June 18, 2007 - Day 2

We got started late this morning due to Mother Nature's failure to co-operate. Once the rain dropped off to a light sprinkle and we got the bikes dried off a little, we decided to see if we could find a restaurant for breakfast. We went directly to the location of Brenda's Cafe only to find that it was not there. So much for planning. Then we had to go back a few miles to the Shoney's we passed, cause it was a couple hours till the next chance to eat, and we were hungry. We managed to get in behind the storm and follow it north east playing dodge cloud for the next few hours. Driving down the 160 is an amazing ride. For about 100 miles nothing but beautiful country and very little traffic. It's mostly cattle country though here, but there is a lot of forest and some pretty "back woods" kind of places. One place we passed a light bulb on the side of a tree halfway between a shack and an outhouse. Lends new meaning to a night light.. Another place we passed a small house on the main road with a great big cannon sitting at the entrance to their yard. Very Inviting? We managed to get into Pine Bluff without getting wet and since it was about 1:30 we stopped at a little place called Jim & Jerry's for lunch. If you are in that neighborhood and enjoy a good Philly Cheese steak, this is the place to go. They are also a pool hall & Sports Bar, so if you feel like racking up.....As we left I got to looking more closely at the road and noticed that it is one those towns where the original town still has laid brick roads. It looks pretty cool, but rides a little rough on a bike. As we left town and headed east again we passed the "Gateway to the Ozarks" and I noticed that the cows gave way to the corn, and the hills gave way to flat land. Another 50 miles or so, and we rode over a very large bridge and passed the Missouri / Illinois state line. As soon as we got off the other end, we turned right and went over a very similar bridge and over the Illinois / Kentucky line. This bridge though gave me the willies. We had to stop on the bridge for a red light that allowed traffic only in one direction at a time. The bridge was being repaired and this only created a jam-up of cars and trucks sitting there. While the trucks went buy the bridge shook. The width of the rivers and the number and size of the barges amazes me every time I cross. A quick stop by the Kentucky state line for a photo op and it was back on the road. A few more miles and we arrive in Paducah. this is a very historic town around these parts because of it's usage as a highly traveled water way back before cars. It also played a key roll in the Civil War days.  We went up to the junction of the Ohio and the Kentucky rivers and took a little break, a few pictures, and watched the barges do their thing.  Reading the historic signs really took me back to that time in my imagination. What an exhilarating time that had to have been.  There were several murals on the wall by the river depicting those times and I found them hard to walk away from.  We then headed south and crossed the beltway called the "Land Between the Lakes" It has a great history, and even "Golden Pond", but I was a little disappointed with what you are actually allowed to see.  Still I saw a heard of antelope and a lone deer before we crossed back over the Cumberland River and on to  Hopkinsville, our final stop for today. After getting gas and checking into the hotel, we went to the closest restaurant, and wouldn't you know it, another Shoney's. Still as with the one we stopped at for breakfast, the people were very friendly and great to chat with. I think that is why I love riding in this part of the country, the people are are pleasant to be around and to talk with. Our waitress was a pleasure to deal with, not to mention easy on the eyes. She made me want to come back again. Perhaps on the way back. Well I need sleep and have another long day tomorrow, so good night now and I'll see  you on the by-ways....