We Have Arrived

June 4, 2012

Day 3

Breakfast at the Ramada and then off we go at 8:45 with the GPS set for Nashville, fastest route and allow highways. We traveled a couple of highways named “parkways” in Kentucky and I believe the folks in Kentucky believe in preserving as much of nature as possible while still making highways. To say we were traveling “in” the mountains means I could not have been “in” the mountains more if I had parked the bike and begun walking one of the trails leading up and into the wilderness. Sometimes the road was winding between mountains through natural breaks and other times mountains had been blasted to create a path. The rock faces were layered and stacked. The best I can describe it would be to make a sandwich with 3 types of meat and 3 types of cheese; cut it in half. If you look at the cut side you see layers well that is how the rock face appears. Now take one half and lay it on top of the other half and slide the one on top back about a half an inch creating a step and that is how the mountains have been cut like giant steps. Trees are growing and prospering on these ledges and actually clinging to the faces of the rocks. These parkways are great roads with little to no traffic and speeds of 65 and 70 with gentle curves and great views. When we passed Lexington we suddenly were traveling rolling hills with corn fields on either side but the mountains were behind us. Our hotel is great; an extended stay with a full kitchen completely stocked with dishes and linens and a large room suitable for living a week, no daily room service but that’s fine with me. Cannot beat the price of $44 per night for a full week; not fancy but full of working class people – my kind of people. Total miles today around 331.