July 23

The day started out good….

We woke up in the Buckhorn Campground-same place we went to sleep in- that’s always a good thing!  Yesterday Joan, David and Jay joined us for the day and night.  The day was so exciting – after the bikers finished and when Jay, Joan and David pulled in, it started to rain, so we sat under the shelter (Thank you God) for most of the afternoon trying to decide if  were going to camp or head for the lodge on the other side of the lake and try our luck there.  About 3:33 the rain stopped enough for us to decide that yes, in fact we could set up camp.  The tent pads were gravel so they were not too wet.  We ended up with a double site so we planted 5 tents.  David and Joan win the award for the most deluxe tent.

After the tents sprouted, David fixed supper for us (Thank you David!).  It was wonderful, so nice to be served – spaghetti, bread, salad, beets from Jay, cookies (Joan said that they were almost homemade.)

The cyclist were up bright and early this morning.  Everyone else thought they should get up to see them off (yea, I did that to the first couple of days) anyway I got up this morning.  Had a cup of tea and some bread that Jay brought.  Early start to a long day….

Jay left by about 7:00.  Joan and Dave were on their way north about 8:00.  I pulled out of the campground by 8:30.

The first part of the day way fairly typical.  I even met up with the guys at a Dairy Queen in Hindman (long i—try to drill that into Jeff and Jack’s head).  Plan was to finish at Alice Lloyd College at about 52 miles.  We were all there by 11:00.  It was a cooler than normal, a great day for cycling so, on they pressed to Lookout KY, a total of 96.5 miles.  Over hill and dale would have been easy but the mountains of Eastern KY are high and mighty.  Today was my hardest day by far.  I do not do well on windy, steep mountain roads, especially where there are no guard rails and I’m driving on the down side of the mountain.  Those of you who know me that that is a totally true statement.  So the first mountain to fit that description was a stretch for me but I made it.  The second one I found terrifying –steep, windy, no guard rail, downside of the hill and…one lane.  Really for two cars to pass each other was quite a challenge.  I usually just moved over as much as I could, came to a crawl and prayed.  Luckily, there was no one following me-that’s when I’ve been known to cry.

But, I made it.  We are now sitting in a Baptist Center in Lookout KY, in the AC.  We have a kitchen to use tonight and a roof over our heads.  Who could ask for anything more.  (Well, maybe God, gentle rolling hills for tomorrow with shoulders and guard rails—Let me thank you in advance for that, please.)   

--A little later in the evening ---oh, here’s something else I could ask for, the spaghetti sauce that I thought David put in to our cooler – somehow it ended up in his cooler and is now back up in Park Hills.  That’s okay, as plan B I cut up the hot dogs that Jay left and put them in to the canned spaghetti sauce.  Needless to say, the guys were thrilled (not!)