I cycled in three states today! 

I left Cairo, IL a bit after 9, was in Kentucky by 9:30 (all 60 miles of it) and Tennessee by 1:45.  I figure it will be a trip to the East Coast to find a way to cycle in 4 states in one day. I know you can do it at 4 corners but that seems like cheating.

The day boded well.  Temperature in the high 60's, sky partly overcast and wind out of the northwest. Also, I don't know what kind of omen this is, but I had never before seen a walking stick insect.  This one was on the wall of our hotel near our car.

Here is your geography lesson for today.  For the first time on this trip, the major river I crossed by bridge was not over the Mississippi--it was over the Ohio river.  I could have crossed a bridge over the Mississippi but that would have taken me back into Missouri.

The bridges are both shown on the picture below. It is not easy to see but the bridge on the left is the one to Missouri and the one on the right goes into Kentucky.

It was a nasty bridge crossing to get into Kentucky, but once there, I got my first view of the river since yesterday morning.

After that, I was inland for all the rest of Kentucky.  Mostly I saw farmland (with the ubiquitous soybean that has been in every state so far)

 

or rolling hills

 

and occasionally a forested road

 

 

I also rode many miles on the Trail of Tears.

 

 

As I neared Tennessee, I was heartened by the realization that these road are used by groups putting on organized rides.  I knew because I began seeing Dan Henry road markings.  Those who have participated in rides using these will recognize this

 

I saw them in various colors indicating either different rides or different length rides for the same event.  These persisted into Tennessee.

 

As long as I am on the topic of things on the road, can someone please tell me why bugs, especially caterpillars cross roads.  What would possess a creature that is less than 2" long to leave behind a forest of food and begin a journey 120 times the length of it's body across often hot asphalt?

 

I was glad to leave Kentucky.  Not because of anything bad - it is just that the only route available near the river required me to cycle about 18 miles traveling either west or northwest.  Since the prevailing wind continued to be mostly northwest, the helping wind I had most of the morning became a mostly hindrance for 18 of the last 20 miles before crossing the state line.

 

My first view of Tennessee

 

 

The most noticeable thing about Tennessee was that it appeared to be yard sale day.  As soon as I turned south on Hwy 22, I started seeing yard sales every few miles. 

 

I left the highway for a brief one mile out and back looking for a viewing station of the Upper Blue Basin of Reelfoot Lake.  I never found the viewing station but I did see some marvelous views of the slough that is part of the Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge.  Read more about this at

http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/reelfoot-lake

    

For the first time, Cathy and I arrived at the end of the ride at nearly the exact same time.  Because there was no lodging available in Samburg, we are staying nearly 20 miles away in Union City.

 

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