Distance: 76 avg: 11.4
The shift from Berea to here is very dramatic. In some ways it is amazing, in others it’s depressing. I was chased by dogs seven times total. Only once was there any real danger. Most of the time it was a single dog, that really just wanted to ‘play’ I hope. Twice it was a group of three.
The hills here are really rugged. I think the area is beautiful. Vines take over everything. The mountains have a beautiful cover of green.
I was stopped by a guy named Tyler who stops all the cyclists and tells them about a shortcut. It saved me about four miles, which was very nice of him. He also asked me if I smoke pot, to which I laughed and replied, no. I don’t know if he was trying to sell or offer me some. He would chew tobacco, and spit, then he’d wipe his mouth on his t-shirt. There were all these brown stains on the bottom of his shirt.
The people here have an extremely thick accent. I have a tough time understanding them pretty often. I had a group of kids yell at me ‘where you from?’ from the back of a pickup. They are fairly young, and passed me a couple times. I was unsure if this was some kind of sincere question, or if they were just insulting me. I’m still not sure that is what they said.
I made it to a very nice campground, which has a shower and laundry. I’m all clean and in clean clothes even. Time for some good sleep.