I went downstairs and James had the grandest breakfast spread I've ever seen set up for me. I had real coffee, real orange juice, homemade granola cereal, fresh fruit, and the fluffiest and tastiest cheese omelette I've ever eaten. Eldon came in a while later and we talked about the house and their plans to build a boutique hotel next door. He also brought in his Manx cat, Princess, and let me pet her. I'd never seen a Manx up close, so that was pretty cool.
Eldon and James are amazing - they made me feel like I was a millionaire rock star, instead of just being a bicycle bum. If I were a rich man, I would have tipped them a thousand dollars. But since I'm not, all I can do is wish them all the love and happiness in the world. Thanks Eldon and James !!
I rode my bicycle over a beautiful new bridge into Illinois. I was planning to stop at the Illinois Welcome Center after I crossed, but all that was there was the big Pink Pony Strip Club. I thought it was kind of a funny welcome center, and they didn't even have any maps.
My phone map said to turn left on "Levy Road", which was a gravel trail on top of the Levy. There were some "keep out" signs there, but I figured they didn't apply to bicycles.
I rode about 3 miles and ran into some farmers on tractors who were mowing, thatching and bailing hay along the levy. I was ready for them to pull out shotguns and ask me what the heck was I doing there. Instead they just smiled and waved, and went about their farming.
About two miles farther there was a truck on the trail with an old man and young girl picking something alongside the trail. They looked at me funny when I dinged my bell and said hello, like they weren't supposed to be there.
At the end of the Levy Road trail there was a big mound of dirt with bulldozers and cranes busy at work. At first I thought I'd have to backtrack the 6 miles back, but then I saw where I could walk my bicycle through the construction.
Instead of waiting and finding someone to talk to, I decided to make a run thru the construction to the other side, when there was a break in the work. I've found that sometimes it is better to go ahead and do something, and then ask for forgiveness, than it is to ask for permission.
I rode Hwy 3 for about 10 miles, then stopped at the Kozy Korner Cafe for a BLT and a piece of German Chocolate
Cake. Yummy !
From here on out it was kind of a funny ride. I took a scenic loop on Miller City Road, around Horseshoe Lake. The scenery was beautiful and there were lots of Cyprus trees and flowers in the lake.
But the weird thing was that about 4 out of 5 houses looked damaged and abandoned. And almost all of the houses that were occupied had new roofs and new siding. I think I remember some bad flooding along this part of the river a year or two ago. It was sad to see so much destruction.
And it got worse as I headed south. I rode Hwy 3 down to Cairo IL, which lies between the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. The number of decayed and abandoned buildings in Cairo was amazing. I would bet only 1 out of 10 buildings there were occupied. It was very, very sad. The people there did not look very happy. I rode all around town, looking for a restaurant or bar to stop in to cool off.
I finally stopped in Shemwell's Bar-B-Q and had a sammich and about a gallon of ice water. It was pretty good, but nobody was talking or interacting, they were just going thru the motions. It was pretty weird, and I was glad to head out of town.
The road and bridge to Kentucky were terrible. It was a very narrow two lane road with no shoulder. I had a Semi Tractor Trailer behind me the whole way across the Ohio River. It was pretty hectic, but I did OK and made it to Wickliffe KY on Hwy 51. It was about 5:30 and about 30 miles to the next town, so I decided I'd better stop for the night. I saw an old motel, the Wickliffe Motel, and got their last room for $35.31 total. Cheap !!
I only rode 53 miles today and it was a nice ride, but I think I overheated a bit riding on the scenic loop. I'll have to take it easy tomorrow and try to stop a bit more. I did ride in 3 states today, Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky, and I rode bridges over two major rivers, the Mississippi and the Ohio Rivers, so that was pretty neat !
