May 9th- Harrodsburg, KY
Hi everyone!
We still have about 8 miles to go before we stop for the day, but we decided to stop and write a brief update first from this public library. We actually didn't end up leaving Franklin until Saturday morning (a combination of uncertain weather, last-minute details to wrap up, anxiety about Friday afternoon traffic in Nashville, and wanting to spend a little more time with the Spelman crew!), but we certainly made up for lost time! John had generously offered to shuttle us and our bikes to the north end of Nashville before he went to work on Saturday, but, being a determined purist, I decided that I'd rather wake up at the crack of dawn and bike the whole way, so we were up and on the road by 6:30 am. We were a bit chilly for the first hour of riding (I couldn't believe I was putting my gloves back on after those 100-degree days in Texas just a short while ago!), but the early-morning sunlight was beautiful on the misty Tennessee hills. From Franklin we cut west a bit to navigate around the Nashville bustle, and we spent most of the day on "rollercoaster roads"... we didn't see 1/4 mile of flat terrain for hours! Luckily the land flattened out a bit once we got past the Kentucky state line (we entered Kentucky on Derby Day!), and we stopped to eat our lunch next to a stretch of open farmland. We ended up doing another 101-mile day on Saturday!! Pretty good, considering the hilly terrain... I've taken to calling these "Dalmation Days" (if you don't know what I'm talking about, ask a 5-year-old!). Spent the night in Bowling Green, KY, and woke up the next day to cool temperatures and light rain. Just before we reached Pig, KY, we passed through the 3,000-mile mark, and we realized that this milestone was especially significant since both 1,000 AND 2,000 miles were in Texas! We'd decided to make Sunday a short day since we were going by Mammoth Cave National Park and couldn't pass up the opportunity to see what was there. We got there around noon, and spent the afternoon exploring the cave, which was VERY cool... we went down 250 ft. through small passageways and saw incredible stalactite and stalagmite formations. Unfortunately we can't post the photos we took yet, but I'm sure you can find more information and pics if you Google it. From Mammoth Cave we were able to reconnect with Adventure Cycling's TransAmerica route... we were actually quite pleased with the route selections we made from Franklin (scenic, good surfaces, minimal traffic for the most part), but having the map for reference eliminated the potential anxieties that come when you set out on uncharted territory. Dad and I are both loving Kentucky so far- gorgeous green hills (called "Knobs" in this region), fields of bluegrass, old farmhouses, and extremely friendly people. We stopped for lunch at Abraham Lincoln's birthplace near Hodgenville and met Eric, a really nice guy who'd hiked the Appalachian Trail and offered to get us anything we needed. We'd stocked up on everything we could possibly need in Franklin, but we had a great conversation with him about our respective adventures. At the end of the day yesterday, we stopped at the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Trappist, KY, where we were welcomed warmly and given a place to stay for the night. Today we made our way from Gethsemani to Harrodsburg, where we stopped to eat a late lunch and do a few errands. The scenery is still beautiful, but the roads are getting steeper by the day! Tomorrow we'll ride through Berea, KY, the TransAmerica route's "gateway to the Appalachians," so the mountains are not too far away! I've heard that some people are having issues with the link to my Pan-Mass Challenge page... from using this link from many public computers on our trip, I've figured out that you need to have "Flash Player" installed on your computer for the profile to appear. This is easy to install and doesn't cost anything, so if the link isn't working you might try downloading it. Thanks to those of you who have donated! Your support is greatly appreciated. Keep following along on the blog, and hopefully you'll hear from us soon! Glad to have you with us!!
-- Kate
We still have about 8 miles to go before we stop for the day, but we decided to stop and write a brief update first from this public library. We actually didn't end up leaving Franklin until Saturday morning (a combination of uncertain weather, last-minute details to wrap up, anxiety about Friday afternoon traffic in Nashville, and wanting to spend a little more time with the Spelman crew!), but we certainly made up for lost time! John had generously offered to shuttle us and our bikes to the north end of Nashville before he went to work on Saturday, but, being a determined purist, I decided that I'd rather wake up at the crack of dawn and bike the whole way, so we were up and on the road by 6:30 am. We were a bit chilly for the first hour of riding (I couldn't believe I was putting my gloves back on after those 100-degree days in Texas just a short while ago!), but the early-morning sunlight was beautiful on the misty Tennessee hills. From Franklin we cut west a bit to navigate around the Nashville bustle, and we spent most of the day on "rollercoaster roads"... we didn't see 1/4 mile of flat terrain for hours! Luckily the land flattened out a bit once we got past the Kentucky state line (we entered Kentucky on Derby Day!), and we stopped to eat our lunch next to a stretch of open farmland. We ended up doing another 101-mile day on Saturday!! Pretty good, considering the hilly terrain... I've taken to calling these "Dalmation Days" (if you don't know what I'm talking about, ask a 5-year-old!). Spent the night in Bowling Green, KY, and woke up the next day to cool temperatures and light rain. Just before we reached Pig, KY, we passed through the 3,000-mile mark, and we realized that this milestone was especially significant since both 1,000 AND 2,000 miles were in Texas! We'd decided to make Sunday a short day since we were going by Mammoth Cave National Park and couldn't pass up the opportunity to see what was there. We got there around noon, and spent the afternoon exploring the cave, which was VERY cool... we went down 250 ft. through small passageways and saw incredible stalactite and stalagmite formations. Unfortunately we can't post the photos we took yet, but I'm sure you can find more information and pics if you Google it. From Mammoth Cave we were able to reconnect with Adventure Cycling's TransAmerica route... we were actually quite pleased with the route selections we made from Franklin (scenic, good surfaces, minimal traffic for the most part), but having the map for reference eliminated the potential anxieties that come when you set out on uncharted territory. Dad and I are both loving Kentucky so far- gorgeous green hills (called "Knobs" in this region), fields of bluegrass, old farmhouses, and extremely friendly people. We stopped for lunch at Abraham Lincoln's birthplace near Hodgenville and met Eric, a really nice guy who'd hiked the Appalachian Trail and offered to get us anything we needed. We'd stocked up on everything we could possibly need in Franklin, but we had a great conversation with him about our respective adventures. At the end of the day yesterday, we stopped at the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Trappist, KY, where we were welcomed warmly and given a place to stay for the night. Today we made our way from Gethsemani to Harrodsburg, where we stopped to eat a late lunch and do a few errands. The scenery is still beautiful, but the roads are getting steeper by the day! Tomorrow we'll ride through Berea, KY, the TransAmerica route's "gateway to the Appalachians," so the mountains are not too far away! I've heard that some people are having issues with the link to my Pan-Mass Challenge page... from using this link from many public computers on our trip, I've figured out that you need to have "Flash Player" installed on your computer for the profile to appear. This is easy to install and doesn't cost anything, so if the link isn't working you might try downloading it. Thanks to those of you who have donated! Your support is greatly appreciated. Keep following along on the blog, and hopefully you'll hear from us soon! Glad to have you with us!!
-- Kate
posted by Kate and Jim | 6:00 PM
4 Comments:
I'm sure that Jim will post a long blog on his experiences at Gesthemani but if it sounds somewhat familiar to you, it is where Thomas Merton lived, is buried, and where he wrote the Seven Story Mountain, a very spiritual place. I"m sure he will write more, but the trappists there have taken a vow of silence, so a quiet adventure.
Note to the Spelman family....
Quaker meeting has begun....
Food for thought for the road from Thomas Merton:
From the introduction to his Japanese translation of Seven Storey Mountain:
"I seek to speak to you, in some way, as your own self. Who can tell what this may mean? I myself do not know, but if you listen, things will be said that are perhaps not in this book. And this will be due not to me but to the One who lives and speaks in both."
And, believe it or not, written 50 years ago:
"Is it any wonder that there can be no peace in a world where everything possible is done to guarantee that the youth of every nation will grow up absolutely without moral and religious discipline, and without the shadow of an interior life, or of that spirituality and charity and faith which alone can safeguard the treaties and agreements made by governments?"
Peace and be safe
Love you
Mom
Been awhile since I've been in touch. I check the site every day and have been following your progress on my Rand McNally(sadly, I have to use a magnifying glass). What a wonderful adventure! And in these crazy times it's great hearing about the wonderful hospitalities extended your way.Maybe there is hope that we will yet survive as a species. The writing, on both your parts, has been great (Jim... loved your true facts learned in biking Texas, though I had to read it twice. I've read Joycean text that was less convoluted). But it was funny. Be well, peddle hard and enjoy the downhills. michael
Jim and Kate, Tom and I were hoping your route would take you closer to Cincinnati: so close, yet so far (from Harrodsburg)! And, alas, it is rainy and chilly in my fair city right now; I hope the weather you are experiencing in the Appalachians is nicer than this! Thank you for sharing your experiences. I hope to have a similar sort of adventure someday: walking the Appalachian Trail; maybe I CAN DO it, if you, Jim, can ride across the country.
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