Day 77, Berea to Corbin, KY

Miles – 57

Miles From Start/To Finish – 3,595/750

Ave Riding Speed – 3-24 mph

Hours Start to Finish – 6.25

Weather – Partly Cloudy and 86

Rise and shine at 5:15am. We’ve got our 2-hour routine down for getting on the road. I expect we could be out the door much quicker if we had to, but the flow is working for us. Find or make coffee, shower, pack, light breakfast, check e-mails and social media and roll out the door.

During breakfast Kim and I were discussing feelings and worrying about our lives after our adventure is over, like where are we going to live, work, family stuff, etc. I tried to remind ourselves that we need to try and keep to the present and live the day. We’ll be heading into Virginia, our last state, sometime this week and we can see the blue salty waters of the Atlantic Ocean, in our minds, off in the distance. In some respects, I don’t want this adventure to end, but I need to get my head in a place where we’re just moving on to the next adventure.

Kim and I decided to go off the TransAm route for the entirety of Map #11 (of 12). We couldn’t find places to stay, other than camping, which isn’t sounding as fun due to the heat and humidity, and were not feeling good about running the dog gauntlet through the Appalachian’s. Miles will be about the same or a bit longer.

We rolled our bikes out of the Holiday Inn Express side door at 7:15am. We jumped back on Hwy 21 and headed east across the Hwy 75 Interstate for a half-mile and headed south on Hwy 25 for the entire route today. Hwy 25 was a very busy road, but there were only a couple hilly spots where we had to get off our bikes and push. The 2-lane highway only provided a real shoulder when we were near one of the small communities along the route. Vehicles were generous and gave us room to ride. What we’ve found to be very common in Kentucky is a 2-lane highway with no shoulder and a rumble strip just outside the white line on the edge of the road, so we’re forced ride inside the white line. We rode through the communities of Roundstone, Mt. Vernon, Livingston, East Bernstad and London before arriving in Corbin at 1:30am

Upon arriving in Corbin, we had to ride a mile west, out to Interstate 75, to get to our hotel, The Baymont Inn & Suites. It’s economical and clean. Right across the parking lot is another Cracker Barrel. After showering we walked over to the restaurant for an early dinner. Kim had a burger with a side salad and I had southern fried chicken and a side salad. Delicious meal.

We came back to our hotel room and I passed out for an hour’s nap, in my favorite sleeping position, sitting up, before getting on a Zoom call with my mom and brothers and sisters to discuss my dad’s health condition and what’s the next step. My friend Scott, from Virginia, is well versed in these matters and he was kind enough to join in on the conversation. It’s not a fun conversation, but it has to be. I recommend having those conversations much earlier so the process is not as stressful, uncomfortable as it may be.

Tomorrow we’re heading for Harlan, KY.