June 5, 2001.
Elkhorn City to Pippa Passes Hostel, Kentucky. (56 mi.) Mile 682
Escape
from Elkhorn City
We had a break in the weather so we
made a run for it, and made it to our goal, the American Youth Hostel at Pippa
Passes where I am typing this now. Weather has either been sultry, hot, and
humid, or drizzling slightly.
Pippa Passes
Hostel
This has been another hard day with
3 steep climbs. The route winds up and down through economically depressed
eastern Kentucky's Appalachia. We've seen a lot of single wide mobiles, dogs,
roosters, coal trucks, and sorry to say, roadside trash.
Seams of coal are visible in the road cuts.
Mike only had to pepper spray one
dog, but there were many others that really wanted at us. It is unnerving to
have a huge muscular dog come shooting out of a dog house in your direction,
all lathered up with murder on its mind, then have it jerked short by a chain
that you had not seen. At least every other day in the summer, a TransAm
cyclist rides by on this route, and I am guessing that the cyclists who have
preceded us have helped decrease the potential for dog trouble.
We have experienced the usual
goodwill too. As we rode by one house, the occupant noticed us through her
window and hurried to the door to yell, "Y'all have a good trip." Another
man sitting on his porch hollered out, "Watch out for the dog up the
street!".
The highlight of the day was
probably discovering, after puffing and crawling up the longest, hottest,
sweatiest climb of the day, a shop at the summit of the mountain with the sole
purpose of selling cold beer and alcohol. The shop sits just inside the county
line where alcohol sales are legal, and sells to customers in the adjacent
country where alcohol is restricted. The salesgirl said bicycle tourists often
stop. No doubt!
