Day 4: Manchester KY to Hazard KY

One word for today - DOGS!  OMG, so many dogs............  It would not be exaggerating to say we passed hundreds of barking dogs.  Most, thankfully, were either fenced or chained but you often didn't know that until you were right up to them.  Several people had incredibly close calls and one poor woman (who is a dog owner and lover) was swarmed by a pack and once the pack mentality kicked in they were starting to bite her legs, fingers, shorts, and bike tires before they were finally called off.

The top picture was taken from the SAG vehicle.  Stella had thankfully stopped to warn riders of the pack just ahead.  By the time I got there the owner was trying to call them off and put them in a barn.  Temporarily apparently, since the same pack are shown chasing again a short time later.  In fact, that was a fraction of the total number of dogs on that property.  When I left there were still a few on the loose but they were busy biting the tires and undercarriage of the SAG as I snuck by. 

We stayed last night in a fairly basic hotel, so chef Sue set up breakfast for us this morning.  Many of us then took the food back to our rooms to watch a bit of the Queen's funeral.  

The first part of the day was on very back-country roads - steep hills, dogs, down-and-out homes and lots of really junky yards.  Not an area I would rush back too.  The median income for a household in Clay County is just over $16,000.  About 40% of the population are below the poverty line.  It is one of the poorest counties in the entire country.  A 2010 New York Times article declared Clay County "the hardest place to live in the US."  I hated that there were so many dogs to dodge, but I have to say that the people we have met along the way so far have been nothing but incredibly kind to us.  The drivers have been great and everyone we've had the opportunity to talk to has been curious about our trip and wishes us a safe journey.  Several women have mentioned that if they are stopped by the side of the road for some reason, they've had cars slow down to check that they are ok and that they don't need anything.  Kind.  We are in the hills of the Appalachians, so lots of ups and downs.  We had 5 significant "climbs" today, but the total elevation was actually less than advertised.  That never happens!  We had longish stretches in the valleys between climbs (called hollows, or perhaps hollers) which were quite pleasant (except for the dogs).  Lots of greenery, especially with the invasive Japanese plant, kudzu.  This stuff covers everything!    

As we progressed through the day we gradually moved on to busier roads.  Although there was a bit more traffic, the two obvious upsides were fewer dogs running out onto the road and more manageable grades on the climbs.  

We are firmly in coal-mining country now.  Apparently the method of extracting coal from these hills has changed over the years.  It used to be that they would drill mines into the mountains and extract the coal.  Now they just take the mountain-top off and pillage the whole thing.  Apparently this is much more apparent in the winter, when the foliage dies off.  

Into the town of Hazard for our stay tonight.  We will more properly recognize the Queen's funeral tomorrow (before our rest day), but the Commonwealth Contingent had our tiaras on for dinner tonight.

Stats for the day:

Distance:  53.08 miles / 85.42 km

Elevation:  3957' up, 3773' down / 1206m up, 1150m down

Weather:  Hot and humid again.  13C to 28C.  Thankfully we got 30 miles in before it hit 20C.  Scattered cloud to overcast and back again.