June 12, 2024
We met two cyclists and a hiker today, which is such a delight. On Route 66, I crossed paths with a total of 4 cyclists, 3 of them on my last two days. On the TransAm Trail, we are seeing cyclists almost daily.
The hiker was an Episcopalian pastor who was trekking from the Ohio to the Mississippi Rivers. The survivor of a catastrophic car wreck, her trail name is Subaru. I interviewed her for my book, and once again marveled at how deep faith runs in middle America.
The cyclists were a Floridian named Brad and Dutchman carrying a horse whip for the dogs. Tasha, whom we met in Farmington, had texted them about us, and they greeted us with extra warmth.
Shared sorrow is half sorrow, and shared joy is twice joy. We compared notes on dog locales and management, as well as gear and terrain to come. Already sporting scars from Leo the Boxer's chomps on my ankle, and still suffering the side effects of the antibiotics I had to take (you ladies know what I'm talking about), I am increasingly apprehensive of the hounds of eastern Kentucky.
Distance: 65.31 miles
Climbing: 3.85 K feet
Total distance: 2,806 miles
OMG! Are you drying your chamois on your aero bars? And difulcan.