Taking advantage of less humidity we decided to ride 250 miles to Nashville, Indiana. For those you who've never been to Indiana let's just say the roads are a challenge. If you find yourself detoured off the main highways, which is often, there are never any posted short detours. You are directed way out of your way. I'm sure this is because off the main highways most Indiana roads are gravel and/or full of potholes as they take you in circles to only the Lord knows where. But there is a saying we have when riding. "We're never lost because it just doesn't matter."
As you can see by the link, Nashville is basically a tourist trap type town but it is fun. There are great shops and skilled craftsmen on every block. The homes are wonderfull and the people are truly very friendly. But it was on the way home that we had the most fun riding. We took a nice winding country road through Brown county forest. The country side was again breathtaking. One small town we went through , the town of Story, was very inviting and we may go back there for a stay at the inn.
The weather was nice the 2nd week of October. The the leaves were turning, the sun was shining, and we needed to take advantage of the moment and get in what may well be the last trip until Spring 2012. On October 9th at 9 a.m. we rode south out of Ohio on U.S. Rte 68 to the Ohio River, but not before stopping for breakfast at Indian Lake. Rte 68 is a decent route to take to get out of Ohio to the south. It sure beats the interstate. We rode until 3 p.m., which put us in Morehead, Ky. We booked a room at the Holiday Inn and then took a ride through the country side. It was just great!!!
At 9:30 a.m. the next day we rode west on Rt 60 to Rt.11 south to 30 south to 8 west (Cumberland to Columbia) and stopped for lunch at an Italian restaurant. Booking a room at a Best western we once again rode around the country side. The leaves weren't all ready to change but it still was gorgeous; as are most of Kentucky's back roads.
On October 11th at 8:15 a.m. we headed out to Mammoth Cave. Once again it was a super ride and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. Now, if you want to take a tour at Mammoth Cave ya better be fit and preferrably younger than we are. The many tours consisted of 100's of stairs. With my knee and Gypsy's back all of the tours were out of the question. But at least we can say we've been to Mammoth Cave. From Mammoth Cave we rode north on Ky 259 to 135 north to 56E to I-65 north. Except for the short miles on I-65 the ride was wonderful. We had crossed the Ohio River into Indiana about 40 miles west of Louisville. We spent the night in Semore, Indiana.
At 9 a.m. on October 12th it was cloudy, cool, and drizzle. This is when we decided to take the interstates back home. We were about 3 hours from home via the interstate and I just couldn't see taking longer, more scenic routes in the rain and the cold. So, I-65 North to I-70 East to I-75 North and we were home before 2 p.m. While cold, overcast, and windy, it was still a good ride. Safe is always good.