We had a relatively short ride scheduled for today so nobody was in a rush to get out the door - big mistake! Today was definitely one of the hottest days yet on the ride. After pushing through the heat and re-grouping in an a/c filled cafe, we all raced the last 12 miles of the trip (basically all downhill) to get to the border of said Land of Lincoln. It was pretty exciting as we had to cross over the Ohio River and the majority of us were not ready to bike through the raging river. On a side note, after crossing the Appalachian Mountains (leaving the Chesapeake Bay watershed) and entering the Mississippi river watershed all of the creeks and rivers have become silt laden and brown! Any who, we crossed the river via ferry and it was pretty cool!
Our final destination for the night was Cave In Rock state park in Illinois. Prior to arriving at the state park we were treated with some Illinois "Midwestern" hospitality as the family of Colin Schmidt was waiting for us with watermelon, grapes, Gatorade, apple juice, and brownies! Little did we know that the Carbondale hospitality was only starting. Our dinner for the night was paid for by Alex Pearlman's mother as we ate at Gee Jays Cafe where delicious fried food is their specialty (including fried okra, cactus, and zucchini as appetizers).
There is actually a cave at the state park - apparently back in the day pirates used to raid folks traveling down the Ohio River and stash the booty in the cave!
On another note, Pepper Schuette, who has been traveling with us and has made his shop, Sundog Outfitters, and official sponsor of next year's ride is now up on the website!
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