Ch. 3 - Illinois Brings the Noise
Side Note : Before we move on to Illinois, might I mention that somewhere on the roads through Arkansas the highway was on fire. I mean the grass right up to the asphalt had full on flames. If we were in a lower vehicle you could theoretically reach out your hand and touch them! I know I digress - I am just keeping a tally of instances that proves Arkansas might actually be hell. Now Illinois...
Driving a surprisingly beautiful route towards Rend Lake, they found themselves at a sweet state park and pulled into their site nestled amongst the trees. The weather was forecasting a large cell passing just north of them over the next couple nights. They felt pleased to sit tight and let the storm blow by, while they caught up on work and maybe even enjoy some nature.
As night fell, the fireflies danced throughout the brush and Rinni prepared a dinner of grilled potatoes, sausages, and broccolini. It felt like they were finally living the RV dream! Of course with nature comes bugs. But the courageously intrepid and fashionably unabashed travelers had come prepared. Decked out head to toe in mosquito netting suits, complete with hoods, booties, and mittens - those Illinois insects would have a hell of a go getting at Rosie and Rinni. So it was an unwelcome shock when Rinni went to the restroom and discovered a tick burrowing into her skin. Rosie was able to extract the tick with tweezers and treat the area with alcohol while Rinni lied on the rug casually freaking out. Exhausted they crawled to their respective beds for what would surely be a restful night full of dancing sugar plum fairies...
FLASH! The lightning lit up the RV like a thousand lightbulbs exploding in unison. Remember that storm that was supposed to pass to the north of us?
CRACK! The thunder shouted back louder than Rosie and Rinni had ever heard before.
Impossible to sleep with storm directly on top of them, they tossed through the night hoping a tree branch didn’t drop loose or a lightning bolt find a way to hit the rig directly. It wasn’t a restful night but somehow they survived. The remainder of the weekend was soggier than expected, but they made the most of the sunny patches to explore the grounds, stretch their legs and let Jasper dog remark every scent washed away in the storms.
Monday morning boasted a clear weather forecast. Time to load up the rig and and rumble down the road towards Michigan City, Indiana. They were excited to be headed toward the small town where their grandparents had once had a cottage. The quaint Lake Michigan town had been the site of many family reunions, strolls to the beach, and cousin shenanigans. It was a beautiful spot as well as filled with nostalgia. About 15 minute into driving toward memory lane, the rain started. “OK. Fine”, they thought. An hour down the road and the rain was blindingly heavy. They took the exit ramp and let this particularly vehement downpour get ahead of them. Another two hours down the road, a Special Weather Statement was issued for the area they had just entered. It read:
The atmospheric conditions are favorable for the development of funnel clouds. On rare occasions, these funnels can briefly touch down.
The language was so weak it was almost reassuring and the area the alert covered was so large, would turning back now really be any better? Rosie drove north as Rinni kept a keen eye on the clouds and any potential rotation.
Finally the rain seemed to be letting up. There was sunshine streaming through the windows. Another hour and they’d be clear of the Funnel Cloud Alert area. They were practically humming “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” when the sky turned black and both their phones started blaring an aggressive alarm that seemed to say “Pay Attention. Some crazy weather shit is about to go down!”
Frantically opening her phone, Rinni read the new alert. This one was in all caps, which honestly is a bit excessive. This one stated (screamed):
EMERGENCY ALERT
National Weather Service: TORNADO WARNING
RADAR INDICATED TORNADO IN THIS AREA UNTIL 3.15PM CDT.
TAKE SHELTER NOW. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DESTROYED.
Rosie’s phone was also sending her messages, which Rosie managed to screen grab:
The Tornado Warning made it clear that an RV on the highway was a terrible place to be right now but did not offer many alternative ideas. The end of the warning said the information was provided by NOAA. Desperate for more information on where the tornado was and what it’s predicted path might be, she clicked the hyperlink. The webpage slowly loaded as Rosie and Rinni asked “Do I keep driving? Should I pull to the shoulder? Take the next exit and find a structure?” Other cars on the road were making mixed decisions, some pulling over, others speeding on. The webpage finally loaded to NOAAs homepage reading “Save the Whales”. Exasperated, Rinni shouted, “ I don’t care about the future of the damn whales! I need to know where this tornado is now!” Rinni kept searching and Rosie kept driving. There was an exit a mile up the road. They quickly devised the plan to head there and seek shelter in the first brick and mortar they found. As the exit came into view, Rinni shouted, “Skip it! Keep driving! KEEP DRIVING!!!” She had just found a map showing if they exited at Ashkum they’d be driving straight toward the tornado that was already a mere two miles away.
As they drove on, they saw more and more cars, trucks, and other RVs pulled up on the side of the road. At the next underpass, they decide to join the queue. The darkness of the clouds revealed little clues as to what was coming next. Rosie threw together a go bag -snacks, dog food, medicine, epi pen, and a handful of power cords. Rinni’s head stayed on a swivel waiting to see the cue to run. If the cue appeared (the cue being A GODDAM TORNADO), Plan A was to run to a nearby farmhouse. Rosie grabbed a bath towel to help us get over the barbed wire, but when they noticed an electric fence too they developed Plan B: Run to the underpass and shelter in the nook where the concrete meets the grass. Plan C (if they couldn’t make it to the underpass) was to throw themselves in the ditch and up the prayer regimen.
The sky remained black. And still. And an erie silence fell over the expansive farm land. And they waited. Waited to run…
Will Rosie and Rinni make it out of this? Will the rig survive? Where is that tornado going to go? Tune in next week to find out!
