Today’s schedule called for a ride on the Tunnel Hill State Trail, and then tripping to Westfield, Indiana, to cycle the Rail Trail Hall of Fame Monon Trail, and overnighting in Westfield. This particular blog entry will discuss the Tunnel Hill ride.

After grabbing some coffee and pastry from the hotel’s “breakfast” bar, we filled up with pricey gasoline and drove to the Tunnel Hill, Indiana, trailhead, about 30 minutes away.

According to TrailLink, “A dark railroad tunnel and two dozen trestles crossing  streams and rocky ravines welcome visitors to the scenic Tunnel Hill State Trail as it travels 55 miles through forests and farmland in sparsely populated southern Illinois. This gem of Illinois rail-trails was built on the former Cairo and Vincennes Railroad, which was completed in 1874 and hauled coal from southern Illinois mines, as well as produce and timber. Over the years, the railroad went through a series of ownership changes, and the tracks last belonged to Norfolk Southern Railroad, which turned the corridor over to the state in 1991. The first sections of trail opened in 1998.”

After unloading the bicycle, the front wheel was mounted, seat post installed, and tires filled with air. While putting on the helmet, we hear a whoosh sound as air was rapidly expelled from the front tire/tube—what a way to start a trip! The tube was quickly replaced, and the trail awaited.

I opted to ride the Tunnel Hill to Vienna section since it was mostly downhill.

After only a couple of minutes of cycling south, the tunnel for which the trail was named came into view. Having ridden a number of lengthy rail trails with foreboding tunnels, this one was much less ominous than described in the trail information, though I was outfitted with both a bicycle light and a head light.

After another couple of miles, the Breeden Trestle came into view. There are 23 picturesque trestles along the completed sections of Tunnel Hill State Trail ranging in length from 34 to 430 feet. Breeden Trestle is the longest, and also the highest at 90 feet.

The Tunnel Hill to Vienna section of chat-surfaced rail trail was among the most scenic I have ridden. (Limestone chat is a cost effective alternative to concrete in areas that are relatively flat. Chat, limestone gravel crushed to 1”” or less) compacts to a hard trail surface that can also give, somewhat, and is a great option for trails that will be frequently used by runners. It does require more maintenance, and wider tires.

After changing out of cycling clothes, the car was pointed north towards Westfield, Indiana, a drive of almost 300 miles. We arrived at the Hampton Inn (4.5 out of 5); it was chosen largely because of its proximity and easy access to the trail. After checking in, I changed back into cycling clothes and began cycling the Rail Trail Hall of Fame Monon Trail.

A former railroad route, the Monon Trail was established in 1996 and transformed from railway to greenway, intended for commuter and recreational use. It now spans more than 25 miles in length, starting in the town of Sheridan and connecting south through Westfield and Carmel. From there, the Monon Trail continues into Indianapolis through the Broad Ripple neighborhood and meets up with the Cultural Trail near Massachusetts Avenue downtown. This was an exemplary urban trail, and just plain fun to ride.

Just north of my access was the Monon Community Center with the largest outdoor waterpark I’ve seen. And then turning south I rode past the Center for Performing Arts, a world-class performance venue; the fun and exciting Midtown Plaza, an outdoor gathering space filled with games, activities, restaurants and specialty shops to keep everyone entertained; and finally the City Center and the Carmel Arts and Design District with restaurants and shops. There, I turned around and rode back to Westfield. Today’s ride was one of the most fun ones I’ve been on despite a headwind on the return portion.

We were essentially packed and ready to leave by mid-morning; but there were still a few things to take care of. Because of today’s rain, the window washers were postponed until late August, a trade-in iPhone was packaged for return, and Kay took care of some board duties before a “cut and color.” Upon her return, we departed for Marion, IL, shortly before 1:00 pm.

Our route took us east via I30 to I40 to I55, and then north to I57 all the way to Marion, passing through Arkansas, Missouri, and Illinois, arriving a few minutes before 7:00 pm.

After checking in at the Quality Inn (2 stars out of 5), we walked across the street to enjoy really good vegetable plates at Cracker Barrel; I had forgotten how good their cornbread was. After watching a few YouTube videos, it was bedtime. The Tunnel Hill State Trail awaits us tomorrow.

We made plans to escape the heat several weeks ago, before the Delta variant of COVID-19 began exponential transmission. We are both vaccinated and thus concluded that we were safe—wrong! It appears that the Delta variant of COVID-19 transmissibility does not respond to vaccinations; however, vaccinations significantly reduce the effects of the virus. Having delayed travel plans for well over a year — we’re not getting any younger, and our ability to travel is waning very rapidly—we made a conscious decision to pursue several remaining “LIFE” list items in the next couple of months while time and age permit. (NOTE: As retirement was drawing near almost 17 years ago, Kay and I had many decisions to make, including how and where we would live. During all the discussions, it became clear that we both wanted an active lifestyle and to travel extensively. After much brainstorming and many deliberations, we developed a two page “LIFE” list—thanks to dear friend Ed Richmond who did this way before us, setting an exemplary example, way before the movie, The Bucket List came out. Here’s a view of the new, revised “LIFE” List, and the items checked have been completed; this list had undergone many additions and revisions.

LIFE LIST, Rev. August 1, 2021

◦ New England via auto road trip or RV

◦ Washington, Oregon, and Northern California via Auto road trip or RV (Summer)

◦ Southwest USA via RV—SE Arizona, Sedona, Antelope Canyon, remaining national and state parks in Southern Utah, national parks in New Mexico, i.e. Petrified Forest, and possibly Las Vegas (Spring or Fall)

◦ South Texas—Big Bend NP, San Antonio, Fredericksburg, New Braunfels, Bandera

◦ St. Maarten/St. Martin (Spring)

◦ Mediterranean Cruise (Late Spring, Summer, or Early Fall)

◦ New Zealand (December, March)

◦ New York City

◦ British Isles—United Kingdom, Ireland, and Scotland (Summer)

◦ Skyline Drive, Blue Ridge Parkway, and Natchez Trace in one trip (Spring or preferably Fall)

◦ Eastern Europe Cruise

◦ Cycle remaining Rail Trails Hall of Fame Trails

◦ Visit all seven continents

◦ Become proficient golfers

◦ Thru hike the Appalachian Trail

✓ Wyoming, Montana, Idaho

✓ Fly fish for smallmouth bass in Canada

✓ Northern European Cruise (Summer)

✓ Western Europe—Holland, Germany, Austria, France (Early Summer)

✓ Colorado (July, August, and/or September)

✓ Michigan’s Upper Peninsula/Wisconsin/Minnesota via RV (Jun, Jul, Aug, and/or Sep)

✓ Panama Canal Cruise (January, February or March)

✓ Israel

✓ Alaska via RV

✓ Maritime Provinces of Canada

✓ Northern France

✓ Tour Colorado

✓ Winter in the Rio Grande Valley

✓ Winter in Arizona

✓ Become 3.5 level pickleball player

✓ Cycle KATY Trail, MO

✓ Cycle the GAP, PA and MD

✓ Cycle the Virginia Creeper Trail, VA

✓ Explore Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND

✓ Cycle the Mickleson Trail, SD

✓ Cycle the Virginia Capitals Trail, VA

✓ Cycle the High Bridge Trail, VA

And so, here we are on August preparing for completion of another Life List item, touring New England.

In addition, there will be several opportunities to cycle Rail Trail Hall of Fame trails. The first leg of the trip will be to Marion, IL, where we will overnight. It will take about 6 hours to travel the 376 miles.

From there we will make the short drive to Tunnel Hill in order to cycle a portion of the Tunnel Hill State Trail.

Monday, July 19, was quiet; Kay had her second sleep study. That’s not the reason it was quiet, there’s just not a lot going on as I’m still hobbling around and she’s staying out of the heat.

Tuesday, Dan and I tripped to Weedhaven in Bradley County. Weedhaven is a name given to house and property owned and lived in by a good photographer friend; he and his wife have allowed it to grow naturally, and have supplemented that with native wildflowers and plants. He has mowed paths throughout the property, and it’s a photographer’s paradise. There were spectacular wildflowers blooming…

a few butterflies flittering about…

and even a few dragonflies made an appearance.

Nothing spectacular happened on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday Ridge and Aker came to visit for the weekend. It was so good to spend time with them.  However, on Saturday after breakfast, I began to feel feverish and achy with a slight headache and sore throat, all symptoms of COVID19, DELTA VARIANT. And, even though we have both been vaccinated, there were several hundred people at the pickleball tournament, and we guessed that the majority had not been vaccinated. Kay rushed the kids to meet their mom and their weekend with us was cut short; thus, no photos.

I continued to exhibit the symptoms on Sunday, and remained in or near the bed most of the day. The symptoms continued Monday, and I underwent a COVID test at the local pharmacy—and tested NEGATIVE. The slight fever—99° vs my normal of 97.2°— broke Tuesday evening. Meanwhile, Kay was carrying the load of taking care of me and doing all the household and outdoor chores.

We drove to the greater Memphis area on Wednesday to spend time with Jenny and her kids: Harper, Linc, and Sutton. We had not seen them in person since October! They all had grown a ton, and Harper, 9 on July 30, had become a tall young lady; the top of her head is even with Kay’s eyes, and she wears a women’s size 8 shoe. She is such a beautiful girl, inside and out. Linc, 2 years old, was motoring around everywhere and getting into everything. He is chunky and solid with long blonde hair and beautiful eyes. Little sister Sutton is almost a year old, and is a quiet child, though she did warm up to Kay. Harper joined us at the hotel for swimming; it was an indoor pool with HIGH levels of chlorine in the water. Regrettably, she had red eyes for a few hours.

After pool time, we had Harper’s birthday dinner at the restaurant of her choice, El Mezcal Restaurant, with the whole of Jenny’s family, and said our goodbyes until next time. 

We departed early Thursday morning for home to pack and prepare for our next adventure, stopping on the way at David’s Burgers for a $7.99 cheeseburger, no fries and no drink. We arrived home shortly after lunch. We continued packing and preparing on Friday and today on Saturday, with temperatures in the low 100°s.

The second pulled hamstring has really put a damper on activities, though Kay continues to stay busy with social obligations, golf, and pickleball.

We reserve Monday evenings for trip planning, and there are a couple in the works for August and September, mainly to escape the oppressive heat and humidity in Arkansas—more to come in the weeks ahead. Tuesday 13 was an errand day for Kay, and I remained around the house, making a few photos in the back. Still hobbling around like Chester on Gunsmoke, I attended a HSV Camera Club workshop, Low Light and Long Exposure, which was quite good. We still do not socialize much, and are cautious when we do, as a result in the exponential uptick of the Delta variation of COVID in Arkansas; don’t you just love Arkansas!

Wednesday 14 was Kay’s sports day with golf in the morning and pickleball. For someone who has never participated in sports, she is adapting very well and becoming credible in both golf and pickleball. As with yesterday, I made a few photos in the back yard, still hoping for the arrival of a few butterflies.

Thursday 15 was a really quiet day for us. Kay dropped off some stuff for her PEO group yard sale, and once again, I searched for the missing butterflies. We are blessed to have an abundance of dragonflies, though they are the same species day in day out.

The Spa City Classic pickleball tournament was held Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in the Hot Springs Convention Center. Events included Men’s and Women’s Singles, Men’s and Women’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles with Adult and Senior Divisions for each as well as featuring  JUNIOR DIVISIONS. With over 400 participants on 36 courts, it was pickleball madness. I worked the tournament on Friday and Saturday, and Kay worked Saturday. Most of the participants were under age 50, and a large number were aged below 40—it’s not just an old people’s game! 

We stayed home on Sunday, 18 and after church, relaxed. About 4 PM I ventured out with the camera and was rewarded with four species of butterflies and a number of dragonflies. Despite the sports injury, it was a good week.

We were glad to usher in a new month, hoping for cooler weather. Kay and Pam met a new Village resident at the Diamante pool, Brenda, and offered to show her the ropes on Thursday. They “visited” all the gates, drove around Hot Springs, and had a girly lunch in town. I continued the slow recovery from the pulled hamstring. On Friday, Kay and I drove National Forest roads near Hollister and then drove to Forked Mountain to enjoy the picturesque mountain vista. We chilled Saturday.

July 4, Sunday, was celebrated at Jim and Jackie’s with a hot dog cookout and luscious desserts. Along with Jim and Jackie were Pam, Don, Martha, Bobby, and Kay and me. After the cookout, Kay and Pam enjoyed the annual Hot Springs Village fireworks. Monday continued the Independence Day holiday, but for us it was a quiet day, mostly spent at home. The hamstring pull has very much limited my activities.

Kay resumed her social activities on Tuesday, attending a PEO meeting, etc. I used the day—another “free” day— to edit old photos and delete duplicates and photos not meeting the quality standard. Kay played golf Wednesday morning. While butterflies have been largely absent from out place, dragonflies zoom all over the place. Some even posed long enough for photos.

Anxious to get back in the swing of things, I opted to play pickleball on Thursday morning—a huge mistake! Despite stretching and warming up, I pulled the same hamstring before the first point was ever recorded. This is going to mean a long, drawn-out recovery. While I remained home with ice packs on the hamstring, Kay played golf on Friday, followed by pool time in the afternoon. Saturday and Sunday were “quiet” days as I continued the slow recovery. This injury seems worse than the previous one—more time to work on photos.

Typically, the first of each week is when I play golf, with some pickleball mixed in, whereas Kay plays golf towards the end of the week. During a fun pickleball match Monday morning, a move left and an immediate side step right resulted in a painful pulled left hamstring, and I stretched before the game. Thus, no golf nor pickleball for me for the foreseeable future.

Kay and I had our first official checkup with our new doctor, Dr. Seth Barnes, late Tuesday afternoon. We are both doing great, and our bloodwork was within the margins.

Kay had an early golf day Wednesday, I got a haircut, and the house got cleaned—a pretty full morning. I did manage to hobble out to the back for a couple of photographs. It’s been so hot and humid that making photos has been pushed to the back burner. June 2021 is a wrap!

Challenging pickleball matches on Thursday morning provided a lot of exercise and laughter—pickleball is so addictive.

This was a girls’ weekend. Kay played golf Friday afternoon and got home, just before Sue, Kay’s friend from early childhood, arrived for a weekend visit. While they caught up on news and happenings, a butterfly and a few dragonflies posed in our back “yard” for photographs.

Saturday night was girls’ night out at the casino, and included Pam; no one bragged about winning lots of money. I saved a bunch of money by not going— the camera equipment doesn’t count—and instead making photos of a couple of dragonflies.

We all went to church on Sunday and heard Sieg, our pastor, preach one of his finest sermons (at least it spoke to me) on “Reconciliation”. After church and blueberry pancake breakfast, a couple species of butterflies and a couple species of dragonflies allowed their portrait to be made in the back of our property. 

Heat and humidity has dominated the weather this week; soaking wet clothes are common place when performing any outside activity.

I played golf on Monday; Tuesday was a “free” day except for some glamour appointments by our resident beauty, Kay. 

She golfed early Wednesday morning, and I watered deck and patio plants. While watering, a few dragonflies were hunting prey while dodging their own predators, hungry birds, in our back “yard”. Also, a Least Skipper made its presence known on nearby aquatic vegetation at lake’s edge. Here a a couple of photos.

Afterward, Jane Dunn (no relation), a Facebook friend and retired professor of biology at Henderson State University (her husband was president of HSU), communicated a desire to see and photograph Diana Fritillaries and off we went to a nearby natural area. Our first stop was to see the very rare Pelton’s Rose Gentia wildflower, and on the walk photographing a couple of dragonflies, including a possible rare Ouachita Spiketail.

Regrettably, there were few butterflies nectaring, but she did get a few photos. Dragonflies were abundant and we both got several great photos, including a spectacular Calico Pennant.

We also saw a Jewelweed bloom and a lizard.

Kay and I wrapped up the day playing pickleball with the Hot Spring Village Paddle Wheelers.