Crossing States: Kentucky Kind

Day 60

Owensboro, KY to Just before Payneville, KY

Distance: 86 miles

Intended destination: Corydon, IN

Punctures: One

Tiredness Index: High

Kind People Index: Even Higher

Sometimes when you set out on a journey, you do so not knowing how it will end. You know where you’re aiming for, but something in the back of your head tells you that you might not get there in the way you had initially intended.

Owensboro, KY to Corydon, IN as the crow flies isn’t that far. By car or even on the bike route suggested on Google, it’s no more than 94 miles. But unfortunately, the ACA bike route to Corydon is a much pickier and meandering bird, maybe more of an Ostrich. And as the Ostrich runs, it’s over 120 miles…

I clocked this fact just as I was turning the light out on Wednesday night, far too late having been letting the greasy BBQ food go down before attempting to sleep. Setting the alarm a little earlier to reflect the fact, I then realised that I would be crossing time zone from CST to EST, and so would also lose an hour during the ride.

The chances of me making it to Corydon in time to visit the Italian restaurant I had tagged as a nice treat were therefore looking pretty slim. But, ever the optimist, I felt that with a fair wind and some decent road surfaces, I could probably get there an hour or so after dark. And I was game to give it a try.

Things didn’t start well. Having followed the Ostrich literally round the houses to get across town, I was around 6 miles in when I heard a familiar noise and knew instantly I had a puncture.

Wasting no time, I whipped the inner tube off, but couldn’t find what it was that had stuck in the tyre. Having to accept that it had maybe jabbed in and fallen off, I proceeded to put the new one in. In comparison to my laughable effort in Silverthorne, CO, I was Lightning McQueen. And just as I was starting the difficult bit of popping the last bit of tyre back into the rim, a guy called Ray came past on his way to his job at the school where I had stopped. He came straight over to help and we had popped the tyre back on in seconds. Thanks Ray!

By the time I had reached the other side of Owensboro, having dealt with the puncture, and having stopped and ask someone to help me interpret the map at one point, I realised also that I was going to be facing a fairly breezy headwind for most of the trip. My predominant direction (when not rounding the houses), NE; Monsieur Edwin Le Vent’s direction – from the ENE!

Corydon was looking very far away indeed. As I pedalled on and made slow progress, I eventually reached the town on Lewisport on the banks of the Ohio River, where I was sad to find nowhere in the town itself at all to get lunch or buy some water. I chatted briefly to the local barber Jim, who was sitting on a bench outside his store. He gave me some useful info for the next bit of my route and also let me use his restroom, which was great. But time was marching on, and the Ostrich was not…

Taking Jim’s advice, I stopped for lunch at a great little restaurant called River View, which was at the top of a steep hill around 17 miles further along the route, on the bluffs next to the Ohio River. It did what it said on the tin.

Steed & the River View

Looking at the offerings of home cooked food, I ordered fried chicken, corn and coleslaw. When in Kentucky n all that.

Finger lickin...

It was by far the best fried chicken I’ve ever had, and the Ostrich didn’t object, and so it was mid afternoon by the time Steed and I rolled down the hill from there and into the strong afternoon sun.

I was already contemplating my options by then, swaying between making it to Brandenburg (the town before Corydon with a couple of hotels) and staying there, or hitching a ride to Corydon from Brandenburg, or earlier while it was still half-light. Or (although this did not sound appealing) continuing in the dark to Corydon and arriving around 10pm.

But of course it was an option I hadn’t considered that actually miraculously appeared. As I pedalled on through the little town of Holt (those from my home town in Norfolk will know why I mention this – Holt is a small town near there and they have a sign in the town which lists all the other Holts they are aware of – Holt, KY – TICK) I realised that it was starting to get dark, and so had pulled in by the roadside to put on my reflective bits and pieces and put on my front light etc, when a pick-up stopped.

Holt, KY

The guy stuck his head out and called over to see if I was OK. Hearing my accent, he told me that he’d just been listening to the news about the Scottish Independence vote and we had a little chat about that as I sorted out the things on the bike. When I told him my destination for the day and my options, he did an intake of breath and told me Corydon was at least another 35 miles. Then he said that he just lived down the road and that he could call his wife to see if it was OK for me to stay the night in their spare room – the words hot food, warm shower, comfortable bed all sounded very appealing and, once the phone call had been made, we loaded Steed in the back and I jumped in.

David and Julia were such a lovely couple and I was amazed by their kindness. I was greeted by Julia and their dogs, Hannah and Samantha, and ushered into the spare room, set up with the bathroom, and very soon I was clean and warm and sitting on their sofa eating pizza and watching TV. After chatting for a while, they took me to see their Harleys in the garage, which were beautiful, gleaming beasts with all mod cons. I even got on the back of the big Harley to see what it was like!

A quick shot of Bourbon to help me sleep (thanks Julia) not that I really needed it given how tired I was, and I was happily tucked up in bed by 10pm and sleeping like a baby.