Saturday Ride to Danville

Life has been a little crazy.  That’s part of the reason for not posting much recently.  I needed a change.  Saturdays are normally spent doing things with my wife.  My wife was going to Danville to spend some time with family and wanted me along.  I decided to ride there and meet her.

I had intended to leave by 4:00am.  I wanted to leave myself plenty of time to get there.  I’m notoriously bad at getting up in the morning, so I didn’t roll out until 6:30.

I was wearing unpadded baggy cycling shorts and a short sleeve jersey.  It was a bit chilly heading out the door.

When planning a group ride, I avoid busy roads as much as possible.  I enjoy riding along side other riders, and I can’t do that on the shoulder of a busy highway.  This was a solo ride, so although I prefer quiet roads, I chose the busier roads when they saved distance.

Leaving Louisville was pretty tame due to the early hour on a Saturday.  Once out on Rehl Rd, I saw a peacock on top of a house.  I had no idea we had peacocks around this area.

It was a bit hazy in the morning, but it made for enchanting scenery.

I joined back up with Taylorsville Rd near Fisherville, and noticed this amusing sign.

I turned south on State Road 2278, which was a beautiful green tunnel.

It inspired me to attempt some nature shots.

I had to fit the bike into a shot as well.

I continued to Wilsonville where this derelict building caught my eye.

I kept reminding myself not to dawdle.  I wasn’t feeling strong, and wasn’t making good time.  I didn’t want to hurry, I wanted to just enjoy the ride, but I also didn’t want tension with my wife for not being on time.

I was now over three hours into the ride.  I stopped to move a turtle out of the road.  I saw two more turtles later.

Again, I was running behind, but the Kentucky countryside wanted to be photographed.  This was Elk Creek Rd, which just was stunning overall.  I didn’t take as many pictures there as I should have.

I stopped in Taylorsville to refill water and get more snacks.  I quickly left town and was enjoying the countryside again.

When I first spotted this road, I thought I’d need to remember it for a future mixed-terrain ride.  I love the gravelly, hilly, twisty road.  Unfortunately, it’s a dead-end.

This cow was unconcerned with my presence.

There was a store stop in the tiny town of Willisburg.  I guess it’s relatively well known by some cyclists.  I’d never heard of it.  I spotted five bikes parked along the side.

I had never heard of Kirk bicycles, but they appear to be a custom framebuilder.  Check out the curvy seat stays.

This bike was an odd one.  It’s a Rivendell Rambouillet.  The bladed spokes and threaded to threadless stem adapter look very out of place on this bike.

The owners of these bikes were inside eating.  I was in a hurry, and I’m an introvert, so I didn’t try to talk to them.  I’m sure they saw me through the window taking pictures.

I grabbed more liquids and a snack and headed back out.  I was definitely going to be late at this point.

Just outside of Willisburg, I ran into Perry.  He’s touring the Trans-America from Virginia to Oregon.  I didn’t get a picture, and I was quickly on my way again.

One of the better roads on the route was White Hall Rd.  It was a wonderfully rural stretch.

I planned my route ahead of time and put it in the GPS as a series of tracks.  Then it was simple to follow the line on the screen.  I used RideWithGPS to plan the route.  The mapping data comes from Google maps, which like all maps isn’t always correct.

I was approaching a left turn, but there was no road to turn unto.  I was almost to Danville, but not having this turn meant I would be turning away from Danville, and I’d have to backtrack.  It would add several miles to the ride.

At this point I called my wife to let her know I was going to be late.  I was surprised to learn she hadn’t left Louisville yet, so I could still beat here there.

I continued southwest on US68 toward Perryville.  This detour worked well.  There was a corner store/gas station.  I was feeling weak and needed food.  I intended to buy more junk food, but they had real food there, made to order.  It was almost like a restaurant.

I took some time to eat and drink before heading east on US150.  The last stretch of road to Danville was not the most pleasant, but at that point I just wanted to arrive.  I was exhausted.

I rode 94 miles for the day.  It was a good day, but I was glad I could drive the truck home later.

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