Southern Illinois curtain call Pt. 2

I decided, rather spontaneously, to spend a couple of nights in southern Illinois in October of 2018.  Looking back, I do not regret that trip, but of all the trips I've made there, this one was the most forgettable.  It was very cold, very wet, and overall pretty glum.  The conditions were so unfavorable, in fact, that I ended up seeking shelter in a few small-town antique (read: junque) stores while driving in between cold downpours, and ultimately decided to cut the trip one night short.

Here are some highlights from that trip.

 Probably the most thrilling find of the entire trip - this gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) that was found in-situ atop my campsite marker.  

 Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorous)...

 I ended up burning a lot of calories hiking the extensive wilderness area adjacent to the campground.

 Pine Hills Campground was actually at one time a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp called Camp Hutchins.  It was created during the early 1930s.  During the fall of 1941, nagging issues related to inadequate electrical service led to low morale among the men in the camp and the camp was ultimately abandoned the following year.  But even though all of the former structures are long gone and forgotten, the results of the work carried out by the men during the 1930s are still seen today.  All of the backroads in that area were built by the CCC residents.  Hiking in the woods east of the campground today, you'll find lots of evidence of the old CCC camp, including LOTS of discarded bottles and other trash.  This "Kwik-Lite" lighter fluid can dates to the 1930s.

The top of a high quality Illinois glade.

 I thought it was ironic that this Amish man tied his horse to a utility pole.

Neither of the two nights spent in a soggy tent sat well with me that trip.