from Argyle Lake State Park, Illinois to Devil’s Lake State Park, Wisconsin
…
1. Park Entry
The day was sunny. The sky was a brilliant blue. There were white clouds floating by. We were arriving at the park early, but as we climbed the hills on the western boundary of the park, severe thunderstorm warnings flashed on the Fair and Industrious Trudy’s ever-monitoring phone. Dark black clouds were right behind us.
“It’s about to get bad,” I said to the woman at the check-in window.
“Oh really?” she said leaning out and peered up at a blue, sunny sky.
“It’s coming from the west,” I said, pointing at the hill behind us.
She glanced up, but there the storm wasn’t visible, yet.
2. Site Arrival
An error lead to our early arrival. We had originally intended to take a scenic route between Davenport and Dubuque. But with Trudy at the wheel, her navigator got confused and directed her to the direct route to Dubuque, a “shortcut” that likely saved an hour. We pulled in mere minutes ahead of the storm.
Once in our campsite on the north side of Devil’s Lake, Trudy rushed to the kitchen, and I hooked up the electricity and fed the hound. We snarfed down grilled sausage and zucchini and closed the galley door just as a fierce wind began to blow. It kicked up dust. It whipped the trees violently back and forth.
But before the rains began to fall, we climbed into the teardrop — fed, dry, and happy.
3. The Storm
The forest howled. Rain pelted the window. Branches fell from the canopy, smashing to the ground about us, crashing on the roof of our trailer.
“I saw a log fall out of the air,” a woman at the nearby campsite said the next morning as we all surveyed the mess. As we left the park, we took the road around to the south side of the lake. The mess was far worse there.
“You’ll have to drive in that way,” the woman at the south entrance said. “We’re still clearing the road.” She pointed behind her, where a tractor was cleaning up the mess. Trees had been uprooted. Trunks were splintered. Large branches lay in the roads. Part of the park concessions building was torn up and tossed on its side.
Yes, that was the storm we beat the night before, thanks to that navigator error north of Davenport.