Making new friends

Some of the houses had welcome signs with dogs that loved to come out and greet you as you rode by. Other dogs bared there teeth, only one has needed the HALT used on them (approved by the US postal system).

It was how big??!??

More swamps in Southern Illinois, retelling the size of the gator that we saw in Mississippi.

The bikes have found a good stopping place

In Southern Illinois, almost to our friends house we stumbled upon a beautiful little winery. Ah, sweet surprises! The bikes were very happy!

At Cave In Rock in Illinois

So the beauty of bike tour it that people take better care of you than car tour. At Cave In Rock we pull into the campsite and are starting to set up camp when the hosts come up on their gator. We are chatting with them and asking them about where to eat. They are mentioning various restaraunts. We ask which ones would serve a beer (since it's in the mid 90s, we've pedaled over 50 miles and forsee with no upcoming respite from the heat we figure atleast a beer would sooth our insides). He tells up that this is dry county and there is nothing available. He pauses for a minutes and then asks how many beers we want. We tell him 1 each would be amazing. The next thing we know he is pulling out a little cooler and handing us each a beer. He states, "we like to take care or our bike tourists." I love the hospitality here!!

Getting on the ferry crossing the Mississippi from Kentucky into Illinois

That arrow on the sign means not just curves but hills that never end!

Iron furnace or something out of Indiana Jones and the temple of doom