Thursday, May 22, 2008

Underground Railroad Route Report #6

Reporting from Kentucky,

We have been on the road for eleven days, and have covered 758 MIles. Have just finished a seven day stretch, with a well deserved REST DAY tomorrow. We are staying at a beautiful lodge in the Kentucky Dam State Park just outside of Grand Rivers, KY. Grand Rivers sits at the northern edge of the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation area. We rode the trace up thru the park today for 55 miles. Nice road, very little traffic, the hills have eased off some and happy to report NO DOGS. There were bison roaming the prairie land on either side of the road, but fortunately they were not interested in chasing us. We rode across the KY Dam, which dams up the Tennessee River forming the KY lake on which the lodge sits.

Yesterday, we rode into Dover, Tenn. , population - 1442, home of Fort Donelson National Battlefield. In Feb. of 1862, Union troops led by Gen. U. Grant scored the first major victory of the Civil War for the North on this Battlefield. It was here that Grant issued his famous ultimatum, "No terms except unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted". After the Union captured and occupied Fort Donelson, it became a refuge for runaway slaves.

The weather has been great, cool in the morning, low 70's for riding. We met some nice dogs at a hamburger stop on a back country rode (see pictures)
and I met a guy on the road cycling from Chicago to New Orleans solo, carrying all of his gear, his bike must have weighed 75 pounds!!

Last night we went out for dinner at Cathy's Catfish Restaurant, it was our cook's b-day, so she had the night off. Tonite, since we have crossed another state line, ( that's Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee crossed off the list ) we are having a Margarita Party. Every time we cross a state line, we have Margaritas and since tomorrow is a rest day, BRING EM ON!!!!

When we resume riding on Sat. , we will be leaving the Tennessee River behind and making our way to the Ohio River, taking on more of a northeast direction. In the meantime, everyone have a good Memorial Day Weekend! THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE ENCOURAGING E-MAILS!

"When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race."
-----H.G. Wells



--Debby

Click this site to see pictures from the ride.
http://gallery.mac.com/debmilano

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