Lexington, KY to Baltimore, MD (by bicycle)

**way2fractious** · 13th June 06, 08:07 AM

As David said, we had a great time meandering around Lexington and its history. It was a wonderful sendoff. Yes, I even got a kilted picture of us. Two county libraries, one USB port, zero device drivers - so no pictures posted yet.

Eastern Kentucky is beautiful. "Where the Bluegrass Kisses the Mountains" as the sign in Irving says. Cold foggy morning, sunny warm mid-day now. Three or four dogs gave chase, but run 'em for a while then give them a faceful of plain water and they give up.

Time to go deeper into Appalachia.

**starbkjrus** · 13th June 06, 11:24 AM

Good luck Richard! Hopefully we can meet up as you pass through Northern VA.

**way2fractious** · 15th June 06, 05:25 PM

Originally Posted by starbkjrus

Good luck Richard! Hopefully we can meet up as you pass through Northern VA.

If possible... I gotta get my act together and my butt in gear. The day of the last post, I wound up at 76 miles in 8 hrs (9.5 hrs overall.) The next day 92 miles in 11-12 hrs (14 hrs overall.) That was a killer. Today I slept in, started late (11:00) and only made 45 miles in 7 hrs overall. Back on track tomorrow. Still nowhere to upload photos.

**David Thornton** · 15th June 06, 07:27 PM

What? No where in Silicon Hollar to upload pictures?
The mountains are beautiful, but technology hasn't gotten there yet!
Be safe, enjoy
David

**way2fractious** · 20th June 06, 06:22 PM

I'm in Snell, VA, just south of Fredericksburg, and on track for Baltimore by Thursday late or Friday midday. The mental challenge passed many days ago, and the physical challenged has lessened as I approach the coast. A nice store owner has allowed me the use of her computer to upload a few pics. Gotta sort out some good pics later...

**mkmound** · 20th June 06, 07:28 PM

Almost there! Good on ya!!

**way2fractious** · 22nd June 06, 05:38 PM

Thursday evening and I'm off the road. My son-in-law picked me up in Glenelg, 23 miles from their place in downtown Baltimore. Now it's time for a shower, a big dinner, and a good night's sleep.

Other pictures will be posted to my album after a few days.

Thanks to all who followed along. This is one way we share our other, non-kilt dimensions.

**David Thornton** · 22nd June 06, 07:53 PM

I toast you Sir. A most impressive accomplishment. And, I am looking forward to the pictures.

David

**way2fractious** · 28th June 06, 05:30 PM

Wow, what a ride! There are now about three dozen pics in the album. Neither they nor this make a full account of the trip, but provide a flavor of the experience.

I can now agree wholeheartedly with those who say that riding Appalachia is tougher than riding the Rockies or the Sierra Nevada. Everywhere I rode, the people were friendly and the drivers gave me clearance. Three instances of open-handed generosity will stay with me always.

In Virginia I often went off the meandering route, opting for long stretches of Route 11 and Route 1, in order to make Baltimore timely. For a week, the heat and humidity was almost enough to reduce me to just a puddle of sweat if I stopped for any reason. The section of Blue Ridge Parkway, however, made for an extremely pleasant ride in a most beautiful surrounding. The Mt. Vernon bike trail was great, but the Rock Creek bike trail was more like a jigsaw puzzle.

And I was fortunate enough to leave the Maryland/D.C. area, returning home Saturday evening, before the tropical deluges hit the area. In reading the damage reports, names of places I passed through kept appearing.

Here are my recapping stats for the trip:
Riding days: 11
Total miles: 780
Avg miles/day: 71
Total hours (overall): 105
Avg hours/day (overall): 9.5
Avg miles/hr (overall): 7.4

The stats do not hold up to my earlier projections of speed and daily distance; those Appalachian roads are steep.

I will be interested to see where I decide to ride next year.