Bourbon and bluegrass ... Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown.
Mad dogs and Englishwomen go out in the midday sun. Fact. And after 90 miles in 100-degree heat it's difficult to tell which is which. Two days ago the exhaustion got me so bad I burst into tears when a campsite attendant asked me where I was from. I just kept muttering, "London, London, shower."
The benefit of the heat is Kentucky looks marvellous in the sun. I had an epiphany at mile 74 yesterday which I put down to my body pushing through the elusive pain barrier but probably had more to do with the fact that some cornfields in Kentucky double as marijuana farms. I suddenly got it. I saw why people spoke so highly of Kentucky. Shimmering roads cleave through the corn, making bombing along them akin to flying. Horses in tended paddocks are at every turn and cycling alongside such beautiful creatures is really uplifting. Being out on the road at 6am to see the mist rising off the bluegrass puts a smile on your face and ending your day at a hostel run by the most generous people you've ever met is sheer heaven despite the massive 'pay-it-forward' debts that entails.
Eastern Kentucky is wild - I'd put my neck on the line and even go so far as to say feral. It just feels like no-one cares about this dramatic environment - seeing litter piled up around signs saying Don't Litter is just depressing. But in western Kentucky, as the land flattens out, there is a sense of increased awareness of nature's fragility. Berea College has gone to great lengths to be both socially and environmentally responsible and it makes sense that the two should go hand in hand. It shows what can be achieved. The Amish Community of Marion have a peaceful effect on life and mood, selling their wares directly from their homes. And many farms have little produce stands where you can pick up fresh veg and watermelons - yeah, that hurts on a bike.
And then, just when I was getting serious - Bardstown! Oh come on! What's not to love about a town that's saturated in whiskey?! The self-proclaimed bourbon capital of the world, it has at least four major distilleries and free tasting sessions. It's amazing what an 18-year-old bourbon can do for the soul. I figure, corn + barley + spring water = eco ... right?
Today, I cross the Ohio river and into Illinois. But before I go here's a little fact for you. According to a military man I met, the US Marines use fold-up bicycles with which they parachute into their drop zone and then use to cycle to the rendezvous point. Now call me weird but doesn't that just create the funniest picture?
