We said our goodbyes last night and left Beaver Dam SP this morning for our drive to Lake Barkley, KY. We didn't have an actual destination picked out since we didn't know how far we wanted to drive. As it turned out, it was a good thing that we didn't plan on driving further since we ran into a little traffic jam.
We took the back roads to our connection with I-64 and then on to I-55 South. Back roads take you through the small towns and we always enjoy seeing new places. Our GPS kept trying to route us on the interstates and I just ignored them for the most part.
All went well until we were near Benton, IL on I-55 when traffic came to an abrupt standstill. Usually it's a sign of roadwork but there weren't any signs out so we didn't know what was happening. We crept along with numerous starts and stops for about an hour and only went a mile or so. Gerry got on the Waze app to see what was causing the backup. Accident ahead and numerous police alongside of the road was the answer.
We didn't have much choice to avoid the area since there weren't any exits around, We finally hear the right lane was closed so I managed to switch over to the left lane. Finally, we came upon the scene below
The right lane had a street sweeper in it along with a truck loaded with debris from the tractor trailer truck just down the road a little bit. It seems a truck driver ran into a bridge and demolished the trailer and damaged the tractor. There was a small fire but it was out when we drove by. The accident occurred at 8:15am and we passed it around 3:00pm. The driver was shaken up but not injured badly.
It took us about 2 hours to get past the accident and then we made great time. Gerry was on the phone and started checking for a spot to stop for the night. We were near Kentucky Lake and managed to get a nice spot on Lake Barkley.
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| Ohio River bridge |
The campground was about 6 miles off of I-24 on narrow roads that kept getting more narrow as we approached the entrance to the campground. The camp host at the Eureka campground held our pull through site for an hour or so until we arrived.
Our site was right on the lake and had a nice picnic table with a nice view. The campers on either side of us were catching fish and having a great time. I wish they had a National fishing license so travelers such as us could fish in the great spots. Buying a license in each state runs into a large cash outlay if you have to buy an out of state license in each place.
We were surprised to see a long barge on the other side of the lake since we didn't know about the locks there. The Cumberland River forms the lake and there was a lot of barge traffic in the area.
The trees on the other side were part of the "Land Between The Lakes" part of Kentucky. We camped on the far side when we took our grand daughter Stephanie on her trip with us when she was 12.
We sat outside and had a couple adult beverages and enjoyed the beautiful sunset.
That was our day, how was yours?
We absolutely hate when we have to go through road work like that. They make the lane so narrow. It is scary sometimes.
ReplyDeleteYou look like you are enjoying the good life, Clark. Happy 4th.
July 4th, are you at the cabin yet? We will head back to Tucson on Aug 30th. visiting friends in Indiana for a few days on our way through.
ReplyDeleteHope you found the cabin all in order. Relax and take your time now.
We went over the Ohio Bridge last month!!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a beautiful spot! Love seeing the picture of Stephanie as well!