Day 4 – Stanton, KY to Lexington, KY

I woke up to the sound of overflowing gutters. The 30% chance of rain forecasted the night before was now a flood watch. I waited to depart until 900AM. The first ten miles through Powell and Clark County were only a little damp. Then the rain picked up and I was soaked. I thought of encouraging words people have told me while being pelted by the rain during descents. My feet were squishy with water when I got to Winchester. I ate biscuits and gravy at Stinky and Coco’s restaurant on main street. The talk was of horses, family, and recipes. I left revitalized and continued my entrance into the bluegrass region of Kentucky through Fayette County. I passed horse farm estates sprawled out over the foggy undulating landscape for another 20 miles until arriving to Lexington. I visited another family friend Seth at his amazing house under renovation in the historic district of town. From there I went a few blocks to another amazing house house where he lives with his wife Renee and son Logan. I took an Epsom salt bath in the claw foot tub and rode around with Seth and Logan after school while we discovered our lives had been closely parallel over the last few months. We had been on the same hiking trails in Virginia and seen the same concert recently. The discovery about the concert occurred as the wife of one of the musicians from the concert walked in the store where we were talking. It turns out the musician is currently on a bike tour in California with his cello. The coincidence was dizzying. That night we ate pasta puttanesca (translates as “whore’s pasta” in Italian) that was marvelous and consistent with my transient nature and high calorie requirement. Then there was bourbon, sleep, breakfast, and the biggest mile day of the trip.