Riding the Tunnel Hill Trail

Ken and I have been taking little two-day trips to ride some of the Rails-to-Trails bicycle paths within a few hours’ drive from us. These are paths created where once a railroad was, so they have very few steep hills and they are in the prettiest settings! Did you know that Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has over 2200 rail-trails across the U.S. covering almost 25,000 miles? And with another potential 9000+ miles to develop into trails!

A couple of weeks ago, I shared about our ride on the Katy Trail. Our most recent trip took us across the Mississippi River to Vienna, Illinois (pronounced Vy-EN-uh) to ride the Tunnel Hill Trail. What a gorgeous place, and early to mid-October was the perfect time to see some glorious fall color, yet still have temperate weather.

Like most Rails-to-Trails routes, this one features lots of bridges and tunnels, and much of the trail is beneath a canopy of trees.

Tunnel Hill trail has one marvelous and memorable tunnel.

Yes, you can see straight through to the other side as you approach the tunnel, but don’t let that fool you!

It takes a full minute to get through to the other side, and it is DARK in the middle! We’d been warned that it is a little disorienting riding through, and that was certainly true. The advice we got—just keep your eyes on the light at the end of the tunnel—was exactly right (and good advice for life, too!)

Just past the tunnel was a little picnic area with restrooms, so we stopped and ate the sandwiches we’d packed, then turned around and headed back through the tunnel. We rode over 30 miles of the trail in two days and thoroughly enjoyed every one! Ken hit the 400-mile mark on his bike while we were there.

On the way back, we stopped at this rustic little shack where we never saw a soul, but the shop was open for on-your-honor business. A freezer full of ice cream sandwiches (we chose Drumsticks!) and a coffee can to put your payment in. Wow, did that encourage me about America in 2020—that a business could still operate that way!

I’ve probably made this confession here before, but when Ken bought these bikes, I went along kicking and screaming. I’ve had to apologize for my attitude and I have thanked him a dozen times for this best-purchase-ever and for forcing me to try new things and get out of my comfort zone. We are making the BEST memories in these empty nest years!

What about you? Has there ever been something new that you’ve tried reluctantly but discovered a new adventure in the process?