Thumbdrums are genius!

Day 12: Berea to Harrodsburg

Distance: 61 mi

771 mi

Travel and culture go hand in hand. You can’t visit a place and not learn a little bit about the culture and customs of the people you are immersed in. After our “century” ride to Berea, we spent half the day exploring the town. Two days prior to arriving in this wonderful little town, all we had seen of Kentucky was rural and desolate. The hills of eastern Kentucky are closely associated with terms such as “Hill Billy” and “red neck.” We have come across many confederate flags and seen cars drive off with rifles in their passenger seat. Apparently, the police doesn’t exists out here - if you are in need, get out your gun, not your phone. This probably also explains why cell phone reception out in the rural areas is pretty much non existent.  But this all changed when we arrived in Berea. Downtown Berea is filled with art and culture. Two whole streets lined with art and craft stores. It was in one of those stores that I bought my first souvenir of the trip... a thumbdrum! Before you laugh, hear me out. A thumbdrum is a handy musical instrument, that covers one whole scale. It is made of gourd (the shell of some tropical fruit), it is super light weight (because I don’t want anything heavy on ma bike). It is fun to play with your thumbs. It is creative and allows me to make music while on this trip. In other words, it is perfect for every traveler. I have played it twice so far and hope to master it by the end of this trip. You’ll see! In the same shop that I bought this little genius instrument in, I also met Ms. Jimmy Lou Jackson, who showed us how to make jewelery out of beads. This lady is incredibly charming with a spice of humor. After twenty years of working in research she decided to switch her lifestyle a bit and create her own artwork. She has been working in this shop for a while now, happy as can be, and in company of her sister who does watercolor paintings. It is always nice to come across people who aren’t afraid of switching gears, no matter at what stage of their lives. Guts and initiative, I say.