Miles Traveled: 51
Average Speed: 12.2 mph
Elevation Gain: 2,200 feet
Maximum Speed: 38 mph
Cumulative Miles Traveled: 765
Miles To Go: 1,310
The big news on Saturday?? Mike broke his streak of free lodgings. On the 13th night (appropriately enough), Mike paid for his own hotel room in Cave-in-Rock, Ill. Good thing, as the town has a sordid history! The town at the very tip of Illinois is named for a cave just off the Ohio River where priates would lure river travelers and rob them.
Here's the Cave-in-Rock State Park's Website description of the park where Mike stayed on Saturday:
"Sitting atop the high bluffs overlooking the scenic Ohio River, the heavily wooded park is named for the 55-foot-wide cave that was carved out of the limestone rock by water thousands of years ago. Trails winding along the riverbank offer views of riverboats, barges and other river scenes.
"Following the Revolutionary War, this immense recess came to serve as the ideal lair for outlaws, bandits and river pirates who preyed on the people traveling along the Ohio River. One of the most ambitious of these ruthless malefactors was Samuel Mason. Once an officer in George Washington’s Revolutionary Army, in 1797 he converted the cavern into a tavern which he called the Cave-In-Rock.
"From this apparently innocent and inviting position, Mason would dispatch his cohorts upriver to befriend unwary and bewildered travelers with offers of help and guidance. As they neared the cave, these henchmen would disable their boats or force them toward the yawning hollow, where the hapless pilgrims would be robbed, or worse. Few victims lived to tell their story."
Mike had to take a ferry across the Ohio to get to his lodgings in Cave-in-Rock. Luckily he crossed over without any priate intervention.
Memories of Home.... Crossing the Cumberland River
I was curious how Mike got the shot of him crossing the Tennessee River on his bike, as it looked like a pretty desolate place (see "Crump to Pineview, TN" post). So I asked, and Mike reported that there happened to be a couple of fishermen scouting out the best fishing holes on the bridge when he came by, and they snapped the photo of him riding over the bridge on his bike.
If you would like to support Mike in his goal to promote diversity on the Lipscomb University campus, go to biketour.lipscomb.edu. There you can learn more about his job as dorm director at Lipscomb and more about the history of the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route as well.
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