Morganfield to Henderson, KY

The hills we've been riding everyday have made me wish for some flat land, and today I got my wish. We rode an easy 27 miles, almost all flat, through more farm land in the Ohio River valley. We had a little wind, but the roads were smooth with almost no traffic. We had a SAG stop in a church parking lot in Geneva about 10:00, and the pastor came out and invited us to join them for church. One of the ladies told us she read in their newspaper that we were coming through their town. Womantours sends out press releases to the towns we stop in for the night. The people we meet along the way have been one of my favorite parts of this tour. They are always so nice, and are very interested to hear where we're from and where we're going.
We got to the Comfort Inn in Henderson before our rooms were ready today, so some of us went down to their Riverfront. The Ohio River runs right by their downtown, just as the Ouachita does in Monroe. It's a beautiful day here, and people are out enjoying their long holiday weekend. John J. Audubon lived here in the early 1800's, and my photo today is of a bronze statue of him studying a white pelican. We had lunch at The Diner in downtown Henderson, then came back to the motel and sat by the pool for a while. Kathy and Anne both got in the water, but it was toooooo cold for me. After yesterday's hard 87 mile ride we are all happy to have a lazy afternoon of R&R. We have another 90 mile day on Tuesday.
27 miles today - 852.8 total miles - 13 days of riding - 3 rest days

Kentucky Dam Village to Morganfield, KY

Today was one of my favorite rides so far. It was just beautiful all the way. We passed miles of farm land and hay fields, and pastures with more of those beautiful white horses you saw in my photos at The Homestead. They look like work horses, to me. We saw lots of American flags along the way in celebration of Memorial Day on Monday. We had our steepest climb of the tour today, too. Kathy said she saw 20% on her Garmin, but all I know is that I had to get off my bike and push for about 50 yards. I couldn't pedal and breathe at the same time. I was able to get back on the bike after walking, but had to just stand up and crank to the top of the hill. It was tough!
I've been wanting to tell you about our SAG, the white Subaru. It's name is "Little Bo Peep", and we are the "sheep". It's packed with apples, oranges, bananas, gatorade, and all kinds of snacks, sunscreen, and first aid stuff. Today we had fresh cherries and apricots, too. Patti fixed lunch for us today because of the long miles with no stores. We had turkey sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and avocado, potato salad, black bean salsa and chips, pickles, and probably some things I'm forgetting. It was just great--I must have been really hungry--all this talk about food. But, really, the food has been a great part of this tour. Soooo good!! I might as well tell you that our last stop of the day was at a Dairy Queen. After 86.8 miles and six and a half hours of riding, ice cream just hit the spot!! I wonder if I'm going to gain weight on this tour? I think all that stuff you hear about being able to eat anything you want and not gain weight while biking across the country just can't be true. I decided today that peanut M&Ms would meet Andy Holyfield's idea of a healthy snack. She says always combine a carb with a protein, and that equals peanut M&Ms to me.
Tomorrow we have a VERY short day--28 miles to Henderson, Kentucky. Breakfast is not until 8:30, so we can even sleep late. Oh, Mike made it home safely, too. Funny, it took us about the same amount of time to ride our 86 miles as it did him to drive from Kentucky back to Louisiana!

Rest Day - Kentucky Dam Village

I've really enjoyed having Mike here for my Rest Day. He joined us for dinner on the parking lot last night and talked with several of the ladies about our adventure so far. Unfortunately today, he had to do laundry with me. Three days of biking clothes are pretty bad, believe me, but we got that chore out of the way this morning, and had the rest of the day to just hang out. We went to lunch at Patti's Restaurant in Grand Rivers. It has been written up in Southern Living magazine as the best small-town restaurant in the southeast. The sandwiches we had were great, along with their homemade potato chips and coconut meringue pie. We had to wait about 45 minutes for a table, then lunch took about an hour. I was really pushing the envelope with Mike, who had rather just "grab it and go" for lunch. I guess absence does, indeed, make the heart grow fonder. He has been so sweet.
I got caught up on emails today, too. I got this funny one from Keri (my younger daughter). She was telling me about telling some of her friends about my tour and showing them my blog:

I went to Atlanta and showed my friends....they couldn't believe it. Most grannys are home sewing and doing craft projects, mine has a reflective triangle stuck to her butt and is riding a bike to Canada! I'm tired just thinking about it.

Tomorrow we have another long ride--90 miles to Morganfield, Kentucky. We'll have hills again, but not the whole way, and the weather should be good--cool in the morning with sunshine, and temps in the low 80's. Since Mike has been here, and I've had such a nice break, I think I'll try to psyche myself out and think: "tomorrow is the first day of my new three-week tour." Yea!! Just three weeks and 1200 miles to go. Piece of cake!!!

Waverly, TN to Kentucky Dam Village State Park, KY

Today we entered into Kentucky. We'll have margaritas before dinner to celebrate. Almost our entire 54 mile ride today was on a scenic highway called The Trace in the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. It was a delightful ride, rolling hills, speed limit of 50 mph, and best of all--NO DOGS!! Four of us stopped for about an hour and toured The Homestead, a beautifully restored living farm from around the 1850's. We cycled by a herd of Bison along the way. It was pretty all the way, very much like The Natchez Trace. We'll have a rest day tomorrow. I am so ready for it. This has been a long six-day stretch for me--the most miles I have ever ridden in one week--383!
Mike is here!! I am so happy to see him. He called yesterday and said he was thinking of driving up to see me on our rest day. I couldn't believe it--it's an eight hour drive from Monroe. Of course I wanted him to come. It will be a great break for me. He is joining us tonight for one of Patti's "Cafe Trailer" dinners. We'll spend tomorrow sight-seeing in this pretty Land Between the Lakes area of Kentucky. He thinks we're going biking (he brought his mountain bike). AIN'T NO WAY, HOSEA!!! I'm sleeping late, eating ice cream, and riding around in a CAR!! No biking for me on my rest day.

Columbus, MS - A newspaper article about us.

Women bicyclists have stopover in Columbus during trip tracing Underground Railroad route


By Vicky Newman
Dispatch Staff
Monday, May 19, 2008 11:27 AM CDT



At 70, Elaine Miller has powered her way across thousands of miles of terrain, and up and over thousands of hills, but “over the hill” certainly doesn’t apply to this woman.

The athletic and adventurous Rochester, N.Y., resident has been cycling cross-country for years, in the United States and Europe. Weeks of biking 65-100-mile days, seeing the countryside, are almost routine to the former college Spanish instructor.

“I started riding in a multiple sclerosis benefit 25 years ago, and I love the physical accomplishment,” Miller says. “I grew up in an era when girls were not encouraged to bike.”

En route to Niagra

Miller was one of more than two dozen women cyclists from various locations around this country, plus Canada and Austrailia, who rolled into Columbus Thursday, en route to Niagra Falls, Canada.


Averaging more than 60 years in age, the women began their 38-day, 2,000-mile trip in Mobile, Ala., May 9. They continued their journey Saturday, after spending a day in Columbus.

Their route follows the Underground Railroad route taken by many slaves in the 1800s.

The challenges the women face may pale beside those faced by slaves years ago, but they exist, nonetheless. And, as it was with the slaves, the trip brings a form of freedom to those who embark on the journey. Riders brave rains, winds and storms. Sometimes they are chased by dogs. While their route attempts to avoid heavy traffic, they face their share of road hazards. It’s all part of the experience. They find safety and support in numbers.

Survivors

Some of the riders are cancer survivors or have faced traumatic illness. Some ride for a cause. Anne Cowan of Bristol, Tenn., is on her second adventure bike tour to raise funds for a hospice foundation. Last year, she raised $51,000. “I got the idea I should do it again,” she says.



Trips are planned in advance, and rooms are booked in towns every 70 miles or so. Laurie Collins, from Charlottesville, Va., is the guide in charge of logistics for this trip. Each day, the cyclists pull out at daylight, and ride until they arrive at that night’s destination.

“Weather is the biggest challenge,” Collins says. “There is a tremendous bonding when you go through rain, headwinds, hail and flat tires. We don’t stop for anything. Once we start, we’re like lemmings going to the sea.”

The women must arrive at their scheduled nightly destinations, regardless of what comes, Collins says. Once, in St. Francisville, La., they faced a major obstacle and setback when they found a bridge washed away because of flooding.

“The crosspieces were still there, but there was a big open gap,” Collins says. “The women crossed the stream anyway, on those narrow crosspieces.”

If weather is bad, health issues arise, or women choose to forego cycling for any reason, they may ride with the SAG (support and gear) vehicle which accompanies the group. The vehicle carries tools, medicines, energy drinks and water and some food, and often serves as the women’s lifeline where convenience stores are not available.

In charge of chow

Patty Jackson of Moab, Utah, is the chef for the trip. Carrying chow supplies in a camper-covered pickup truck, Jackson cooks camp-style in a parking lot for the entourage each night. She bakes in a Dutch oven.

Every five to six days, the tour guides have scheduled a free day. The women spend their time washing clothing, having their bikes repaired, or visiting local attractions.

Some hoped to visit some historic antebellum homes while in Columbus.

Small towns



Sondra Hartt of Monroe, La., explains, “It’s fun to see the small towns of America — see neat places and meet great people. They become like our family, and we keep coming back because it is fun to share and it’s exciting. And, when you finish that last day, it is so phenomenal.”

The bicycle tour is arranged by WomanTours Inc., the only all-women bicycle touring company in the country. For more information, visit the Web site at www.womantours.com.


Reader Comments »

Waverly to Dover, TN

Hello to everyone in Monroe who has sent me a comment. I love hearing from you. I've been gone 2 1/2 weeks now, and I'm missing all of you.
I am SO glad today was short. I made it fine. There were a lot of hills, but I managed to get up and over them. It was a bit cooler than yesterday, and that helped. The group I am riding with stops every ten miles for a "butt" break, and the SAG stops are every twenty miles.
Tennessee has been our worse state for dogs. One of ladies was bitten yesterday. She is one of the slower riders, and has been riding alone. I would have been scared to death, but she seemed ok last night at dinner. The sheriff went out an located the dog. It has had it's shots, so all is ok with that. She was back on her bike today. All of my group is carring Halt, or another form of pepper spray, but so far all we've needed are our whistles. I'll be glad to leave these Tennessee dogs behind. Tomorrow we cross into Kentucky.
I told you all a while back that we have our own traveling Chef with us. She cooks in the back of the trailer, and we have group breakfast and dinners in the parking lot. I know, it doesn't sound good, but the food has been wonderful, and the parking lot dinners work fine. Patti (the Chef) sets up a buffet, and we put the white plastic chairs in a big circle and just enjoy the end of day conversation while we eat. After dinner our tour guide goes over the cue sheets for the next day. We are all off to our rooms shortly after dinner. Most of you know how early Mike Hartt likes to go to bed. Well, I'm beginning to pick up that habit, too. Boy, we are going to be a lot of fun now--BOTH of us going to bed at 8:30!!

Parsons to Waverly, TN

Today I felt a real sense of the distance we've traveled when we crossed over I-40. This was our 9th day of riding--we actually started 11 days ago on May 10th. I'm thoroughly enjoying the touring. For the most part, we're riding along the backroads, seeing a part of the country that we never see while zooming down the interstate at 70+ mph. This has really been a "stop and smell the roses" experience. We SEE the wildflowers, and SMELL the honeysuckle in the air. The days are long for me, though. I'm finding out that after about 60-65 miles, I'm ready for it to be over. No matter how pretty the countryside, all I want to see is the motel at the end of the ride. Today was a very hilly ride, with quite a few of them just going on and on. I have a double chain ring on my bike. DB did put a 27 on the rear cassette, so I have another climbing gear, but the hills are hard for me. I just crank up them as far as I can go, then stand and pump the rest of the way up. Tough on an OLD LADY!! Tomorrow is a short day--45 miles. It has a lot of hills according the the Adventure Cyclist maps we are following, but since the distance is short, I think I'll be ok.
The internet service at the motel here in Waverly is unreliable, so I may be unable to publish this post until tomorrow.
60 miles today - 638.3 total so far

Pickwick Dam to Parsons, TN

I'm on a TOUR, so today we toured! It was a different experience for me again. I didn't care how long it took me to get from Pickwick Dam to Parsons, nor how often we stopped along the way. I didn't even look at my cue sheet very much. Anne, Kathy, and Jennifer are all great navigators, so I just followed them. It was a good day. Warm, sunny, and breezy with a lot of hills on mostly county roads with not much traffic. We did have a lot of dogs today, but nothing too bad. Oh, by the way, the whistles do work. Especially when a couple of women are blowing them at the same time. I saw dogs will come charging down a driveway, then come to a screeching halt at the sound of the whistles. I am now a believer!!
Our first stop today was at Shiloh National Military Park--very much like the one in Vicksburg. We watched a 25 minute film on the battle at Shiloh, along with a bus load of school kids, and toured their museum. On down the road we ran into Barb, our Sous-Chef on the tour, who was changing a flat tire. We stopped and Anne and Jennifer gave her a hand. Both these women amaze me at what all they have in their trunk bags!! Anne pulled out some super glue and repaired the slit in Barb's tire, and Jennifer had some gadget I've never seen before that helped get the stiff tire back on the rim. Both seemed to work great. For lunch today we stopped in the tiny town of Saltillo and had a great picnic out of the sag wagon. Our sag driver for the day had packed all of last night's left-overs in an ice chest, so we had pulled pork sandwiches with slaw and chips. A couple of the ladies bought ice, so we had big cups of cold drinks, then filled our water bottles with iced water for the road. Wildflowers were everywhere and there were beautiful pastures with horses, and sometimes cows and goats. Oh, and one mule. We rode 68 miles, averaged 14.0 miles an hour, and it took us 4 hours and 52 minutes of riding time. We actually left Pickwick Dam about 0730, and I got to the motel in Parsons around 3 pm.
Tomorrow we have another long (for me) day--63 miles to Waverly, TN. The long days in a row are beginning to make me tired.

Fulton, MS to Pickwick Dam, TN

It was cool this morning when we left the Days Inn in Fulton. A few rain drops were falling, but it never really rained. I started out in a jacket, but it didn't take long for me to shed it. In the first few miles we had one short, steep hill after another--much too soon after breakfast for that much exertion. The photo above is of Kathy watching a boat enter the locks at the G. V. "Sonny" Montgomery Locks on the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway. Interesting. We watched the boat as it moved through the locks and was on it's way again. We rode for about 10 miles on the Natchez Trace in Northeast Mississippi. It looks a lot like the Trace does between Jackson and Natchez. We didn't have any cute little towns to stop in for lunch today, so I had a PB&J beside the road, and a bathroom break in the bushes. Oh well, guess that is what makes touring interesting. It's never the same every day. I had to pull my rain jacket out of my "suitcase" two or three times because of rain showers, but they were never bad, and didn't last long. We're staying the night just over the Tennessee border near Pickwick Lake. Tomorrow we have a 68 mile day. In fact this will be my first real "test"--6 straight days of riding for a total of 388 miles. That's a lot for me!! I'm going to clean and lube my chain now. Oh, I'm finally getting the hang of pumping my tires--but I still had rather Mike do it for me. I hope he still will when I get home.
76 Miles