I woke up early at the "my old Kentucky home" campground not sleeping well the night before. It was 8 am and I could already feel the strength of the sun against my tent.
The heat pushed up 90 degrees today and it took everything out of me. I struggled to keep a 9 mph pace for most of the morning and just didn't feel like being on the bike for most of the day. My strategy was just to continue to take it slow, making stops along the way untill I hit our destination of Mammoth Cave State Park 66 miles down the road.
Along the way i passed by the boyhood home of Abraham Lincoln. It was indeed a log cabin, only slightly bigger than my apartment in NYC.
The last 15 miles of the route took my over several hills along a country road and inside the park itself. Along the way i passed into the Central time zone, which gave me a boost of energy knowing I gained an extra hour.
When I reached the campgrounds I was a little dissapointed. For 18 bucks there where no power outlets at all and you had to pay 2 bucks for a ten minute shower. Not being able to charge my phone would be a set back for tomorow's ride as it's my primary means of navigation.
When Ryan arrived (he had detoured through cave city) we began looking at an atlas in the commisary and decided to push on another 32 miles to Bowling Green.
We were racing against the sun with only an hour and a half left of good light. After struggling all day I was finally able to muster a quick pace in the cooler evening air and the under the urgency of being potentially stranded on an unlight country road.
The scenery that I could care less about in the oppressive heat -- cows garzzing in the rolling pasteures, horses prancing around their pens -- turned beautiful under a setting sun.
I reached the outskirts of town by nightfall and after a short detour found the hotel we would check into for the night. 110 miles total on a day.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
110 in the heat. There is no stopping you.
ReplyDeleteThe weather in New York has been oscillating between mid 60's to the mid 80's. The citywide glee remains undeniable during the hotter episodes.
Have been hitting tennis balls from 10:00pm to Midnight at the US Open courts in flushing Meadows. Developing a new relationship with Queens sans Asian food and Eastern European lap dances.
About 10 days away from submitting PATANG to Toronto and Venice. My uncharted road involves a laptop an uncomfortable futon, hefty bouts of self doubt and faith that the universe will catch us.
Jai.