Day 24 - Marion, Kentucky to Eddyville, Illinois

Saturday, May 14,2016 45.2 miles(72.7 km)

After sleeping on a comfortable couch at the Marion Methodist Church I headed north toward the Ohio River about ten miles away to take the ferry across to Illinois.  The morning was quite cold and there was a strong wind directly out of the north. The route to the Ohio River was a bit hilly and the downhill runs were almost painfully cold and I took them slower than I usually do.

About halfway to the Ohio River there is an area with an Amish community.  I did not see any horse and buggies on the road through did see a few buggies parked at homes.

Amish Sign

I did stop at Yoder's Variety Store, an Amish run store.  I recommend anyone travelling through this area to stop at Yoder's.  They have many Amish made goods including indoor and outdoor furniture.  They also sell to the local Amish community including the customary straw hats and bibbed overalls.  I just purchased some candy, the 7½ foot dining room table just would not fit well on my trike.

Yoder's Variety Store

When I got to the ferry landing the ferry was on its way back so the wait was not long. With the wind the river was a rougher than usual but the ride across was smooth.  The ferry I rode was called the Loni Jo.

Ferry On Its Way To My Side of River

Me On Ferry - Not Smoking, Brake Set and Engine Stopped

After leaving the ferry I was in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois.  Good bye Kentucky it has been fun, hello Illinois.  I stopped at Rose Kountry Kitchen for a second breakfast of french toast and sausage, which was excellent.

The ride out Cave-In-Rock was on quiet country roads and was quite hilly, fortunately it was mostly to the west so the north wind was not quite so bitter feeling.  Near Elizabethtown, Illinois, a family has created a very nice bike stop for cyclists to rest with cold water and a cell phone charging station available.  They also have the gnome home pictured below.

Gnome Home

I stopped by Elizabethtown by its historic Rose Hotel to take in the view of the Ohio River and to place a call to the campground I was planning on staying that night.  When talking to the individual from the campground he indicated that I would be passing through an area where they were looking for a fugitive and that I might see an increased police presence. 

Ohio River At Elizabethtown

After leaving Elizabethtown I was in an area called Shawnee Hills and yes it was hilly.  Much of the area was in the Shawnee National Forest interspersed with small farms.  Once I was on the final road toward Eddyville the direction of travel was mostly to the north and into the strong wind.  On this road I did see four different police vehicles from various agencies but had no problem getting through.  There were two large steep hills to climb before getting to Eddyville.

Goat

Southern Illinois Farm

Eddyville is known as the Trail Riding Capital of Illinois.  There are a few different horse campgrounds in the area and I was staying at one of them, Hayes Canyon.  The campground was quite large and was near capacity.  I did not know there were that many people who went camping with their horses.

Eddyville Sign

As I walked around the campground I was invited to join two retired couples from Arkansas to join them for a bowl of chicken chili.  The chili was excellent and cake for desert was also great.  One of the couples had gaited mules, very beautiful animals. (unfortunately I did not have my camera with me)

It was a great place to camp with many friendly people.  It was a cold night but my sleeping bag was nice and warm.