I decided that I would try my birthday treat again, this time in the sprawling mecca of Hazard -- poulation 5,416. I decided to just stay on Highway 80 rather than retrace the 3 miles back to the official route. 20 miles later I pulled into a Days Inn, having made the trip so quickly that none of the rooms were ready for me. I told the clerk I'd be back in an hour, then headed across the street for some Chinese food, which, I am sad to report, was little more than fried chicken with Chinese-ish sauce. Still, I enjoyed my little excursion in Hazard's Chinatown district, and by the time I returned, my room was ready.
Oh yeah, here's a picture of -- you guessed it -- a road! Notice that the road gets higher in the distance, indicating an uphill climb. How novel.
I got a kick out of this, since people love to talk about drive-thru daiquiri bars in Louisiana. Check out this drive-thru:
A Jack Sprat couple sat on a curb outside the store, the guy resplendant in a wife-beater t-shirt. He snorted at my sandals as I walked up, then said "Nice shoes." "Thanks, nice sleeves," I said as I swept past them into the store. He looked a bit confused, but became distracted by his foot and forgot our conversation. Once inside, the clerk told me that I was in the last "wet" county for about three hundred miles. Easy Sparky, I'm gonna buy something. No need for the sales pitch.