As riders gather at Dave Edwards' place of business in Carmi, they all had the same thought in mind - What a great day to check out the fall colors of Southern Illinois.  Dave and Joyce had sent out an invitation to join them and some friends of theirs for a ride to explore some points of interest in IL.  Hooking up with Dave were Steve J., John S., Rick & Paula, and N. Dave, and soon they they filed in behind the roar of Dave's Harley on their way to Benton.

At Benton the Evansville gang were joined by Bob & Sue Herr and Mike, a friend of theirs.  Bob pointed out on a map the places and roads he had scouted out.  It wasn't very long before the group was enjoying some fine roads and were pulling into the parking lot of Giant City State Park & Lodge.  The lodge was packed but surprisingly Bob's name was soon called and a home-style meal of all-you-can-eat fried chicken was on the table.  It was definately time for a little walk around the grounds after a meal like that.  The water tower/observation platform was a good choice.  What a view!

Bob's choice of backroads were well thought out to provide riders the enjoyment of the trees' richest colors.  And look out for those bridges (?) or dips in the county roads!  Time for a break and what better place than Blue Sky Winery?  As tempting as it was to spend the rest of the afternoon at the winery, Bob let everyone know that many good roads are still in front of them, and he was right.

It was at the quaint town of Cobden that the Evansville group decided it was time to split before they ran out of daylight.  The route though Vienna, Golconda, Cave-In-Rock, and Sturgis was a good choice for a way to end the day.  Many thanks, Bob Herr, for a well planed out ride and to Dave & Joyce for the invitation.  What better way to spend a beautiful day than on two wheels cruising Southern Illinois.