Day 16: Over-easy Cycling: Mammoth Cave National Park, KY to Auburn, KY

Riding out of the Mammoth CaveNational Park was wonderfully pleasant, as all national parks and forests have been. This contrasted sharply with the stretches of US highway that carried me the rest of my day. Fortunately, the plan today was for short mileage and I was able to churn through it pretty quickly. So quickly, that I feared I wouldn’t encounter much interesting stuff today. I learned again today that my expectations and experiences diverge greatly, and to just let come what will.I got a call back from the B&B that is halfway between Bowling Green and Russellville, which was the ideal distance. Having set up a room for the night, I had lots of time on my hands, it being 8:30 AM and having only 20 miles left to go. Consulting Yelp, I learned that Bowling Green doesn’t do brunch like I would have hoped, so I set my targets on a Waffle House breakfast. About a mile into that destination I came across Red’s Restaurant. Not much to look at from the outside, but it had a certain local vibe. I had the best breakfast thus far at Red’s. Over Easy eggs, bacon, biscuits & gravy, home fries, and coffee for $4.50.

Still having some time to kill, I decided to get a much needed haircut. Close by Western Kentucky University I found Classic Cuts and Shaves. I sprang for a full straight razor shave and haircut. Sadly, inflation has taken the price of such a service beyond the customary two bits. After the included head and neck massage, getting rolling again was a bit of a chore.

Another 15 best forgotten miles on a US highway shoulder took me to a better suited country road. Just off the road was a stopped train. Not getting the opportunity to see a full train this close and personal often, I ventured onto the tracks to get a closer look. It took about 60 seconds before a voice in my head that sounded suspiciously like my mother’s told me I should probably move along.

At 2:00, later than usual for even a 70-80 mile day I arrived at Federal Grove Bed and Breakfast. The main building is beautiful in a way that only Southern buildings can be. More importantly, on the deck of the attached cottage was an incredibly cute puppy. It was nice to see a dog more interested in having his belly rubbed than tearing my neck out. Said belly was, in fact, rubbed vigorously.