41 miles
On the spur of the moment we decided to drive south a few hours and ride the Tunnel Hill State Trail. This section is located in the Shawnee National Forest. We started in Vienna, Illinois and rode uphill 9 miles before reaching the Tunnel. It was originally 800 feet long but in 1929 a portion collapsed now making it 534 feet. After going through the tunnel we enjoyed an up and down ride to the small town of Stonefort. The trail map indicated that there was food there but we couldn't find any. Our plan had been to eat lunch there before making our return ride back to Vienna. Thank goodness that we had a huge breakfast this morning at Country Schemes Bed & Breakfast!
View coming up to the tunnel from the South
View looking South from the tunnel
It was hot and humid, and even with the tree cover, we were still glad that we had gotten an early start and had finished before the hottest part of the day.
Random thoughts as I rode through the tunnel:
*Ahhh, the coolness feels wonderful!
*I sure hope there isn't an earthquake while we are in here.
*Maybe we should have gotten off and walked. (I had the strangest feeling while in there, almost like vertigo)
*Why did I leave my sunglasses on. I actually reached up and tried to remove them but, of course, they weren't there!
Our hostess from the Bed & Breakfast was actually one of the people in this area that got this trail started. It was very interesting to talk to her about it and what she had to do to get it going. Thanks Norma, your trail is a great asset to the area!
