Day 18, 6/22/77 It was cloudy that morning, soon sprinkling, raining and showering. We put on our ponchos and struggled as they flapped in the wind. The rain abated and we took off the ponchos, but on the next downhill, out of Kirkville, the odometer broke. We were unable to judge distances the rest...

Day 17, 6/21/77 We rode the twenty-five miles into Berea with no problems outside of myself. But I started feeling less excitement about the trip. Perhaps it was the hitch hiking—spoiling the purity of the grand endeavor. Perhaps it was boredom, or the unrelenting ugliness and filth of Appalachia . And...

Day 16, 6/20/77 We left Buckhorn wet. Our clothes, the tent and even the sleeping bags were wet. Our gear seemed to be holding up, however. The bikes, tent, stove and even the cheap $16 sleeping bags were serving us well. We thought we would be nice to our sleeping bags and put them all in the next dryer...

Day 15, 6/19/77 We breakfasted with the biker group the next morning but left on our own. The hills weren’t so bad this time, only one difficult climb. We met another biker, traveling alone, named Gordon. He was traveling to Missoula , Montana and so far had averaged $7.07 per day in expenses. I had...

Kentucky Day 14, 6/18/77 With that early start we rode before breakfast. The cool, early summer morning was a nice change from the hot midmornings in which we usually began each day’s cycling. We could see a good-sized mountain ahead, but Delbert Tackett had told us about an alternate route around it...

Day 13, 6/17/95 The next morning, as we were folding up the sleeping bags and tent, the family invited us over for another cup of coffee. We sat on the porch with mom and the girls, enjoying the coffee and conversation, hearing coughing from inside the house. The father—his name was Freeman—came out...

Day 12, 6/16/77 Mid-morning of the next day we saw a sign on the road for “People, Incorporated.” This was a rural poverty social services program, so we chatted with the staff for a while, and left our resumes. They graciously accepted them, but I wonder what they said to one another after we left....

Day 11: 6/15/77 The next morning we had breakfast with the campers. At first I was disappointed they made us pay for it. Somehow, I thought we should be considered honored guests. But they explained they had bills to pay, and the $1.50 apiece wasn’t so much. It turned out to be one of the best breakfasts...

Day 10: 6/14/77 That morning, we chatted with Mr. Saul on the banks of the New River . He was an ex-Navy man who had been stationed in Norfolk . He’d returned to his homeland after retirement and ran a little store. He and I shared some sea stories, but he had more to share than I did—but I was able...

Day 9: 6/13/77 We should have done fine that morning. We had the fresh eggs to eat, a reminder of the kindness of our hosts. For some reason, I was suddenly in a hurry to get on the road. I asked Inanna if she would start lighting the stove. I figured I could then get right onto packing the sleeping...