Distance: 38.4 mi, Climbed: 2,359 ft
Completed: 1,276.4 mi, 64,187 ft
Today was an exciting day. Joanna and I had a 38-mile ride through western Kentucky before taking a ferry to Illinois (our ninth state) and arriving at Cave-in-Rock State Park. We started early to ensure we had some time in the afternoon to enjoy the park.
The first half of the ride was flat through more beautiful Kentucky farmland. It would have made for a perfect morning if it were not for the insects. There were large swarms of flies that looked like wisps of fog on the horizon. We would periodically ride through the swarms, and it literally felt like it was raining. Eww! I ended up with hundreds of tiny bugs smashed onto my legs and arms.
We soon left the farms for wooded hills. We were happy to leave the bugs behind, but had to face some of the first decent hills we had seen days. Still, the quiet forested roads were a nice change of pace that made for an enjoyable afternoon.
At one point, we stopped along a wooded road for a snack and to put on some more sunscreen. A beautiful butterfly joined us for a bit and gave us a chance to test our macro-photography skills.
Turtles hold a special place in our family. We have raised two red-eared sliders – Flo and Eddie – from babies. They are now twenty-two years old and going strong. So, we were very excited to see a box turtle on our route today. Although, I think we were more excited to see him than he was to see us as he was very reluctant to come out of his shell.
The excitement started at the end of the day. For the last month, we have been riding on a mix of custom routes and lesser known Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) routes with one goal in mind — to get to the TransAmerica Trail. The TransAmerica Trial was developed fifty years ago to celebrate the United States’ bicentennial in 1976 and was originally known as the Bicentennial Trail. It is now part of the United States Bicycle Route System (USBRS) and is appropriately designated US 76. It has become one of the most popular routes for bicycling across the United States. Thousands of people ride it every year. There are lots of bicycle-specific services along the route from towns setting up camping in town parks to people leaving cookies outside for cyclist to take as they bike past. It’s also a great place to meet other cycle tourists.
Today, we finally reached the TransAmerica Trail after a month of biking. When we joined the trail, there was no marker. There was no fanfare. There was just a sign that said Route 91. But for us, it was a big moment. We had ridden nearly 1,300 miles to get to the TransAmerica Trial. The rest of the trip will be different. It will be on the TransAmerica Trail, where cross-country tourists are common place and many of the stores along the way do their best to accommodate cyclists. We are where we belong.
Back to biking. We rode the last few miles in Kentucky to catch the ferry over the Ohio River to Cave-in-Rock, Illinois. We met Floyd, his father Donny, his daughter Alexa and their dog Elie waiting on line for the ferry. They live about six miles north of the ferry, and they were returning after having dropped off several calves to sell in Kentucky. They were super friendly. They were in a little disbelief that we are riding cross country, and they had lots of questions. That’s okay; we had lots of questions about the calves, too.
It was very cool riding a ferry on a bicycle. But it was even cooler arriving in Cave-In-Rock. It is the first town we have been in that was expecting cross-country cyclists. The first store we saw had a big sign – Welcome Bikers. There were old bikes painted pretty colors with flowers scattered throughout the town. We rode through town to Cave-In-Rock State Park, where we rented a cabin on the Ohio River for the night.
We did a quick shower and change and then hiked out to the Cave-In-Rock cave. The cave is just a few feet from the water along an old walking trail down the river. The rumor is that bandits and pirates used to hide out in the cave and rob anyone who walked down the trail. The cave itself is a fairly wide tube that opens into a gigantic cathedral room. It really looked like a perfect place to live or camp out protected from the elements. We walked back to the cabin and watched the sun go down on our deck overlooking the Ohio River. A beautiful end to a great day.
