Average Speed - See below pics of mountains
Lodging - Camping First Presbyterian Church - free
My breakfast this morning started with this.
There was a row of blackberry bushes just 50 feet from where I pitched my tent last night. I helped myself to a handful and this morning I added them to my frosted mini wheats. Delicious!
They say that Berea is the gateway to the Appalachians. 5 miles outside of town this morning, I found out why.
I've been out of the mountains since I dropped down from Hoosier Pass in Colorado. It's good to be back, kinda. I much more prefer long climbs where I can find a comfortable gear and get in a zone; versus the short, choppy rolling hills I've been enduring in MO, IL and western KY.
Before closing, let's talk a bit about dogs. All along the trip, I've run into folks that ranted about the dogs in KY. I've been riding in KY for 5 days and I hadn't been chased by a single dog. I was beginning to think all these folks were exaggerating the issue. That is...until today. Not only is Berea the gateway to the Appalachians, it is also the gateway to dogs gone wild! I was chased by half a dozen dogs today. I was prepared for them...
My dog strategy is:
- do not participate in the chase - that's what most of them want anyway. I simply stop pedaling.
- with a firm voice yell NO DOG!!!
- if they continue to pursue, I blast them with my horn.
- as a last resort, if I feel endangered, I reach for the mace.
Today, the stopping pedaling and firm voice worked everytime. Let's hope that trend continues!
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