Buckhorn, Ky to Berea, Ky – 68 miles
Woke up well rested around 6:30 for an early start to the day. Made some breakfast, tore down the tent, packed up the bike and was on the road by 8.
It was a beautiful day, very mild and cool in morning. Even had to bust out some of the cold weather gear for the first 30 miles or so. There were a few hills to climb early on, but they began to taper throughout the day. About 20 miles in I hit my first town, Boonesville, and grabbed a nice breakfast at a local diner (The Bus Stop Diner, I think). It was great – coffee, OJ, fully packed omelette, potatoes, and toast all for around $10!
Well fed I made good time throughout the rest of the day. As the day wore on the dog assaults got fewer and farther between, the descents were getting longer, and climbs less steep and shorter. I was beginning to feel like maybe, just maybe, I had finally made it out of the tough Eastern Kentucky mountains.
I saw my first snake road kill of the trip. Not sure what kind it is, but I guess there are copperhead in the area according to the David, the cyclist hostel owner in Hindman.
I was really excited to roll into Berea just before 4 PM. It’s a college town and a refreshing change from what I had been riding through the last couple of days. Went straight to the Visitor Center to meet my warmshowers host for the night, Maya. Earlier she had asked if I would be willing to speak with one of the classes at the college about my ride. I agreed and didn’t know much more about it, so I was excited to see what it was all about.
Once there she introduced me to Belle who was playing banjo on the porch out front with a fiddler and guitar player (Louis and Donna Lamb – I guess they’re fairly well-known in the Bluegrass circuit). Belle works for the university. Her friend Dr. Peter Hackbert is a professor teaching a class called Entrepreneurship for the Public Good.
I hung out for a bit and listened to them play. They were practicing up for some Japanese tourists who were in town from their sister city. They were putting on a show for them later in the afternoon. Dr. Hackbert arrived just after 4 PM and took me to where the class was being held. On the way he gave me some more details on the specifics of the program and Berea College in general.
Berea is a unique school in that it’s student do not pay any tuition, but they only accept students from low-income families with exceptional academic performance. As part of the deal they have to work for the school at least 10 hours a week. It’s a really cool concept that is giving a lot of really intelligent and motivated kids a chance to pursue their dreams!
His particular course is an entrepreneurship class where they are actively building the case to make Berea, Ky a state recognized trail town. If they succeed they would be eligible for public grants to help promote the town, its history, and attractions. Really cool that they are working on something that will make a direct impact on the community that they are living in. They wanted to talk to me to see what motivates me to stop in a particular town and spend some time and ultimately money on my journey across America on the Trans America Trail. There are also a couple other various trails that run through Berea, such as hiking and mountain biking trails. Over the next couple days they will be exploring and doing some adventure type activities to get an idea of what motivates the adventure tourist. Good work and good luck Dr. Hackbert and class!! It was so fun talking with you!
After hanging out with Dr. Hackbert and his class, he drove me back to the visitor center where Maya gave me directions to her house. I decided to head back because I was exhausted from a long day of riding. I was able to grab a shower, relax a bit, and get to know Maya before calling it a night. Today the plan is to get as many miles in as possible before Kari arrives to pick me up for a couple of rest days! So excited!
