Yesterday was epic. I left Chicago later than I had wanted to, no surprise there, and Google said less than 5-hr drive to my destination. I had chosen a campground along the Mississippi River in Wisconsin on my route to South Dakota.
Beyond Madison, WI, the route weaves along narrow county roads and by the time I was threading through hilly, forested countryside on winding roads it was getting dark. Up ahead huge flashes of lightning showed I was driving into a monster storm.
One torturous section had no road markings and it was pelting with rain. I was doing about 25-miles an hour. Eventually I did come to the main road along the river and could see the HUGE river as the flashes of lightning illuminated it. I had so much wanted to see this in the daylight.
Construction on this main road has produced a smooth black surface that shone like black satin in the rain. I had a sensation of flying, as if I was disconnected from the earth. Not aquaplaning. It was an optical illusion. Surreal.
I found the campground and my campsite. The rain had come down in powerful squalls all evening and now I had a brief few minutes to get out of the car and check the space. The lightning was flashing like a strobe incessantly. Another squall.
My whole life is packed into my car right now. In order to sleep in the bed space I’ve made, I must move a few things to the front and a few others must stay outside overnight. Ha! Not possible in this downpour. So I resigned myself to sleeping in the driver’s seat.
I was also really hungry as I had expected to make dinner in the campground. Luckily I could reach the loaf of fresh bread I’d bought when I left Chicago. So it was bread and water for dinner.
Around 4am I woke up. Quiet. No rain. Wonderful. I got out, moved a few things around. Stretched myself into the narrow space I made and slept another couple of hours.
I woke to a foggy morning. A long barge was being pushed downstream by a tug boat. Quite a sight. I took a drive around the campground. It is large, spread out, and was not full. The campground is lovely.
US Army Corps of Engineers Blackhawk Park – if anyone’s interested.
I left early and followed the road north along the river. It’s a truly impressive sight.
No country back roads today. Interstate 90 to Sioux Falls, SD. Tonight I am camped at Big Sioux State Recreation Area. No rain. I made dinner. Rode my bike along the trails here. Sitting by a campfire as I write this. My bed in my 4Runner beckons.
FYI. I am on my way to get my van in Colorado. Stopping in Sioux Falls to establish domicile in South Dakota. Tomorrow I go to the DMV here and get my new SD drivers license. It’s a full-timer RV / van life thing.
