Hills O' Brown County

With heat indicies here in southern Indiana approaching 115-120 degrees today, I knew that it would be in my best interest to get out as early as possible. On vacation who wants to get up at 5:30 to go bury themselves climbing every hill possible? Me, absolutely me! I loaded up the supplies and some extra cash for stops and headed to Nashville. Through the state park, and up one of the bigger climbs of the day, and I was awarded with this great view to the East:


Back down the other side, and I scoffed at this sign and dropped like a rock:


I had an alterior motive to heading in this direction, I wanted to get as much of the climbing in on gravel as possible. I was awarded with a few that nearly had me dismounting at 22 percent.

Tracks left in the dust:


I stopped in at the sleepy little hamlet of Story, and decided that someday I would have to stay/eat at the inn.



I found some great roads, and had an ill conceived idea. I followed what looked like a very promising gravel road:


This road tapered to this point, then essentially disappeared onto what felt like private property.


I made a side trip to a little cemetary and became pensive about my own imminent demise. Will the cemetary I am buried in end up like this place? All but forgotten.


I found some other great roads, probably the favorite of which, Christiansburg Road brought me to Pike's Peak

How this area got its name makes little sense to me since it was in a valley 400-500 feet below the ridgelines above it.

By this point in the ride I was ready for a quick stop and needed to replenish the fluids. I stopped in at Trail's End General and Tack and bought some dr. pepper and a slim jim. Yes, a slim jim.



I headed back up and into the park and got a bit of a crazy idea of riding one of the mountain bike trails on the road bike. I did a little five-ish mile loop and got a good laugh out of another rider on the trail. Riding 25c's in a rooty forest makes for some less than agile moves.



So, after all the fun, I had to get down to the work and did some repeats on two of the 450' climbs in the park to accumulate the necessary altitude gain. After much suffering I was back out of the park through the covered bridge circa 1838, and back into Nashville.


When I got back I had to take a photo of my shins. On one of the gravel descents my bike became unruly and I nearly had an unscheduled dismount. All of the on the bike acrobatics kicked up a bunch of gravel dust. It's always a great road ride when you've ridden gravel, dirt, and accumulated a bunch of climbing


Ride totals: 110k, 1800m of climbing.