Entering the Fourth Time Zone
I was up early at the church in Utica on Monday morning and went over to The Diner. There was talk here and there around tables about the presidential debate the night before, but it never amounted to much more than passing conversation.
Chris, who is riding along with Amina, was with me. Even though these towns are used to cyclists passing through and everyone is friendly, you sometimes feel like you’re in the movie Easy Rider walking into these diners because of the brief stares. But it’s understandable.
The three of us were on the road by 8:30 with the intention of riding 54 miles to White Mills and staying the night at another fire station there. The mornings seem to be getting colder and colder lately and it was a while before the jackets could come off.
Thankfully the hills were not a huge issue after the first part of the day, at least from what I can remember. Sometimes if I write a post more than 24 hours after the ride it’s already somewhat of a blur and seems like it was several days ago.
Chris was looking for a store along the way to buy some dog spray. I think I caused some concern on his part with some stories I had read about the not so friendly Kentucky dogs. I thought things were going to become bad starting over a week ago in Missouri when dogs began to give chase, but it hasn’t been bad at all since then. There have been some who are unleashed and run along the roadside, but none have come out on to the road. Others have barked wildly, but those have all been behind fences or tied to something with a leash. In any case, there are definitely lots of dog owners in Kentucky.
I had pulled ahead of Chris and Amina and stopped at a Marathon gas station. These places have tables set up and I got something to drink and sat down for a bit. Here I noticed that “hon” isn’t used any longer. Now it’s “baby.” At least for this store. “Do ya need any help findin’ anything, baby.” “Alright, baby, you have a good day.”
After spending about twenty minutes at the store I figured that Chris and Amina must have gotten ahead of me. It was a nice ride with nice weather (again) and very little traffic. At one point I arrived at a county line sign. This was another milestone as it was the final time zone crossing of the trip. I was back in the Eastern time zone after starting out in the Pacific and then traveling through Mountain and Central.
Shortly before reaching the fire station in White Mills I was crossing a long bridge where a guy was pushing his stalled pickup truck across from the other end. So a brief delay and more exercise as I parked the bike and helped push it across the bridge and to a side road.
I pulled up to the fire station fully expecting to meet up with Chris and Amina, but they weren’t there. I wasn’t sure why because I thought for sure they were ahead of me. We didn’t exchange contact info so I couldn’t reach them, but with a fair amount of daylight left and still having some energy I decided to ride another twelve miles to Sonora.
In the town of Sonora, population 500, there’s a man named Charlie Thurman, who operates a guest house. He gives cyclists a good deal and I decided to stay there for the night. It was a good decision. It’s a family home built in 1897 that he restored and is an amazing place. He’s a former geologist and now has his hands in several projects around Senora, including organizing many community functions.
Listening to Charlie talk is a lot of fun. He’s a true southerner who will tell you about the general kindness of small town people from the south and how they are raised. Upon arriving he shows you where the food is for breakfast and where the beer is stored in the refrigerator in the garage.
With the only restaurant option being the Subway up the road at the interstate gas station, Charlie offered a ride. So we were quickly off in his Cadillac, cruising along and talking about football and some old time wrestling. Another good day on the road.
Chuck D says
Sounds like you struck gold with that fridge in the garage. Sweet cold snacks! Just the way the master likes it.
TM