A moist town in Kentucky

We had a great day today. We got a later start than normal so we could have breakfast at the BnB. They served baked oatmeal with fruit and coconut whipped cream. It was delicious!

We deviated from the TransAmerica today to get to Berea. We were struggling to plan out the next week or so of the TransAm in a way that gave us a reasonable distance each day and didn’t include a 20-25 mile day. We weren’t excited about having a 20 mile day at this point, but by taking a more direct route than the TransAm to Berea, we can avoid the 20 mile day altogether.

We rode on the (wide) shoulder of a highway to Danville, where Mike and I stopped for lunch at a very cute place called Copper and Oak. It seemed to be a popular place for people touring the bourbon trail to stop at. The table next to us ordered smoky old fashioneds, and it was quite the ordeal, with a lot of fire and smoke while they were prepared at the table.

We then carried on another 30 miles to Berea, riding on a mixture of quiet country roads and busier, shoulderless roads.

Mike and I stopped at Walmart to restock our pantry (oatmeal, Clif bars, squeezable peanut butter tube) and then went out for dinner. We went to a place called Nightjar, which shares a space with a bagel place. So during the day it’s a bagel shop, and at night it’s a bar and restaurant. What a brilliant idea! Two businesses with non-overlapping opening hours sharing a space. They had good food and good beer.

On our way back to the hotel we stopped in a gas station to see if they sold beer. We looked around and didn’t see any and started to leave when the employee behind the counter asked what we were looking for. When we told her, she said “Oh you won’t find that here. This is a dry town. Well, it’s moist. You can get white girl wasted at the Cracker Barrel.”

Highlights

• I had three FULL meals today not prepared by anyone in the Kauffman-Jones household. None of it was scraps. None of it was microwaved. Probably none of it was frozen. Livin’ the dream.
• For weeks we’ve been seeing caterpillars on the road. Dozens and dozens a day. Today I saw a couple butterflies!
• Mike helped a turtle cross the road safely

Lowlights

• I was chased briefly by two dogs today. I yelled at them that they were each a “bad dog!” Mike rolls by less than a minute later and they leave him alone, so he tells them “good boy.” How. Rude.
• at various points throughout the day, my presence absolutely terrified at least nine cows and a cat. They all fled from me. With haste.

Julie’s food

• Breakfast: baked oatmeal with fruit and coconut whipped cream
• First Snack: Kind breakfast bar
• Lunch: portobello burger and fries
• Second Snack: Clif bar
• Third Snack: chips, bread, and quac
• Dinner: artichoke burger and fries

Stats

• Total distance: 62.54 miles
• Elevation gain: 3,598 feet
• Weather: dry, high of 75 degrees Fahrenheit