Day 2 – My Crazy Cross-Country Road Trip – Kentucky State Parks

On the 2nd day of the trip, I drove about 500 miles from Charleston, West Virginia to Cahokia, Illinois. I went through the states of West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois and landed just across the river from St. Louis, Missouri. It was about an 8-hour drive with a couple of short detours. I made a stop at the fort that I mentioned in Day 1 and since I haven’t spent much time in Kentucky I decided to visit one of the Kentucky State Parks that was near my route.

Leaving Charleston West Virginia

I left the wonderful Strawn Chalet Airbnb just before 8 am. I had enough time to head up the hill to check out the remains of Fort Scammon. (More on these in my Day 1 post here.) This indentation in the earth is all that’s left of the fort site. An untrained eye would likely never know that there was anything significant there, so it was helpful that there were signs.

After a quick stop at the “fort”, I drove downhill and caught this view of the misty sun streaming through the trees. I don’t do much driving in the early morning these days, but this reminded me that there’s something magical about those early hours when the world is still asleep. There have been seasons in my life when I had to be out the door before dawn, and I can appreciate the freshness of the crisp air in those early morning hours.

If I have the option, I don’t get up that early, but I can do ok in the morning if I’ve had enough sleep. On this trip, I had the chance to go to bed at a decent hour most nights and often woke up earlier than usual. One day I woke up at 4:30 am! I’m guessing it was because of the time change as I drove west across the country. The time difference in Arizona is 3 hours earlier than Virginia in the summer.

Grayson Lake – Kentucky State Parks

Since I was traveling in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wasn’t planning on making a bunch of sight-seeing stops, mostly for safety reasons. I did have a target lodging check-in time each day though, and I sometimes ended up with an extra hour or so to kill during the day. Today I decided to take a quick 13-mile detour south of Interstate 64 to see Grayson Lake State Park near Olive Hill, Kentucky.

The land in this beautiful 1500+ acre park is the former home of Shawnee and Cherokee Native Americans. The park offers a wealth of amenities including a tornado shelter and a golf course! (You know you’re in the center of the country when you find tornado shelters.)

You’ll also find fishing, boating, camping, hiking, swimming, picnic areas, and playgrounds. But most of all relaxation and fresh air. The park and golf course are open year-round. Campgrounds are normally open from mid-March to mid-November. There have been expected changes in some park and campground rules due to COVID-19, so be sure to check the Kentucky State Parks COVID Updates page for the latest information before you go.

See Fall Colors at Grayson Lake

Based on the types of trees I saw on this poster at the park, including red and silver maples, oaks, ash, and more, this looks like a perfect place to see the gorgeous leaves change color in the fall.

Since I was at Grayson Lake at the end of July I didn’t get to see fall colors. I did enjoy the blues of the water and the greens of the trees and grass. It was a warm day, but I took a nice walk by the lake to get some fresh air, stretch my legs and take a few pictures, then headed back north to my road trip route. This is a perfect example of a way to get out, but still safely socially distance.

If you’d like to learn more about the other 44 Kentucky State Parks on the map above visit the official site here. The parks are not all about nature either. Eighteen sites have historical significance. Some of them also have lodges and cabins to rent. And they’re always on the lookout for volunteers.

Or check out this “Complete Guide to Kentucky State Parks” Have you visited any of them? Which is your favorite?

End of Day Recap

I saw miles and miles of highways, farmland, and lush leafy trees driving through the heartland of America. The sapphire blue skies were dotted with cotton candy clouds. Sometimes they dropped a few sprinkles, but nothing to really slow me down.

All in all, it was one of my more uneventful days. I thought I’d rate the roadside rest areas since they can be a critical part of any road trip. The West Virginia roadside rest stops rate about a C+ since the restrooms weren’t as clean as they could be. The landscaping was nice and shady and there was plenty of open space to let kids and pets roam around though.

Cahokia Illinois Airbnb

My Airbnb in Cahokia, Illinois (just across the river from St. Louis, Missouri) was a quiet location, clean, cost-effective, and close to downtown St. Louis, but I’d rate it probably a B- at best (slightly above average). It was not horrible, but tiles were chipped, a seat cushion was torn and overall it felt like some things in the living areas could have been better. If you need a basic, clean 2-bedroom place to stay in that area it’s workable, but since I only recommend awesome places, I won’t mention the specifics of their listing here. If you’d like more info about it, feel free to send me a message.

Cahokia, IL Restaurant Experience

COVID-19 virus case numbers in St. Louis were trending up, so I was trying to avoid contact with locals as much as possible. Because of that, I decided to pick up a burger at a local drive-through restaurant. I ended up waiting literally a half-hour in the drive-through line on a 90-degree day, for food that was nothing to write home about. That wasn’t what I’d hoped for at the end of my long drive. I’m not including the full review here. If you’d like to read about my experience at Classic K Hamburgers, in Cahokia, you can see it on my TripAdvisor profile.

Next on the Itinerary

Did you know there’s a town named Manhattan, Kansas? I didn’t before this road trip. Tomorrow, on Day 3 I’ll be heading there for my next stop. I’ll share about discovering Lavender Latte in St. Louis (say that 5 times really fast). You’ll also get to know a little about the quaint town of Manhattan and the wonderful Airbnb where I stayed, plus a few other fun tidbits. BTW, none of these lodging options were comped. I wanted to help support these small businesses during the pandemic.

Many of my friends and family said I was brave to undertake this 5000+ mile road trip. Would you do a solo road trip? Have you done one? What was your favorite part? Do you have any concerns about doing a cross-country road trip? Let me know your questions and I’ll try to answer them.

More About My Road Trip

Road Trip Tips and Planning

Road Trip Apps & Tools

USA Cross-Country Road Trip – Day 1

The Best Road Trip Songs and Artists

Missouri’s Best Foods, Parks & Road Trip Fun

Road Trip Destination – Manhattan Kansas – Day 3

Eisenhower Presidential Library – Abilene Kansas – Day 4

Americana Street Art in Abilene Kansas – Road Trip – Day 4