Fun = Pushing a bike for 4 miles!

So i guess i will begin with yesterday. I rode from Whitesville to Sonora, Kentucky about 70 something miles. The day started off good, a bit wet and foggy, but then it cleared up with a little wetness on the road. around midday i approached the crest of a steep grade, signalled with the sign of a truck going down a grade. I didnt think much of it because ive seen those signs all over the place and they havent been a problem. Well, this one was i started down, it was pretty steep, and i started to get scared because i couldnt slow down very well, and there was a 90 degree turn to the right at the bottom of the first grade. you need to also know that i stupidly accidentally broke one rear brake mount in carbondale, which means i have no rear brake. I barely slowed down just enough to make it through the first turn and down the second part of the grade that ended with a 90 degree turn to the left and across a bridge. I started to speed up, and thought i had it and that it was going to be like the last turn. midway down i saw that there was some wet cut grass skirting the edge of the road, which made me re-evaluate my path of direction, and i apparrently couldnt think well. i was not able to slow down enough, or turn soon enough, and i think i hit some of the wet grass and my bike went flat and so did i right into the side of the road in mud and other gunk. I got up and said another word for poo, and found my battle wounds. My leg looked bad, and i pulled at some of it for 10 seconds or so, and then decided i just needed to keep moving and get into a town. It wasnt bleeding bad or gushing which was surprising. I rode about another 14 miles to Sonora and went to their Ambulance Station and got an EMT to check me out. i was concerned if i needed stitches, she said they would reduce scarring, but not much else. I decided to not worry about it and headed to a church, after taking them up on a shower, and cleaning the wounds. At First Baptist Sonora i met some wonderful people who fed me and housed me. At the church the youth had a snack = vegetable soup, where some apple cinnamon frozen stuff was confused with chicken broth, so it made it taste seasonal like there was pumkin or sweet potato in it! it was still delish though. I went to the wed night service and then afterward i was able to sleep in a nice bed at the associate pastors house, where i was awesomely treated like family and fed well with some biscuits and country ham!

Today i rode from Sonora to Bardstown, and rode through a lot of historic Abe Lincoln stuff. it was foggy in the morning and then the fog got heavier and then started to rain. I knew bad weather was coming. when i was about a 1/2 a mile out from bardstown a piece of glass jabbed my front tire and flattened it. i put my spare tube in only to have pinched the tube when installing. it was so wet outside it was pretty much impossible to patch there, i actually attempted to. so i pushed into town and then pushed around town in the longest way possible to get to the Walmart, bc the bike shop went out of business. it took me a good hour and a half to get there, and i walked the last 1/2 mile in poring down rain and was soaked as i entered. I spent some time in walmart. I ate 2 pears and fixed my bike and then sat and dried off a bit, only to get soaked again riding back into town. I had gotten a tip from someone, and from a local church to get overnight assistance from the police, they hooked me up with a room at the ramada, and a food coupon. That was pretty blessed. Im pretty exhausted because i didnt sleep much with the wound last night, and a little too much sweet tea. so im going to bed now. I should make it to Berea tomorrow and im about a day ahead of shedule.
much love
peace
michael

Welcome to Marion, Kentucky

Well, today was a terribly short riding day for me. Yesterday i rode from Carbondale, Il almost to Elizabethtown, Il. I ended up starting around 9:30am and finishing at about 5:30pm, it was a fairly cloudy day and pretty cool. I stopped as i crossed in front of a church called Community Chapel, i saw they had a good awning and a 6:00pm service i was pretty drained from the day since i havent been on the bike for a while. The mention of concern about the awning was that i did not really want to pitch my tent in the open because i knew storms were moving in, therefore i wouldnt have to pack a wet tent. I parked my bike and others started rolling in, each person probably shook my hand atleast once and gave me a smile. The pews were littered with white people, but shook and moved how people would characterize a black church. Hands clapping and loud voices, with or without microphones. When the guy spoke i thought he was going to pass out from lack of oxygen after a while, he survived nevertheless. It was good though, and i ended up getting to sleep in a guest room that they had set up, it was actually a very amazing set up they had. A full bed, 2 futons, a dinner table, shower, and the church kitchen. Oh, it also had heat.

So i woke up at around 7:30am to the sound of rain against metal roofs and started rolling at around 8:45am. I sopped into the town of Cave in Rock and stopped at this little restaurant called GeeJay's and got some not homemade biscuits and gravy with bacon of course. The biscuits were good though, but its amazed me that no one really makes biscuits anymore. I left from there at about 11:30am to catch the ferry across the Ohio River and entered into Kentucky. As i rode off the ferry and down sr91 i encroached upon Amish country and a few stores i think owned by a family called the Yoders. I stopped by their variety store, it was the only one directly off the road, and was quite suprised all they had in there, a lot of dried stuff, bulk foods, other home made preserves and what not, the usual cheap nic-nak things, and some pretty nice wood furniture that i wanted to make sketches of to make back at home. I continued riding and came into Marion, Ky and stopped at the library for a little break and to spend $1310.00 on my ticket to indo. When i entered the library, the ladies at the desk realized how wet i was, suggested that i put my jacket on a chair outside, and put a plastic bag on the seat of a computer chair that they designated for me. I began to surf the web and then was shortly politley interrupted by one of the librarians, and they offered me a towel to dry off with. That is how soaked i was. It is supposed to rain 2-6 inches of rain here today, when i got to marion i decided i was miserable in the rain and decided to call it quits. The librarians took it upon themselves to try and see if they could get me indoors somewhere, after i inquired about camping at the park, and referred me to the tourism office whom referred me to the Marion Baptist Church Family Life Center. I went there, and talked to the people and inquired if i could sleep on their floor, then they had a side meeting and they ended up setting me up at a B&B across the street. I was amazed at that, and didnt expect it at all. So, i put my stuff up, and got a footlong cold cut trio from subway, and 2 chocolate chocolate chip cookies, and a peanut butter cookie. Then i went the McDonalds and got a double cheese burger, Med fry, and 2 pies. i have consumed all except 6 inches of sub and 1 pie, i plan on eating it later tonight.

Well... im getting tired, i think i will make some coffee in my room, read some, and make a few calls. i hope you enjoyed the somewhat narrative post for today. peace i think tomorrow is sunnier and brighter