We had a challenge—how do we get from Murphysboro, IL to Brandenburg, KY (225 miles) in two days? Well, the answer is two centuries in a row including my first century. Thank you for the applause for my beautiful pun of a title. (More on the other side of that pun below.)
Day 52 involved 125 miles from Murphysboro to Spottsville, a small town in Kentucky. Eva, Tubb, and Will set out at 7:15 am (a record!) to get a head start while the rest of us packed.
Thank you to our wonderful host, Jessica!
Will, Tubb, and Eva set off.
The rest of us pack.
The pack the van team!
We don’t have too many pictures from the rest of that day because we were simply pounding those miles out. (We’ve tried many slogans over the weeks, but we’ve finally settled on ‘Let’s pound it out guys’). But here’s a brief play by play:
9 am: Van leaves. This is a record early start for the van.
25 miles: I join Tubb, Eva, and Will in Marion. Amazingly, this still allows me to complete my first century.
48 miles: We stop in Harrisburg and grab a few snacks.
69 miles: Lunch at the Lincoln Street Grille & Pub in Shawneetown.
72 miles: We cross the Ohio River into Kentucky. Goodbye, Illinois!
Entering Kentucky! (Being a tech dinosaur, I was unable to figure out how to un-mirror the photo)
87 miles: We take a rest break at the Uniontown Public Library at 4:30 pm. 87 miles by 4:30 pm!
98 miles: We cross paths with a local motorcycle rider named Joe Carr and chat for half an hour about riding, family, politics, and life. He’ll start producing elderberry wine in roughly two years under the brand name ‘Pawpaw Heritage’ so stay tuned if you ever pass by Morganfield, Kentucky!
110 miles: Slushies from Casey’s in Henderson, and a gorgeous sunset across the Ohio River.
125 miles: We end the day’s bike ride in Spottsville. This marks 100 miles for me, and 125 miles for Will and Tubb. I genuinely have no idea how they did it—they’re incredible.
9:45 pm: Arrive at the bike hostel in Sebree, KY. Consume dinner and shower.
11 pm – 12 am: We go to bed.
Day 53 involved another 100 miles from Spottsville to Brandenburg. Passing everything from rolling hill country to industrial complexes, we got to again see the diversity of 21st century America. We also had the privilege of meeting Esther and David, owners of the Kountry Korner Market in Stephensport. They generously provided us with some delicious, locally grown cherry tomatoes and left quite an impression of what it means to live life joyfully. I’ll let the pictures below tell the rest of the day’s story.
Starting the day on the backroads of the Ohio River floodplains
Picking up some delicious free tomatoes
Kawther building bridges between people and sheep
One portion of 21st century America: Us, modern cars, older architecture, and the ancient Ohio River
Bookmarks and horehound (approx. root beer) candy from the Kountry Korner Market
That night, we stayed in a bar built by our host, John, on his property. John is a legend who has completed 47 half-marathons, and we had a great time chatting with him and his friends.
And that’s a wrap, y’all!
Hunter