Friday 2nd April, Holiday Inn Express, Owensboro, Ky

21.00

yesterday

A long hard day. The first 20 miles fairly flat but the next 40 were quite hilly and we were cycling into a stiffish headwind while the temperature soared. We’re in Amish country now. Saw some of them jogging passed in their horse-driven buggies. Friendly and cheerful in their blue dungarees and straw hats, although one group of women wearing dark glasses looked a bit sinister. Some pleasant little towns on route, Sonora and White Mills. Small farm holdings everywhere, and we actually see people working on them now compared to the eerie emptiness of the past few days.

Lunch was sandwiches on the banks of Rough River, a not very exciting stream that looks to have dropped in level a lot. Then a long afternoon yomp to the Rough River State Park, We got through several litres of Gatorade each and were still very thirsty by the time we got to the motel. We were hoping to book into the State Park Lodge, in the Park itself, but it was full because of Easter. The Pine Trees Lodge was just down the road and looked ok. The owner babbled on about being cyclist –friendly and told us that we should be able to get Wi-Fi in our room. Well, we couldn’t . Neither could we get hot water. When we reported this, the owner, now noticeably less friendly, moved us to another room “where the water is real hot” and told me that I could use the internet in his office where the router (pronounced to rhyme with shouter, over here) was located , Still no joy. The router looked dead. By now he had helpfully disappeared into his house, locking the door behind him. Cyclist-friendly my arse. Very hot, tired thirsty (in a dry county) and cut off from the outside world (no phone signal either) for the second day running. A bit of a low moment. Then Mike, resourceful as ever, said that if we ate at the State Park Lodge restaurant, they might let us use their Wi-Fi.

And they did. Very friendly place. An hour of reading and sending e-mails and checking the news, then dinner overlooking the lake made things look a bit better. Usual mountains of food; fried green tomatoes, “free run of the soup and salad bar”, chicken strips and meat loaf. We were both too tired to really do it justice. Drinking something called Sierra Mist, which is Kentucky rhyming slang for stone cold sober. Cycling back to Pine Trees, in the dark was a bit scary but we made it. Collapsed into bed and slept soundly for nine hours (one extra one because we crossed a time zone).

Today

Back to the State Park Lodge for breakfast. A bucket of oat meal, bananas, toast and eggs. The waitress was impressed. Even more so when we asked for extra bananas to go.

Then out on the road at 8. Very similar cycling to yesterday. Same countryside. Very warm with a bit of a headwind. We were going off the ACA route, as our guidebook suggested Owensboro would be the only place with accommodation. We made good progress and reached Macdonald’s, four miles out of town by one o’clock. This was Norman Macdonald’s Hamburger bar, which seemed a bit cheeky but they did a very fine Farm Burger. We got talking to an old guy, a Vietnam veteran, now retired who collected tractors. (wouldn’t really work in our flat). He told me his name was Ronald and when I said I would remember Ronald from MacDonald’s he seemed to think it hilarious.

Four miles away from Owensboro at one o’ clock, led us to thinking that we would be in our hotel within the hour. It never quite works like that. The traffic around town was horrendous, very puzzling given it was Good Friday. When we asked someone, he said everyone was going shopping. We eventually found this place, through some ace navigation by Mike, and checked in at three. It’s a veritable palace after the last couple of days. As always in motel land, fast food outlets only, nearby. Arby’s ( they specialise in Roast Beef burgers, geddit?) is the latest addition to our ever-growing list. Still, a bottle of Corona from the liquor store next door, takes the taste away.

Finally, an e-mail from my daughter Julie, herself a keen cyclist, with a helpful tip from her last journey across Asia. Apparently, if you cover your legs and arms in duck fat this will help keep them warm in the mornings. Then as the day gets hotter, your body temperature, and the sun's heat, will turn the fat into a beautiful crispy coating from which you can break off sections, both cooling yourself and providing you with a tasty nourishing snack that you can eat on the move. Thank you Julie!