I didn't really have a destination in mind for the day, I just knew that I wanted to get farther north, so I just took random turns onto highways headed north and was reminded that the back roads of this country really are where it's at. Had I been on an Interstate I never would have known that this little spot on the Pigeon River existed:
I stayed in this little spot for a little while and wondered what it must have been like to find this spot for the first time in the middle of nowhere. Not only is it a beautiful little spot to look at, but there were fish jumping all over the place and it would be a great source of food. It's no wonder people settle by the water, it's so peaceful!
A little ways down the road I stopped for some coffee and found highway 70 on the map to take me north and cut the corner of Virginia into Kentucky. What a fabulous road! Only out in the country can you see horses on the side of the road:
Have a little kitty come up to you at a gas station and cover your legs with hair and yell at you for something, then glare at you when you leave:
AND get to twist and turn up over the wooded hills. Dude Bless the Blue Highways!
Before coming up 70 I found that there was a meeting in Harlan, KY. It wasn't very far to ride, but the meetings are a little sparse out here so I went for it.
The meeting was packed! And mostly because there is a women's treatment center nearby and that meant that about 60 of them came down to the meeting in vans. It was one of the few meetings I have been to where the women outnumbered the men by so many.
We talked about the responsibility we have to the fellowship and it's members and it was a really great little discussion with lots of talk of gratitude. After the meeting Stacy asked me if I might like to stop back through Harlan on my way home and speak at the treatment center. I told her that this was my way back through, but that if it was in the next couple of days I would be happy to. She took my phone number and said that she would call later to let me know. Lo and behold, when I got to my campsite my phone rang and it was Stacy telling me that they would love it if I could come speak tomorrow night! Although speaking at a women's treatment center is something that I never thought I would be asked to do I accepted because I was told early on to say yes when asked to do things like that.
So it looks like I will be spending an extra night in Kentucky tomorrow, and I have to say I am a little nervous, but I now understand why I made the turns I did onto the highways to get me to Harlan. Now I will try to ignore the butterflies and remember to be grateful for the opportunity. Thanks, Stacy!
