Three States in a Day!

It’s 12:30 on Monday, May 7^th and I am just writing my blog for yesterday’s events. Usually I write in the evening, but yesterday was a pretty long day and I was just too tired last night. Yesterday I cycled in three states, although admittedly 99.9% was through Kentucky. I started the morning just across the state line in Tennessee, so I cycled there for 5 minutes. I ended the evening in Cave-in-Rock, Illinois, where I cycled for 5 minutes. And I biked for 7 hours right through the state of Kentucky! Yikes! It was my longest day of cycling in a while (92 miles to be exact) but it felt goooood. Oh, yeah.

But first things, first. Andrea’s prom was Saturday and Christa sent me some pictures so I could see what I was missing. Now you can see them, too. She’s a grown woman and looking pretty fine, if I do say so myself. I couldn’t be prouder, and am pleased as punch that she’s finishing high school and starting at Northern Michigan University this fall. That means Christa and I will be empty nester’s; maybe we can get a tandem bike for another adventure, right honey ;^)

Adam just got back home from Michigan Tech, and I am happy he will be there to do all of the manly chores before I get back home. Thanks, Eggman!

The ride was pretty uneventful for such a long one. I saw the same motorcycle group about five times throughout the day. They were as surprised as I was each time we passed each other. I also passed over the Cumberland River and thought how nice a houseboat vacation would feel right about now. I was about to camp out in Tulo, KY at the end of the day, when a fellow mowing his lawn told me that I was only 8 miles from Cave-in-Rock, IL, my targeted destination. So I sucked it up, and kicked it in for the final stretch. I’m glad I did.

In order to get there you have to take a ferry across the Ohio River into Illinois. Cave-in-Rock is named after a natural cave carved in the bank of the river, big enough for 8 semi-trucks (or so I’m told.) As I was waiting for the ferry I met Steve Doty and his daughter Sierra, who were searching for sea shells. Sierra found some, but later admitted she just tricked me. Here I am with them, as well as his son Gage and wife Lori. Steve was born in Cave-in-Rock, where his parents owned the golf course for a while. He told me some cool stories about the town, which is no more than a few hundred people. The breakfast crowd confirmed once again, no town has a finer personality.

By the time I got settled in and made my nightly phone call home, I had to set up my tent in the dark. Little did I realize it was on a hill, until I kept rolling to one side the rest of the night. At least it was my cushy side, so I still slept pretty good.

Please write comments; I love reading them just as much a I hope you like reading my journal. Just like the Doobie Brothers would say; "It keeps me running, yeah, it keeps me running!"

Also, don't forget that I would really appreciate any contribution you'd make to the Kyle Casey Memorial Scholarship Fund. Like I said before, it may help a youth achieve their life goal, and that's what this is all about.