Kentucky here we come.

The climbs were just as hard as Virginia. There were 5 climbs of note. The hardest one was on State Highway 611. We should have known what was ahead since the climb began at the town of “LOOKOUT”. Right outside of town the climb began. The road was very narrow and rough, steep doesn’t really explain how hard it was. When I was about to the top I had to stop to get a drink. I couldn’t drink and ride at the same time due the steepness. At that point I started to just walk so I just walked the final 200 to 300 yards (maybe more) to the summit.

Then the downhill. Not only was the downhill just as steep as the uphill, the road was rougher and had patches of gravel. So needless to say, we had to be careful. At the bottom we came to our first rest stop and it was a welcoming site.

That was also Charlie and my first and only rest stop for today since we were out in front of the rest of the riders and the rest stop van couldn’t move until all the riders had made it to the first rest stop.

When we got to the top of our fourth climb Charlie and I were concerned because we were running low on water when our guardian angel Kye came to our rescue with water. At this point we still at about 23 miles to go and one more climb.

Today was our first really hot day. It reached 93 degrees so we are happy to be sleep inside at the Hindman First Baptist Church. Great air conditioning and a warm shower. What could be better? How about a Pizza place right across the street.