Kentucky Lake, a huge reservoir formed by a massive dam on the Tennessee River. We visted the dam visitor center and learned about the history of the reservior and the role it plays in the area. We then proceeded on our ride into the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. We rode through the woods until we stopped at the park visitor center to eat lunch, and then crossed over the Cumberland River to exit the recreation area.
Right before entering Hopkinsville, we encountered the single most revolting odor ever to curse humanity. Although we don't know the exact details, it appeared that the back door of a huge semi truck had opened and all of its cargo had poured out and spread all over the road directly in front of us. There was really no way around it other than riding into traffic. What was it carrying you ask? It was a massive amount of incredibly discusting, partially rotten, animal guts! I have no idea why someone was shipping guts, but it sure wasn't a pleasent experience from a cyclist's point of view. Even holding my breath it became difficult to suppress the urge to barf up my lunch.
Upon entering Hopkinsville we rode to St. Johns Methodist Church where we spent the night. We slept on the ground in the church's dining/event room.
Today were joined by two guest riders from Kentucky, one of which rode the whole day with us. Our first stop was Kentucky Lake, a huge reservoir formed by a massive dam on the Tennessee River. We visted the dam visitor center and learned about the history of the reservior and the role it plays in the area. We then proceeded on our ride into the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. We rode through the woods until we stopped at the park visitor center to eat lunch, and then crossed over the Cumberland River to exit the recreation area.
Right before entering Hopkinsville, we encountered the single most revolting odor ever to curse humanity. Although we don't know the exact details, it appeared that the back door of a huge semi truck had opened and all of its cargo had poured out and spread all over the road directly in front of us. There was really no way around it other than riding into traffic. What was it carrying you ask? It was a massive amount of incredibly discusting, partially rotten, animal guts! I have no idea why someone was shipping guts, but it sure wasn't a pleasent experience from a cyclist's point of view. Even holding my breath it became difficult to suppress the urge to barf up my lunch.
Upon entering Hopkinsville we rode to St. Johns Methodist Church where we spent the night. We slept on the ground in the church's dining/event room.
Inside the Kentucky Dam
Day 49 (65 miles) Hopkinsville to Bowling Green, KY
The next morning we were joined by some local riders who proved to be very helpful in guiding us out of town. We then entered the countryside and encountered an odd pattern in the shoulder of the highway we were traveling on. On most roads, there are two strips that are extra smooth where car's tires have smoothed out the asphalt. In this particular shoulder, (not the road itself) there were three strips, the one in the middle was extra rough, and the two on the outside were extra smooth. I soon discovered what caused this interesting phenoninom when an amish horse and buggy pulled out in front of me.
We arrived in the KOA in Bowling Green around 1pm, but we did not hang around for long. We quickly showered and hopped in the bus to visit the National Corvette Museum. The museum in Bowling Green KY is the only place in the world where they manufacture the Corvette. They are very proud of this fact. The museum displays Corvettes from throughout the ages, showing the history of this iconic American car. Even though I am not exactly a huge car enthusiast it was still quite an interesting museum.
One of the most peculiar exhibits at the museum actually came about from an insane natural occurrence. About a year ago, a huge sinkhole opened up in one of the museum's showrooms, taking 8 of the priceless cars with it. Most of them were totally destroyed and barely recognizable. Between the 60 ft deep sinkhole and the wrecked cars it made for quite an interesting exhibit.
After the museum, we went to a chinese restaurant for dinner, and then headed to the theaters to enjoy a movie. Movies are quite a treat during our adventure. They give us an excuse to just sit back in a comfortable chair in an air conditioned building for a few hours. It is quite a rejuvenating experience after a long day on a bike.
Once back at the church, we celebrated the birthday of one of the dads of the troop.
After the museum, we went to a chinese restaurant for dinner, and then headed to the theaters to enjoy a movie. Movies are quite a treat during our adventure. They give us an excuse to just sit back in a comfortable chair in an air conditioned building for a few hours. It is quite a rejuvenating experience after a long day on a bike.
Once back at the church, we celebrated the birthday of one of the dads of the troop.
Day 50 (33 miles) Bowling Green to Mammoth Cave, Kentucky
The next day we had only a 33 mile ride to the B&B at which we were staying. We were there before noon. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and enjoying the accommodations. It was a really nice house, set on a hill, and we had the whole place to ourselves. Day 51 will be a rest day during which we will explore Mammoth Caves, a massive 400 mile cave system that runs all under Kentucky, although the main touristy caves are located in Mammoth Caves National Park. It should be a very cool experience and I am greatly looking forward to it.