June 9, 2001 - Mike and Marilyn's 2001 TranAmerican Bike Tour

Berea to Chimney Rock Resort Campground, Kentucky. (45 mi.) Mile 880

An easy day in Kentucky Blue Grass country

I am sitting on a picnic table with the laptop plugged into an electrical outlet on a nearby tree. We are in the pleasant, shady Chimney Rock Resort Campground. They cater to TransAm bicycle tourists here, and we see that when we signed in, Walter and the elusive German couple, who have remained just ahead of us, left here this morning.

Neat farmhouses and patriotic flags characterize this area

We had another day of choice bicycling through Kentucky's rolling Blue Grass country, a landscape dotted with groves of trees, corn and tobacco fields, neat farmhouses and weathered barns. There are still many hills, but they are not as steep. The numerous red brick churches of Virginia have given way to ones of white painted wood, still predominantly Baptist, and usually with an adjacent cemetery. Many yards in Kentucky sport blue and white signs that say, "We share in the Ten Commandments", followed by the Ten Commandments in lettering too small to read when passing by, even at our slow speed. These signs are symbolic of the faith of the home owners throughout this area.

Filly Dixie is a product of Kentucky horse breeding

A dog statue (no spray required) guards a more recent headstone

in a cemetery dating back to the mid-1800s.

The stone reads: "Lord, Let Me Be Young Again."

We figured on another shorter mileage day in order to be in step with the good campgrounds. As we were leaving Berea, we learned that many people were in town for the Berea College reunion. We met Larry Morgan, Class of '36, outside our motel and learned from him that Berea College was based on a work-study concept that allowed many people from Appalachia to attend college who would not have been able to afford it otherwise. Larry grew up in West Virginia's Appalachia, was college age during The Depression, worried about basic survival and worked at farming and in the coal mines before attending Berea. Students were expected to work at least 10 hours/week running the College as well as pay tuition of $25 per quarter. Larry is retired from the phone company and the owner of a new computer, as well as our web site address now.

We also stopped to admire a frisky young colt, who we learned is one week old and named "Kentucky Joe". It was hard to get his picture because he is still pretty tight with his mother.

Kentucky Joe and his mother

Temperatures were in the mid 70s with little wind and finally, a humidity below 50%. I'm excited to be able to use our Automatic Drier now, a bungee attaching a string of clothes to the back of our bikes as we ride. This will make laundry much easier. Previously we couldn't get any of our things to dry out.

Mike is stretched out asleep on the grass, resting up for a longer day tomorrow.