A Kentucky experience

July 21, Sebree, KY

I crossed into KY via a 15-car ferry between Cave In The Rock, IL and a soybean field in KY. There was one car and one bicycle on the ferry. The man tending the bowlines wanted to know what I regretted about my ride. “Not a single thing,” I replied. “It’s been spectacular.” “I think you’re a damn fool but good luck,” he said as I rolled off the boat.

Bob and Violet Hardison wanted to be missionaries when Bob graduated from divinity school. However, Violet failed the physical that was required by the Baptist Missionary Board. So, instead of going overseas they were posted to two stateside churches before landing in Sebree 34 years ago. Today they are legends on the TransAm route.

They opened their door to their first TransAm cyclist 31 years ago when the town decided not to allow cyclists camp in the park. “We were the first church they came to and they would ask if we knew of a place to camp,” said Violet. What at first was allowing cyclists to camp on church property has turned into a hostel in the basement of the First Baptist Church.

Mattresses, towels, a shower, air conditioning, toiletries, and a kitchen are made available to riders at no charge. And after every guest has cleaned up, Violet cooks dinner in her house. So far this year she has fed 296 hungry cyclists, the biggest group being 31. There five of us tonight.

“Dig in and the boarding house reach is OK here,” Violet said following the saying of grace. Our meal consisted of country ham, corn pudding, snaps, butterbeans, fruit salad, potato salad, sliced vine-ripened tomatoes, squash and zucchini, homemade iron-skillet cornbread, fried apples, slaw, cukes, and buckets of iced tea and lemonade. Dessert was a selection of cakes and pies, both a la mode, if we wanted.

“My father said I was going to be killed by allowing strangers in my house,” Violet said as we talked after dinner. “I’ve never feared a single rider. You aren’t that kind of person. When I gave a rider the keys to my car so he could visit his sister in Owensboro, my friend said I’d never see the car again. He brought it back and with a full tank of gas.”

Over the years she has identified several common traits among her cycling visitors. “You are all intelligent, caring human beings who are highly motivated, movers and shakers, and this experience is a gift to yourselves.”

Each visitor is asked to place a pin in his or her home town on a large map of the United States. The wall also has maps of every country in the world. Pins appear on every map. “Just last week we got our first visitors from South Korea,” said Bob.

Seems to me Violet and Bob created brilliant strategy to fulfill their missionary zeal: Have people come to your door rather than you travel to theirs.