Monday, August 16, 2010

You guys are wondering why we haven't posted lately?

...have you ever stopped to consider that we might be busy riding our friggin bikes across the biggest country in the history of the WORLD YOU LOSERS?????

LOLOLOLOLJKJK we luv you guys!

State line! This is just after we crossed (via ferry, again!) the Ohio from KY to Cave-in-Rock, IL

Okay whew so here we are in Carbondale, Illi-"bringin the"-noise. We've been through a lot of great places in the last week, including three states (KY IN IL) and countless burgs... we will now attempt to briefly sum up our experiences while highlighting the best parts.

Unlike the Lord, we rested on the eighth day (in Louisville). Beth and Forrest were so lovely to us that we simply had to stay for a full day. And it turned out to be a DOOZY! In the morning, we met up with Austin, one of the buffest guys either of us had ever hung out with. We thought we were gonna get our faces punched in, but it turns out that Austin is also one of the nicest guys we have ever been made aware of!

Austin took us to a really rad Looville eatery, Lynn's Paradise Cafe. IT WAS FAR OUT!! Austin had taken a lengthy bike trip himself once before, and he sympathetically picked up the tab before we could blabber a protest out of our moist, rubbery lipps.

Alex hanging outside Forrest and Beth's place in Butchertown, with Austin too! Notice that their house lies on the
river side of Loaville's floodwall, making their rent mondo-cheap.


Okay to cut to the chase, Lewisville is the bee's knees and we loved it. Austin took us all around by bike, and we seriously recommend that you spend your next vaycay there. (Quick neat things: stunning Victorian neighborhood, 21C hotel with nasty mod art, the they're-still-building-it Big Four bike/ped bridge, wicked sweet jazz trio at Nachbar).

So the next morning, Day 9, we rode out early from Luhvull -- it turned out to be another ridiculously hot day, so in the afternoon we needed to stop for an air-conditioned break. Worked out to be a pretty great stop for us. We rolled into Tina's Horseshoe Lounge, your basic piece-of-shit-hole-in-the-wall-smalltowncornerbar. To get to the point, we loved everyone there and they loved us. Particularly kind was Wild Bill, a self-proclaimed RiverRat TugboatCaptain who insisted on paying for our entire lunch AND THEN HANDED ALEX A $50 BILL.

The extremely overwhelming kindness of strangers on this trip has continued to overwhelm us extremely. From our gracious gracious nighttime hosts, to the curious people on the street, to the old timers in the bars, humanity (in the Midwest, at least) has been good to us couple a dudes.

These horses were super curious when we were packing up on the Mattingly Family Dairy Farm! We even touched them.

Second kindness example: that night, we were in Payneville, KY ten miles outside our intended destination when thunder rumbled in the distance. We stopped to ask a couple dairy farmers if we could set up camp on their yard; their acquiescence would have been enough. BUT NO! Pam, the milk matriarch promptly brought us out a peace offering of cheese sandwiches, watermelon chunks and pop! AND THEN! The next morning, before we can roll out of dodge, she brings us out a friggin bag of GOODIES! And when we opened it for lunch at Great Gazebos of America #7, we found she had slipped a TWENTY SPOT into the package! Oh man, such generosity... amazing!

Alex checks out a huge coal barge on the Ohio, from Owensboro's developing riverfront promenade!

The day was uberHOT but we made it as far as Owensboro, KY where we spent a barnburner of a Friday evening. We stumbled upon a pleasant riverfront promenade where a jovial group of bums were banging out Beatles covers like they were lima bean milkshakes. Later on, we still didn't know where we'd be laying our heads when we wandered into the courtyard of the International Bluegrass Music Museum. There we found a local country rock quartet slamming into some jams like a bunch of hellions with poison ivy. Fortunately, we met Shawn, a really kind young guy who--after some serious hinting on our part--worked up the guts to offer us filthy couple dudes a place to stay for the night. We slept wonderfully in his (and his wife Amber's) lovely guest bedroom and even scored a home-cooked breakfast the next morning before heading out. Thanks Shawn!!!

Before leaving town, we returned to the Bluegrass Museum for a tasty little visit. It was neat; we bought postcards.... perhaps you'll be receiving one in the mail?!?!?!?!?!? (not you, Loco).

Since we hung out in Owensboro for a bit that morning (and with a super great guy named Josh who was great!), we had a shorter ride on Day Eleven of our Journey. We rode to Sebree, KY (pausing briefly under an awning along Owensboro's entertaining [to us] skid-row district to wait out a torrential downpour) -- where we ended up having the wildest night of our young lives.

Our stop Sebree was basically a cross-country bicycling Mecca. The Sebree First Baptist Church has been bunking cyclists since Adventure Cycling mapped their first cross-country route over thirty years ago. And then, eight years ago the congregation voted to become an official "Cycling Only Lodging" locality! Translation: SICK LODGING FOR A COUPLE DUDES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our evening only got better from there. After slapping nearly 50 high fives about the kitchen, lounge area, mattresses, large-map-of-where-passing-cyclists-are-from, and air-conditioning, we hit the (tiny) town. Specifically, we hit the Purple Palace Opry.


Video clip of the Purple Palace Opry... it was a regular hoe-down!

Alex and Emelio have agreed that we can never adequately express how mindblowingly amazing the Opry was (video to come soon!). You walk in, and what you get is a big general-store-converted-to-ballroom filled with elderly Kentuckyians, getting down to some insane live Bluegrass and Gospel classics. An 8-member band occupied the stage, two-steps owned the dance floor, and in walk a couple young tie-dye wearing freakazoids (us, DUH!). Needless to say, they embraced us (literally, on the dance floor. Man, that Carol can dance!) and forced us to participate. We had a blast.

Okay dang we have to wrap this post up! So much to say, but it's already midnight-thirty and we have to get to bed! We rode into southern Illinois yesterday, and made camp on the Ohio River in a small park in the city of Rosiclare. This morning, we conquered some mega hills (S. Illinois... who knew??) and wound up in funky Carbondale, home of Southern Illinois University. Our host, Callie (not that Callie!), has been thematically gracious and we are enjoying our evening!

Our campsite in Rosiclare, right on the Ohio. It sure was pretty in the morning!

BUT IT'S LATE! MORE BLOG POSTS TO COME SOON! Next up: St. Louis!!!!


A&E

P.S. remember to check our links!


16 comments:

  1. Wow- are you guys already like 20% there??

    I will be moving to Sequim in late sept/ early oct. Seems like you might be there already by then.

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  2. well, we've ridden about 850 miles of the 3100 that we mapped before we left. measuring that way, we are over 25% through already! however, we haven't hit any real mountains yet, so who knows if we'll be able to maintain this pace out west? (it's not likely)

    long story short, we'll probly make it to SF in early to mid-october...

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  3. Updated map of Alex and Emelio's migration...

    http://tinyurl.com/29s5fkb

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  4. Rick -- map looks great! One thing: you have Newton OH marked... but we arrived in Newtown OH, which is just outside of Cincinnati.

    Eating breakfast and trying to load some pictures before we head out to St. Louis!

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  5. Ey USA is NOT the biggest country in the history of the World, more like 15 or something like that

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  6. Oh, well SOOOOOORRRYYYY, Hampus!!! I guess what we meant to say is that it's the biggest country in the history of the world in terms of being AWESOMER THAN SWEDEN!

    JK, Sweden's nice. I especially like that you can just hang around and be lazy and have dreads and smoke pot and the government will pay you to "do your art."

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  7. The map was corrected per Emelio's comment above.
    http://tinyurl.com/29s5fkb

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  8. are you guys actually just selling drugs to all of these people giving you money? Otherwise, sounds sweet!!!

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  9. Colinnnn, think about grandma!!

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  10. This post needed more hairy nipples, but aside from that.. sweet. Keep it up! Glad things are going well. =)

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  11. were the horses like, "WHO IS MASSAGING US?!?!?"

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  12. your "links" are very entertaining! Emelio, The market misses you!

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  13. I also like those links! GET A HORSE!!!

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  14. hey that forrest guy looks totally hot. can i have his didgets?(number, not fingers, that would be cool, too, but it is just a little bit barbaric)

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  15. Stacia: more nips coming up
    Hannah: yes (LOL)
    Marlane: you better not have sarcasm in your tone when discussing our entertaining links!! (ps i miss the market too)
    Ben: What's a horse?
    Beth: we'll give you digits as long as you SEND MORE COOKIES!!! they're all gone mmmm

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  16. keep that rain fly lacquered up!

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