Sunday, May 4, 2003
Ferne Clyffe SP, Goreville, IL - May 1-4
If getting there were really half the fun, we would have had a miserable time here. We got caught in a fierce thunderstorm as we were driving up here, and our practically brand-new wiper blade on the driver's side disintegrated before our eyes. All of a sudden Doug's visibility was zero (as opposed to the 30% in the storm!), while trucks were roaring by us like it was a bright sunny day. 
Fortunately there was an exit less than 2 miles ahead, and with Doug leaning over peering through the passenger-side windshield, we managed to pull off and park under an overpass. After the storm abated some we limped to the closest town, which luckily had an auto-parts store. Then, once we got here, we had to dump our holding tanks and fill our fresh water in the pouring rain, made longer by the dismal fresh-water pressure -- I've seen more water pressure in a squirt gun.
We had agreed to meet our good friends Fred & Linda Lanoue here. We plan to park "near" them (some 20 miles away) in Wisconsin this summer, but we couldn't wait. The weather cleared after we set up, and was ideal for 2 days as the 4 of us hiked & birded from around 10 to well after 5 (new species for us: Veery, Palm Warbler, Chimney Swift & Swainson's Thrush -- all fairly common in their range). It was exhausting but wonderful to bird with friends again. Good food & conversation were also shared, and we can hardly wait to see them again in June.
The terrain around here is not at all what one would associate with Illinois -- fascinating rock outcroppings and cypress/tupelo swamps (sort of like Louisiana without the alligators). There are a number of state & federal parks in the area; we would really like to spend at least a week in this area. The areas we visited this time were Crab Lake NWR, Giant City SP (named for large rock formations that look like a city for giants), and Cache River State Natural Area (with many miles of hiking, biking and canoeing/kayaking trails).
# posted by Doug and Willie @ 6:03 PM 
