 |
| (If Only Daniel Were Here to Keep the Dogs Away!) |
Today I rode to Booneville, KY and started the day with my 13-year-old daughter Sarah as my riding companion. We were loathe to leave our wonderful room in the Shaker Village outside of Harrodsburg but we knew we wanted to reach at least miles today to bring Sarah's total up to 240 miles ridden so far. We figured today would be her last day to ride in Kentucky due to the reputation of the dogs in Eastern Kentucky. We also knew we were riding for the Rain Boys and Girls today, the fifth grade boys and girls of Sunrise Day Camp. We were also eager to get on the road and try to avoid getting rained on today.
Yesterday we spent a wonderful day exploring the historical village, which was one of the first Shaker communities in Kentucky. It has been painstakingly reconstructed and much of the work is still ongoing. It was very inspiring to stay in buildings that were constructed over a hundred years ago. The story of how the Shakers did all they did to glorify God is incredibly inspiring and really makes you think about the effort you put into your own work and efforts. It certainly got me thnking about my ride today and how I truly had to give it my best effort. If I didn't, I would be giving less than my all to the children of Sunrise and they deserve so much more from me.
The ride actually went incredibly well and Amy and the boys caught up with us after 20 miles and Sarah decided she wanted to go another five miles since the elevation chart showed there were no major climbs ahead. And then we had another attack of the Bubba dogs. We thought we were doing so well and we were only a mile away from her ending point when we had to slow down and make a left turn onto a rare non-numbered road. As we slowed down two little yappy dogs and a big black agressive dog came running out of what we thought was an abandoned trailer on our left. After her earlier experience Sarah was already afraid of this and as the big dog went after her she took off down the road. The dog herded her into the oncoming lane and it was only by the grace of God that a car didn't come. I fumbled out the pepper spray and sprinted to catch up and I finally got the dog's attention and told Sarah to get back on our side of the road. The dog and I stared each other down and I then I let him have it. Unfortunately, I didn't get him really well, just enough to make him wary. I then rode down the road where Sarah had finally come to a stop. She was scared and breathing heavily from her fear which made me even more angry. I told her to get behind me and slowly rolled back towards the dog.
Its obvious the lead dog has been sprayed before because every time I raised the spray he backed off. One of the little yappy dogs wasn't as smart and got a little close so to keep Sarah safe I let him have a taste as well and he backed off. Finally, Sarah headed up the hill and I held back daring the dogs to come after us but they seemed to have learned their lesson. We then proceeded up the shaded, dark one lane road expecting to see more dogs any minute now as we could hear more dogs barking in the distance. Sarah is totally freaked out now and she is exhausted from her sprint efforts. It was at this point that Amy and the boys rode to the rescue. They had missed the turn earlier and now caught up with us. Sarah was more than ready to stop so we got her bike loaded up and got them on their way. I still had about 70 miles to go so I headed up the dark, one lane road on my own to the sounds of dogs barking in the distance. I really thought I would look to either side and see a scene out of the movie Deliverance, perhaps something like this;
But I lucked out in that there were no more dog issues, only pleasant riding. Amy phoned me later to let me know there were plenty of places ahead to get water and sustenance so I would be seeing her again when we reached Booneville.
As I rode through Berea and other towns of the Kentucky highlands, I saw some of the beauty of this rural part of the country. The rolling hills, the rivers, creeks and hollows. And I got the chance to speak to more people about Sunrise Day Camp and the kids who attend. Spreading the word and riding the best that I can, that is what this day was about.
I managed to stay rain free, but I rode for the Rain so I can only be excited about that. And oddly enough, I found this song going through my head througout the day;
And we may not have set fire to the rain but I hope with what I did today I was able to help the Rain (and Thunder, Lightning, Acorns, Troopers, Land, Sea, and all of the campers of Sunrise) just a little.
I finally caught up with the family and we decided to head out to Beadyville to get some dinner. We were searching for a place called The Purple Cow but it ended up that we ate dinner at a place called Manna which we picked because Sarah saw a cool old bike affixed to the facade of the building. We met another Sara (no h) who waited on us and it turns out that she has battled cancer twice. She is now three years since her last battle with cancer and so tomorrow I will ride for her as well as for the Boys and Girls of Land. We all need to work together to help these brave fighters, no matter their age.
So friends, help me spread the word and encourage folks to donate to our Ride Across America to help the kdis of Sunrise! And now, time to get some sleep - its a short but steep day tomorrow.
And the daily report;
FFR - 1 Turtles (I was too late), 4 possums,35 raccoons, 2 frogs, 1 cat, 6 UFO’s, 1 small brown bat
RRL - 1 cooler, 1 plastic bin top, 1 bag of dog food (maybe that's why the dogs are so hungry for cyclists!)
Stay well and I'll update more from the road!
For another perspective on our journey check out Amy's blog at http://www.crosscountrymama.blogspot.com//
To help us get the kids to Sunrise go to https://www.wizevents.com/register/register_add.php?sessid=1809&id=1056
Check out our website at http://www.connorsarmy.org/
No comments:
Post a Comment