Ride 59: Lucky Horseshoe

  Biking Illinois: 60 Great Road Trips and Trail Rides  

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Olive Branch, IL           July 9, 2005

By the time I got to the end of my book, I was feeling a little subversive. While the name of this ride is appropriate since it goes around Horseshoe Lake (Horseshoe Lake Conservation Area in far southern Illinois, not Horseshoe Lake State Park near St. Louis), I also chose the name because it's a gay strip club in my old neighborhood. I always tease my wife that I used to work  there.

This flat ride is much easier than the other ride that starts in Olive Branch. The leafless photos are from a scouting expedition in December 2004. The greener photos are from July 2005. What I love about this area is that it looks like a Louisiana bayou. The only other place in Illinois that I know of like this is Cache River State Natural Area  at the south end of the Tunnel Hill State Trail.

       

       

       

       

This is the spillway  that keeps the water level at four feet  in Horseshoe Lake.

The wild lotus plants in full bloom were a pleasant surprise when I pedaled the route in early July.

       

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