Day 19 – Bristol – Cincinnati

This morning when I woke up it was quite cool and there was dew on the tent. I had my breakfast and started to think about packing everything up. Both the tent and the fly cover were wet so I would have to hang them out tonight when I get to my accommodation. I cleaned out the tent and also cleaned up the trunk of the car before packing all my camping gear into the car.

Saying goodbye to my camping neighbours I jumped into the car only to find I had a flat battery. I checked with the people next to me but they did not have any jumper leads so I thought I would need to walk around the campsite looking for a set of leads and I’m thinking this could take a long time. As I am trying to think where to start the people from the next campsite asked the people next to them and they had some, thank goodness for that. So I was on my way quickly, thankfully.

Driving off a lot of tents and some of the Recreational Vehicles had already left and I drove up to the shower block and there was only two people waiting in line so leaving the engine running in the car, I stood behind them and waited my turn.

Showered I then jumped into the car and drove out the campground only to drive straight into a traffic jamb. I suppose that was to be expected as 40,000 vehicles were at the various campgrounds for the weekend. It was about 5 or 6 miles and just on 30 minutes before the traffic started flowing freely.

I was driving back over the roads I came down on Wednesday heading back to Kentucky and I knew I was in for some spectacular scenery again. I stopped at a historic marker site which recorded the influence of country music starting in this area and the way the early pioneers had to travel through this remote area and cross wild rivers and the bridges that were built for train transport.

I stopped for lunch just off the freeway near Berea and then headed up to Lexington Kentucky to meet up with another of my Beer Can Collecting friends, Jim Blackersby. Jim is on the Board of Directors of the BCCA and I have met him at Canventions and we correspond via the internet. Jim was worried I might not be able to find his home but the GPS got me directly to his front door and it was good to meet up again and to meet his wife and three sons. We chatted for a few hours about beer cans etc. It was great to catch up with Jim again. I am hoping also he gets better soon as he is struggling with a virus and might not be able to get up to the Canvention this week.

Leaving Lexington before dark I headed north to Cincinnati where I have booked into a hotel for the night. By the time I drove into Covington on the south side of the Ohio River that separates it from Cincinnati it was dark. The south side of Covington is quite a lot higher than the business area and you come down a long escarpment which provides a view of Covington and the skyline of Cincinnati with all their lights was a wonderful view.

I arrived at the hotel and unpacked the tent and hung it up in the bathroom to continue drying out before heading to bed.