Much Ado About Nothing...
Day 26 - Campton, KY to Prestonsburg, KY (53 miles and 2,900 feet of climbing)
Last night, we were all worried about the ride today. The route was up and down all day, but the last two climbs looked challenging at over 20% grade. Shannon volunteered to go first to avoid the worst of the hills, and Robin decided to sit this one out due to the severe incline. I realized that walking up the hill was a definite possibility, but I was curious to know how I would do.
After our ride yesterday, Shannon and I went for a short hike to Rock Bridge. It was similar to Devil’s Bridge, which we visited in Sedona, but it was much smaller and much closer to the ground. We tried to climb on top of the rock, but we were too short to get a good grip and hoist ourselves to the top. It was probably for the better because we did not need any injuries. Robin stayed back in the hotel keeping Maude company.
Shannon and I started at 9am today realizing that we had a relatively short ride. It is nice getting a couple cups of coffee and casually watching the news before hitting the road. Shannon is finding her climbing legs and easily made it up all the climbs. She still hits the breaks on the descents, which we will need to work on. She rode a strong 26 miles and 1,500 feet of climbing. We met Robin on the road, and I headed off by myself.
I rode along a small creek for a while on a relatively flat road knowing that I still needed to climb the two big hills. When I hit the first one, I put it in the easy gear and reminded myself to take it easy and save energy for the severe incline. Long story short, there was no big incline. The climb was much easier than the hill yesterday. The same was true for the last climb. I don’t know what was wrong with our mapping software, but the grade of the road never went above 12%. Robin could have easily done it. Live and learn.
We are staying at a hotel within walking distance to a Walmart, Big Lots, Dollar Tree, and Goodwill. Robin and I killed some time checking out all the merchandise and restocking on some of our supplies. We are now headed for downtown to see what is there.
