Not sure how we would have done it
We rode a Rails to Trails route today - Tunnel Hill Trail, which runs for 47 miles across southern Illinois. We only rode about 13 miles, from Vienna to the southwest end of the trail where we found a wetlands preserve that kept us happy and busy for quite awhile. Plenty of wood ducks, and a fair assortment of other local birds. Bruce spent a happy hour or two checking up on the plants. Then we rode back. Flat, flat, flat, very well maintained.
Then we got back in the car. Felt weird, but as we drove south, we wondered how the roads would have been. The relatively minor road we chose to take was narrow - no shoulder at all - and fairly busy. Might have been a bit unnerving. But that was nothing compared to what we found as we entered Kentucky. There are two bridges going into Paducah; one is freeway, so we took the other to see what we had missed. We had missed a fairly long bridge with zero shoulder or sidewalk, plus one of those metal grating surfaces all the way across. We just chatted with a local cyclist who said he had done it once and been pretty scared, and that there was no other way to ride across. Google would have sent us across without hesitation.
We are learning a lot about just how hard it is to get really accurate cycling directions in areas where there is not a whole lot of riding.
So here we are in Paducah. My first time in Kentucky. Its downtown has very recently been cleaned up and turned into a pretty nice tourist attraction, and it is very nice. Several very good restaurants, lots of little art galleries and shops. Still plenty of space available, but this space looks like it might actually get rented reasonably quickly. A nice change from some of the sad little towns we have passed recently.
There's a lighted, paved riverfront trail that begins right in front of our hotel and takes you right to the center of town (or at least, to the center of the area where all the recommended restaurants are). There's a long, high concrete wall between the town and the river, not sure what it's about. There are plenty of openings to walk through (so I don't think it's a flood prevention thing), and the town side of it has a lot of murals that talk about the town's history, so it was a pleasant walk. But I'm going to ask about that wall.
Tomorrow we go to the National Quilt Museum which is also right along the walkway. It's probably going to rain, maybe thunder showers, so not a great day to ride. After we see the museum, we will drive to Land Between the Lakes where we plan to stay and explore for three nights. We hope to find a canoe or kayak to rent and explore some of the waterways, and take a hike around Honker Lake where we are told there is good wildlife viewing, and ride on the roads that seem to be good for bikes. We will probably run out of time before we run out of things to do. which is what has happened everywhere we have been so far.
Then we got back in the car. Felt weird, but as we drove south, we wondered how the roads would have been. The relatively minor road we chose to take was narrow - no shoulder at all - and fairly busy. Might have been a bit unnerving. But that was nothing compared to what we found as we entered Kentucky. There are two bridges going into Paducah; one is freeway, so we took the other to see what we had missed. We had missed a fairly long bridge with zero shoulder or sidewalk, plus one of those metal grating surfaces all the way across. We just chatted with a local cyclist who said he had done it once and been pretty scared, and that there was no other way to ride across. Google would have sent us across without hesitation.
We are learning a lot about just how hard it is to get really accurate cycling directions in areas where there is not a whole lot of riding.
So here we are in Paducah. My first time in Kentucky. Its downtown has very recently been cleaned up and turned into a pretty nice tourist attraction, and it is very nice. Several very good restaurants, lots of little art galleries and shops. Still plenty of space available, but this space looks like it might actually get rented reasonably quickly. A nice change from some of the sad little towns we have passed recently.
There's a lighted, paved riverfront trail that begins right in front of our hotel and takes you right to the center of town (or at least, to the center of the area where all the recommended restaurants are). There's a long, high concrete wall between the town and the river, not sure what it's about. There are plenty of openings to walk through (so I don't think it's a flood prevention thing), and the town side of it has a lot of murals that talk about the town's history, so it was a pleasant walk. But I'm going to ask about that wall.
Tomorrow we go to the National Quilt Museum which is also right along the walkway. It's probably going to rain, maybe thunder showers, so not a great day to ride. After we see the museum, we will drive to Land Between the Lakes where we plan to stay and explore for three nights. We hope to find a canoe or kayak to rent and explore some of the waterways, and take a hike around Honker Lake where we are told there is good wildlife viewing, and ride on the roads that seem to be good for bikes. We will probably run out of time before we run out of things to do. which is what has happened everywhere we have been so far.
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