Last night your friendly RAA team was witness to the most ferocious lightning storm any of us had ever seen. It found it hard to fall asleep and even when I did it seemed I was woken up only an hour later to the sound of thunder. Overall it was not the best night of sleep.
Weather forecasts predicted rain and thunder storms in the area, so Dave and I rose before the break of dawn, broke camp, and hit the road. There was a decent climb out of Booneville and at the top we were met with a light sprinkle. After our first descent the rain picked up until it was a heavy, heavy downpour. We had another climb and descent before taking a (very) early break 18 miles into our ride at Buckhorn.
A cup of coffee later we were back on the road in the pouring rain. Once again we found ourselves climbing out of town and a steep, slippery descent followed. I gripped my brakes as tight as I could, slowly navigating the fierce corners in the pouring rain. The steep downhill grade and driving rain made for extremely dangerous conditions. At the bottom of the hill, only 20 miles into our day, we pulled into a gas station to assess the situation.
The rain was not likely to pass, in fact it was only supposed to get worse. Lightning strikes off in the distance threatened our position so we flagged Lauren down. In the car we came to a unanimous decision: we had to call it quits for the day and head to the hotel we had booked for the night. So, after only 20 miles, we drove off into the hills and have missed 70 miles.
As difficult as it is to miss miles, this decision was certainly the safest one. On our ride we saw downed trees, blind corners, and cars driving wildly. One of us was certain to wreck and it was not a chance we wanted to take.
We've spent the afternoon and the evening chilling at our hotel in Pikeville, KY. Dave and I just got back from Transformers: Rise of the Fallen. I tried to think of something witty or dry to say about this film- certainly one of the great sequels, much like The Godfather 2- but I am at a loss for words. It was....I got nothing.
Tomorrow we continue on into Virginia! East Coast here we come!
Fact of the Day
Only 23% of people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa are receiving the anti-retroviral therapy they need. Considering that the vast majority of HIV-infected people live in sub-Saharan Africa, very few people who need these drugs are getting them.
Trivia Contest
Answer to yesterday's Trivia: Berea was founded in 1855 and people of all backgrounds- men, women, blacks, and whites- could attend. Mind you this was 8 years before the Emancipation Proclamation and 65 years before women gained the right to vote. 5 points to my Dad for coming up with the year first and 5 points to Hailey, our friend Dave met at Berea, for answering the latter part of the question.
Today's Trivia Question: What are the four Commonwealths in the Union? (3 points a piece)
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