| after a layover day we're always glad to get back to patti's breakfasts. i'm going to have to find out what that 6-grain oatmeal is that she cooks;
it's great. today's gorp news is that we have reese's bits mixed in with our m&m supply. i realize that this may not be a hefty news item to your way of thinking, but to us, the amount & makeup of the m&m supply are of keen interest. |
| sari's friend jean & a local media person were at the motel to see us off this morning. most everyone took off by around 7:30. |
| gloria told us at our map meeting last night that she & sue went out driving during our layover day yesterday to find a shorter route from bardstown to elizabethtown....& by golly they found one. today's route was very pretty....easy rolling hills, hazy sunshine. tho' there was one longish, dark tunnel under an interstate....kinda spooky since the road surface was rough & we couldn't see it. & there was one pretty steep climb (1250 was our total climb for today). & oh, that's right, a couple of deer vaulted over a fence & the road within about 5 feet in front of sue in the subaru & phyllis on her bike. well, & THEN, with about 10 miles to go, the rains started. they were light at first; most riders didn't bother stopping to add rain jackets. in fact, since we hadn't heard about the rain possibility, some didn't even carry rain jackets on their bikes today. it wasn't long before the rain seemed to be settling in, so i stopped to put on my rain jacket & soon was very glad i had. the rain got quite heavy as we neared elizabethtown (they call it e'town around here), so we were very happy to turn into the best western cardinal inn not far into town. |
| since it was only 10:30, our rooms weren't ready, so we settled into the breakfast niche in the motel lobby. we took over the breakfast niche is
what i mean. most of us were chilled & wet, so the packets of hot chocolate mix that the motel put out for their continental breakfast disappeared in a jiffy. the motel staff person must have replaced the hot chocolate supply 5 times as we repeatedly raided the counter. |
| after an hour or so we decided it was time for lunch. patti told us last night that there was a container of veggie lasagna left over from thursday
night & she wanted us to eat it up for lunch today so it wouldn't have to be thrown out. she didn't have to tell us twice. in fact, i think the lure of leftover lasagna is what propelled some of us down the road this morning in almost record time. i got the lasagna & some plates & forks from the luggage trailer & brot it all to the motel lobby, where we each served ourselves, then stood in line to use the motel's microwave. |
| we surmised that the 2 motel staff persons at the front desk found our consumption of all the drinks on the breakfast counter disturbing enough; now they had to stand there with the smell of lasagna wafting through the lobby. i imagine an all-points alert went out to the housekeeping staff to get those bikers' rooms ready posthaste. |
| sari & i are rooming together tonight. after doing some wash & hanging it out on the motel's railing, we rode our bikes down to what we thot was the historic section of e'town. either we got the directions wrong or there really is no historic section of e'town. we were back at the motel within 15 mins. on our way to town we noticed sarah already riding back out to the motel. not long after she'd arrived this morning she found out where the nearest movie theater was & had already caught a movie. she's seen quite a few movies in the towns we've visited. |
| i'm sitting at a picnic table in a large, open, grassy area behind the motel writing this report....sunshine, soft breezes, & the smell of patti cooking chicken for our dinner tonight. it's gonna be polenta with chicken & fresh mushrooms plus spinach salad. that's what i've seen so far......& i've seen enough to be VERY happy about our imminent repast. |
| now it's later & i can confirm that the polenta with mushrooms & chicken is spectacular. so was the polenta with tofu/veggie sauce (i tried both). the salad turned out to be more of a mixed dark greens with sliced olives & feta cheese, & along with all that we had steamed fresh broccoli & cauliflower....with oreos for dessert. we all sat out in the yard on our little blue plastic stools enjoying a tremendous meal....with classical music from the van's CD player convincing some of us that we had been plopped down into one of the most pleasant evenings in recent memory. some folks sat in the swings in the yard. |
| after dinner, gloria reminded us that our ride has a fundraising purpose. many of the riders have already sent out or distsributed forms that invite
sponsors to support the National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund (NBCCF). this transamerica 2000 bike ride represents the 3rd time that WomanTours & the NBCCF have partnered to fight breast cancer through action & advocacy. we have 3 breast cancer survivors on our ride; one of them is currently
undergoing alternative treatments for recurrence of cancer. she supports the NBCCF in particular because it funds research not only for breast cancer in general but also into the causes & treatments of cancer recurrence. |
| the mission of the NBCCF is to increase research into cause, treatment, prevention & cure for breast cancer; to improve access for all women to high quality breast cancer screening, diagnosis, & treatment; & to increase the influence of breast cancer survivors on research, clinical trials, & national policy. |
| if you would like to make a donation to the NBCCF in the name of the hardy group of women you read about on this web site who are making this
4000-mile cross-country trek, please send your check, made payable to the National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund (NBCCF) to the NBCCF, 1707 L Street NW, Suite 1060, Washington, DC 20036, Attn: CeCe Ragland - Accounting. if you'd like, make note that your donation is in the name of the WomanTours
TransAmerica 2000 bikers. |
| tomorrow we up our mileage a bit...to 51 miles. we'll end up at the rough river lodge in rough river dam state park. we'll cross into the central time zone during tomorrow's ride. sure hope sunday is sunny & we don't get any more of those surprise showers. |
| Higher quality versions of the pictures from my trip are available here. If you would like copies of the original, full-size photos, feel free to e-mail my son Mark with your request. Stay tuned.... |
