Saturday, June 14, 2003
Bulger's Hollow, Clinton, IA - June 11-14
This cute little Corp of Engineers park on the Mississippi River was not our planned destination when we left New Windsor, IL, and we had more excitement than we care for in finding it. We had originally planned to camp about 30 miles north at Pleasant Creek CG in Bellevue, another park right on the MS River -- almost right under the river, as a matter of fact. As Doug pulled into the lovely camping spot we had picked out, thick mud oozed up into our tire tracks through what had looked like dry grass; once he stopped, he could not get moving again. 
We had to unhook the trailer, drive the truck away, put lynx levelers (square plastic orange thingys normally used for putting under trailer tires to level it) in the holes left by the truck tires, then rehitch by backing the truck onto the levelers. They gave us just enough traction that we could get going, and didn't stop until we were back on the gravel road. We then dug all the leveling blocks out of the mud and decided to try a different place.
After going 30 miles south along the MS River, our day's route closely resembled a backwards question mark, with our starting place being the bottom and our destination, while about 150 miles actually driven, being about 50 miles from where we started. Bulger's Hollow was dry and free of mud, with the same spectacular view of the MS River. 
Both cgs are primitive COE areas, with access to water spigots, outhouses, and dump stations and cost only $4/night ($2 when you have a Golden Age or Access Passport -- which Willie will have in just over a month!). It was a lovely camping spot and we mostly had the place to ourselves. The cg is located between the RR tracks and the river, so it was quite exciting when the trains passed by -- they had to toot, since it was an unregulated crossing. They seldom came by during the night, so it didn't bother us much. I can't say the same for the cats!
We went on a loop drive on part of the Great River Road, dual highways that parallel the river on both sides from Minnesota all the way down to Louisiana. On the way we drove through Sabula, IA, "The Island City", located on an island in the MS River -- about as east as you can go and still be in IA! It is an attractive city and has a nice city cg, but unfortunately you have to go under a 12'3" bridge to get to it, and that's a little low for our rig -- at least too low to risk it. Across the river from Sabula is Savanna, IL, home to MS Palisades SP. Palisades is the word used to describe a line of lofty, steep cliffs, usually seen along a river. We drove through the park, checking out the attractive cg, and stopped at many scenic overlooks. We hiked one short but steep trail which had a lovely view of the river.
We continued our circular drive south, stopping at the visitor center of the Upper MS River Natl Wildlife & Fish Refuge on the way to Fulton, IL, and Clinton, IA. This NWR is located all along the northern part of the MS River and has numerous boat launching spots and lookout platforms, but the only camping available is by boat on islands. The town of Fulton is home to Lock & Dam 14, which we were able to see in action, and "De Immigrant" an authentic Dutch windmill, built in the Netherlands specifically for Fulton. 
The mill was partially assembled in the Netherlands, then disassembled and transported to Fulton by ship, rail, and truck. Two Dutch masons arrived with it, and, using only hand-trowels, cleaned the old mortar off the bricks (salvaged from two buildings in the Netherlands, 120- and 150-years old -- they have very small landfills there so have to reuse when possible) and built the Welcome Center and mill. The job lasted 10 months. The windmill sits along a flood control dike which protects the town from frequent flooding. It is operated by volunteer millers who operate the mill and give demonstrations whenever conditions and miller availability allow. Grain from the mill (along with many other Dutch-inspired souvenirs) is sold at the gift shop. It is surrounded by a lovely park, giving it a very photogenic setting.
We spent another day at Maquoketa Caves SP in Maquoketa, IA, about 30 miles NW of Clinton. This SP contains 14 caves with varying levels of accessibility. We hiked past the entrance to many caves, but only looked into the entrances. Most of them required crawling along a muddy floor to enter the larger cave areas. However, 1100-foot-long Dancehall Cave has concrete walkways and a lighting system, so we could walk its entire length. You actually enter, go under a rather low section and are then in a large room, fairly cut off from either entrance. The walkways were somewhat under water, and the lighting was dim enough that it was easy to get a feeling of the claustrophobia that could set in during a "real" caving experience. It was quite cool inside the cave, making quite a contrast to the 80-degree day and the 90+ humidity when exiting. Needless to say, with all the humidity, the vegetation everywhere was lush and green, with lots of blooming wildflowers.
# posted by Doug and Willie @ 10:34 PM 
