 Muscatine, IA, rural servicing centre  Previous load was coal and heaps of it |
 A tow leaving the lock, heading downstream at Muscatine  It takes at least a mile to pull one of these tows up. |
22/7/2011 Loud Thunder Park (N of Illinois City) to Keithsburg
87km, 4.5hrs, 18.73 av speed, 28-30℃ light winds
This morning would have to be the first morning that I feel I indulged in a decent nights sleep since the heat started.
The evening had been cool because of the rain and a further thunder storm was recieving this morning.
Sleeping into 1000hrs, I arose just as the rain departed.
Well I’ll be buggered, the camp was a mess. I had known the racoons were out and about last night but was totally unaware that they were on a major havoc causing mission. Stuff was everywhere. Further evidence of a good nights sleep. They had torn open a dry bag of food, cleaned up the pasta, pissed off with the peanut butter and punctured the new water bottle. Anything not edible had been moved just for the hang of it.
I regrouped took stock of my losses and had a brew with oats. They guys mowing the place turned up and explained this area has a reputation for inconsiderate racoon behaviour. There were only two of us camping there and they were a bit hungry he explained. Two campers and heaps of hungry racoons, I guess it’s their territory, you get wise or cop the mayhem. Lesson learnt.
By the way , they are omnivorous, a huge advantage when dining on campers food.
I have and recommend to bring some vulcanising tape if ever camping for extended periods, this stuff is brilliant, it has got me out of the shit many times. Here and at sea. Five wraps and the water bottle was sealed like new.
I got away about 1100hrs, by the time I had ascended out of the park I was back to normal in this heat, dripping and in a super low gear requiring as little exertion as posibble. The slashing guys came up behind me, we stopped at the enterance to the highway and yarned. They headed off with one of them riding on the back of the slasher.
This sight along with many other experiences, especially the good will of the people and amenities provided to the public ,left unattended, remaining free from vandalism got me thinking.
Life here is much like it was when I was young, the guy on the tractor today would be in big trouble, many public amenities are trashed and many people don’t have time or the want to stop and talk at home. I am in a park at the moment under a shelter with movable benches using power provided, no one else was here all night and the place shows no sign of riff raff having frequented the place.
My feeling is that people here still have respect for one another and appreciate the amenities provided for them by whoever. They have a great sense of community. I do appreciate these are small towns, however acts of goodwill and provision of less than vandal proof amenities have been encountered almost everywhere so far. It is common for a hardware shop to leave all their bags of potting mix or water softeners outside the premises for the night.
Anyway enough said. About 15m into proceedings I crossed the MR and headed into Muscatine, IA for brekky and to replace my rash cream ( only used once to date). Yeah, the little buggers chewed that tube and the insect repellent, both beyond salvaging. I opted not to replace the repellant as I have not used it.
I spent about 2 hrs here, while crossing the bridge a barge passed beneath, I can understand why they are still used, the cargo they can move would take more semis than one could ever hope to see in a day anywhere. Coal had been the cargo, it was now empty, obviously having unloaded at one of the coal fired power stations riverside.
Back over the bridge into, Illinois the day and the heat was maturing into more of the same, except here the surrounding terrain was flat, covered in corn and soya beans and offered no shade. Coming to a fruit stall I pulled for a break. The lady was kind enough to provision me with icey water and on I headed.
I mentioned my encounter with the racoons, she said they make great pets when they are young but soon revert to instinctual activities, having the potential to trash the inside of a house, she added.
Arriving in Keithsburg. I stopped at Tweetys Hiway Tap, had an ale and a brilliant meal from a salad bar with a chicken breast, all for $7.50, not including the beer. Highly recommended.
Being Friday night many local were on hand. I could have stopped for hours but needed to get to the Delabar State park, just north of Oquawka.
Leaving the bar about 1900hrs, I knew I could cover the twelve miles to get there. I hadn’t factored in the additional 4 miles I headed in the wrong direction. Finally back on course shirt off, 2000hrs, covered in the sweat of a thousand soldiers and thinking about having to set up in the dark. I came across the Shady Pines camp area, a state facility.
One minute it’s having to set up in the dark, the next the tent is up under a pavillion in the area ,great stuff no need for the tarp. The energy already reserved for the ride was now channelled into doing some washing under the artesian well head provided here.
It was still incredibly hot, with no one about and all my clothes washed I took the liberty of skinning it about the place. The artesian water was exquisitely chilled, so I showered beneath it about four times.
I didn’t even bother with any bedding, leaving the scrot and the silk liner in their bags, all that was taken to bed was a towel. Sleep came with some difficulty, having to erase the conditions from my mind, one consulation was the lack of any overly annoying mozzys. The last thing I remember was towelling myself.
87km, 4.5hrs, 18.73 av speed, 28-30℃ light winds
This morning would have to be the first morning that I feel I indulged in a decent nights sleep since the heat started.
The evening had been cool because of the rain and a further thunder storm was recieving this morning.
Sleeping into 1000hrs, I arose just as the rain departed.
Well I’ll be buggered, the camp was a mess. I had known the racoons were out and about last night but was totally unaware that they were on a major havoc causing mission. Stuff was everywhere. Further evidence of a good nights sleep. They had torn open a dry bag of food, cleaned up the pasta, pissed off with the peanut butter and punctured the new water bottle. Anything not edible had been moved just for the hang of it.
I regrouped took stock of my losses and had a brew with oats. They guys mowing the place turned up and explained this area has a reputation for inconsiderate racoon behaviour. There were only two of us camping there and they were a bit hungry he explained. Two campers and heaps of hungry racoons, I guess it’s their territory, you get wise or cop the mayhem. Lesson learnt.
By the way , they are omnivorous, a huge advantage when dining on campers food.
I have and recommend to bring some vulcanising tape if ever camping for extended periods, this stuff is brilliant, it has got me out of the shit many times. Here and at sea. Five wraps and the water bottle was sealed like new.
I got away about 1100hrs, by the time I had ascended out of the park I was back to normal in this heat, dripping and in a super low gear requiring as little exertion as posibble. The slashing guys came up behind me, we stopped at the enterance to the highway and yarned. They headed off with one of them riding on the back of the slasher.
This sight along with many other experiences, especially the good will of the people and amenities provided to the public ,left unattended, remaining free from vandalism got me thinking.
Life here is much like it was when I was young, the guy on the tractor today would be in big trouble, many public amenities are trashed and many people don’t have time or the want to stop and talk at home. I am in a park at the moment under a shelter with movable benches using power provided, no one else was here all night and the place shows no sign of riff raff having frequented the place.
My feeling is that people here still have respect for one another and appreciate the amenities provided for them by whoever. They have a great sense of community. I do appreciate these are small towns, however acts of goodwill and provision of less than vandal proof amenities have been encountered almost everywhere so far. It is common for a hardware shop to leave all their bags of potting mix or water softeners outside the premises for the night.
Anyway enough said. About 15m into proceedings I crossed the MR and headed into Muscatine, IA for brekky and to replace my rash cream ( only used once to date). Yeah, the little buggers chewed that tube and the insect repellent, both beyond salvaging. I opted not to replace the repellant as I have not used it.
I spent about 2 hrs here, while crossing the bridge a barge passed beneath, I can understand why they are still used, the cargo they can move would take more semis than one could ever hope to see in a day anywhere. Coal had been the cargo, it was now empty, obviously having unloaded at one of the coal fired power stations riverside.
Back over the bridge into, Illinois the day and the heat was maturing into more of the same, except here the surrounding terrain was flat, covered in corn and soya beans and offered no shade. Coming to a fruit stall I pulled for a break. The lady was kind enough to provision me with icey water and on I headed.
I mentioned my encounter with the racoons, she said they make great pets when they are young but soon revert to instinctual activities, having the potential to trash the inside of a house, she added.
Arriving in Keithsburg. I stopped at Tweetys Hiway Tap, had an ale and a brilliant meal from a salad bar with a chicken breast, all for $7.50, not including the beer. Highly recommended.
Being Friday night many local were on hand. I could have stopped for hours but needed to get to the Delabar State park, just north of Oquawka.
Leaving the bar about 1900hrs, I knew I could cover the twelve miles to get there. I hadn’t factored in the additional 4 miles I headed in the wrong direction. Finally back on course shirt off, 2000hrs, covered in the sweat of a thousand soldiers and thinking about having to set up in the dark. I came across the Shady Pines camp area, a state facility.
One minute it’s having to set up in the dark, the next the tent is up under a pavillion in the area ,great stuff no need for the tarp. The energy already reserved for the ride was now channelled into doing some washing under the artesian well head provided here.
It was still incredibly hot, with no one about and all my clothes washed I took the liberty of skinning it about the place. The artesian water was exquisitely chilled, so I showered beneath it about four times.
I didn’t even bother with any bedding, leaving the scrot and the silk liner in their bags, all that was taken to bed was a towel. Sleep came with some difficulty, having to erase the conditions from my mind, one consulation was the lack of any overly annoying mozzys. The last thing I remember was towelling myself.
