Day 28 - Pounds Hollow, IL

Leaving early has its advantages: the roads were lovely and quiet and it was still cool enough for the wildlife to be out and about. We saw a few more turkeys on the side of the road, yet again we saw them too late to get a picture! And we saw a couple of deer munching on grass.

We left our campsite on the Land Between the Lakes National Reserve and headed straight up the middle and then over the bridges onto mainland.

We had a bit of time to kill so decided to check out the dams that resulted in the 2 lakes surrounding Land Between the Lakes. The two dams were Barkley Dam and Kentucky Dam. They are really impressive dams, both of them are huge and must have been a real feat in engineering to design, build and run these. Both the dams were spilling a lot of water out into the rivers, the lakes must be very full!

We then crossed the border into Illinois and headed down scenic Route 64 which took us through the Illinois countryside. The roads were empty and either side were just acres and acres of farms. It was a really pretty drive.

First stop was the Smithland Locks and Dam which I had read somewhere as having a really interesting visitors center explaining the the 30 lakes and locks, how they were built and why they are needed. We arrived only to find that the visitor center has been shut down. All we could do was take a picture of the sign and move on.

Next up was a cute little village of Elizabethville. It has a population of less than 300 people and sits alongside the Ohio river. We found a little picnic area, made some lunch and chilled out for a bit watching the river.

Next on my itinerary was Cave in Rock State Park which was just down the road from Elizabethville. We arrived in the town of Cave in Rock and noticed a free car ferry that takes you across the Ohio river and into the state of Kentucky (the river is the border between the two states). After some persuasion from me, Lee agreed to drive onto the ferry!

I thought the ride was awesome! You drive your car onto the ferry then this little boat next to it, turns around pushing the boat the car is on in the wrong direction initially and then pulls you across the river to the other side.

We got straight off the ferry and straight back on again to get us back to the other side!

With us safely back on dry land, we headed to Cave in Rock State Park. This is a free park which preserves a 55-foot-wide cave that was carved out of the limestone rock by water thousands of years ago on the bank of the river. We walked down the path to the river and into the cave itself. It was impressive! We both made the mistake of wearing our Toms rather than walking boots so couldn't walk all the way in as it was too muddy and slippery.

We then headed out of the State Pack and towards out campsite in Pounds Hollow Recreation Area. This was another First Come First Served campsite, but we didn't need to worry, when we got there, is was very empty and most sites were available. We drove around and found a nice spot we liked, under the trees but with a little bit sun and then unpacked the tent.

We chose Pounds Hollow as it is located in the middle of the Shawnee Hills, a great location for exploring. We drove a couple of miles down the road to the Rim Rock Hiking Trail. The trail takes you around the rim of a large rock formation (hence the name) and in the middle of the trail, you can take the steps down to the bottom. It was a couple of miles of hiking but the steep slope back up to the top made it feel further.

With the hike done, we then headed to Garden of the Gods. It was as impressive as the name! You walk along a trail on the edge of rocky outcrop and there you can climb onto the rocks and look down. There are no railing, ropes or any other form of safety apparatus! I was not a fan as I was worried about falling and hated every minute but Lee loved it (a little too much for my liking!)

After such a long day, we were both knackered. Lee had a huge sugar overload from a raspberry slush puppy and I had an afternoon nap.

Dinner was again on the fire but we didn't buy any firewood, we scavenged around the woods and the campsite (avoiding any snakes) and found enough dead wood to build a really good fire.