Day Four: Henderson to Morganfield to Dixon to Marion (Henderson, Union, Webster, and Crittenden Counties)

November 13, 2025

I had a long day planned, so I needed to get an early start now that the sun goes down so early here. Joy drove me the few miles from our house to downtown Henderson, where I took a photo in front of the courthouse, and then I started riding at just after 6:00. The sun was barely up, but I had my lights on, and there was very little traffic in town this early.

Downton Henderson is split into two parts by super-busy Green Street. Fortunately, at 6:10 AM Green Street was about as quiet as it ever gets, so I had no problem crossing it this morning.

I've spent lots of time since we've lived in the area on the riverfront side of the street, where there's a nice walking path, but I rarely venture into the neighborhoods on the other side of Green Street. So it was mildly interesting riding over there. It's a much more blue collar area, with none of the historic, well maintained homes on the other side of the street.

In a few miles I was out of town, and on the country roads that are very familiar to me. I bike on these roads all the time.

My first destination was Morganfield, the Union county seat. Staying off busy US-60 to get there requires a lot of zigzagging on country roads, some of them gravel:

As I rode toward Union County, the scenery became less pleasant. This is, frankly, an unattractive area. Very flat and prone to flooding. I passed a large mining operation that was so loud I could hear it for miles. I suppose the people living in the surrounding area get used to it, but it would drive me crazy.

I was on "House Bridge Road" for several miles. I assume this is the reason for the name:

I stopped briefly in Waverly (pop. 297) and looked around.

I've been to Waverly before on day rides. There's a skating rink there that I assume is long-closed. I took a few photos of it:

I rode a few new (for me) roads on the way to Morganfield. Traffic was very light. It was still chilly, but the sun was out, and I was bundled up. It was a pleasant ride so far. The scenery had improved a lot since the super-flat area outside Waverly.

I arrived in Morganfield (pop. 3,313). I've been there before on the bike, but I found a few new things to photograph.

This bike sculpture/mural was interesting:

I took a photo of the Union County courthouse, which unfortunately had no signage identifying it.

There's not a lot in downtown Morganfield. As usual, the action has moved to the Wal Mart on the edge of town.

As I rode away from the courthouse square, a man in a pickup truck waiting at the red light called out "Where are you traveling?" I briefly explained my "120 Counties" project in a couple of sentences, and he seemed impressed. He probably would not have been as impressed if I'd told him I'd only ridden through 9 of the 120 counties so far.

I rode five miles on US-56 to get out of town. It was busier than I prefer, but not horrible. Then I exited the highway and rode on a series of great, low traffic roads all the way to my next destination, Dixon, the Webster County seat.

I've been to Dixon many, many times on bike rides, including my first tour, the TransAmerica Trail.

I was hungry, so I stopped at the grimy convenience store there to buy a few snacks. There is a restaurant adjacent to the store, but I shun it now, after an incident a few years ago when my credit card was charged $80 for an order of french fries.

Webster County has an interesting courthouse, but unfortunately the sun was in the wrong position for me to get a good photo of it.

The eleven or so mostly flat miles to Clay (pop. 1,031) was pleasant. I decided I needed some real food after 60 miles, so I stopped at Jeri's Cafe for a lunch of grilled cheese and fries, then headed out of town on the TransAmerica Trail route to Marion.

The road was closed after several miles, but there no workers around, so I just walked my bike through it.

Just before leaving the TransAmerica Trail route.

I've ridden the TransAmerica Trail route between Clay and Marion several times over the years. It's 22 miles on a mostly, but not completely, quiet state highway. I decided today to take an alternate route for much of those miles, and exited onto the first of several completely empty gravel and paved roads:

This was a great route. Lots of woods. Quite hilly. No traffic at all.

A couple of times the roads crossed creeks on the most minimal "bridges" imaginable. Fortunately the creeks were low today:

I love these narrow, empty Kentucky lanes. They are barely wider than the length of my bike:

I returned to the TransAmerica Trail after a few gut busting climbs, and then did a few more climbs on the busier highway into Marion (pop. 2,876), the Crittenden County seat.

The main intersection in Marion, through which super-busy US-60 runs, is always trafficky. I was going to get a photo of my bike in front of the courthouse at this intersection, but the courthouse was gone! In its place was a fenced-in lot where a new "judicial center" was in the early stages of construction.

I decided I'd get a photo of this early tomorrow when I rode out, instead of the busy afternoon rush hour.

After some difficulty locating my AirBnB, I did the usual post-chore rides, obtained a large cheese pizza, did some work, then went to bed at my usual early hour.

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Today's ride: 84 miles (135 km)
Total: 272 miles (438 km)

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George (Buddy) HallInteresting journal theme, I'm enjoying following along. A bit surprised you didn’t stay at the church hostel in Marion.
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2 months ago

Jeff LeeTo George (Buddy) HallThanks. I didn't sleep well the last time I stayed in the church, so I was hoping that the Airbnb would be better in that regard. Unfortunately, I didn't sleep well there either, because of the barking dogs.

In recent years, the biggest problem I've had while touring is getting enough sleep at night. That's also becoming a problem at home, so I guess I need to get a sleep study done.
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2 months ago

George (Buddy) HallTo Jeff LeeFWIW, I've been using a cpap for sleep apnea for 4 years now. I definitely sleep better. A few noteworthy points; 1.) approx 50% of patients quit using the cpap in the 1st year, 2.) The longer and more consistently you use it, the better it works for you, 3.) The cpap machines aren't cheap - my home machine cost $1,600 and my travel machine was $800, and 4.) Insurance helped pay for my home machine (they'll only pay for 1, so my travel machine was all on me). You can travel with a normal home machine, and I did for a while, but it's a bit bulky for bicycle touring. So I purchased a travel machine, much smaller and lighter, and carried it on my Great Rivers South tour in 2022. I've been told that some travel units are battery powered, but mine isn’t so I need a plugin at night.
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2 months ago