Rivers, Another Traveler Along the Way, and My Last Stop Before Home

Content Advisory: This blog post is written and designed with children ten years old and younger in mind. Kids, you can go ahead and skip this paragraph and start reading. Adults, make sure you get permission from your child before reading. If you don't have a child, it's okay to get permission from your niece, nephew, 2nd cousin once removed, or that little girl who lives next doors who's always leaving her toys in your driveway (In all seriousness, I encourage all of you to share these blog posts with your children, maybe even read them to your children who are not yet able to read).

(Click here to find out what this ride is all about. I encourage all who are able to support the children of Ryves Youth Center with a donation. Click here to make a donation.)

Today I rode 83 miles from Sebree, Kentucky to Vincennes, Indiana. Vincennes is only about 60 miles south of Terre Haute, and 75 miles south of Clinton. Tomorrow I will be riding through Terre Haute and will finish the ride where I started it, at my dad's house in Clinton.

Today I left the cycling hostel at around 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. Before I took off, I told the other three cyclists farewell and wished them well on their journey west as they continued crossing the United States. They still have a long way to go, but I am almost home. I took this picture with Stephen before I left:

Today while I rode, I prayed for safe travel for all of these cyclists still heading west toward the Pacific Ocean.

I crossed the Ohio River again today, and right after I crossed it, I also crossed the border from Kentucky to Indiana. The part of the Ohio River that runs next to Indiana is not nearly as wide as the part of the Ohio River that I crossed when I left Illinois; it's still a lot wider than the Wabash River, though. I went through the city of Evansville, which had a lot of stoplights. I had been through Evansville in a car before, but I'd never been though it on a bicycle.

After I got through Evansville, I met a man who was walking the other way. I don't know if he wants me to use his real name on my blog, so I'll just call him John. It was very hot outside and he didn't have anything to drink, so I gave him a bottle of Gatorade, since I had an extra bottle and still had plenty enough for myself. John told me that he had just gotten out of jail and was trying to get back to Evansville. I was glad to be able to help him out with something, but I couldn't give him a ride since I was just on a bicycle and not in a car. I was glad to be able to help him.

It's important to know that just because someone has been to jail, that doesn't mean he or she is a bad person. We all do bad things and make mistakes sometimes, and people who go to jail usually end up there because they made the mistake of breaking a law. But they can always learn to make better choices so that they won't end up in jail again. I have met a lot of kids who have a mom or dad who is in jail, and all of them are good kids. It's not their fault that their mom or dad went to jail—things like going to jail happen because of the choices that grown-ups make. I hope all of those kids know that their parents still love them, even though they might be in jail. I am glad that I was able to help John today...It's important to care about people and help them, even though they might have made wrong choices in the past. Even though I have never been to jail, I have made wrong choices in the past, and God still loves me—when I remember that, it helps me to be kind with other people who have made mistakes. If people know that they are loved and cared for, that can often give them hope that they can live a better life.

I wanted to share some more pictures. Here is a picture of my bicycle at the Indiana State Line:

Here is a picture of what appear to be animal burrows next to a creek. What kind of animals do you think might live in these burrows?

This is the creek that was next to the burrows

Here is a picture I took of the White River. You will notice that there are a lot of birds flying around. If you remember my post from day 6, there were a lot of birds flying around on the bridge that crossed the Tennessee River, too. I have a theory as to why there are so many birds next to these bridges. I think that they like to build their nests underneath the bridge so that they won't get wet from the rain. Do you agree with my theory? Or do you have a different theory as to why there are so many birds flying around next to these bridges?

Just north of the White River, I crossed into Knox County (the county that Vincennes is in). Knox County is very flat and open, with huge fields stretching in every direction. Here is one picture I took:

I stopped at a bike shop in Vincennes, where I bought a new tire and put it on the back wheel of my bicycle. Tonight I will be camping just north of Vincennes and will be starting the ride home to Clinton first thing in the morning. As fun as this trip has been, I do miss my family back in Clinton and Terre Haute, and it is good to know that I will be home soon.

Stay tuned for my final blog post of this trip, which I plan to post tomorrow evening.