Since we’ve been staying in America’s heartland, we’ve had some interesting encounters. We arrived at a campground outside Amboy, Illinois, and was surprised by the ramshackle appearance with debris scattered about and a random jonboat sitting in the middle of a grassy area. We approached the desk at the entrance and were informed our reservations were canceled. A levy had broken a few miles up river and the park was buried under water just three days earlier and facilities hadn’t been completely restored. I’m not going to lie, I had a moment of panic. We were in the middle of farmland with nothing but tiny communities nearby. If our reservations were no good, where were we going to stay? Thankfully, the manager told us there was a small area of high ground where power was restored and we could camp there for the duration of our stay.
We got settled into our spot and explored the lay of the land via the golf cart. It was sad to see some campers still under water near the river’s edge. Fallen trees and other debris covered common areas. We came across a spillover (below) and the force of the water was massive.
The flooding continued to recede and the campground had several employees working to clear the grounds and get everything restored for the arrival of the summer campers. Evidence of the flood quickly started to dissipate. Below, the lagoon was back to normal with a fallen tree a stark reminder of the disaster less than a week before.
In the same campground a couple of weeks later, this little guy was taking a daytime walk without his mama. He seemed a bit confused, but kept walking despite silly humans (like me) taking pictures.
We have since moved from Illinois to Wisconsin. I’ve been enjoying some river adventures (upcoming blogs) and time with friends. There was a strange sight at a kayak launch with an Amish horse and buggy. The driver found a shady spot for his ride while doing some fishing.
…and his “horsepower” smiled for the camera.
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So sad for the damage done by flooding, it has been a disaster for many communities. But the scenes you captured are breath taking. Keep them coming for my enjoyment
I love these Sunday posts! Love the baby raccoon, too cute. The rain this year has been terrible,. Such a strange summer, from the rain here to the soaring temperatures in Alaska.
I love the smiling horse! The buggy picture was a work of art. I love the way you have framed the pictures with the effects, that is a nice touch.
You are doing some great work with your photography! Love the effects. Cute raccoon, although we have some around here that go in the garbages and make such a mess! They are not so cute 🙂
I love these posts and I love your photography! The featured image is especially striking. So many neat things we all randomly encounter each week, huh? Glad things worked out for you guys. I can completely imagine the mini-panic attack when learning your reservations had been canceled. Those are the times it would be nice to be running around in a tiny van or something.
It’s happened to us again, only they let us know in advance this time. Just got a call that our next stop in Minnesota is canceled because of flooding and it’s almost impossible to find reservations in a few miles’ radius. Flying by the seat of our pants this time, but it’s all good–right? LOL. I remembered something last night regarding your last post when someone knocked on your door in the middle of the night. We recently watched Hulu’s Into the Dark: They Come Knocking. You should watch it if you get the chance (it involves boondocking and an Airstream)! Safe travels to you guys and I hope things settle out for you!
I just looked it up. You’re sending me to watch a road trip horror movie???? You’re the worst blog friend EVER!!!!
😂😂😂
Anyway, things seem to be on a general upswing for us. Hope so for you guys too. It’s a busy week to be hunting for a campsite, but I’m sure you’ll find something. I found several otherwise unknown campgrounds on the app RVParky. I’ve added it to my arsenal when looking for sites. It might help you guys too. Good luck!
The flooding this year in the Midwest has been widespread and always sad to see. Glad they found a spot for you. We’re spending the summer in northern WI and trying to adjust to the humidity and mosquitos 🙄 We haven’t been around this much rain in a long time!
We are currently in Wisconsin in the Black River Falls area and are fighting those mosquitos, too (I’m all spotted up with bite welts, no matter what we try). Reservations for our next stop in Minnesota were canceled due to flooding, so we may end up here another week. Whatever will be–just rolling with the flow. Safe travels to you and I hope you stay dry!
These photos are amazing! I especially like the baby raccoon.