The Thin Blue Ride - Part 2 Day 80 - Bypro, KY to Haysi, VA (+3)

Tuesday, August 27th, 2019

Ride Report: 54 Miles, 3,681 Total Miles, 13.0 Avg. mph, 4,619 Ft. Climbing, 4,619 Calories, 1 mental breakdown - keep reading...

My apologies for the brief introduction.  We finished late yesterday and due to the viewing, didn't get into the church parking lot till 2300 - after the final group of attendees left and the lot was empty enough to get The Rig in.  The short recovery time combined with little sleep and the previously mentioned mental breakdown means that I'm physically exhausted tonight and want to turn in early.

Here we go...

Somewhere near the top of the first climb of the day.  The top of that little gravel road in the center of the pic is about 100 ft. below me.  And there was about 500 ft. of climbing before getting to where it came out on the highway.  A lotta work. 

On the downhill run to the first break of the day.  More low clouds.  The first 20 miles today were rainy.  I was soaked.

After that break I came across this beside the road.  It just screamed to have its pic taken.  It was beside a large, well kept house.  Hilarious.  My favorite is the cow bell hanging from the bumper.

This pic is a little foggy, but it wasn't the weather.  It was the sweat in the back pocket of my jersey.  I took it because it gives the reader some idea of the ridges we're climbing over to get between drainage basins.

This, readers, is kudzu.  It has completely subsumed areas of the forest and on one occasion the (mostly abandoned) half of a town on one side of the highway.  I saw properties with outbuildings where the owners had obviously just given up and let this stuff take over a building.  I don't know what the long term impact on the forest here will be, but I've heard that it's a blight that's spreading.

This is the crest of the second big climb of the day.  This one was a monster.  It went on for 4 miles, and of that 4 miles, one mile ran between 14-16% grade.  I was going 3.8 mph then.  My God - unheard of.  I thought I handled it pretty well from a physical perspective, but there were times during that mile that it was open to question as to whether I was gonna make it up without walking the bike up the hill - something I'd sworn not to do before the trip started.  I didn't realize what a toll this hill had taken on me till I got to The Rig for a break.  I was physically exhausted and after sitting there for a few minutes started to cry.  I know, right?  Me.  I think this trip in general and that hill in particular are the most physically demanding things I've ever done.  Susan helped me get collected - what a sweetheart.  Then we were off again.  But not before an hour long break to recover mentally and physically for the rest of the day. 

Hmmm - not especially useful this way.  I had to go over and take a look to make sure I stayed on the route.

This was a downhill one lane road that from my perspective was pretty fun.  But Susan took this pic.  She thought it was a good illustration of a good one lane road.  Used by permission of Susan Schoen Photography, LLC.

Sig has apparently taken up my habit of kissing the local fauna.  This was in Elkhorn, KY - the last town in Kentucky.  Like father, like bike.  Susan was mortified.

Though the reader can't see it, there are drill marks all the way down this wall indicating that they had to remove all this material to make the road.  Quite a lot of work, only to have parts of the road consistently collapse down into the river on the other side.

Virginia!  Finally!  State number 10 - and the final state on The Thin Blue Ride.  But Google Maps had made apparent that the road was so narrow Susan would have no place to park The Rig - so she was unable to participate.  This proved to be quite the quandary.  What was I gonna do without her five fingers?  But, being prepared (as always) she sent her hand double.  The reader should take note of the attention that went into this thing.  I kid you not, it has fingernails.  Thus proving that I have a great smile even with a clothes pin in my mouth.  Hey - it was an open question.

The entrance to Breaks Interstate Park - our home for the night.  But right now, I'm just passing by.  I have 12 miles to go before stopping for the day and then we'll return to park The Rig.  The problem is that there was nowhere out here to stay that had either a dump station or full hook-ups, other than Breaks.  This is God's country.  So here we will be.

I thought this was a nice view of the hills in the distance thru the gap in the trees.

Another hill top shot by Sig.  Sloppily done what with him not being centered in the pic, but it happens.  Note the kudzu growing on the right side of the road.  There were places where it grew out into the road only to be "trimmed" by the wheels of passing cars.  This stuff is tenacious.  It's like overgrown bindweed on steroids.

So - today.  Yet another in a string of tough days.  I fear it may just be this way until we break out of the Appalachians nearer the Virginia coast.  We'll see, I guess.  And that monster hill today - that was a significant emotional event.  Looking back, I find it hard to believe that it elicited such a response from me.  But it is what it is - and I got thru it.  So I guess that counts for something.

Till next time.