Total miles: 37, +/- elevation, 1339/, Total miles so far 1090. Weather: warm and humid in the morning, cold and a little rainy and very windy by afternoon.
Before our ride today we had breakfast at the restaurant and explored the cave at Cave in Rock with riders Shelly and Jens. The cave was used by Native Americans, as a hideout for bandits and became Illinois first State Park in 1929. The cave was also used in the John Ford western How the West Was Won. The cave is open and you can walk in a few hundred feet.
Looking out of the cave to the Ohio River.
We went off the route a little today. Weather looked bad and we were uncertain about the availability of camping on the holiday weekend so we took Illinois Highway 1 to 13 and booked a hotel in Harrisburg. Morning started muggy with a peak or 2 of sunshine and by afternoon we were riding into strong winds with temperatures in the 50’s. Last 15 miles were very slow into the wind. We were in our lowest gear and not moving very fast. Felt like we were climbing a mountain even though the road was pretty flat. The wind, rain and cold combined with few places to stop made for a tough day.
Traveling with Pat & Mark 
The cave looks very cool – love the view of the Ohio River from inside. Sounds like your afternoon ride was quite challenging. Weather conditions certainly can dictate the ease of the ride! Won’t be long until you are in Missouri.
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Congratulation on having two very wide states behind you as you tackle a narrow portion of Illinois. You guys are doing so well. 37 miles completed in very challenging conditions is very impressive. Hoping for better weather during the upcoming days.
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Wow, a working phone booth! Didn’t know they still existed.
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Wow looks interesting, all but the bike part; lol! Way to go you even working the phone company into the trip! Lol
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Wow broke a thousand miles. I thought the right twin was YOU.
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Beautiful cavern pics!
I saw one in Ohio too.
Who knew Ohio had such beauty down below!
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Man,that into the wind and cold makes for a long,burdensome trek..hang in there
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It was so nice to meet you, we enjoyed the chat. Those winds were fierce on Friday! Continued luck on your travels across the TransAm Trail. We will be following you.
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Glad you got to see Cave-in-Rock! I haven’t seen it in years……maybe the next time I’m in Southern Illinois…… So sorry about the weather. You two are real troopers!
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