Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Day 4 Pictures
Not much happened today worth taking a picture of. I saw that cool looking tank and I had to take pictures of my crib for the night. Not sure what the duct tape around the door is for but it definitely didn't inspire much confidence.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Day 3
Another great day! Finally nothing but beautiful weather. Great riding weather and only 25 miles to ride. Sounds like the beginning of a perfect day to me. :)
Well it did go really well. I did have a number of hills again but nothing compared to yesterday. I'm really glad I came across the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery. It was quite an experience being in the presence of all that history and all of those people that fought for our country.
On the way to Louisville I was trying to figure out where I was going to stay. I knew I wanted to be downtown but everything there was just so expensive. Well I decided to try to use that negotiator feature on priceline. The first time I tried I lost Internet connectivity and lost everything I had input. When I get there I'm debating on whether or not to try again or just go to the cheapest place that it showed without the negotiator. Right before taking off for the Econolodge (2 1/2 stars) I decide to suck it up and try again. Immediately I get a response that I got a room at The Galt House (3 1/2 stars) for $15 cheaper. But oooohh it gets better.
So I pull up to the hotel and wheel my bike into the lobby looking like crap; all sweaty and a little bit sun burnt. Well, I make my way up to the front desk and let the lady know I have a reservation. I immediately made nice with her by joking about the fact that I wasn't able to print up my confirmation page, offering to show her my phone. Haha Well, whether she was feeling sorry for me or was just being nice, she upgraded me to an EXECUTIVE SUITE! I was ecstatic! Let me tell you, this place was just about as big as my apartment.
I topped the night off with a trip to Joe's Crab Shack and a nice evening walk before turning in for the night. Can't wait to continue this adventure.
Well it did go really well. I did have a number of hills again but nothing compared to yesterday. I'm really glad I came across the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery. It was quite an experience being in the presence of all that history and all of those people that fought for our country.
On the way to Louisville I was trying to figure out where I was going to stay. I knew I wanted to be downtown but everything there was just so expensive. Well I decided to try to use that negotiator feature on priceline. The first time I tried I lost Internet connectivity and lost everything I had input. When I get there I'm debating on whether or not to try again or just go to the cheapest place that it showed without the negotiator. Right before taking off for the Econolodge (2 1/2 stars) I decide to suck it up and try again. Immediately I get a response that I got a room at The Galt House (3 1/2 stars) for $15 cheaper. But oooohh it gets better.
So I pull up to the hotel and wheel my bike into the lobby looking like crap; all sweaty and a little bit sun burnt. Well, I make my way up to the front desk and let the lady know I have a reservation. I immediately made nice with her by joking about the fact that I wasn't able to print up my confirmation page, offering to show her my phone. Haha Well, whether she was feeling sorry for me or was just being nice, she upgraded me to an EXECUTIVE SUITE! I was ecstatic! Let me tell you, this place was just about as big as my apartment.
I topped the night off with a trip to Joe's Crab Shack and a nice evening walk before turning in for the night. Can't wait to continue this adventure.
Day 3 Pictures
KFC Yum Center - I didn't get to meet the colonel but it did feel good being in the place where it all started. Haha
The big bat was outside the home of the Louisville Slugger.
The Zachary Taylor National Cemetery was where President Taylor was buried along with thousands of soldiers and veterans. Truly humbling.
The big bat was outside the home of the Louisville Slugger.
The Zachary Taylor National Cemetery was where President Taylor was buried along with thousands of soldiers and veterans. Truly humbling.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Day 2
I meant to post this last night but as soon as I hit the bed I was out.
Anyway, yesterday was an interesting day. It started out with a nice little baby wipe shower and laundry in a sink type event in a grocery store bathroom. Followed by an interesting conversation with a guy that was drunk at 9 in the morning. Really nice guy but after a half hour talking with him I was ready to get back on the road.
The first stretch had a lot of hills and I was going against some serious winds but nothing I couldn't survive. I came across a parade which was pretty cool. Shortly thereafter I had to adjust my route due to a road closure. Fortunately it was pretty quick and painless.
Shortly before I stopped for lunch I pulled off on the side of the road to take a quick break. Just a quick snack and some gatorade. Well about five minutes later I hear sirens and two cop cars and a fire dept vehicle pull up. Apparently, somebody thought I was a motorcyclist (due to the pannier bags on the back of my bike) that got in a wreck. Haha so me and the officers joked around about it for a bit and I was on my way again.
After my lunch break I knew I was a little bit behind so I was hoping to make up some ground. For the first 20 miles I was excited because it was all flat and I was making up some serious ground. Then disaster struck. Let me tell you, the winds and hills I was complaining about earlier I will never complain about again. These hills I hit were insane. One of them I had to actually push my bike up. I probably wouldn't have had to if I wasn't hauling close to 100 pounds of gear but all that weight made it nearly impossible. Needless to say that slowed me down a bit.
Originally, I was planning on getting some miles in after dark just to get as close to Louisville as I could (at that point I knew I wasn't going to make it all the way) but I surveyed the roads I was taking and realized it might not be such a good idea. So I stopped in a little town close by to find a motel. Couldn't find anything on my own so I stopped by a local restaurant and that's where I met Ted. He directed me to a local B&B but he wasn't sure if it was still open. So I go to check it out. Sure enough it wasn't open. As I'm trying to formulate a new plan, Ted pulls up and sees that it's not open. He then proceeds to ask me if I need to bike the whole way. In response to me saying no, he says, "Just wait here, I'll be back in 10 min with my truck so I can take you to the nearest town." I was so relieved!
So he picks me up and we have some good conversation. Then, I hop on my phone to call the hotels in the town we're headed to. The first one I call has no vacancies and tells me two of the other local hotels don't either. Well, I call the fourth and final one and they don't either (Indy races going on). My heart drops.
We get there and I'm thinking I'm going to have to tent it again which isn't so bad, it was just super cold that night. We pull up to a Best Western and immediately the people out front say, "Somebody having a bad night?" Come to find out two of them work there. They then tell me that they'll set me up and take good care of me. I was welcomed in with such kindness that I will never forget. They found me a room and even gave me $20 off the normal price. I was ecstatic! I was so fortunate to have come across such great people and am very grateful.
I was telling my brother that it's only been one day without normal amenities but I was already so thrilled just to have a sink to wash my hands in.
Well I'm off to Louisville!
Anyway, yesterday was an interesting day. It started out with a nice little baby wipe shower and laundry in a sink type event in a grocery store bathroom. Followed by an interesting conversation with a guy that was drunk at 9 in the morning. Really nice guy but after a half hour talking with him I was ready to get back on the road.
The first stretch had a lot of hills and I was going against some serious winds but nothing I couldn't survive. I came across a parade which was pretty cool. Shortly thereafter I had to adjust my route due to a road closure. Fortunately it was pretty quick and painless.
Shortly before I stopped for lunch I pulled off on the side of the road to take a quick break. Just a quick snack and some gatorade. Well about five minutes later I hear sirens and two cop cars and a fire dept vehicle pull up. Apparently, somebody thought I was a motorcyclist (due to the pannier bags on the back of my bike) that got in a wreck. Haha so me and the officers joked around about it for a bit and I was on my way again.
After my lunch break I knew I was a little bit behind so I was hoping to make up some ground. For the first 20 miles I was excited because it was all flat and I was making up some serious ground. Then disaster struck. Let me tell you, the winds and hills I was complaining about earlier I will never complain about again. These hills I hit were insane. One of them I had to actually push my bike up. I probably wouldn't have had to if I wasn't hauling close to 100 pounds of gear but all that weight made it nearly impossible. Needless to say that slowed me down a bit.
Originally, I was planning on getting some miles in after dark just to get as close to Louisville as I could (at that point I knew I wasn't going to make it all the way) but I surveyed the roads I was taking and realized it might not be such a good idea. So I stopped in a little town close by to find a motel. Couldn't find anything on my own so I stopped by a local restaurant and that's where I met Ted. He directed me to a local B&B but he wasn't sure if it was still open. So I go to check it out. Sure enough it wasn't open. As I'm trying to formulate a new plan, Ted pulls up and sees that it's not open. He then proceeds to ask me if I need to bike the whole way. In response to me saying no, he says, "Just wait here, I'll be back in 10 min with my truck so I can take you to the nearest town." I was so relieved!
So he picks me up and we have some good conversation. Then, I hop on my phone to call the hotels in the town we're headed to. The first one I call has no vacancies and tells me two of the other local hotels don't either. Well, I call the fourth and final one and they don't either (Indy races going on). My heart drops.
We get there and I'm thinking I'm going to have to tent it again which isn't so bad, it was just super cold that night. We pull up to a Best Western and immediately the people out front say, "Somebody having a bad night?" Come to find out two of them work there. They then tell me that they'll set me up and take good care of me. I was welcomed in with such kindness that I will never forget. They found me a room and even gave me $20 off the normal price. I was ecstatic! I was so fortunate to have come across such great people and am very grateful.
I was telling my brother that it's only been one day without normal amenities but I was already so thrilled just to have a sink to wash my hands in.
Well I'm off to Louisville!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Day 2 Pictures
The picture with the flag was taken in Lawrenceburg, IN. I just thought it looked pretty cool. And for those of you who don't know about Lawrenceburg, there's a big casino there which was very difficult to ride past. Haha
The picture with the little ferris wheel was taken in Aurora, IN. There was a huge parade there with marching bands, floats and everything. I definitely stopped for a bit to watch.
The one with the trees and the fence surrounding them I took because it reminded me a little too much of that M Night Shyamalan movie The Village. Haha
The one with the view... Well I just want to say I had to earn that view.
The picture with the little ferris wheel was taken in Aurora, IN. There was a huge parade there with marching bands, floats and everything. I definitely stopped for a bit to watch.
The one with the trees and the fence surrounding them I took because it reminded me a little too much of that M Night Shyamalan movie The Village. Haha
The one with the view... Well I just want to say I had to earn that view.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)