Buggies and Floods...

MikeO

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Dereham, Norfolk, today...
26th September

Feeling a little woolly headed, after 3 consecutive nights generous hospitality at Rider Mansion, I set about trying to pack my newly laundered clothes into my panniers at about 0900. By 1030, I’ve succeeded and I bid my farewells to Dan & Brenda – they’ve been superb hosts and I’ve had a great time here (even if much of it is a little hazy in my recollection as I type this…:D). Thanks Mr & Mrs Rider… :thumb

I ride out into the cool, bright morning and follow Bettie’s directions through downtown Columbus…

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…which is almost devoid of traffic – all the parishioners are either at church, or still asleep, I guess. The downtown area has some nice buildings – I particularly like this art deco tower…

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…although, with a carelessness for appearance which seems typical of American town planners, they’ve planted a scaffolding antenna tower on what was otherwise an elegant building…

I head south down the 104, which is a pleasant road, passing through farmland mostly devoted to the production of corn and soy beans. After stopping for a bite to eat at Chillicothe, I head south west, avoiding the tempting local attractions…

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…on the 50, before turning left down the 149 and heading south into the hills. Here the road starts getting much more pleasant – both to look at and to ride.

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Southern Ohio has some Amish residents, and the road signs reflect this…

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Just as I’m leaving the town of Cythiana, I’m pleasantly surprised to be greeted by an Amish buggy being driven in the opposite direction…

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The driver, traditionally dressed in black, with a straw hat, waves back at me, as do his two little daughters, peering out of the back window, in bonnets at least a hundred and fifty years out of date, as they clip-clop their way into town…

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I continue south, past some very nice farms…

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before arriving at the Ohio river, where I turn left towards Portsmouth. I notice that one of the tributaries, which run from my left into the river to my right, has recently been in severe flood…

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The trees are coated in mud a good 4 metres above the current river level, and local fields are waterlogged, their crops destroyed. As I enter Portsmouth, I see that the local raceway circuit…

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…is still partially flooded – though it’s clear the water has been much higher.

I check into the Ramada Inn at Portsmouth and catch up on my journal writing – no beer for me tonight…:D

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27th September

I have a crap night’s sleep – not sure why – perhaps cold turkey from drinking beer with Dan…:D

Over breakfast I speak to one of the girls working at the hotel – she tells me that the river was 15 feet over its normal level a week ago on Friday – the result of 24hrs torrential rain as Hurricane Ivan – downgraded to a Tropical Storm by the time it got here – arrived in the area. I had no idea it would have such drastic effects this far north…

I take my time packing the bike and, after a few calls home, set off just before 1130. I fill up at the Shell station next door to the hotel. As usual, I set the ‘hands free’ trigger clip on the pump, but this time it’s defective and it floods. Bugger. Luckily the overflow pipe in the filler neck works as advertised and there’s minimal spillage on the tank and tank-bag…

I set off and, straight away, come across these murals, painted on the side of the floodwalls…

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They’ve been painted, by Robert Dafford, between 1993 & 2002. There are dozens of them lining the street…

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…depicting historical scenes from Portsmouth’s past…

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…as well as the townspeople’s current interests (I’m impressed that one of the bikes in the foreground is a Honda CX500 – I’d expected them all to be Harley’s)…

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…hospitals…

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…in fact, just about everybody gets a mention – it’s an excellent display…:thumb

I ride across the Carl Perkins bridge and enter Kentucky. Heading south on the 23, an uninspiring divided highway with a 55mph speed limit, I get bored and head off across country on the 7 (all US highways with odd numbers head north/south, even ones head east/west). It’s a pleasant enough road, but soon rejoins the 23 and becomes more and more restricted as it approaches the city of Russell.

I soon cross the Big Sandy River and enter West Virginia. The contrast between travelling in Southern Ohio yesterday and West Virginia today is stark – this is a very poor state. The roads I follow through the hollows are pleasant and interesting…

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…but much of the housing is scruffy and poorly maintained – there’s a feeling of neglect about the little towns I pass through. The weather has closed in a bit - it was warm and humid this morning - but now it’s occasionally spitting with rain. Eventually, just after I cross the 119, a soft drizzle starts to fall. The road surface gets damp, but it’s warm enough for most of it to dry out pretty quickly and it doesn’t slow me. I pass this old fellow…

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…near Clear Creek – any ideas anyone? – before deciding that it’s probably time to stop for the day. I find a room in the Microtel at Beckley, upload my pictures and plan a route for tomorrow – I’m going to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway again…

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