Legal Cheating (Part 2) – Day 40

Date: Friday 17th September    

Route:  Elizabethtown, Illinois – Glenville, Kentucky 

Distance: 87.5 miles

Total climb: 5607 ft

Net climb: – 98 ft

We awoke, at least somewhat relieved that there was no evidence of the mice/bed bugs that the locals had suggested may greet us in our motel room.  As an additional bonus Jay also managed to get one of the televisions working so that we could catch up with what was going on in the world (or the rest of the US at least).  We got dressed quickly into our civvies and headed for breakfast in the centre of Cave-in-Rock.  In days gone by this town had been a den for pirates and bandits, who hid in the cave on the side of the Ohio river.  Today they are a far gentler bunch and a sign in our breakfast restaurant warned us that profanity would not be tolerated.  Coupled with the poster of the Ten Commandments this seemed likely to keep the local diners in check.

After breakfast we drove back to the motel and quickly showered and dressed before getting a lift back to Elizabethtown.  In the light of day Elizabethtown is far more impressive than at night, with a stunning location next to the Ohio River and the oldest operating hotel in Illinois – which we had failed to notice the previous evening.   We loaded the bikes up on the riverfront while Team Stockham chatted to some motorbikers who had just set out on a tour of their own.  After a quick chat with another local about the various towns that he had lived in on the South coast of England during the war, we set off to cycle back to Cave-in-Rock and the Kentucky border.

The ten miles from Elizabethtown to Cave-in-Rock included a number of short, steep hills along a pretty poor road surface, nonetheless, time seemed to pass quickly and soon we were rolling down to the banks of the Ohio River to catch the Cave-in-Rock ferry.  Unfortunately we had just missed the ferry and so would have to wait twenty minutes for it to return from the other side.  Time for a quick Coke break.  We attempted to sit down and relax in the small park made by the locals on the side of the river, unfortunately we discovered (rather later than we would have liked) that it was swarming with thousands of some kind of flying insect.   Having been just about to sit down we ended up sprinting back to the ferry-dock covered in the flying critters and doing our level best to knock them off our shirts, shorts, hair, arms and faces.  We decided that it was altogether safer to sit and wait in the car park for the ferry to return.

Soon enough we were loaded on to the clever little ferry (whose engine room could pivot away from the car-laden deck) and heading across the majestic Ohio River.  This was the second and last part of the route (we hoped!) which we were unable to do by pedal power alone and so constituted our second instance of “legal cheating”.  Once we landed on the other side we were in Kentucky and had left Illinois behind.  We had only spent two days in Southern Illinois but they were very enjoyable indeed: the riding had been fairly easy and the rolling green fields felt a little like being home in Yorkshire; the towns we had seen had been all we could have hoped for and crossing both the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers in the space of a few days was just magic.  Finishing another state so quickly also provided just the psychological boost that we needed. 

After we touched down in Kentucky we made good progress along the gently rolling roads; we passed Yoda’s General Store (nice to know that he’s still occupied despite the end of the film franchise), a lively country auction (we think Fred may have inadvertently bid for a prize pot bellied pig) and saw more signs warning us that there might be Amish carts on the road.  These signs had cropped up a number of times over the previous few days and we both really hoped that we would get the chance to see some members of that endlessly fascinating community.

We didn’t have to wait long; when we stopped in Marion after a further 12 miles for a quick morning break in Subway, we were joined in the queue by a group of Amish teenagers.  It was an incongruous image, but we thought we might embarrass them by stopping to ask them about their choice of lunch venue.  In any event we had to get back on the road – it was getting hot and we still had some distance to cover. 

After another twenty-two miles we stopped in Clay intent on finding a more substantial lunch.  We were met on Main Street by Team Stockham, and popped into Jeri’s Cafe – which appropriately enough had a London-themed decor.   The plan after lunch was to meet at Sebree – our planned destination for the day and see if we could clock up a few additional miles, without needing to ride in the dark for too long.

It was a hot afternoon, but surrounded by large ranches and endless rolling green farmland it was a joy to keep on riding.  We made it to Seebree at around 5pm, where we expected there to be a shop.  There was.  There was also a Tent Revival Meeting; these are events for the local community with music, food and a sermon from a travelling preacher.  The owners of the shop (who also provide accommodation for touring cyclists) welcomed us into the festivities and after we had got the drinks and snacks that we needed after a warm afternoon in the saddle, we sat and listening to a selection of genuine country and bluegrass music.  It was the perfect break, and whilst some (or most) of us may not accept the underlying message and may fail to understand the degree of religious fervour that we encountered at many stages during the trip, it would be almost impossible not be charmed by the warmth and kindliness of the people and the sense of community spirit at the meeting.

With our bodies refreshed and still humming along to a couple of the tunes that we had heard we set back out on the road with a plan.  To sprint the next 13 miles and see how the light was – that would mean we had banked a few extra miles for the day without cycling after sunset.  It was clear that the break had given us a boost because flew, covering the distance in just 45 minutes.  We met Team Stockham and agreed that we would ride the next 7 miles to Glenville and then stop for the evening.  We dropped our pace a notch, but still made it to the crossroads at Glenville before dark. In total we had covered 20 miles in seventy minutes since leaving the revival.   

Delighted with our progress we loaded our bikes into the car and headed off to Owensboro to find a motel.  This proved more difficult than expected as the NSA Mens Class “E” Softball World Series was taking place over the weekend and it seemed that every average softball player in Kentucky had headed to the bright lights of Owensboro.  Nonetheless after a few fruitless attempts Motel 6 came to the rescue.  For dinner – there was only ever going to be one choice – anyone for Appleby’s….?

More stuff….

–          The only real downside for the day was that (not for the first time) Fred’s eyes reacted badly to the sunscreen that we were using and he was rendered effectively blind for the final four miles of the ride.  He would continue in agony until after he had showered and more than an hour had past.  This was not (I was assured) in any way amusing. 

JBS