Day 15 - May 25, 2023. Louisville, KY - Madison, IN

It looked like a glorious day ahead.  And hopefully a bit easier day for the guides.  On Wednesday we started out with a flat tire on one of the vehicles (with a less-than-helpful tire shop across the street) and one of the guides had spent the night in Louisville after accompanying one of our riders in the ambulance to the Louisville trauma centre.  The injured rider is doing better, but sadly she requires surgery and then will be heading home with her two (adult) children.  

We reversed our route out of downtown Louisville and across the Big Four Bridge to Jeffersonville IN.  Good thing we only have margaritas the first time we enter a state, or we would be having a margarita party nearly every night!  More pics of the Big Four Bridge.  






We then rode along the Ohio River for the first 10 miles or so.  Some beautiful homes along that stretch!  I pulled in to take a shot of this little statue at the Utica Twp. Fire & Rescue Station.  I barely had time to get my camera out and there was a young man bouncing out of the building to ensure that I didn't have a medical emergency!



It was pretty steadily populated until we turned inland.  The advantage of being away from the river was more tree cover and shade, although the temperature was not too high yet.  



SAG stop in Charlestown at the town square.  Nice spot!







We were into a bit more mixed rural terrain after Charlestown, including a few farms growing the usual - corn, soybeans, wheat, plus a few cattle.  Oh - and trolls and turkey vultures.



Quiet roads all day.  Our only challenge was the continual headwinds - ugh!

We had to contend with a bit of a rough road and traffic on our final descent into the city of Madison.  It's such a shame to ruin a rare downhill run!  I meandered through town a bit before heading to the hotel.  It looks like a lovely little city - a vibrant Main Street, a lovely riverfront setting and a historic part of town.  I did pick up a brochure about the historic UGRR part of town at the visitor centre, but unfortunately didn't read it until after dinner.  In the neighbourhood of Georgetown there are about a dozen properties with UGRR significance.























We're staying in a lovely hotel tonight.  The Fairfield Inn and Suites opened in 2021 in what used to be the historic Eagle Cotton Mill.  $22 million later the cotton mill, built in 1884 and abandoned for 30 years, is now an 85-room boutique hotel and conference centre.  






Madison, Indiana.

Population 12,357 (2020).  Madison is the largest city along the Ohio River between Louisville and Cincinnati.  The median household income in 2000 was $35,092.  Madison's location across the Ohio River from Kentucky made it an important location on the Underground Railroad.  George DeBaptiste's barbershop in town became a nerve centre of the local group.  By 1850, Madison was among the 100 largest cities in the US.  Downtown Madison was granted National Historic Landmark District status in 2006.  


Stats for the day:

Distance:  89.3 km / 55 miles

Elevation (Garmin):  1030m up / 941m down.  3379' up / 3088' down.

Elevation (RWGPS):  768m up / 765m down.  2519' up / 2509' down.

Weather:  15C - 29C.  Beautiful, sunny day.  Headwind all day, but oh well - it wasn't a tough ride.  And it really didn't warm up over about 23C until the last hour or so.  
















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