Day 19: Berea, KY to Chimney Rock RV Park (Herrington Lake), KY (40 miles, 854 total)

Jeff writing...
Today A.K. will write the journal, but before she does I have some important news to report from my regional soft drink research. Today something terrible happened; I tried this beverage called Big Red. It is quite possibly the worst soft drink EVER! Nothing on the label described what horrible flavor to expect. Besides, what does "red" taste like? Beyond that, what would a "big red" taste like? Well I'll tell you, it tastes like crap. But to be more descriptive, it tastes like bubble gum and melted Twizzlers served up in the most concentrated form. It is by far the worst regional soda I've come across in the course of my research; I had to throw away 3/4 of it. In the name of science, I invite you all to have a Big Red if ever given the chance. I think you'll be amazed at just how terrible it really is.

Ok, now back to A.K. and today's journal entry...

Thank goodness it wasn't my fault this time, but we woke up late. Jeff set two alarms last night and BOTH of them were set for PM. I think he was really just trying to sleep in. We had a ton of packing up to do, plus a big free breakfast to eat, so our departure was super late today. The hotel breakfast was super plush, complete with waffle iron for make-your-own waffles. Awesome! Even better was that, at checkout, we found out that our room was even cheaper than we thought it was going to be! $59 plus tax. We got a great deal all around. Except for the dry county part, I'd give it the highest recommendation.

Departure happened just before 10:00. Yep, can't let that happen again. Fortunately, the weather was fine, the hills were easy rollers, and we blasted out of that dry county...and into another one.

I pulled up alongside Jeff at one point and we watched a doe and her two fawns bound away from us through a verdant, hilly field. Jeff named one fawn Bink and the other Dink. As they jumped up the hill, he made the noises to accompany each bounce - bink, bink, bink...dink, dink. I know you had to be there, but it was funny. He has also decided that his favorite bird is one that chirps 3 times in a row - beep, beep, beep. I'm not allowed to immitate that bird since I didn't pay enough respect to it when Jeff first brought it up.

At our halfway point, we stopped at a very small country store for some ice cream. The day had been warm, but fortunately there was also a light cloud cover so we weren't getting scorched. Still, a Klondike bar and ice cream sandwich sounded too good to pass up.

The terrain continued to roll with an occasional steep pitch, but for the most part, the riding just flew by. Our stop for lunch was a gas staion/country store right on a busy road. When we pulled up, there was a truck and a giant John Deere tractor filling up. How many times do you get to see a tractor at a gas station in your life (if you're city slickers like us)? At first, we just bought drinks to go with our leftover pizza from last night. However, when the Big Red was so bad and the pizza was somehow soggy, we threw it all in the trash and opted for a hot lunch from the store. Just as we finished scarfing it down, it started to rain. Knowing we only had a few more miles to go until we reached our campground for the night, we loaded up and got to pedaling.

Chimney Rock RV Park is situated right on Herrington Lake and we chose an excellent tent site that would overlook the lake if the rain and rainfly didn't obscure the view. Given that we were hot from the ride, and that the pool was open and right near our tent, we suited up and swam around for a bit. After that it was $.25 for 6 minutes of hot water in the shower room. It was the first time I've ever had to insert a quarter before taking a shower in my life but it was a pretty good shower.

We chilled out in the tent for a little while listening to the rain and hoping it would let up. No such luck, so we donned the raingear and walked down to the Chimney Rock Marina. Jeff was wanting a beer and I was hoping for some hot food. Neither of us got what we wanted. Instead, we got some chips and a few drinks and sat at a table under a covered portion of the dock and listened to some slow jams on the loud speaker. The lake was super calm and it is bordered by high rock walls with houses built along the top. Given the height of the canyon walls, the houses do not have immediate acess to the lake, but they do have a great view. Though we would have chosen other music, the time chiling by the lake was peaceful.

Now, we're back in the tent just avoiding the rain and checking out the route ahead. Dinner is to be cold Chef Boyardee Ravioli out of the can as firing up the campstove seems unlikely in the drizzle. (We'll add the pictures as soon as we can). We saw a sign for Papa John's down by the marina - tempting, but do you'd think they'd really deliver to a tent located at Pool Spot 3? We don't want to splurge for it anyway. The Chef it is.

Time to bid this day adieu. Hopefully tomorrow's ride into Bardstown will be dry and cool.
AKB
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