DAY 16
Berea, KY to Lincoln Homestead State Park, KY
Allen has left the trail today. The need to be with his family back home outweighed his desire for adventure. It's not my place to judge and I probably don't know all the reasons behind his decision, but I really thought he'd be one of us triumphantly placing our front tires in the Pacific. However, it was clear from the beginning that his heart wasn't truly on the bicycle trail. The way he spoke of his wife, daughters, and grandchildren, his heart was always with them. I wish him the best, and that possibly our paths meet sometime in the future.
Berea, KY to Lincoln Homestead State Park, KY
Allen has left the trail today. The need to be with his family back home outweighed his desire for adventure. It's not my place to judge and I probably don't know all the reasons behind his decision, but I really thought he'd be one of us triumphantly placing our front tires in the Pacific. However, it was clear from the beginning that his heart wasn't truly on the bicycle trail. The way he spoke of his wife, daughters, and grandchildren, his heart was always with them. I wish him the best, and that possibly our paths meet sometime in the future.
A beautiful morning in the countryside
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We left Berea at 7 am. With the clear skies and minimal breeze we were in for a scorcher. The views were endless. For so many days, Eastern Kentucky had offered nothing but a dense tree canopy with steep valleys and hills. Hopefully today is a good sign of things to come. There are however still drawbacks, we are in Kentucky after all. Out of the five days we have been in Kentucky, I've seen less than five trail signs. This hasn't been an issue until today. The problem isn't just that there aren't trail signs, it's that there aren't any streets signs period. We roll right by a turn at mile 12, and again at mile 27. This adds an additional five miles to an already long day of 77 miles, for a grand total of 82 miles for the day. I want to like you Kentucky, I really do.
He may be big, but he was a friendly
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We don't take a lunch break until 55 miles into our day. This might have been an unwise decision if not for Lee's Famous Fried Chicken buffet in Harrodsburg. All the fried chicken you can eat, plus mash potatoes and gravy, cole slaw, potato salad, biscuits, beans, corn, chocolate pudding, and apple crisp. I ate until I was ready to burst. The consequences were dire for me, (a hellish bloated 27 miles on the bike this afternoon during the hottest part of the day), but I did not care. And having lived through those unpleasant 27 miles, I'd have done it the same given the opportunity. Fried Chicken, oh yeah!
 It's too hot and Keith is in need of a break |  Break time!  Farm land as far as the eye can see |
Our home for the evening: camping under the pavilion at the Lincoln Homestead State Park
Stats:
Miles: 82.06
Average speed: 11.6 mph
Max speed: 38 mph
Miles: 82.06
Average speed: 11.6 mph
Max speed: 38 mph
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