July 17, 2024 – Tired, but Pressing On

    I crossed the newly constructed Silver Bridge in Gallipolis, Ohio. I was able to ride the sidewalk through the city; beautiful river town. From Gallipolis, I rode into mountainous rural farmland on Highway 7. The highway was ok on some stretches (had a wide enough shoulder), but for the most part, it was a terrible road for cycling. The road had a surprisingly heavy amount of traffic; both cars and trucks. It turned out that the trucks were delivering asphalt and gravel for the Highway 7 road construction leading into Rome, Ohio. Trucks were passing about every 30 seconds, and most of the time there was no shoulder. So, when I found out that this would be the norm, I rode against traffic. I would hold my own when a single car would pass, but if multiple cars or single trucks were coming, I would get off the road and let them pass. I was on and off the road well over 100 times throughout the day. It was a very slow day of travel, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Despite the slow day, I still made it from Gallipolis, through Eureka, Crown City, Athalia, Rome, and I camped for the night in Proctorville. I slept at the Field of Dreams baseball park underneath another pavilion. It rained during the night, but I stayed bone dry thanks to the shelter. I was exhausted from yesterday's journey. I still am exhausted, but I am going to press onward.

    Today, I slept in until about 8:00am when the rain finally let up. I was doing my daily routine inspection of my bike and noticed that my rear tire tread was completely gone and splitting bad. So, I decided to journey over the bridge from Proctorville into Huntington, West Virginia. They have a bike shop in town called Jeff's Bike Shop. Mr. Jeff, the owner, gave me a good deal on a new tire (same exact tire that needed to be replaced). He then gave me route suggestions to make it safely to Portsmouth, OH. I got my tire changed out successfully, and now I am in Ashland, Kentucky. I rode through Huntington, Ceredo, Kenova, crossed over into Kentucky, and rode through Catlettsburg into Ashland. I am writing this from the Boyd County Public Library. I finished reading the book of Acts. I'm about to walk around the city to shoot some photos. Then, I'll search for a campsite down the road. 

    From here on out, I'm staying out of the heat from 12 noon until 4:00pm. It's just too hot out there to be riding at those times (unless it is a cloudy and breezy day). Now, that I have finished reading the book of Acts, I can sit down daily during these hours (hopefully at a library, cafe, coffee shop, or fast food joint) to write the sequel to The Rising Son musical. The sequel will cover the book of Acts...the start of the church and the Apostle Paul's journey to spread the Gospel to the Jews and Gentiles. I will start on this tomorrow. God be with us all. Please help us each and every day. Give us peace and let us share the love of Christ with everyone that we meet along our journey. In Jesus' name, amen.