July 8, 2014 - Hazard, KY

Post date: Jul 9, 2014 7:12:58 PM

We roughed it again last night at a Hampton Inn and Suites. It was probably the nicest place we’ve stayed but not the most expensive. We would have liked to camp, but it would have been a long drive back and forth from where the guys stopped riding. This was very close to where they stopped, with a Walmart, a strip mall and gas station, even a car wash and an Arby’s.

Today I drove ahead to Buckhorn, KY, population 154. The map says there is a restaurant, but I’m looking at the town from where I sit, and I think I will have to ask at the gas station where it might be. Sometimes the gas stations and restaurants that are listed on the map have closed down. There are a lot of mobile homes along the side of the road, along with broken down cars. Once in a while, there will be a large above ground swimming pool associated with a little house or mobile home. Many of the homes have a little bridge over conduit where the creeks run between the road and the homes.

Yesterday we ate lunch in Hindman, KY. The restaurant was also the building for the Appalachian Artisan Center. So it was like eating lunch at Valley Art in Forest Grove. The Artisan Center displays and sells art that represents 49 counties in eastern Kentucky. The director of the Artisan Center came over and chatted for a while. He had been a teacher for 30 years in the area. Btw- I’ve heard Appalachian pronounced 2 different ways on the local radio. I have always said ‘Ap-a-la-tion” with a long ‘a’ on the ‘la’ , but they say Ap-a-la-chun with a short ‘a’ on the ‘la’.

We are hoping to be off the road before an expected storm moves in later today. We have been really lucky with the weather so far. It has been very hot and humid, but we have managed to avoid being out in bad weather. We have driven through some good down pours and lightening where most people park under an overpass and wait it out.

Jon’s wife, Deb, is flying in tomorrow night to join us for a few days. There is an art festival in Berea, KY that we will check out while she is here.

Doug and Jon have been animals so far, climbing those steep curvy roads. I think they have surprised themselves that they are actually doing it day after day. Doug’s knee is talking to him a little bit, but he wasn’t wearing his brace that day, so it’s better when we wears it.