Where’s Kman

The sun is out today for the first morning in over a week. Hopefully all this rain is over.

Taylorsville, Ky to Bardstown, Ky
34 miles
16.1 average mph
Hwy 44
Hwy 55
Hwy 162
Got hit with heavy rain this morning with more in the afternoon so had a short day but there is a lot to see in Bardstown which is a very friendly little town. Went on a tour of a bourbon distillery which was very interesting. The picture shows some rick houses which are used to store the bpourbon during the aging process of 7 to 20 years depending on the brand. The longer the better. Kentucky the best place for bourbon because of limestone spring water, corn, and hot summer temperatures. Also toured My Kentucky home the place where composer Stephen Foster wrote the Kentucky state song. Meet a couple other bikers; Jared and Trey who let me spend the night inside out of the rain. Thanks to Jerry, Joy, Jared, and Trey for their hospitality.

Boonesborough, Ky. to Taylorsville, Ky.
91 miles
15.9 average mph
Hwy 418
Jack’s Creek Rd.
Tate’s Creek Rd.
Union Mills Rd.
Hwy 29
Hwy 68
Road 1160
Hwy 53
Pleasant Ridge Rd.
Hwy 248
Rode through the beautiful, rolling, green part central Kentucky where there are lots of horse farms. Some have white fences, some black. I’m not sure if there is a reason for the different colors. Also toured Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill, Ky. Which is a restored Shaker town of the early to mid 1800′s. I got to see a lady singing and dancing some of the Shaker worship rituals which were, indeed, very animated. Had a long ride and then it rained again late in the afternoon when I was only a few miles away from the campsite.

Slade, Ky. to Boonesborough, Ky.
58 miles
15.6 average mph
Hwy 15
Old Boonesborough Rd.
The roads are getting flatter but are still a little hilly.
Historic Ft. Boonesb orough is a restored frontier fort settled by Daniel Boone in the 1770′s. People living in the settlement build their houses together for. Protection against Indians. The original intention was to settle the 14th colony to be named Transylvania. Obviously the deal fell through and it came to be called Kentucky. The fort was built on the banks of the Kentucky River.

Rest day. Hiked on some trails in the Red River Gorge National Area. There are so many trails and rock formations to see I didn’t even begin to see them all. The picture of the light in the tunnel is actually a motorcycle’s headlight coming through the tunnel. I had to ride my bike through. It is a 900 foot long, one lane, water dripping on your head as you go through tunnel. I turned on my rear blinking light and waited for a car going my way and rode behind the car. Hello to Jeff, Travis, Blair, Ashton, Derrick, and Dillon and thanks for the potato soup.

Prestonsburg, Ky. to Slade, Ky.
80 miles
15.2 average mph
Hwy 114
Hwy 460
Hwy 314
Hwy 191
Hwy 15
Rode into some of the hollows and found some very steep one lane twisty roads that had been covered with mud in some spots because of all the rain. It rained off and on all day but never very hard. Now am at Natural Bridge State Park/Red River Gorge National Geological Area and am hiking around the cliffs at Natural Bridge and will go into the Red River Gorge tomorrow. Make sure to check the photo gallery for Kentucky. This area is beautiful! The Gorge is also a big destination for rock climbers. They even have their own exclusive campground and hang out (no pun intended) at one particular restaurant where I ate supper.

Breaks, Va. To Prestonburg, Ky.
72 miles
16.3 average mph
Hwy 80
Hwy 302
Still in the mountains but the roads are flat because they follow the rivers unless you go up into the hollows which I did not do. It pretty much rained all day. There was a big thunderstorm in the morning but I got some shelter under the awning of a little building after the first few drops. It turned out to be the office of the district magistrate and they let me come inside and told me all about Pike county Kentucky. It is the largest county east of the Mississippi in area. The main industry is coal and there is both underground and mountain top removal mining but there have been a lot of layoffs. They have been having lots of rain and mudslides this summer. Wildlife includes black bears, elk, and weasels. I have seen one of those weasely creatures already slithering off into the grass on the side of the road. Hope they don’t attack my campground tonight. Now it’s raining again but that may be it for the day.