George Rogers Clark Trail
Day 12: September 1st, 1999 Paducah — Cape Girardeau
Breakfast is again at Denny’s. At a quarter past ten I drive on Highway 60 into the city of Paducah. At the bank of the River, there is a long concrete wall, where some artists have left some very nice pictures.
![Sallie Circle Rd, KY Sallie Circle Rd, KY](pics/19990901_10_14_Sallie_Circle_Rd_Kentucky_68x100.jpg)
![Sallie Circle Rd, KY Sallie Circle Rd, KY](pics/19990901_10_14_Sallie_Circle_Rd_Kentucky_399x600.jpg)
Sallie Circle Rd, KY
![Ballard WMA Ballard WMA](pics/19990901_10_12_Ballard_WMA_141x100.jpg)
![Ballard WMA Ballard WMA](pics/19990901_10_12_Ballard_WMA_800x559.jpg)
Ballard WMA
![Ballard WMA Ballard WMA](pics/19990901_10_09_Ballard_WMA_155x100.jpg)
![Ballard WMA Ballard WMA](pics/19990901_10_09_Ballard_WMA_800x508.jpg)
Ballard WMA
![Ballard WMA Ballard WMA](pics/19990901_10_11_Ballard_WMA_150x100.jpg)
![Ballard WMA Ballard WMA](pics/19990901_10_11_Ballard_WMA_800x524.jpg)
Ballard WMA
On Highway 305 I enter Cecil. From there I follow the Highway 1420, 996 and 1782 up to the Ballard WMA. But I have no chance to reach the river road, because this area is a refugee for birds. So I follow a paralleling gravel road up to Sallie Circle Rd. The road leads me through a real swamp area with water lilies and reed. During my filming I can hear a woodpecker working hard on a tree.
![E Cairo–Holloway Rd, KY E Cairo–Holloway Rd, KY](pics/19990901_10_19_E_Cairo-Holloway_Rd_Kentucky_147x100.jpg)
![E Cairo–Holloway Rd, KY E Cairo–Holloway Rd, KY](pics/19990901_10_19_E_Cairo-Holloway_Rd_Kentucky_800x534.jpg)
E Cairo–Holloway Rd, KY
With plenty of sunshine I drive on the gravel and sandy roads. But because of the big stones on the road, I only make small progress. I don’t want to be hard on my tires, because it is still a long way to Seattle…
![Swan Pond WMA Swan Pond WMA](pics/19990901_10_20_Swan_Pond_WMA_151x100.jpg)
![Swan Pond WMA Swan Pond WMA](pics/19990901_10_20_Swan_Pond_WMA_800x522.jpg)
Swan Pond WMA
On Highway 51 I drive to the next park, the Swan Pound WMA. There is also a gravel road, on which I can reach the small lake.
After a couple of pictures I drive back to the Highway and I reach Wickliffe Mounds.
![Wickliffe Mounds SHS Wickliffe Mounds SHS](pics/19990901_10_24_Wickliffe_Mounds_SHS_69x100.jpg)
![Wickliffe Mounds SHS Wickliffe Mounds SHS](pics/19990901_10_24_Wickliffe_Mounds_SHS_406x600.jpg)
Wickliffe Mounds SHS
This settlement is yet on the Mississippi, a bit below the confluence with the Ohio. Also this settlement was abandoned around 1500 with no reason. The exhibition gives you a good understanding of how the life of the Indians has been in this time. There is also a excavation with some skeletons. But these have been changed to plastic skeletons. The originals have been reburried at a different place. On some places, the skeletons have been burried at their original place, after everything was recorded.
![Fort Defiance State Park, Mississippi River Fort Defiance State Park, Mississippi River](pics/19990901_10_29_Fort_Defiance_State_Park_Mississippi_River_148x100.jpg)
![Fort Defiance State Park, Mississippi River Fort Defiance State Park, Mississippi River](pics/19990901_10_29_Fort_Defiance_State_Park_Mississippi_River_800x531.jpg)
Fort Defiance State Park, Mississippi River
![Fort Defiance State Park Fort Defiance State Park](pics/19990901_10_30_Fort_Defiance_State_Park_158x100.jpg)
![Fort Defiance State Park Fort Defiance State Park](pics/19990901_10_30_Fort_Defiance_State_Park_800x496.jpg)
Fort Defiance State Park
On Higwhay 51 I cross the Ohio for the last time. At the confluence of the Mississippi and the Ohio is the Fort Defiance State Park. From there I have an excellence view of the confluence.
![Sunset Mississippi River, IL Sunset Mississippi River, IL](pics/19990901_11_000_Sunset_Mississippi_River_Illinois_69x100.jpg)
![Sunset Mississippi River, IL Sunset Mississippi River, IL](pics/19990901_11_000_Sunset_Mississippi_River_Illinois_407x600.jpg)
Sunset Mississippi River, IL
![Sunset Mississippi River, IL Sunset Mississippi River, IL](pics/19990901_11_00_Sunset_Mississippi_River_Illinois_70x100.jpg)
![Sunset Mississippi River, IL Sunset Mississippi River, IL](pics/19990901_11_00_Sunset_Mississippi_River_Illinois_410x600.jpg)
Sunset Mississippi River, IL
I follow again Highway 51 up north and further on Highway 3. After a couple of miles I have another chance to hit the small backroads. There I have the luck to see a beautiful sunset on the Mississippi River once more.
Highway 146 takes me across the Mississippi up to Cape Girardeau and the Super 8. I am checking in around seven. This time I don’t have real luck in my search for a nice restaurant. So I ended up (for the first and only time on my trail) in a Pizza Hut. Around ten I drive back to the Motel.
- Sights
- Ballard WMA (Free Admission)
- Swan Pound WMA (Free Admission)
- Wickliffe Mounds (Fee $4)
- General
- Breakfast: Denny’s, Paducah
- Dinner: Pizza Hut, Cape Girardeau
- Motel: Super 8, Cape Girardeau
- Distance: 179 miles