Frizbo Fifty: Kentucky, Land Between the Lakes

Spring Break Road Trip -- Day 1

I'm not sure who's idea it was for a Spring Break trip, but Lauren was home preparing for grad school and there was some backroom lobbying for a road trip to Florida. I wasn't too keen on the idea at first as I was expected to do all the planning and most of the driving. But once the itinerary included biking in multiple states, I became a major sponsor of the proposal.

Feeling the sun after a long Chicago winter

There is something quite uplifting driving from Chicago to Florida in the Spring. As you leave Chicago, it's still cold with some remnants of snow under bushes and in the corners of parking lots. But with each stop, the signs of Spring gradually begin to appear. At the gas station, you feel a hint of warm breeze. After lunch you realize you don't need gloves anymore. In the late afternoon, the sun is out and feels fantastic. The accelerated transformation of Winter to Spring is magical.

Camel Rock, Garden of the Gods, Shawnee National Forest

We stop for some hiking in the Shawnee National Forest and then down to Cave in Rock State Park (worth a stop). The park's namesake is a large natural cave used as a hiding place by pirates who preyed upon river travelers after the Revolutionary War until the 1830's. Nearby is the Cave in Rock Car Ferry, which floats us to Kentucky.

Ohio River at Sunset from the Cave in Rock Ferry

In the morning, we drive to Land Between the Lakes (LBL) National Recreation Area. LBL offers a variety of outdoor activities, boating, hiking, fishing, off-roading, camping... We here for some biking and the biking is really nice.

Quiet forest road in LBL NRA

The NRA is threaded with quiet forest roads, many of which are paved. The main north-south road is "The Trace" and while a little busy is flatter than the forest roads. The east-west thoroughfare, US68, is the busiest road, but there is a separate bike path that runs part of the way and we rode the wide shoulder the rest of the way.