Miles Traveled: 75
Average Speed: 12.2 mph
Elevation Gain: 2,800 feet
Maximum Speed: 32 mph
Cumulative Miles: 1,065
Miles To Go: 1,005
Finished 34 of the 68 maps
Today Mike hit the Eastern time zone. He arrived in Madison at 3 p.m., later than he expected as he was delayed by a rain shower (see video). While in Madison he saw the remain of the courthouse that had recently burned. The city had just finished refurbishing the courthouse when it suffered from an electrical fire. While Mike was there they were taking off the tower.
In order to leave Madison, Mike had to cross the Ohio River. However, the bridge was narrow with a sign saying “Caution, narrow bridge, no shoulder." This was unnerving to everyone as cars either had to go around Mike or follow behind him while he was crossing the bridge back to Kentucky.
Mike arrived in Carrollton, KY, about 5 p.m. (but really 6 p.m. now that he's in Eastern time). He found the Carrollton Christian Church and decided to see if he could find a place to stay. The people there were very receptive and were tickled to have him. Worship started 15 minutes after his arrival. Ron Lacefield, an elder at the church took him in for the night, took him out to eat, showed him around the town. He slept in Lacefield's guest bedroom. Mike enjoyed getting to visit with him.
During the church service Mike was inspired by a video he saw there. The video was about nine guys, from that church and the Baptist church in town, who took the paraplegic sister of one of the group to the Grand Canyon. It was a 33 hour van trip out to the Grand Canyon, and they took her down to almost the bottom of the canyon. They spent 21 hours taking her down to the canyon and then back up. Mike, who has led many adventure outings for Lipscomb students, admired the adventurous spirit of the guys at that church. It was inspiring to him, that they would do something like that to bring joy to a teen-age girl.
Mike plans to spend the next few nights staying with people who learned of his trip through the Adventure Cycling Association and offered to house him on the trip.
He plans to take his first total rest day on this coming Sunday, and is hoping to finish the route a little early, on June 14.
If you are interested in making a donation to the Mike Smith Underground Railroad Diversity Scholarship Fund, go to biketour.lipscomb.edu and click on "Give Online."
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