We had been staying in a hotel near the airport, but we had to meet the group at the Omni Hotel in downtown Louisville at 9 am. Before we left Franklin, I had researched parking garages to find an inexpensive one where we could park our car for the week. It also had to be within walking distance of the Omni hotel. We made it to the parking garage and walked the four blocks to the Omni with plenty of time to spare. This trip was going to be a large group of 18 bikers. Our trip to Napa was only 10. Lots of names and faces to remember. We met our three leaders and stored our luggage in the trailer. There are two vans, one towing the bikes and the other the luggage and food. We went over some of the itineraries for the week and then headed out in the vans to start our day of biking.
We were taken about an hour and a half southeast of the city to Abraham Lincoln Homestead State Park. There is one original home belonging to Lincoln's mother, Nancy. The other buildings are replicas of the 1782 cabin and blacksmith shop where Abe's father, Thomas was born and worked. In 1816, Abraham, his sister, Sarah, and his parents moved to Indiana. Interestingly, there is also an 18-hole golf course with one of the holes beginning near the covered bridge shown below.
After lunch and a walk around the property, we were given our bikes and the usual safety talk. One of the guides made a crude map with points of interest. The first part of the afternoon started with beautiful rolling hills with some larger roads. Autumn has arrived in Kentucky. The trees were a collection of different shades of orange, yellow, and red. The first stop was Old Fort Harrod, 25 miles and 1600 feet in elevation. Mark's legs were tired in the beginning and he had a hard time keeping up with me. At Old Fort Harrod (bottom right), we could continue on to Shaker Village or just take a van back. We continued on.
Continuing on to Shaker Village where we would be spending the night. The distance was 36 miles and 2300 feet in elevation. Shaker Village was once a vibrant community between 1805 and 1910. Today, there are only 2 Shakers living in Maine. We had a second-floor room that was decorated with reproductive furniture and original hardwood floors. The scenery around the village was simply lovely: a working farm, handmade stone walls, and rolling grassland. At 6 pm, there would be a tour of the village with a history of the Shakers. Afterward, we had a welcome reception around a fire pit before we went to dinner. As you can see below, the turkey is the star of the farm.
Below is the map from Mark's watch.
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