Florida - Georgia - Running Withlacoochee but Without the Band

Florida Georgia Line? Yes, I did write to the band's agent and invite them to join me on this run. I never got a response. Maybe they don't run. Maybe I am too fast for them. Maybe they were busy. In any case, I had a great run - maybe I can meet them there later after they have time to get in shape.

The Four Freedoms Trail is a rails-to-trails wooded & paved trail that goes from Madison to the Withlacoochee River. I grabbed the trail near Pinetta and ran to the river to see the old rail bridge. There is a private road that actually runs from there to the border but it didn't seem to be a good idea to run down that road without approval and there was no obvious way to get permission. So I ran back and cut off on N.E. Pineapple Street (a dirt road) for a 3.5 mile addition through (pine) timber forests - nice & very solitary. This led over to State Road 145 to the bridge crossing the Withlacoochee River and a "Welcome to Georgia" sign - Thanks Jeanne at Madison County Planning.

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Georgia - Florida - Running Quitman but I CAN'T Quit MAN

I ran on the Georgia side of Ochlawilla Road in Quitman, Georgia past the Primitive Baptist Church before turning south and entering Florida. The photo shows one of the majestic old trees that will outlive my #CARPe. Great run with little company other than a few tiny dogs with a big bark. This is too much fun to QUIT, MAN.

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Borders Completed As of 12/09/2015

9 times 2 state borders remaining

Michigan - Ohio - You'll do better in Toledo

Yes, I scaled the chain-link fenced and jumped directly over the "No Trespassing" sign and landed near a cross memorializing others. But in my defense I was leaving the area that did not allow trespassing and so technically, I don't think that the sign applied to me. And like information, borders want to be free & I was only feet from the border when I encountered this obstacle. So unless someone was in hot pursuit, I assumed that their jurisdiction wouldn't allow them to pursue me across the border. Of course, at my new normal pace they might have passed me instead of pursuing me. Or so I thought until I was inspired by the sign reading "You'll do better in Toledo". How did they know?

You'll do better in Toledo

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Wisconsin - Illinois - Running Jane

Pay money to run? There are a number of trails around the country that require a paid permit to use them - usually just a few dollars. And I almost always get a permit if I have money. But more than once I have found myself dropped at a starting point only to discover that I needed money that I didn't have on me in order to get to my ending point. The only logical action is to go ahead and run without a permit, but it always seems like an act of civil disobedience. Or maybe it only applies to snowmobilers & ATV'ers in this part of the world.

Jane Adams Trail Orangeville, Illinois

End of Badger Trail & start of Jane Adams Trail

Orangeville access point to Jane Adams Trail in Illinois

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Iowa - Illinois - Running for Office

To successfully win the Iowa Caucus a candidate needs to get groups to vote in support.  To successfully cross the Iowa - Illinois border, a single runner can take the Julien Dubuque Bridge as it crosses the Mississippi River, joining the cities of Dubuque, Iowa, and East Dubuque, Illinois. The bridge is safe enough but access to the pedestrian portion requires crossing 6 traffic flows (outbound for me!) or knowledge of a shortcut under the bridge to downtown sidewalks (inbound for me!)

East Dubuque, Illinois

The pedestrian section of a bridge as an afterthought?

Bernie Sander's office in Dubuque Iowa

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Ohio - Michigan - Finding State Line Road from the State Line

How can you get lost when you are standing on the state line & you are looking for State Line Road? Many times when I  jump out of the car to start a run, I agree to meet back up at a certain place at an approximate time. That way, if the distance is shorter (or longer usually) than I expected or if I make stops for selfies or being a tourist or general curiosity, it is no big deal. But what happens when I space on a turn or forget the exact route or streets have different names on the signs than on the maps or I decide to try a different route for whatever reason makes it look more interesting or attractive at that moment?

Such was the case as I passed from Ohio to Michigan with plans to turn on State Line Road & parallel the border for a few miles. Had I missed the turn already? Did it lie farther ahead? Two things I was certain of: State Line Road was not where the state border signs were and (2) State Line Liquor was near the state line but not on State Line Road. So I turned around & headed back to find it. And that added 2 miles to my run. Not that anyone waiting at the end noticed.

Pure Michigan Sign

State Line Liquor is NOT on State Line Road

Connie's Celebrations on the Michigan Ohio State Line

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Illinois - Iowa - Sunday Morning Run

Starting your run in a place called Rock Island just seems cool and the city planners laid out a nice loop for me to follow: over one bridge towards the Davenport baseball stadium, through the quiet Sunday morning city streets, past the casino, past the popular, but "To Go" coffee shop, back on a different bridge near a dam & an Army installation, back over the river & finishing on the riverside bike path. I expected a bigger challenge today from the mighty Mississippi.

Sunday morning traffic in Davenport allows posing on the median

Crossing the Mississippi River in style

Good Advice that I just didn't take

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West Virginia - Kentucky - Running the Big Sandy

Kentucky has a lot of borders at rivers but the one at Fort Gay, WV 25514 has 2 bridges that cross a smaller river, the Big Sandy, to Fulkerson Dr, Louisa, KY 41230  where you can wind along the side streets up to Food City Grocery Store on the highway. There isn't much excitement but there is a sidewalk on the bridge and not a lot of vehicle traffic & even less pedestrian flow.

Louisa KY

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Illinois - Wisconsin - The Cheesehead Run

Hello again Wisconsin, Big cities have a way of owning the surroundings and making runs become urban and Chicago extends its tentacles far from downtown. So it was a pleasure to encounter good weather and a nice empty, wooded trail on the beginning of the corridor near Lake Michigan. If only I had resisted the stopover just before that at one of Wisconsin's largest cheese stores (Mars Cheese Castle). Oh well I had wanted to experience a moment as a cheesehead.

Bike trail at border near Russell Street in Kenosha, Wisconsin

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Kentucky - West Virginia - Running to Wild & Wolderful

I challenged Governor Earl Ray Tomblin last year to join me for a run, but I didn't see him today as I ran from my dropoff point at a McDonald's in Catlettsburg, KY  (McDonalds on 23) to the McDonalds in Kenova, WV with a detour through a few neighborhoods to get the local feel. While I don't eat much at McDonalds, I should say thanks for having so many locations where I can change clothes, visit a bathroom, or order a soda or coffee.

Pedestrian access on Catlettsburg, KY  bridge to Kenova, WV

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Michigan - Indiana - Running One for the Gipper

In my plans, I had imagined running past the state line through the campus of Notre Dame into the football stadium where a roaring crowd would cheer at a ridiculously loud level or chant my name like they did for Rudy. But the reality was passing by a Stateline Mini Mart on my way towards the freeway where my ride awaited at a not-so-busy Starbucks.

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Indiana - Michigan - Faster than the service

A quick 4 mile run on a country road leading to lunch at the lake. I told them to go ahead & order but no food had been served. So at least I was faster than the service! Of course, our waitress was recovering from a skateboarding accident and wearing a leg cast. Oh well, we all have an excuse at the finish line don't we?

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Iowa - Wisconsin - Running like 007 - Or Living Dangerously

Running bridges without a pedestrian section is always interesting (read living dangerously). I had seen this bridge on a Google images search. I had looked at it on Google satellite. I had called 2 Dubuque bike shops & talked about it. I had traded messages with a helpful local running club president. But until you get there, it is just hard to know exactly what you will find - and how that will make you feel. And so it was today as I looked ahead on the bridge and saw that some sort of road construction was underway and that the 2 lane speedway was merging into a single lane. But the orange cones merely blocked off a lane & I interpreted that to mean that they had reserved the lane for my running needs. That made it a lot more fun. But I do still tend to have faster splits on roads like this!

Roadwork on Iowa - Wisconsin Bridge

Me standing on a post at Iowa Wisconsin border sign

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Wisconsin - Iowa - A Hair-raising Run

Check out the difference in my hair from one side of the bridge to the other. There are 2 possible explanations: (1) wind or (2) the thrill of running towards 65 miles per hour traffic on the shoulder with a 26 inch (my guess) barrier between me & a 50 foot fall into the cold, dark waters of the mighty, muddy waters of the Mississippi River.

Iowa in the background - Iowa - Wisconsin bridge

Iowa Welcomes You Sign on  Iowa - Wisconsin bridge

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Missouri - Illinois - Running to get my Kicks - On Route 66

The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge served as the St. Louis crossing of the Mississippi River for about 30 years. It was considered a tourist draw as people lined up to drive across and admire the beautiful view - particular where the bridge makes an angled turn. Now it is a pedestrian bridge that measures 5353 feet - just more than a mile. There are some nice exhibits, signs and extras to retain the nostalgic feel of Route 66.

Old Chain of Rocks Bridge

Illinois Sign on Old Chain of Rocks Bridge

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Indiana - Illinois - Running the Wabash Cannonball

Thanks to my crack researcher, I found an old, one-lane 2-section bridge - the Wabash Cannonball Toll Bridge from St. Francisville, IL to Indiana, over the Wabash River. That means that traffic can only go one direction at a time. Basically, that means that (people in) cars look to see if another car is on the bridge & if not, it can go. As a runner, it means run as fast as you can because you never know when another car will enter and your "right" to the bridge is tenuous anyway. The bridge is probably safe enough but some of the boards bounce up when weight goes on one end. The trusses in the middle portion of the single lane are not covered and are a broken ankle or at least a nasty fall waiting for those that lose focus - but remember to focus on getting across the bridge as fast as possible before there is oncoming traffic or even traffic flowing the same direction.

Watch that left foot - a few more inches to the middle would be dangerous!

Here is someone's video of the bridge - set to Johnny Cash's famous song about the train - The Wabash Cannonball

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Illinois - Indiana - Running in bright yellow

Hunting season has arrived and so I donned a bright fluorescent shirt to run on the dirt road through the woods and fields from Illinois to Indiana near New Haven, Illinois. The weather was bright & sunny and made for a pleasant rural run with the exception of a few muddy spots. The actual border was marked by a gate on the road - a common sight at borders separating different landowners. Immediately afterwards were old (inactive) drilling rigs with "No Trespassing" signs. But they were meant for hunters and people that might cause damage - not for Crazy Runners.

Mud puddle or fishing spot?

Farms are everywhere

Trying to keep out runners? Then the NO SMOKING part is not necessary

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Illinois - Kentucky - The 132 Cockle Burr Run

This border does not want to be run. The Ohio River looms large and has few bridge crossings between these 2 states. The bridge crossings that exist are pretty dangerous for running. For me, that made the on-land area near Old Shawneetown, IL the best option. And there are plenty of empty dirt roads on the Illinois side for great runs of varied distances. But for me to be 100% certain that I had run across the state border, I had to freestyle and make my own trail through brush and briars and trees. It was only after I stopped that I realized that my long running pants and my socks and my shoes had collected cockle burrs (like sand spurs). Overall (& according to my count), I removed 132 during & after the run.

Look how high floodwaters from the river had left deposits

Gravel road among the beans

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Illinois - Missouri - Showing the Show-Me State How I Run

Simple plan: get dropped off in Venice, Illinois & get picked up in Madison, Illinois. It is a bit less than 12 miles total counting the two 1-mile bridge crossings of the Mississippi River. The first bridge is McKinley and it has a dedicated pedestrian lane on the eastbound side with a great view of St.Louis and the arch. Once I reached the  shore in Missouri, I followed the sweeping circle SOUTH to grab the trail NORTH. I saw one group of 3 bicyclists in the first 5 miles and about a dozen people total before reaching the second bridge - so you are basically running alone on a paved trail behind factories.

McKinley Bridge Venice IL - St. Louis Missouri

St. Louis & Mississippi River

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