18 Sept 2026: Day 10: 0 miles (588T) Johnson City Medical Center TN
Spent all day in hospital (so far). My nurse, Issac, and CNA, Kai have been taking good care of me. Turns out 6 ribs 2-7 on my right side are broken. The PT/OT crew came by and had a lot of cycling questions. I was able to do a few walking laps and go up and down stairs. I’m hoping to be released tomorrow. The chest tube suction is turned off … I have a “water seal” so the suction can be reapplied if needed. After an X-ray today or tomorrow, they will hopefully remove suction tube and then I can go home. This hospital is really excellent place. It is a level 1 trauma center and supports the entire region. Everyone e here is kind and dedicated. I’m grateful today.
17 Sept 2026: Day 9: 59.1 miles (588T) 2,821 ft of climb from Abingdon VA to Unicoi TN & Johnson City Medical Center TN
Got started earlier today and the route was beautiful. Many lovely rolling hills and a couple small climbs. I stopped at the Rowdy Rooster in Emmett TN and had a nice early lunch of House Salad with blackened grilled chicken and unsweetened ice tea with lemonade. A perfect lunch. The views today were excellent with mild traffic and just a few. Short busy highway spots. Unfortunately about 8 miles from my campsite in Erwin… at about 16:00 hours I went off the road and then went down trying to pop back up onto the pavement. This is particularly disappointing because I know in this situation the thing to do is slow down to a stop and then roll it back up on the pavement from a stop. It just happened quick without thinking. I’m very disappointed in this rookie mistake, especially since it’s the second time I’ve done it in my career. I broke a few ribs and had to be taken to the hospital where they performed a pneumothorax procedure to remove air that was in the cavity between my right lung and ribcage. Essentially, they stuck a needle in there and sucked out the air (and some fluid) and then replaced the needle with a very small suction tube which needs to stay in for a day or two until they like the way my right Long looks.. so I’m stuck in the Johnson City Medical center for a couple days 😢. This will be the last entry for this trip friends. It was still a really excellent 9 day ride except for the ribs!
16 Sept 2026: Day 8: 69.7 miles (529T) 6,347 ft of climb from Breaks Interstate Park to Abingdon VA
Ended up with a pretty late start (again) made even later by stopping at the Park welcome center and getting coffee and a cinnamon roll and trying to adjust today’s ride plan to avoid some climbs. It was a tough long day of climbing, couldn’t really avoid any of the ups. The views were beautiful… I have also noted a lot of this ride in KY/VA is the section I missed on the TransAm in 2022 because of flooding and mudslides. The bike route 76 signs showed the way… pretty nostalgic. It was all rural, just a few small communities. Each climb was rewarded with some views and of course the downhill glide. Two of the climbs were like an hour plus. I decided to stay at Red Roof due to no availability of campsites right where I needed them. I’m trying to get to Asheville by Friday evening, so there isn’t lots of extra time to wander over to campgrounds 10 miles away. Planning to “stealth” camp in Erwin TN tomorrow. See ya in the morning!
15 Sept 2026: Day 7: 52.1 miles (459T) 3,897 ft of climb from Pikeville KY to Breaks Interstate Park in KY & VA
Planned an early start but fiddled around nine the place I was stealth camping said Pikeville on the address, but it was really about 10 miles from Pikeville in an area the map call Harold. When I got to actual Pikeville I wanted breakfast, but everything was a chain, so I found a place in the college area that was open called Judy’s Place… shoulda been called Judy’s Disgrace… that’s all I’ll say. After my lunch of chicken salad sandwich on white toast with a side salad and unsweetened tea. I climbed steep backroads, flew down the other side… repeat. Every so often I got cased by 2 or 4 dogs, the last 4.5 miles were 90% up sometimes pretty steep. Walked once on gravel so steep my rear tire couldn’t hold. I was so happy to find the park and have a warm shower! I didn’t care that all I has was snacks for dinner. Luckily I had grabbed a milkshake earlier! I am camping in the “Grand Canyon of the South” in a small mostly primitive area. Hiked over to the grassy overlook to watch the Sunset. Came back did some free laundry… Life is good… see ya tomorrow, gang.
14 Sept 2026: Day 6: 72.3 miles (407T) 4,359 ft of climb from Louisa KY to Pikeville KY
Tried to get an early start by grabbing the quick “free hotel breakfast” but left the hotel at 8. Noticed my rear tire was flat!! by the time I removed the bags repaired the tire loaded everything back up. I didn’t roll till about nine. I knew the day was going to be really hilly and it was. There ware lots of deep eastern Kentucky back roads. The kind that wind and jog and go up and down at 18% … and you have to be careful not to make a wrong turn or you go down in a hollow which is a road or two that doesn’t go anywhere except for back where a bunch of folks related to each other live. My map had one error in it and indicated a road that didn’t exist and that cost about five extra miles of hills. I got chased by 5 or 6 packs of dogs at various locations along the way. Sometimes I stopped as advised, and it always worked. Other times when I didn’t think they would bite or I thought I could outrun them, I would do a sprint until they wore out … Interval training. Stopped half way at a little town, Paintville, had a nice Mexican lunch of chicken and vegetables with rice and beans and chips and salsa… quite tasty. Had to do a little stretch on 23 and of course picked up a tiny tiny piece of glass and got another flat. It got dark on me before I could get to the place I planned to camp. I found a little church with some sheds behind it where they keep supplies for the needy so I’m stealth camping back there. I’m dog tired… i’ll see you guys tomorrow.
13 Sept 2026: Day 5: 37.7 miles (335T) 1,612 ft of climb from Pat & Leland’s – Flatwoods to Best Western Louisa KY
Today was a “half” rest day. We spent a few hours relaxing and hanging out at the apartment, then went to a nice brunch at “Good Morning Breakfast and Brunch” down the road in Ashland (yes that is the real name). It was a Mexican influenced menu where many of the breakfasts cost the same… $10.99 but were different selections. Pat selected the Huevos Rancheros served on corn tortillas, I had the Burrito con Huevos with a side of fruit, and Leland enjoyed the House Special which was a more typical American combo eggs, bacon, hash browns, and pancake. It was all “pretty good”… we would go again. The “side” of fruit was Flintstones style meaning if they put it on a tray on the side of your rock and log car, it would tip over from the extreme hugeness. After brunch we made our way back to the apartment where I finished loading up the touring machine. We said our Alohas, and i rolled on. Pat and Leland went to Krogers for a Sunday supply run. Since it was after noon, I had planned a short but scenic route through the backroads to Louisa where I booked an economy room since there were no camps around and I’m not quite ready to wild camp …. yet. It was a nice hilly ride through some beautiful homes, followed by rolling farm type land, horse properties, gentlemen farmers, and quaint little “crossroad communities”. Followed by some run down trailer junkyard style villages, some other real neat and clean trailer villages, some beautiful country estates, and rolling woods, it was a true variety. Not a lot of traffic and everyone was courteous. I love my new Garman Varia radar. It warns me when cars are approaching from the rear. Should be about 5 or 6 more days to Asheville!! Goodnight! see you tomorrow.
12 Sept 2026: Day 4: 82.3 miles (297T) 3,927 ft of climb from Great Seal Park to Pat & Leland’s House – Flatwoods KY
I rolled out of camp at 8:05 a.m., dark clouds a few miles to the West with thunderstorm warnings. My route was primarily South with some Eastern direction and the stormfronts were coming from the Soutwest, so i was just ahead of the storm front until about 3 pm. I grabbed breakfast at mile 6 in Chillicothe at a cool place called The Coop. Chillicothe, in the Scioto River Valley struck me as an now artsy town in renewal with deep history as Ohio’s first and third capital, birthplace of Tecumseh, the famous Shawnee leader, and many prominent Ohio natives after that time. It was the center of the ancient Hopewell tradition for 7 centuries from 200 BC to 500 AD. The Coop served a delicious Tex Mex Omelet with hashbrowns, toast and coffee. I still had 76 miles to go after breakfast! The route took me past the paper mill and to another “closed road” that I made it through for a half dozen miles before crossing the Scioto. From there into the spread out quiet country with small settlements, lots of farms of every variety, rivers and creeks, and many many hills with black clouds chasing. Some areas were very Appalachian with poor shacks and RVs, half wide mobiles, piles of collected junk and generally unkept and squalid conditions. This eventually gave way to nice spread out hobby farms and real farms. At mile 48 I stopped for a burger and shake at the Dairy Bar in Minford. Tiny town throwback. After that I rolled up and down, up and down some pretty steep hills with grades up to 18%. The first hour after lunch was a light to steady rain. It felt pretty good. Eventully I reached the Ohio River and hugged the Ohio side eastward until crossing the Oakley Clark Collins Memorial Bridge from Ironton OH to Flatwoods KY. Just a few more miles to Pat & Leland’s apartment. We all hung out, did my laundry, went to Jersey Mikes for dinner and had some coffee and homemade (thanks Pat) peanut chocolate clusters. (I forgot I also had a home made strawberry muffin when I first arrived). So much for losing weight on this adventure! See you guys tomorrow.
11 Sept 2026: Day 3: 75.4 miles (214T) 1,453 ft of climb from Sunbury to Great Seal Park – Chillicothe OH
Dave started me off this morning with a fine cup of coffee and intelligent conversation. He was such a welcoming and kind host. One of the best parts of touring is meeting folks like Dave. He had a long career in IT. We shared some of our origin stories. I started pedaling on the Sandel legacy trail then Galena Brick Trail, Genoa Trail through Westerville then Alum Creek Trail until I found breakfast at mile 22 near Ohio Dominican University in North Central Columbus at G’s Shepard Springs Cafe. I had the Huevos con Chorizo with hash browns and a skewer of watermelon chunks, toast & coffee. It tasted even better than it looks. And was good fuel for the body. There was nice caribbean jazz playing and the calm relaxing atmosphere was balm for the soul. The trail continued along Alum Creek then Blacklick Creek, and more trail name unknown until finally giving way around mile 40 in Groveport to mostly country roads with a few short stints on secondary highways. After Groveport was very rural and some rolling hills with Circleville and Kingston being the only towns. I couldn’t find a sub shop in Kingston so I had a hot dog and packed a small sandwich and a Ramen bowl for camp dinner. The campsite at Great Seal Park is fabulous! See you guys tomorrow… long day tomorrow I think!
10 Sept 2026: Day 2: 66.7 miles (138.4T) 1,282 ft of climb from Turkey Hollow Hipcamp to Sunbury OH
Morning mist began the day. I packed up my wet gear, said goodbye to Dave & Paula & the kitten. Then pushed my loaded bike up the gravel wall and went out a different direction per some morning folks who guided me out a more direct way. Made a quick McDonalds stop to get a starting charge on my phone then jumped onto the Holmes County Trail which gave way to Mohican Valley Trail, then Kokosing Gap Trail, then Heart of Ohio Trail. Yep, all day on the trails. It did have some variety in both sights to see, small towns to go through, up grades, down grades, and a few surprises. Towns included Millersburg, Killbuck, Glenmont, Brinkhaven, and Danville where I stopped at the “Hangout” for a nice Buffalo Grilled Chicken Salad with iced tea & lemonade. More trail towns after lunch included: Howard, Gambier (home of Kenyon College), Mt. Vernon, and Centerburg. Much of the trail after Danville and up to Centerburg was “Closed” HAHA. Closed bike trail… never! I did have to walk it a mile where the asphalt was put down today. The scenery today varied from grasslands to wooded trails to farms of every variety, cattle, sheep, horse, pig, crops of corn, soybeans, rapeseed (canola), organic gardens, chickens, etc. I also rode past the highpoint of the Heart of Ohio Trail as marked by Cleveland, Akron, and Columbus RR. In Sunbury I am being hosted by Dave, a fellow touring cyclist. He has provided a spare bedroom room, private bath, a three season room to dry out my gear, and use of his laundry. Dave leads a bible study on Thursday night, so I walked downtown to SURVE, a lovely little restaurant where I got a nice burger and my iced tea/lemonade combo. Goodnight friends.
09 Sept 2026: Day 1: 72.4 miles 2,474 ft of climb from Berea OH to Turkey Hollow Hipcamp near Millersburg OH
Today started in Berea. Don (Papa G) was able to see me off and rode west to W. River Rd past Gibbs and headed south which would remain the primary direction all day through Columbia Center and Vally City. Then we diagonaled southeast to Medina where we stopped for a fine “early lunch” at Keller Meats & restaurant where Don chowed on the house pulled pork sandwich and a side salad. I chose the house kielbasa and spicy krout with a side salad. It was super delicious. Don headed back to Cleveland as I trudge-cycled southward through Seville, Smithfield, and Fredericksburg. So far the day has been lovely farmland becoming more and more Amish. Mostly a hilly day with steady headwind/cross headwinds at 10-15 mph. When riding a 90lb rig in these conditions, it can become “trudge-cycling”. Fredericksburg gave way to the Holmes County Bike Trail, a pleasant bikeway/Amish Buggy Trail… sort of a “trail highway”. I made my way to Millersburg on the trail… Then a few more miles straight up a gravel wall (I had to push a little bit) to camp where I met and visited with a touring couple from Boulder, Dave & Paula, who have bike toured all over the world. While we were chatting, it suddenly started to rain so I hurriedly setup camp in the rain followed by a downpour. I made friends also with a little “camping kitty” who appreciated the shelter of my tent. Goodnight
