Today was not one of our longest days yet one of the most trying. I woke up on the massive couch at the cyclist hostel around 7:30am and we departed for breakfast about an hour and a half later. In downtown Sebree I ate a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and a hash brown at The Dairy Bar (it is a dry town) for the nominal price of $5. We were on the road by 10.
The terrain was not the hilliest we have encountered, however we were also biking in to the wind. This made the uphills quite difficult.
By 3pm we had arrived in Marion, where Nick’s girlfriend met us for lunch. She drove down from Chicago to visit while we have a day off – tomorrow is a well deserved rest day. I was exhaused after the past 15 miles of hills and wind to the face and immediately chugged a 12oz bottle of OJ and a Powerade. We ate in a gazebo in “downtown”, probably for the best since I was a sweaty mess. After I scarfed down my salad and pasta we made the final 12 mile decent to the Ohio River. When we arrived the ferry was waiting.
The ride, the final across the Ohio in this journey, is only a few minutes to Cave In Rock, IL and free to all passengers (pedestrian, car, bike, etc.)
Before we set up camp we walked along the flooded path in the knee-high waters of the Ohio River to the cave in the rock. It was as advertised, a cave . . . in the rock.
Tonight we are camping at a nearby park and I have my hammock set up with a tarp on either end in case we get a late night shower that is in the forecast. I am pretty exhaused so I will sleep through most any storm.
Oh, and another great day of donations for St Luke’s! Please support and/or share as best you can.
No biking for the next 24 hours but more blogging to come.
Until tomorrow . . .
Biking For Haiti 