Overview of my route starting in Kentucky
Getting myself wisked up to the starting point by some friends
Hiking a creek near my friend's house in Tennessee
Standing in the creek self portrait
The creek again
Fire Pink (Silene virginica) flowers on the creek bank
Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) was blooming everywhere
Just a nice scene with flowers in Tennessee
Black Locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia) flowers
Eastern Tent Caterpillars (Malacosoma americanum) were everywhere today.
Kentucky Lake
That's me birdwatching from my friend's deck near Waverly, TN
Paul checking out some Prairie Warblers
Paul in the "tick woods" looking for migrating warblers
We came across some Wild Turkey eggs
What would Spring magic be without ticks?
A seed-tick looking for access to my skin
First day preparations at a hotel in Grand Rivers, Kentucky
First day preparations at a hotel in Grand Rivers, Kentucky
Day-ride at Land Between The Lakes Recreation Area in Kentucky
Day-ride at Land Between The Lakes recreation area in Kentucky
Also testing my body's ability to handle big hills
LBL north entrance
Lake Barkley in the distance from the bridge over the Barkley Canal
Kentucky Lake viewed from Grand Lake waterfront park
Cliffs at Kentucky Lake from Grand Rivers, Kentucky
Cliff face in Grand Rivers, KY
Home away from home for two days in Grand Rivers, KY
Looks like this bike trip is about to start
View from County Road 1889 south of Smithland, KY
Another view from County Road 1889 south of Smithland, KY
Smithland, Kentucky
Farm equipment north of Smithland, KY on highway 60
Hwy 137 follows the Ohio River through farmland
Birdsville from Highway 137 with Ohio River in the background
The Ohio River from a boat launch near Hwy 137 north of Birdsville
The Ohio River
Wildflower heaven along Hwy 137 in Kentucky
The only hill in town.
My bike map recommends I go over it, but I biked around it
Highway 137 view.
Dickcissels sang to me from the fields all day.
View from Highway 137 in Kentucky
View of Ohio River from Carrsville, Kentucky
View of Highway 135 near Tolu, Kentucky
Another view of Highway 135 near Tolu, Kentucky
The old bank in Tolu, Kentuckyy
The same old bank 8 years earlier (previous bike tour)
Highway 91 in Kentucky looking south
Ohio River Ferry at Cave In The Rock, Illinois
Ohio River from ferry
First mile in Illinois. "Cave In The Rock" is the town name
Cave In The Rock State Park, Illinois
Cave In The Rock
Cave In The Rock
Cave In The Rock
Self portrait, Cave In The Rock
Cave In The Rock State Park, Illinois
My first campsite this trip at Cave In The Rock State Park
Elizabethtown, Illinois (known by locals as "E-Town")
B&B in E-Town. I did not stay here
View of Ohio River from Elizabethtown, Illinois
View of Ohio River from Elizabethtown, Illinois
Ah, those anxiety provoking road signs.
Every tour finds a few of these
Hwy 146 heading west from E-Town
Scenery from Hwy 146 nearing Golconda, Illinois
Looking back over my shoulder at conquered hills on Hwy 146 near Golconda, Il
Mainstreet Golconda
Riverfront at Golconda, Illinois
Ohio River from the bridge in the previous photo
Heaven is where you find it.
Right across the street from Dixon Springs State Park
The Chocolate Factory also serves ICE CREAM!
It was 95°F today.
Trees growing out of water always makes me homesick.
From Hwy 146 west of Dixon Springs
Another prison in south Illinois. There are several here
I biked on Tunnel Hill Trail (Rails to Trails) from Vienna to Karnak, Ill
Wonderful shade along the trail
View from Tunnel Hill Trail
Tunnel Hill Trail
Road crossing over Tunnel Hill Trail
Tunnel Hill Trail old railroad bridge
This is why I use fat tires on bike tours. Gravel detours are laughable
A church viewed from gravel road detour near Tunnel Hill Trail
The first bike rack that actually accomodates a loaded touring bike.
Cypress Creek NWR
Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge view
Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge interpretive center
Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge view
Section Eight Woods off of Hwy 37 north of Karnak, Il
College Road
Scene from College road Near Ullin, Illinois
Scene from hotel in Ullin, Illinois on I-51 and College Road
It got so hot this afternoon, that the AC in this room barely kept up.
The ceiling was hot to the touch.
Village of Tamms, Illinois Depot circa 1899
Rocky roadside along the "Grapevine Trail" west of Tamms, Illinois
I love when the road just drops away next to a "runaway truck" sign
The McClure House in McClure, Illinois
Waaaaay in the distance, Missouri is on the horizon
Mississippi River Crossing at Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau, Missouri taken from the bridge
A new bridge with wide shoulders
Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau, Missouri taken from the bridge
Nice look at the new bridge over the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau
The old bridge site. I'm glad that old, narrow tramp is GONE
The Red House interpretive center used to be an old trading post
The Cape Girardeau floodwall is decorated on both sides with art

FOREWORD

Welcome to my long version presentation of this bike tour. This trip marked the first time I traveled with a digital camera so you may assume that I put it to good use by snapping many more "free" photos than I would have with any film camera. Maybe too many for some of you. There is also a short version of this trip online with far less than the 400 photos featured here. Just the high points.

If you prefer this photo intensive version, let me fill you in on a few details that will help you to enjoy all of them a little bit more. First, this ride was HOT. We are talking record heat for the area. The heat cranked up my second day and I was not perfectly heat acclimated, so I started early and quit early often in cheap hotels with good air conditioning. Also, tornado season was in full swing. Massive storms drove me inside a few times as well. My wife loves to see the inside of my hotel rooms, so thanks to free photography, those photos are included here and I find that I even like looking at them now too. I also snapped photos of flora and fauna along the way. As with most of my bike trips, there is a strong birdwatching component with this one. Looking for interesting birds really draws my eyes to every degree of the compass where I observe loads of interesting things. I hope you find them interesting too.

This bike tour picked up where a previous tour "ended". Eight years earlier I rode my bicycle from New Orleans to the Ohio River (then back to New Orleans). I overlapped the previous route by one day of riding. The historic Lewis and Clark Journey of Discovery was half of my inspiration for this trip while following migrating birds northward completed the whole. All of my bike tours are Journeys of Discovery with far less drama and loads more fun than the Corps of Discovery could boast. I don't have to be the first person to see something to be happy with the view.

So let the photo captions be your guide as you follow along with me on this adventure. If you tire of my "eye for everything" photographic style, check out the short version instead.

Cheers!