Grand Rivers, KY to Dover, TN

Wednesday, October 1, 2003
Distance Cycled: 56 miles
Total elevation gain: 3,135 feet
Our Total Flat Tires on trip to date: 1

Today we traveled between the Tennessee River and the Cumberland River. The TVA bought all the land between the rivers so that they could build dams on the two rivers. John F. Kennedy made it into a National Recreational Area. Our day was again one hill after another but most of the grades were only 3 to 4%. It was a beautiful area with woods and some pastureland.

This area had buffalo and elk before the invasion of the white man. Both were eliminated from this area before the civil war. Both of these animals have been reintroduced to this area by bringing animals from western herds and putting them on the existing prairie grasses in the land between the lakes.

We crossed into Tennessee today and stopped at a farm that is operated as it was in 1850. We enjoyed the visitor center but did not go and see the actual farm. The bad news was that Mary Kay hurt her back. For the past three days, she has been complaining each night that her back ached. She got off the bicycle in an awkward position and the extra stress caused when she got off the bicycle caused her to have bad back pain.

We continued our ride and reached Dover where we visited Fort Donaldson, the site of the first major victory of the Union forces led by US Grant. This fort was built with earthworks, and contains no walls or wood fortifications.

It was defended by 18,000 confederate troops who were led by 3 generals who could not agree on what course of action should be followed. As a result, Grant and his army captured almost all 18,000 solders and their equipment and cannons.

When we reached the motel and Mary Kay could hardly walk. As a result we ate TV dinners in our room that were purchased at a grocery store and heated in a microwave oven.