Day #12-Breaks, VA to Hindman, KY 68 miles

Spent the day in coal country.  It’s as beautiful as it is economically distressed.  Trump won big here on promises to bring the coal industry back, and the two miners I talked to in Elkhorn City say things are better but both admitted there were still six local mines idle.  One complained that they mine low sulfur bituminous coal right here and yet companies go to China and Russia for coal.  I have no idea whether this is actually true.  Later in the day we rode by the closed Raven Mine #1, dozens of CSX train cars waiting for a cargo that would never arrive.  An eerie sight.

I mentioned before that Kentucky is well-known for dog-cyclist incidents and we had a couple.  So we’re riding on on Poor Hollow Road (honest).  It’s a narrow road and alive with barking dogs on all sides.  I look left and see three dogs coming down a hill on well-worn paths.  I begin to struggle to get my feet out of my cleats.  I’m going uphill so my speed is slowing down quickly.  Too quickly it turns out. I fall over.  The three dogs are in the road.  None of the three are all that big but from my back they’re monsters. Anyway, I look to my right and there’s a guy coming down the driveway.  He’s just pumped a shell into his shotgun! “Are you ok?” He asks.  I mumble something and thank him.  Later I imagine he’s been willing to rid the neighborhood of these three mutts and almost got the chance with me.

This was another tough day with 4500’ of climbing.  Beautiful weather, almost hot.  We’re reunited with Jules who is staying at the Hindman Youth Center, too.

Trivia:  Patty Loveless is from Elkhorn City, Kentucky!