Day 20
Loretto KY, 52 miles
Today’s 52 miles includes a nearly 8 mile side-trip to Maker’s Mark Distillery, just outside Loretto.
It’s 5:30 AM. I’m at the Marathon gas station in Harrodsburg having an egg and cheese biscuit and a cup of coffee, waiting for the sun to come up. The biscuit is pretty good, the coffee not so much. My legs are definitely feeling better this morning, at least so far (I’ve only gone 500 yards). The price of a gallon of regular in Virginia and Kentucky so far has been right around $3.25 a gallon. I’m sure there is a story behind that but I’m not aware of what that might be.
I’ve been experiencing a bit of shimmy from the front end. There has been much written about this subject and many opinions, just ask anyone that has ridden a bit and you’ll know what I’m talking about. There was even a university study in Milan Italy that looked at what might be the cause of this problem, with no conclusive resolution. Most bike engineers believe it comes down to frame size, stiffness, set-up in relation to the rider, and even the rider’s position on the frame. None of the information I’ve looked at talks about what to do when this occurs on a loaded touring bike. I was able to stabilize the bike somewhat at speed (i.e., going fast down hill) by pinching the top tube with my knees. That would tend to make you think it is a frame issue, but I have trouble believing that since the bike was built to my measurements (and I haven’t changed that much since I first got it, nor has my riding position changed significantly). That leaves really only one option, well, two: I could instrument the bike with load cells and hook them up to a Raspberry-Pi and look for torsional issues in the frame, or I could redistribute the load on the bike. I choose the latter. I took weight from the front panniers and moved them to to back and I moved the sleeping bag from the front to the back. The sleeping bag was mounted below the handle bars and perpendicular to the frame, in that position it created (it would seem) some wind deflection. The result? Things were much more stable today, but still not perfect. I think I’m using the wrong pannier racks. they are Nitto Campee racks and they are slightly cantilevered away from the bike, also there seems to be a good bit of flex in the racks themselves (they aren’t stiff enough). I’m going to have to ask the Mechanical Engineer from the U. of Maine I met back on day two about this. At any rate, the racks are what they are and the situation is better now, so that’s probably about as good as I can expect this to get on this tour.
It’s been a very good day. The terrain has become more civilized which I appreciate immensely. I’m also drinking lots of water, which reminds me, I need to go get some now before I write any more… The birds even seem happy today. I suppose they are glad (as am I) that it’s not raining today!
On the way to Springfield I passed the Abraham Lincoln State Park where the remains of the log cabin where Abraham Lincoln was born have been preserved. When you are on a bike, you can’t stop and see everything, so I’m going to have to return there some day to have a closer look.
Another dog bit my Panier this morning. I wasn’t pedaling so he could have had my ankle if he’d wanted it, but he went for the Panier anyway. I think the color yellow must be more attractive than my socks… I’m going to give Ortlieb credit for that one.
After I reached Loretto I checked into a B&B, my first ever! The host was very cool. It’s the “Hill House Bed and Breakfast” in Loretto (www.thehillhouseky.com, 877-280-2300) The host is wonderful, and so is the Assistant to the Assistant to the Undersectary of Hospitality, one “Rudy James,” a very cute dog. Check them out if you pass through Loretto.
I was complaining to my host that I was disappointed that Maker’s Mark Distillery was 33 miles away and she laughed and said, “it’s 3.3 miles away.” That sealed the deal. I unloaded the bike and got back on and headed out to check it out. It’s a beautiful place. The grounds are exceptional and they have a tasting room there as well (smile). They have been distilling there since 1908, except of course during prohibition.
I’m really having trouble choosing a photo to represent today, I’m going to go with this one…
As a history buff, it’s really no-contest.