Ohio River Ride 2019

Before leaving town we photographed several more Popeye figures.  Popeye seems to be Chester ’s claim to fame.  The morning temperatures were cool which likely enhanced the honeysuckle fragrance that permeated the air for our first few country miles.  We had great roads with shoulders and light traffic for our ride.  Between Chester and East St. Louis we enjoyed cycling thru farm lands.  The transition between rural cycling and our first view of St. Louis ’ tall buildings was surprising.  We were still in the country but looming in front of us was the city.  Tomorrow morning we will load our bikes into a rental van and drive to Pittsburgh where our personal vehicles are waiting (hopefully) for travels to our homes.  It was a great journey and we experienced lots of history including early westward settlements, Lewis and Clark, and Underground Railroad stops. Finally, we experienced the power of high waters on the Mississippi as we traveled t...

We left Anna early and enjoyed cool temperatures as we cycled back to Mom’s Restaurant in Jonesboro .  Mom was glad to see us again and shared the latest road closures and prepared a good breakfast.  Before leaving “Mom” made sure that we had adequate water, admonished us to be safe, but didn’t give us a goodbye hug.  Come on, that’s what moms are for.  (Mom, when you read this, Thanks for the great hospitality.) Temperatures stayed cool for several hours and we cycled low traffic roads thru state and federal forests.   As it warmed up, we were back on the highways heading north with a headwind that helped diminish the effects of the heat.   We went along roads that had flooded fields on both sides, saw many closed side roads, and were thankful we hadn’t been here a few weeks earlier. We had no traffic until we got to within 15 miles of Chester .   Then:   (1) we encountered a stream of tractor trailer trucks hauling gravel to a barge lo...

We have been following a much studied and well planned agenda.  However, today those plans were upended.  Leaving our hotel we noticed that a lot of the fields next to the roads were flooded but we were oblivious to its consequences.  We were heading to the bridge that would take us over the Mississippi River into Missouri .  The first road west was closed and so was the second.  Perplexed, we asked a stopped motorist for information.  She told us that this part of Illinois has been flooded for most of the summer and that access to the bridge has been closed for a month.   The only options were to travel either 50 miles north or south to take alternative bridges. Sounds just like something a cyclist would love to do.  Since we were heading north anyway we stayed in Illinois and headed to Anna, where motels were to be found.  Now we need to figure out a new route to get to Chester Illinois , our next stop.  We were told that so...

Just when you got tired of hearing about our cycling miles in the heat, we have a new sad story to tell.  Today’s 60 miles brought us to our hotel, which was next to a “restaurant”.  However, the restaurant has been closed for a while and the next closest one is 8 miles away.  The “sympathetic” hotel clerk suggested that we walk across the highway to a Dollar General and get a supper that we could cook in the room’s microwave.   After a long look at all the “great” options we settled on chicken pies, fruit cups, cookies, and chocolate.  It is hard to believe that we look forward to tomorrow’s hotel breakfast.  Please send your prayers this way.  Luckily, tomorrow is a short day and we can scout out some real food on our way to a first class hotel, located next to several restaurants. Pictures Map Map Of Trip Todate

Today was our longest cycling day with the need to cover 80 miles.  To keep from being overwhelming we played a mind game. At our breakfast stop 25 miles into our ride we recalculated and said that we only had a 55 mile day. We did that several times and it was working until we got to the final 10 miles.  We were beat and had to cycle 8 miles of long rollers in the heat of the day. The last 2 miles were down hill but provided no real relief.   After we crossed the Ohio River from Kentucky to Illinois , we stopped in Old Shawneetrown, the oldest town in Illinois . There we got to see a stately old bank building, but not much else.   Because of flooding the town moved 3 miles further from the river.   We did stop at a maintenance shop where they gladly provided us extra water bottles for the remainder of our ride. Today's bright spot was a lunch place called Garden of the Gods Outpost.   We found it after giving up on our planned route which tu...

The scenery leaving Lewisport, KY was similar to what we saw yesterday, corn and soybean fields.  Today we added tobacco to our recognizable farm plants.  We cycled deserted roads until we got near Owensboro, KY, a large city with colorful sites.  It is the fourth-largest city in the state by population. The first European descendant to settle in Owensboro was frontiersman William Smeathers or Smothers in 1797, for whom the riverfront park is named. The settlement was originally known as "Yellow Banks" from the color of the land beside the Ohio River. The Lewis and Clark Expedition wintered at what is today's Owensboro prior to departing on their famous travels. In 1817, Yellow Banks was formally established under the name Owensboro, named after Col. Abraham Owen. We stopped at a “hippy” café for breakfast and then moved to Smothers Park were we watched children play in the fountains and took pictures of artwork.  Next to the park was the International Blue Grass M...

We started out in first light this morning but the fog was so thick that we could not see much.  Other senses took over and the unseen became heard--birds chirping, cows mooing, donkeys baying, woodpeckers tapping, dogs barking, and horse hoofs clopping up the hill faster than we pedaled our bikes.  The first 20 miles we climbed had a lot of small hills and enjoyed several fast (but not long enough) down hills.  We stopped at an old house that was being renovated and learned about Joseph Holt who lived there.  He was a leading member of the Buchanan administration, where he succeeded in convincing Buchanan to oppose the secession of the South. He returned to Kentucky and successfully battled the secessionist element thereby helping to keep Kentucky in the Union . President Abraham Lincoln appointed him the Judge Advocate General of the United States Army. He served as Lincoln 's chief arbiter and enforcer of military law, and supporter of emancipati...

It only takes one word to describe today, delightful!  We left Louisville before the city traffic had a chance to materialize.  It took us a while to clear the city but soon we were on the first of several trails. We were on the Louisville Loop trail for a long time before transitioning to the river trail.  After about 2 hours of cycling, we left the trail to get some breakfast.  Bellies full and egos inflated by a very nice waitress who marveled at our journey, we headed back to the trails.  Making our first left on a ‘trail’ proved a mistake. We passed several golf carts and realized we were on the golf course. The golfers looked more surprised to see us than we were to see them. We continued thru communities, back roads, and several highways with big shoulders and not a lot of traffic.  In West Point , KY , we stopped at a small farmers market to purchase fruit.  We met some really nice folks who asked about our travels and shared some local hi...

Not much to say about today.   It was long (70 miles) and had a major climb followed by 4 hours of rolling terrain.   We had traffic most of the day and road shoulders that were not much more than rumble strips. We also had several dogs chase us.   Yes, it was a fun day.   There were few points of interest for us to see, thus few pictures.   Since we had to back track due to rough road conditions, a group of five dogs got to chase us twice. If it cools off enough tonight, we plan to see what this city has to offer within walking distance from our hotel.   Pictures Map

We left the hotel anticipating that the bakery we identified about 15 miles away would be open on July 4 th .  It was and we indulged in cinnamon roles and coffee and purchased fruit from the grocery store next door. Today’s cycling lacked the vigor of yesterday’s ride.  Perhaps we pushed to hard and paid for it today.  After entering Indiana we enjoyed several paved trails that kept us off the not-so-busy highways. Our first real stop was in Rising Sun, Indiana where we found a nice diner that was full of friendly people and great breakfast food.  That stop (or the real food in our bellies) put some power back into our legs.  About 25 miles from our destination our road was marked with a sign saying that the road was closed 3.5 miles away, local traffic only, and that we must detour—which involved a big climb.  We ignored the warning and kept cycling along the river until we came to the second sign that said “road closed in 1 mile, bla, bla, bla.”...

Today was another good cycling day. As usual we left our hotel to beat the heat and the predicted afternoon storms.  Believe it or not, our first stop was Ripley, Ohio, not to be confused with our destination a few days ago in Ripley, WV.  According to a historical marker, the town got its name in 1816 to honor General Eleazar Wheelock Ripley, an American officer of the War of 1812. Ripley has several points of interest for us. Joe took many pictures of the interesting old homes and we stopped at John Parker’s house.  He was an American abolitionist, inventor, iron molder and industrialist. Parker, who was African American, helped hundreds of slaves to freedom in the Underground Railroad resistance movement. He rescued fugitive slaves for nearly fifteen years. He was one of the few black people to patent an invention before 1900. His house in Ripley has been designated a National Historic Landmark and restored.  Next we walked out bikes on a half mile hill that w...

Today was wonderful.  We left as the sun was creeping over the eastern horizon.  Joe, our photographer, loves this light. He took pictures towards the east to capture the sun rising and pictures to west to capture the sun as it hit the clouds in the western sky.  He must have taken nearly a 100 pictures before we got far out of town.  We had excellent road surfaces, very low traffic, relatively flat terrain, and moderate temperatures (for a hot summer).  The first 40 plus miles flew by with speeds in the 13-15 mph range.  Joe continued to find things to photograph as we sailed along.  We were cycling on the Ohio River Scenic Byway in Ohio .  However, for most of the trip, the river was not visible.   We stopped in Manchester , Ohio for a soft ice cream cone and then had to pay for our indulgence.  For the last 13 miles the traffic picked up and it got hot.  Our lodging for tonight required us to cross the river into Kentuck...

We really liked Huntington , WV .  The down town was alive with people, restaurants, and entertainment.  Marshall University seems to be the driving force. Even though it is summer, young folks were everywhere.  One of the busiest places was the Black Sheep bar/restaurant that was hosting a "Drag Festival".  We 2 old guys saw a lot of interesting costumes.  Finally, this is the first town where we actually had a choice of where to have diner. Most of today's ride was on rural roads with only a few minor transitions on busy highways.  Our route took us from West Virginia to Ohio to Kentucky and finally back to Ohio .  Joe does a wonderful job in planning our routes.  In the past he has come up with some interesting ways to avoid traffic. We have gone through parking lots, industrial sites, the wrong way on one way streets, on things that were trails in name only, over abandoned bridges, and construction sites.  Today's short cut was ...