Bridge Across the Illinois River

I, Bernie Harberts, did not use generative AI to write or illustrate this article. Spell check and grammar check, yes. AI, no.

In the past month, mules Brick, Cracker and I have crossed 4 major rivers: the Ohio, the Wabash, the Illinois and the Mississippi. For the first two, we enlisted the help of local law enforcement to get across. For the Mississippi, the mules got a ride in Todd and Julie Curry’s horse trailer.

For the Illinois we just took a deep breath and struck out alone, hoping traffic would behave. Oh, and we wouldn’t encounter big expansion joints.

Mule Brick is freaked out by expansion joints.

It turned out to be smooth sailing. No expansion joints. No heavy traffic. We eased across the bridged and tackled the last miles across Illinois. Another bridge down, another river behind us.

A few more photos of our traverse

Want even more photos?

At the time our visit, the Illinois River was flooding. Some of the residents wondered if the levee would hold. Others, like Patty Henken who works at the post office, wondered what would happen to the animals displaced by the rising waters. Listen to Patty’s thoughts and see the photos here.

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