We stopped at Dwarf Post Office as Tony wanted to post some gear home, I decided to pop in as well just to check on the stature of the Post Mistress!
Whilst waiting, an old boy leant on the counter started chatting to us about our ride, followed up by a knowledgeable history of post World War 2 bicycle production in the USA. I seem to be able to decipher the Kentucky accent a bit better than Tony, it must be the way they can turn a sentence into one word!
We also questioned the Post Mistress on the potability of the water in the area, she said there was a faucet out back, but she always drank bottled, the old boy mumbled some derisory comment about bottled water and the Post Mistress passed us two cold ones from her secret stash and wished us a safe journey.
Some times it’s the little things like that that make your day, peoples good nature has really shone through in America.
Oh and bye the way, as we walked out I glanced back through the open hatch way and the Dwarf Post Mistress was most definitely of normal stature…….
A few miles up the road we stopped at a gas station and popped in for more water. The owner a typical baseball cap wearing Kentuckyite asked about our trip, on hearing my accent he piped up in a fake English accent, “I’ve been to England, London and North Basington…toodle pip”. He seemed to think that adding “toodle pip” to every sentence would make him sound more authentically English.
I said, in a plumy English accent that “ I was unaware of North Basington, but if I could borrow the phone I’d ring the Queen and ask her where it was”. There was a brief second when the lady behind the counter thought I was being serious and that I had the Queens number written down on a scrap of paper!
Bruce caught us up at this point and the three of us and the gas station owner stood yacking about the directions the route was taking us on. Another great encounter with the locals!
Our lovely morning route soon came to an end when we had to cycle along the hard shoulder of Route 80 for about 8 miles amongst all the truck detritus, not only that, but Kentucky in it’s wisdom has decided to put rumble strips on all the hard shoulders making riding lethal.
As I plodded along the equivalent of the M5 hard shoulder with huge MAC trucks buzzing my elbow I noticed from my map and the road signs that I was heading a few miles north of Hazard. I couldn’t help but reminisce about Saturday TV in my youth and my favourite program “The Dukes of Hazard”, I was slightly tempted by a detour to see if Daisy Duke was still as fit as she used to be but I just didn’t want to risk a run in with Sheriff Rosco P Coltrane.
Instead I had my first Walmart experience, a wander around the aircraft hanger sized temple of consumption was quite an experience. I was happy when I found Power Bars and bags of Gummy Bears, part of my new cycling diet!
Out in the car park a gentleman stopped us, he had shouted to us from the road side 10 miles back and wished us luck on our Trans Am. On spotting us again he was keen to find out more about our journey. He reminisced about his college cycling days and said he would never be able to do the Trans Am because of his age (late forties) and being over weight. I tapped my belly and said I’m overweight and Tony told him about a couple a few days ahead in there 70’s. He ran out of excuses and as he wished us well there may have just been a glimmer of another Trans Amer in a few years time!
Back onto nicer roads but lots of steep climbs, we made it to Buckhorn KY and the store owners invited us in to sign the cyclist book. They then gave us the key to go and look in a massive church built in a log cabin style, it was quite an amazing place.
Whilst eating my noodles on the steps of the cabin I yelled out with child like excitement; the dark meadow had come alive with fire flies. Hundreds of these little green dots of LED like brightness flitted around in the dark sky, Tony and Bruce where use to seeing them but for me it was a special moment, one of many this trip is giving me.
