Start: Lexington, Kentucky
End: Charleston, West Virginia
Mileage: 185 miles
Route taken: Interstate 64, exit at Charleston

        The next two days of riding were not going to be enjoyable at all. They were merely days of transit, not discovery, and it meant moving at a fast pace and not seeing much.

        The most efficient way to do that is the interstate and Interstate 64 runs right through to Charleston. When you are on the Interstate the time goes quicker, but so does your motions and mindset.

        Gone was my wandering nature. I was in the machine, pulled along the great freeway with everyone else, jockeying for position, tailgating those who didn’t get over to the right quick enough, and barely looking to the left or right of me. There was no scenery, just road and road that had to be conquered, not enjoyed. My mind was calculating how quick I could get to the next place. How long could I ride until I had to stop for gas? The gas station on the interstate makes it easier to get right back on the freeway and ride.

        By the time I reached the state line of West Virginia, my day of riding was almost over and it was only 1 p.m.. I was making great time, but really had nothing to show for it.  

        I was stopping in Milton to get gas, forced to by a near empty tank, when as I pulled off the freeway I saw a sign for an adult store.

        It struck me as odd that a small town like Milton, which has a population of a little more than 8,000, would have a gigantic adult superstore.

        It looked more fitting in a big city, but there it was, off to the side of the interstate about 40 miles from Charleston.

        Greg has worked at the store, which has been open for more than 10 years, for several years and wasn’t really sure why it has done so well.

        “I guess people would rather come out here to buy this stuff than where they can be recognized,” he said while putting price tags on penis pumps.

        The store looks like any retail outlet, sans the merchandise. It is bright and colorful and the merchandise is in categories against the wall or in make shift aisles, making it easier to find.

        The clientele is primarily couples and they look at the store’s offerings of toys and dvds with the faces of serious shoppers.

         The store has a large parking lot and that is by design to accommodate one of their more popular buyers – truckers.

        “They come in all the time,” Greg said. “Sometimes I think they are just killing time. They don’t buy a lot of stuff. Just look around for a while.”

        The Lion’s Den is a franchise with stores in states like Kansas, Iowa, Wisconsin and Kentucky.

        The towns they occupy are just like Milton, small, off a major highway or interstate and about 30 to 60 miles from a major city.

        The small towns they are in apparently don’t mind the money generated from the store.

        “We don’t have any problems here,” Greg said. “They don’t mind us being here.”