Post 16: 27 June, from Sterling KS

I am loving Kansas!

Perhaps my affection has been bought by the tail winds (for the most part) which I have benefited from both yesterday and today. And big ones too. This morning - honestly - I stopped pedalling for a short while at 15 mph on the flat, and I was still accelerating just from the wind! I really felt sorry for the east-bound riders I have met in recent days if they were fighting today's wild wind....

People seem friendlier than ever in this State. Just one example, from this morning. A pick-up truck was waiting for me at an intersection, and when I reached him, the driver called out to ask if I had enough water or Gatorade; he said he had both, ice-cold, if I needed any. How truly kind that was, quite humbling.

A majestic Kansas sky

I love the huge skies here in Kansas. A local person said to me two days ago, that if you don't like the weather in Kansas, wait 10 minutes and it will change. Certainly the skies change constantly, especially - while I have been here - in the mornings. Huge piles of clouds suddenly form and re-form, with great majesty. (I am told that thunderstorms can brew up very quickly too!)

But it has been hot. Yesterday Wichita, quite close, reached 107F, some kind of new record. And according to the TV in my room, at 8pm it was 100F in the next nearest town!

Typical Kansas landscape

Because the terrain is pretty flat roads can be built dead straight. And they are! On the map they look very geometric, and typically they will go either due east-west, or due north-south. Yesterday I was on a dead straight road for 40 miles, and tomorrow I will be on one that has no bend for more than 50 miles! (Did the Romans come and lay down the roads in Kansas?)

This road was dead straight for 40 miles!

My observation a few Posts ago about never being far from a wood or a forest doesn't hold so true now on the prairies. Yesterday was primarily cattle country, and the big herds (of, I think, black guernseys) make me wonder what these plains would have looked like 150 years ago covered by far far larger herds of bison.

Today, though, I have been riding through arable country, wheat or corn. (It was appropriate that I noticed a road called "Wheat State Road"!)And towns are visible from a long way away, not on account of church towers or steeples as sometimes in England, but because of the tall grain silos.

The grain silos dominate these towns...

In both pasture and arable land, one sees little oil wells, with the oil pumped up by what I have heard called elsewhere 'nodding donkeys'. (A store owner, today though, had never heard that term!)

A "nodding donkey"

Talking of cattle, entering Eureka (population 2914) I was amused to read a notice boasting that it was or is the home of the 1983 "World Champion [no less!] Steer Wrestler". (Hands up who knew that already.....)

It is interesting to learn, when one can, why people do the TransAm ride. An eastbound rider happened be in the same Eureka motel as me, and we went out for supper together. Dean lives near San Francisco, and is a veteran of the Vietnam war. He is riding to Washington DC to visit the Vietnam Memorial there, to honour six guys he knew who were killed in that war (three were in the same platoon). As he said, he could have jumped on a plane in SF, but that would have been rather casual; instead he is making a real pilgrimage in memory of those six. I found that very moving, especially since he has had some difficulties through sickness on the trip.

Another cyclist I met, Ann, has a very different motive. She is a management consultant, interested in what makes people enjoy their jobs. She is riding across the States, interviewing as many people as she can about their attitude to their work, as material for a book. (She sort of interviewed me, so of course I extolled the advantages of employee ownership - never miss an opportunity!)

I know I have sometimes commented on some of the towns I pass through being in apparent decline. This morning I was hugely heartened when I stopped to have a snack-stop in a small town called Buhler. It seems to be really thriving. There is an impressive soft-furnishings store that could have been transplanted from, say, a prosperous market town in England; a mill converted by a local businessman into a local theatre; a good grocery store, run by a delightful lady called Liz, and other obvious signs of enterprise and vitality. Sitting on a bench on the sidewalk outside Liz's store, and eating a huge chocolate muffin, several passers-by stopped to talk. Just typical of the friendliness of Kansas.

Part of Buhler's attractive main street

A couple more names, in closing. I thought "Old Settlers Road" sounded very evocative. But to attract visitors I thought that "Pete's Puddle Recreational Park" lacked something....

All best wishes to all, Ken

Post 15, Saturday 25 June, from Eureka, KS

Evening sky in Pittsburg, Kansas

Riding again yesterday, after a good rest day in Pittsburg on Thursday, was one of those dream cycling days. Instead of the wind being dead ahead, it was due east and as I was riding due west it was almost like having another rest day! And it was sunny, but neither too hot nor too humid. It was mostly flat, and a lot of the time I was cruising with minimal effort at 18-20mph. On days like that cycling is easy and you feel like Lance Armstrong....

Today, for the 60 or so miles from Chanute the wind has been from the south, so reasonably helpful. But I left under a rainbow, and the sky was quite stormy behind me. Then it clouded over completely, and looked like an English sky. But the rain I expected never came.

Rain on Chanute as I leave

There seem to be a number of railroad lines hereabouts. Twice today I have heard trains, and I just love the whistle of the engines. The sound carries for miles over these plains, and seems so much more romantic than the two-note diesel sound on Britain's railways.

I keep saying that cycling the TransAm isn't a heroic physical challenge. And it isn't.

But here's one that would certainly be heroic..... As I was leaving my motel in Pittsburg yesterday a guy stopped me to chat and told me of two English fellows he had met several years ago who WALKED across America. It took them two years, in two separate stages. They broke the journey in Kansas, and started again a year later from the same spot. Now, there's a real challenge - any takers out there? PJ?

Part of Main Street, Chanute, KS, (Luigi's in the middle)

Here's a first. In a rather nice Italian restaurant, Luigi's, on Main St in Chanute, KS, yesterday, I went to the restroom (if you'll forgive the personal detail). And in the one cubicle were two pedestals side by side. Now, the only time I have seen that before has been in ancient Roman sites, like Ephesus..... But this was indeed an Italian restaurant, perhaps hankering for historical authenticity.... (I didn't extend my research to the ladies.)

More reflections in the Italian restaurant. It seems to me that American couples and families don't use the occasion of eating out to converse as much as we do in Britain. As I noted this, at the four tables I could see, there was silence at three. Perhaps eating out is more to do with replenishment, and less of a social occasion. The time spent by an individual couple or group at a table strikes me as short...... I don't know if these are valid observations, but it's not the first time I have noted this apparent cultural difference.

With fewer residential neighbourhoods to cycle through on this part of my trip I am seeing fewer names that make me chuckle. But very close to here is a small town called "Climax" (population 64). Wow! - enough said.

Me and my shadow, early Kansas sun on my back

With best wishes and thanks for all your support, Ken

Post 14, 23 June, from Pittsburg, Kansas

Hi y'all!

Yes, now just into my fifth state, Kansas!  And 1675 miles completed, and 80,000 feet climbed (close to three 'everests'). And I have had 30 riding days, out of about 70.

Yesterday should have been an easy ride.  At long last I left the roller-coaster hills of the Missouri Ozarks, and entered flat terrain, which is how it will be for 9 riding days across Kansas and beyond, into eastern Colorado. And my maps show that for the most part the roads are dead straight, due west.  Certainly I had 33 miles yesterday without a curve, let alone a turn!

But as it turned out, yesterday proved to be the toughest so far on the trip.  The reason? - that great enemy of cyclists, a headwind, straight from the west, which I reckoned at about 20 mph.  So instead of enjoying cruising on the flat, I was struggling to do more than 8 mph, and it made the day into a long one.  (I met some eastbound TransAm cyclists just as I was coming into Pittsburg, two young and strong guys;  they were loving what was for them the tailwind, and with its assistance the previous days had covered 155 miles!!)  At least it wasn't hot and humid, and it was under a glorious summer sky that I acted out my struggle with the wind.

Summer sky and a glorious empty road

Happily I am having a rest day today - and I hope that the winds will decide to move round to the south again, which is the prevailing direction (or so I am told).

When, years ago, I was first thinking about this trip, I wasn't sure whether to do it eastbound or westbound.  It was my good friend Gary Usrey who urged me to go westbound, partly because that is the direction of the development of US history.  I am so pleased I followed that advice, because I get a sense of the opening up of the western lands.  Just a few dates make that point:  Jamestown, on the Virginian coast (which I passed through on my very first day) was settled in 1607;  Missouri became a state more than 200 yeaers later, in 1820;  Kansas was at first designated a "territory", and became a state in 1861:  Colorado not until 1876.  Kansas began to be opened up as a result, so I learn, of the Santa Fe trail, used for trade between northern Mexico and St Louis, Missouri in the early 19th century, a process accelerated by the development of the Santa Fe railroad in the 1870s.  I find it fascinating to imagine the lives of these pioneers, as I cycle across the same landscapes......

More prosaic observations....

A couple of days ago, I was pleased to see a road sign indicating I was in an Amish area, and I hoped to see more buggies, having seen only the three days and days ago, on 8 June back in Kentucky. But it was a hot afternoon, and all sensible people were indoors with the a/c on.  Noel Coward's song came to mind, "Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun".

Another road sign was much less welcome - a detour caused by a bridge being out. It caused me an extra 7 miles at the end of the day, turning an already long (65 mile) ride into a 72 mile one.

A road sign you don't want to see!

Politics hasn't entered my conversations much, but I sense the predominant loyalty in these rural areas I cycle through is to the Republicans. But the other day I was very shocked. At my first coffee break four local fellows were browsing the papers and commenting on Obama's forthcoming visit to Africa.  I was on the next table, listening to their conversation.  Their comments showed real hatred for him. "Maybe he'll stay in Africa.". And when another added, "Maybe someone will find a high-velocity rifle...", I thought that was truly sick.

But the second convenience store conversation the same day was a delight. There were several people at a communal table whom I joined. One guy was a nursing assistant, who had helped out in Joplin for a couple of days after the ghastly tornado there on 22 May;  his description of trying to find proper new accommodation for the residents of a destroyed nursing home brought a personal dimension to that disaster. Then we were joined by the guy who used to own the store till 10 years ago. I commented that he must have known everyone in the area very well;  "Yes," he said, "and perhaps too many secrets about them too!". That for me was a new angle on retailing..... And after these conversations, as I was leaving, a combine harvester was filling up with diesel! (I understand that farmers compute the fuel consumption of combines in gallons per hour - perhaps 20 per hour for the big ones I'll see here in Kansas.  Wow, expensive!)

Dogs. As I have reported, I have not personally met any aggressive ones. But I guess my guardian angel has been busy. Two days ago I met up again with a westbound TransAm rider who had been staying at the same motel as me the night before, a lady called Barbara from Florida. She had told me that evening as we chatted that she had heard of a cyclist being bitten recently somewhere in that part of Missouri. The next day, as I was on the road, a sheriff's car pulled up outside a farm gateway just beside me, and, as well as the sheriff, out got Barbara. She told me she had earlier that morning herself been bitten - she reckoned by the same dog - and had from further down the road reported the attack to the sherriff so other cyclists wouldn't suffer. He had brought her back to identify the dog.  As for Barbara, she had had paramedic treatment, and was OK, but not happy....

Having told that story, I have to add that the other day a dog saw me and immediately ran away..... He clearly didn't know the script. 

Springfield Missouri was 11 miles away at one point. That set me wondering:  which Springfield of all the many that there seem to be do the Simpsons inhabit?

Something I have just realised, with a pleasant surprise.  In all my month and more here I haven't heard anyone swearing, not at all. No "f...." words or anything. Remarkable, compared with Britain's uncivilised behaviour in this respect.......

So, next Post from further west in Kansas.  Then it won't be long till Julia and Ben come out to join me, and after that, all being well, it will be less than a month till I arrive in Seattle and Janet is there to greet me and photograph me dipping my bike wheel in the Pacific.....  (The other day, as I was wheeling my bike out of my motel to start the day's riding, someone asked me where I was headed.  "Everton, today", I replied.  "And then where?"  "Well, eventually to Seattle."  All he said in response was "Jeez.....!")

Thanks, as always, for the fantastic support so many people give me.  As I say to folks who ask me, this is such a brilliant trip, far exceeding my expectations.  What a lucky guy I am!

All best wishes, Ken (and a hug for those for whom it would be appropriate....!)

Post 13, 20 June, from Marshfield, Missouri

Greetings all. (That's very English, isn't it? But I have noticed that this far into Missouri they don't seem to say "How ya doin'?" as folk did further east. And I had become reasonably fluent at mumbling it myself!)

Well, after my excellent rest day at Wilderness Lodge, Lesterville, I left in the rain. (Photo kindly emailed to me by Tom, one of the owners, who like everyone else there was incredibly kind and helpful. Thank you!)

But it didn't last long. There were thunderstorms the following night too, but they cleared by morning. So far, then, I am being pretty lucky with the weather......

My daily routine is pretty established now, which makes life very simple and straightforward - far far more so than you people who have jobs to go to, homes to run, social lives to lead, etc etc.

Up at 5.30, and hopefully there is breakfast in my motel (sometimes instant oatmeal, always muffins or toast). If no breakfast in the motel, one can find breakfast in convenience stores from as early as 6, with "hot biscuits" + eggs, sausage, bacon, etc. On the road by 7.30 if poss, to do as much of the day's mileage as I can before noon; after that the heat can be wearing.

My maps show where on the route there are convenience stores or cafes to eat, and if there is one, I like a coffee and a muffin within 10 or 15 miles. Then any time after 11, I love to have a longer stop with a BLT sandwich and some iced tea (but quite often there isn't anywhere at all to do this - in which case I stop every 10 or so miles wherever I am and tuck into my own supplies). I hope to get to my destination by 2 or 3 pm, but that depends on the distance of course. Days vary between say 40 miles and, as today, 70 or more.

I like this road sign, nice descent coming!

The routine then continues in the motel. Is there wifi? Is there a phone in my room or does my cellphone have signal, so Janet - and other family members - can skype me? Is there a guest laundry (usually not), or do I have to hand wash my cycling kit? (I have learnt simply spreading it out in the sun on some grass outside will dry it very quickly.) Then emails (if wifi or phone signal) and perhaps working on a Blog Post. Then find somewhere to eat, perhaps around 6 pm: usually there are fast food places near the motels, and I opt for the most carbo-rich dish there is (and usually I pay only about $10, which is great value for the main meal of the day). Then back to my room, write my personal log, and aim to be in bed by 9! And then the next day do it all again......

Goodness, reading that last bit through makes it all sound incredibly boring. But of course the routine exists only to provide the best possible framework for what the trip is all about. And that of course is the heartwarmingly kind and open people I meet, the slowly changing scenery I am part of, and the sense of getting a fascinating glimpse into a great country.

The weirdest place I have stayed in was two nights ago. The only accommodation I could find in a place called Eminence on Saturday, even booking two days ahead, was the honeymoon suite in a riverside lodge (fiercely expensive; don't ask...). It was all set up for young lovers - whirlpool bath, two-person shower, massive TV, lovely private verandah above the river, etc etc. All rather bizarre for a single old fogey (for although I invited her, sadly my bride couldn't get a flight in time to join me.....).

A rest crossing the Current River in the Ozarks

I am almost out of the Ozark Mountains now. The bad things I had heard about them have, happily, not been the case in practice. But there have been a lot of ups and downs, some as steep (though not as long) as in the Appalachians.

Some more nature notes.

Going back to my cabin in Wilderness Lodge after dinner, in the twilight, I was enchanted to see fireflies darting around in the gloaming. It was light enough to see their bodies, and I was surprised that they are quite big - perhaps half an inch long. The light seems to be emitted from their tails - fascinating. How and why do they light up so brightly?

Two deer leapt gracefully across the road in front of me the other day. Their elegance was in contrast with a squirrel I had disturbed on the road previously; it sped off to the verge, not realising that it was heading for a deep and wide ditch. It gave a mighty leap but only made it halfway across, and landed very ungracefully with all four legs straight out, just like a character in a cartoon. Brilliant.

More turtle stories. Yesterday I saw two that clearly understood the dangers of the road, and were sprinting (do I mean that? - they were going very purposefully anyway) towards the verge and safety. They made it. But another fellow, further on, apparently thought it a good idea to have a snooze in the middle of the road; I woke him up and carried him to the long grass at the side of the road. But, sadly, I failed to save a tiny tiny turtle elsewhere. A pick-up truck was coming the other way, and I could only watch as it seemed deliberately to aim at itthe little creature. At least it died instantly. "Bastard", I called out loud.....

Outside one convenience store, where I stopped yesterday, the owner has hung up bird feeders for a local colony of humming birds. I have never seen them before, effectively able to stay stationary in the air - or so it seemed. So beautiful.

More names which take my fancy. Small towns called "Licking" and "Success" have been just off my route. "Scattered Acres Loop" and "Owls Bend" both sound enchanting. I misread one farm sign; at first glance I thought it said "Aliens' Center Point Research". Then I saw it read "Allens....". And I was puzzled to see a sign - which I didn't misread -advertising "Black Dirt for Sale". What's that? (Should any reader need some, the phone number to ring is 464 0432, but I don't know if they will deliver.....)

Unconventional mailbox!

Anyway, two more days in Missouri, then Kansas (and flatness!).

Thanks again to those who have sent me super emails recently - hugely appreciated.

All best wishes, Ken

Post 12: 16 June, from near Lesterville, Missouri

Now in Missouri, having a Rest Day tomorrow, my fourth in four weeks.

State no 4, with photos to prove it!

Missouri welcomes you. State no 4!

Crossing the Mississippi was quite a landmark for me, as I am now officially in the Mid West. Like the Ohio River, it's a grand sight. And here in Missouri there are reminders that this area was once colonised by the French - county names like Ste Genevieve and St Francois.

The Mississippi, between Illinois and Missouri

Oddly, some of their roads here are identified by letters not numbers. In quick succession I met Route M and Route C, so inevitably the Bond theme started going round and round in my brain (it's not easy to cycle to!).....

Illinois, with only 3 days of riding was a lot shorter than Virginia (11 days) and Kentucky (9), and Missouri will be only 6 - then I will be on the flatlands of Kansas (for 9 days) before getting to Colorado. So there is a sense of progress. I am about a third of the way across this great country (1378 miles out of 4000, and 25 riding days out of about 70). As for climbing, I have a new unit of measurement, an 'Everest'. With over 66,000 feet climbed I have done more than two Everests, out of a probable five or six to complete.

Two days ago I had my first serious RAIN, a (to me) big thunderstorm. I realised I had never before been out on my bike in a thunderstorm. It was a bit scary, in truth. At times the lightning and thunder were almost simultaneous; the wind and rain were lashing; and it was incredibly dark. I kept remembering warnings not to shelter under a tree - and I mused idly as to whether the rubber in my tyres would insulate me from a lightning strike. Happily it only lasted about 45 minutes. (I said above that this was a big thunderstorm 'to me'. That's because a local guy in the convenience store where I drippingly had a warming cup of coffee told me that was a "light" storm. Inevitably, when you are having a slightly tough time, there's always someone around to make you feel worse!).

Soon after that, at my next convenience store stop, I fell into conversation by chance with a guy who turned out to be Amish. (He was driving a tractor that day, hauling rocks in a trailer for a wall he was building - but usually he would use a buggy for transport.) He was very friendly, and even said 'yes' when I asked if exceptionally I could take his picture. As for testing my previous expectations of the Amish, I noticed he had a slightly Germanic accent. Also he has 5 children, confirming the point I made in an earlier Post about their large families. All in all, it was an unexpected and happy encounter.

Have also begun to encounter eastbound TransAm cyclists (who can't really start from the west coast until mid- to late-April because of the weather. It is always cheering to meet them, as I am reminded it is actually possible to cycle the whole way (you discern lingering self-doubt in me...).

Yesterday turned out to be a hard day for cycling - no obvious reason (apart from a steady headwind), but a reminder that when you're cycling there are days when it does all seem hard-going. Still, it was the only one in 25 days to date, so I mustn't complain.

Maybe it's just those States that I have been in, but I observe that forest is never far away from the roads I am on. And this is pretty virgin forest, a reminder that lots of this country is still essentially wilderness, in a way that Europe - at least those parts that I know, like Britain and France - simply aren't. For example, I am sure that the woodland I am looking out on now has never ever been cleared.

Other nature notes. I observe new species of birds, as I get further west (if I can find a small guide to American birds, I shall buy it). Honeysuckle hardly seen here, but other lovely wildflowers on the roadside. Fewer turtles (though sadly I pass some that haven't made it across the road). A deer let me photograph it on a cycle track today....

More names too. Today I passed huge heaps of iron ore waiting to be loaded onto the railroad. This was in a place called Iron Mountain, in Iron County (subtle naming there!)...... A few days ago I spotted a sign saying "Turkey Run Estates". Very puzzling. Do the turkeys manage the estates? Or do they have a free run in them? Or what? I still haven't worked it out two days later.... You see how profoundly I reflect on big philosophical questions while I am cycling.

More news in a couple of days. Till then, thanks for following these musings and for all your support.

All best wishes, Ken

Post 11: 12 June, from Golconda, Illinois

Traquil lake in state park near Carbondale, Illinois

Well, I am drafting this on Sunday, 12 June, in a tiny place called Golconda, Illinois. But there is no internet access or wifi, so I will get it on to the Blog tomorrow, 13 June, from Carbondale, which is much bigger!

My last Post was on my birthday, before I was told of the best possible birthday present..... Daughter Julia (my best cycling buddy) told me on the phone that she and her husband Ben are going to fly out to Colorado in July to spend a week or more with me - not riding (too complicated to bring or to hire bikes), but renting a car and touring. This was SUCH exciting news, and only a month ahead! I shall take a few days off from riding so we can do some exciting exploration together. A real boost for my morale (not that it was sagging, by the way!).
One thing I didn't mention last time was seeing three Amish buggies on the road the morning I left Hodgenville. This social group, numbering only about a quarter of a million in the US, are descendants of Swiss/German Anabaptists who sought refuge from religious persecution in Europe. They eschew many modern inventions (including cars, etc - though I am told they are not averse to riding in them on occasions) and lead a simple life focusing on their community. They dress distinctively - the men wear straw hats and have beards but no moustaches; and the women wear long plain-coloured skirts, and shawls covering their heads. They don't like to be photographed, but I did sneak a shot from a distance of the first buggy that was coming towards me, and the man and girl in it. Their lifestyle intrigues me. They have a reputation for generosity and helpfulness - the hostess at last night's B&B told me that the Amish neighbour of her small farm acts as unofficial caretaker and watchman for her!

I am now in State no 3, Illinois (just for three days). This morning I crossed the Ohio River from Kentucky on a ferry. It's a big river, I guess at least half a mile wide.

On ferry crossing Ohio River to Illinois, 12th June

There has been a massive motorbike fest in Illinois, and at the ferry point the "Christian Motorcyclists' Association" had set up free coffee for all the Harley riders waiting for the ferry. I chatted with them, and before we parted they blessed my bike. I expected it to be cringe-making, but they were so sincere and genuine it was in fact very moving.....



I came to like western Kentucky, although the eastern Appalachian part I had found depressing - the poverty and decay there were quite severe. Western Kentucky is much more prosperous, and yesterday in particular I noticed lots of obviously successful arable farms, with lots of expensive plant and large grain silos. (And over lunch in a cafe I enjoyed listening to some farmers discussing their wheat yields!) I also saw two 'nodding donkeys'; were they for oil, I wonder, or perhaps water for irrigation?

Bank of orange lilies, wild

And Kentucky has lots of horses, very beautiful even to my unpractised eye.
But there is a mystery! In 9 days in the State, I have seen no Kentucky Fried Chicken places. I have heard lots of cockerels (which crow at any time of day), seen - and smelt - lots of chicken farms. But zero KFCs!! Why? - I think we should be told.....

Yesterday had RAIN, for only the second time, and only briefly, but enough to put on my rain jacket. So only 30 minutes in total, now in 21 days of riding! Actually, I hoped it would rain longer, to clear the humidity, but it soon got hot and close again, and I had over 80 miles to cover....

I see very few cyclists. Yesterday, being Saturday, I expected to see leisure riders out, and I did come across a chain-gang of 8, complete with tri-bars and all. But they were the first seen for days and days.

Some more names. I passed a signpost today to "One Horse Gap Lake". And how about this name for a business? - "Dog Gone Clean Grooming Salon".

Sincere thanks to the nine more kind people who have contributed this past week to The Stroke Association; the total you have all given is now well over £2000, which is fantastic. Thank you all so much!

Next posting in a couple more days..... Till then, all best wishes,

Ken

Post 10, 9 June. Rest day at Rough River Falls Dam Resort Park, Kentucky.

Well, enjoying my third rest day, after 7 more days of cycling in Kentucky. And it also happens to be my birthday (but as it's yet another 'dry' county, celebration will have to be a Diet Coke...).

Just a few miles short of 1000 now completed, so just about a quarter of the distance; and all but 50,000 feet climbed (with plenty more to come!). And another little milestone yesterday was crossing from Eastern to Central time, so I am now 6 hours behind the UK.

One friend asked me in an email if I was very tired. Without wishing to sound complacent, the answer is "not inordinately so". The body is used to cycling now, and so far all my moving parts are fine. But who knows, something may give out - a knee, a hip, even a wrist - or I might crash, so I am taking nothing for granted. On the roads I cycle cautiously, and slowly. Daily average speeds are around 11mph which "proper" cyclists like Andy Miller and Giles Sharp would scoff at (as indeed I would, normally!). The roads, though, are a delight to ride on. Excellent surfaces, which put our British roads to shame, and very quiet for the most part. On the more rural ones it's not unusual to go 2 or 3 miles without a car passing. (There has been only one unpleasant stretch of road for cycling, about 12 miles of switchback four-lane highway much further east in Kentucky, with coal trucks thundering by! But 12 miles out of 1000 is not a bad ratio.)

Motorists are friendly too. I usually wave to oncoming drivers, and usually there is one back (sometimes the minimal response of one finger lazily lifted from the steering wheel!). I have commented in an early post on the bigness of things in America; one driver's responding wave was a hand out of his window, holding a massive cigar...).

The only significant difficulty with the cycling has been the increasing heat wave. Shade temperatures in the afternoon are in the mid-90sF (say 35C or so). In the sun, after noon, it feels like a furnace. So I try to get going early, by 8, and reach my destination by early afternoon and then hide in air-conditioning. I heard a great exchange yesterday, between a store owner and one of his regular customers; "Hot enough for you, Billy?" "Hotter than hot..."

My accommodation is usually motels, which have without exception so far been clean and comfortable. Sometimes I splurge a bit on a more upmarket hotel, as here. But the night before last I stayed in a most unusual and wonderfully historical place, a log cabin at the site of Abraham Lincoln's birthplace. This being the USA it is now an official Memorial Park, and I must say they do these things really well here. There was a very informative Visitor Center about AL's parents, very much frontier settlers of the time (1809), and the kind of life they would have lived around their log cabin home. There was inevitably a lot of information about slavery and the Civil War (which, I think I read, cost 620,000 lives in all); Lincoln's stand on slavery and his attitude on the Union, were both uncompromising. Of slavery he said, "If slavery is not wrong, then nothing is wrong".

But the old attitudes occasionally still persist. Way back in eastern Virginia I was puzzled occasionally to see Confederate flags outside homes. I asked an elderly black American man whom I met outside a country store about this, remarking that the civil War ended nearly 150 years ago. His response, I thought, was wonderfully diplomatic; "In Virginia there are still many contradictions....".

More nature notes. Quite delightful encounter the day before yesterday. I turned my head as I was cycling along an empty road and noticed that a large dragonfly was flying alongside me, about a foot away from my head. He escorted me, like a jet fighter, for at least 25 yards! I have noticed too cows simply standing in ponds and reservoirs to cool down. There was quite a crowd in one reservoir the other day. I stopped to take a photograph, but the cows seemed to resent my intrusion into their bathing, and all splashed out. I apologised.... There are lots of horses too (Kentucky being famous for them); yesterday I made friends with a beautiful grey mare (almost white) and her equally white baby foal. I wish I knew what the different birds are. Some of them have calls which are more like squeaks than bird song, and quite frequently I think I have suddenly developed a squeak or a rattle on my bike only to realise it's a bird!

A few more nice names.... I passed "Terrapin Lane" just before rescuing a turtle that was crossing the road. "Lonesome Pine Trail"; (isn't 'lonesome' a better word than 'lonely'?). And I went close to a town called "Paint Lick" - honestly!

Great news about my cycling buddies Mike and Joan. They are now able to resume their TransAm trip, setting off from Christiansburg tomorrow. (They will thus be, sadly, about 9 days behind me.). Mike does an excellent blog, and - unlike me - is able to post lots of photos on it. So if you want a good read, and to see properly the kind of country I have been through, go to: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/mikenjoan2011


You will enjoy it!

As always, thank you to so many of you for email encouragement, and for the continuing generous contributions to The Stroke Association.

All best wishes and thanks for your interest and support!

Ken

Post 9, 6 June, at Bardstown, Kentucky

How y'all doin'? (...to which a standard reply seems to be "I'm doin' good..."; if this is a statement of the moral outlook and actions of everyone I meet, it bodes well for Kentucky!)

A sort of milestone passed yesterday: 15 days of cycling completed, which is one fifth of the total cycling days I'm likely to have. So that's encouraging. The next milestones I shall enjoy passing are: 1000 miles; crossing the Ohio River; then the Mississippi; then - though this one is some way ahead - first sight of the Rockies!

The last two days, since Berea, have felt very different. It is indeed good to be out of the Appalachians. Not that it's now flat; far from it, both days have involved 2500 feet or so of climbing, but the countryside is rolling, so less sapping of energy. I have been reminded of England too; yesterday I saw cow parsley, and a dry stone wall, and today I have passed some arable farms, the first since central Virginia. One sight I have never seen in England though is cows standing in dew ponds/reservoirs simply to keep cool! It is indeed hot; when I stopped for a snack break at 1030 this morning, my bike computer was reading 30C/86F already. But I have really been incredibly lucky with the weather; still only the 20 minutes of rain I had on Day 5 (24 May). The skies each day are a wonderful blue, almost cloudless, and the greens of fields and trees are still fresh and vibrant. The air smells of high summer - delightful.

It can be uncomfortable cycling in the afternoons, though. So I try to be on the bike soon after 0800 and arrive at my destination early afternoon. That worked very well today, because I was able to talk to grandson Freddie (aged 3) on the phone; he was already in bed, and I was able to sing to him one of our own special lullabies. (It was hard; I had a big lump in my throat....).

I mentioned churches in my last blog post. Yesterday morning (Sunday) I was riding into a tiny place called Kirksville when I heard the strains of "Onward Christian Soldiers". It was being broadcast across the (apparently still sleeping) township from speakers in the church tower - a bit like churchbells from an English village church. Rather attractive (unless trying to sleep). This morning, in an even smaller place called Mackville (population about 200, according to my map), I counted five churches. True! And all looked well-kept and thriving.

I have been surprised to learn that, despite the Prohibition era ending in the 1930s, individual counties can still decide to be 'dry'. It's a matter for local decision, apparently (and sadly, I have had to forego my usual glass of red wine since a week ago.

Yesterday I was able to meet up with Mike and Joan again, with whom I had cycled a couple of days in Virginia. They drove down from their home in Cincinnati, Ohio, to have a training ride on the TransAm trail, and all being well will be resuming their big trip at the end of this week. It was great seeing and riding with them again, though we won't be able to do so again as I will be about two weeks ahead of them when they restart. Lovely lovely people, and I am sure this new friendship will last.

Curious retailing resonances yesterday and today (on which I have commented by email to some of my John Lewis Partnership friends). Yesterday I stayed in Harrodsburg, and today I passed through Fenwick, which - honestly! - was on Shop Town Road!

Entering Harrodsburg, an American welcome- 5th June

I am so touched by the generosity of so many friends to The Stroke Association. I try to email thanks personally to each kind contributor, but I fear it's impossible if I don't have the email addresses. Instead I thank you here; it is hugely appreciated.

Finally, a personal note. In all this sunshine I am developing the most ridiculous tan lines, where cycling top and shorts stop; also, although my forearms are brown, it stops at my wrists because of my cycling mitts. As I say, ridiculous - not at all a look for the beach!

Thanks as ever for all your support everyone!

All best wishes, Ken

Post 8: three days in Kentucky!

Hi again!

Daughter Julia, back at Mission Control, posted the photo I took on my blackberry of the proof I am now in my second State. There is probably a way I can get this text to link with that photo, but I am not capable of achieving that on the bb; sorry.

I was apprehensive about Kentucky, having heard about aggressive dogs that chase cycles, huge coal trucks on narrow country roads, and possibly less friendly people. In the event all have been fine; with the dogs, so far a cheerful "Good dog!" has seemed to calm them. And the coal truck drivers have always been considerate.

The accent of locals deep in the Appalachians has baffled me sometimes; I feel a fool having to say "excuse me" three times when I can't understand. But then I am probably just as baffling.... After entering a country store close to the Virginia state line, my 'How ya doin'?' Was answered (with a smile) with "What the hell kind of hillbilly accent is that?"!

Those who know about this TransAm route say the Appalachians are the hardest cycling of the whole trip, because the hills are much steeper than the climbs in the Rockies. I have found the days quite wearing, so now I have left the Appalachians behind, today, I am pleased. Perhaps the tight, enclosed valleys made me feel shut in too; certainly today, as views opened out, I felt relieved.

Various impressions.... Lots of poverty in eastern Kentucky; lots of homes were boarded up and decayed; every tiny homestead seemed littered with rusting car wrecks; noticeably more obesity in the poor areas; hard physical work for people making a living from the land (I have seen people hoeing their vegetables by hand in the hot sun). Today, as I came out of the mountains, the neighbourhoods were visibly more prosperous. But everyone I have met has been friendly and welcoming, and I have had some fascinating conversations. One that lingers in the memory was yesterday, as I had lunch in a country store. An old guy was there, 86, who had lived in that valley all his life, except in World War Two; he had signed up for the Navy in 1941 aged 16, and was in the S Pacific, helping to construct the air base from which - eventually - the bombers flew to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. What a world away from mountain Kentucky....

Random thoughts.... Churches vary so much, from the clearly prosperous to the ramshackle. And there seem to be a chaotic profusion of denominations. Best church name seen so far - "Poor Bottom Freewill Baptist Church". (Mine felt a bit poor at the time.)

More road names: "Tranquillity Lane" - how lovely. But also "Soap Town Rd" (where did that come from?).

Nature notes: this morning, on a very quiet road, an enormous commotion over my head. As I looked up, about 20 small birds (sparrows?) Were mobbing a hawk and saw it off....

What happens in my head as I ride? (Andy Miller asked me this in an email, especially did I get particular tunes on the brain?) Well, today I have kept going back to "Keep the home fires burning".... It's not that I can quite remember the First World War, but maybe the line "While our boys are far away, they'll think of you" is specially relevant when friends and family do seem so far away.

But emails, phone calls on skype from family, and comments on the blog, all keep me feeling in touch.

So many thanks to you all! And much love, Ken

State No 2 - Kentucky!

Post 7, 1 June: rest day at Breaks Interstate Park

How y'all doin'? (as they say here. And yesterday afternoon, when I went into a country store for an iced tea and snack, I was greeted with "You burnin'up on that bike?")

Eleven days riding now complete, and tomorrow I cross from Virginia into Kentucky. This second stage of riding days has been great, especially the two with Mike and Joan. I met three more TransAmmers this morning, three guys in the 20s who aim to be in San Francisco by 10 July; young and strong....! Maybe I'll meet up with more kindred spirits like Mike and Joan. Let's hope so.

This part of Virginia, crossing the Appalachians, is very beautiful. Lots of woods and forests still, and several times my road has followed closely beside burbling rivers splashing over rocks. Some of the climbs are long; yesterday one was 1300 feet, which took me 45 minutes at about 5 mph. Long uphills are always followed by long downhills, though.

I hadn't planned on having a rest day today, but as I was planning ahead for yesterday it became clear that the one motel listed on my map between Wytheville and Breaks is now closed. The only place to sleep en route was a church floor; I'm too old for that, and need a shower each night too! So I made two (shortish) days into one (long) one, and despite temperature s in the mid 30sC (low 90sF) it was OK. (I have been v lucky with the weather, with still only 20 mins of rain. The three guys I met this morning, by contrast, told me of a horrendous thunderstorm that hit them on the Blue Ridge Parkway a few days ago. I guess it will happen to me too, at some stage...)

I mentioned place names in an earlier posting... I look out for neat road names too, in the residential neighbourhoods. Cutest has been "Possum Hollow". Least explicable, "Fuzzy Drive"(???). Most evocative, though, were - in quick succession - "Sunlight Drive", then "Twilight Drive", then "Starlight Drive"! I have also seen names that bring back music titles; any readers remember "Cripple Creek" by The Band? And I once had a bluegrass album by Earl Scruggs, one of whose pieces was "Foggy Mountain Breakdown"; well, I passed Foggy Mountain, though perhaps a different one.

Tomorrow, then, Kentucky. Cyclists talk of the hazard in Kentucky of dogs chasing bikes, sometimes in packs. I have some "pepper spray" as a defence. Let's hope all is well.

Keep those emails coming in! - they keep my legs turning. Over 600 miles done (but I refuse to calculate how many therefore are left), and 30,000 feet climbed (ditto!)M

All best wishes and thanks, Ken

Blueberry pancakes and iced tea before the long day to Breaks.