So the past few days have begun to run together and the route has been a bit dry on libraries and internet, fruits and vegetables, flatness and leisure, however the beauty is spectacular, some of the poverty mind-blowingly third-world, the people friendly but often suspicious, the dogs chasersm the mountains tall, and the weather perfect... We have been wearing ourselves out and having a good old time doing it. So good that we are taking today off in Berea, KY, home of Berea college founded by Cassius Clay. Again, we are in their public library with a load of chilluns looking at fuzzy and slimy creatures. I guess that is a premiere summertime activity.
So way back when in Wytheville, we travelled on the librarians recommendation to CJ's Pizza and Subs. This adventure started out quietly with some ice tea and empty restaurant but pretty quickly a schoolbus full of temporary workers from North Carolina and Georgia pulled up to devour the pizza house's supplies. These folks, about 60 or more, were all on their way up to Iowa to help out with the flooding. They had called CJ's about 30 minutes ahead of time to order 60 pizzas these hungry men and a few women. Some were pretty fit, others looked a bit less than able-bodied for the hard work they were heading for. Some had just left their jobs/life to travel up, work hard, be paid well, sleep in hotels and get $30 a day to eat. Doesn't sound too bad, although I imagine the work is backbreaking and the psychological toll perhaps heavy. But most seemed to feel a sense of duty towards helping out their fellow man. This one man, who had a pretty groovy sense of humor, gave a pretty vivid description of how all these full grown (at least) folks were squunched up into this schoolbus, faces presses up at against the window, knees up around their ears. CJ's was able to provide them with 30 pizzas, and got us one as well, soem salad and really really good sweet tea.
As we continued down route 11 after this lunch, we met 2 British guys going the other way who had started and San Fran (and on a previous journey done the Southern route). They looked very fit and put together, hauling little trailers and small front packs, they seemed quite hip and unscathed by the journey. I felt like we were looking pretty rough in comparison. Very jovial guys, they gave us some tips, including putting flags on our bikes (which we have yet to do) to keep away the scary coal trucks, and taking a route slightly different from what our maps were offering, and stay on route 11 to shave off a bit of time and some hills. We took their advice and covered another 20 miles or so from there. So today probably 70-75 mi. The road ran right along 81, but since everyone was on the interstate, traffic was light and the road was strait. We stopped at Walmart (mixed feelings) and found Andy a new stuff sack for his sleeping bag and I mistakenly bought some 97% fat free beef jerky. Could meat be stranger?
We ended up sleeping at the "Interstate Campgrounds", our first pvt. camping experience. Had our dinner of beef jerky, V8, nuts and ice cream under the fluorescent lighting of the campground. We stashed our food in the back stall of the girl's bathroom, did our laundry (fantastic!) and went to bed in this bizarre little village of campers, apartments, and ours the lonely lonely tent.
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