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I had to head up to Alterra in Milwaukee to refill the coffee stocks. I also noticed that i was a few stamps sort of a posting so on the way north I would head west to the post office in Bristol.

While I was heading in that direction, I should actually make a snap of that house that was in the middle of the Illinois Fox in Wheatland that I sped by two days ago. It looked so tranquil.

This time I took Joãozão fully realising that it would be left behind on the second great trek north and east.

As I was already west and along the Fox, and found $3.99/gallon gasoline in Paddock Lake, I thought that I would follow the river up to Muckwonago where the dam was Phantom Lake filled. It was the opposite of Monday two rivers wander. When it became obvious that I wouldn’t really be able to follow the Fox, most roads close to it were flooded at some point requiring long diversions, I slowed down. I also slowed down when there were quite a few deer – live this time – on the verges staring at the passing motorists.

The park near downtown Burlington was under water, Rochester and Waterford seemed ok but with bypass roads running rampant in Wisconsin, I missed the town centre of Waterford, the county thinking it better to drive through a generic industrial park that looked larger than the village itself.

Slowed for sure when I ran upon a ballpark at County O and State Road 83 where I added to the archive before staying on O and turning down Janesville Road.

All these towns seemed to have followed the failed city model. Before hitting Muckwonago, I hit the Home Depot, WalMart and man strip malls which was more trafficked than the town centre, which was even more eerily quiet due to the streets blocked off by cones.

Using my traveller status I went through one of the barricaded streets to find all the television stations camped out across the road from the dam which was predicted to give way that evening, cameras pointed people mingling. Parked where I could – a good distance away and did what I had planned to do for sometime marl about the town – somewhat glad that I could park close by.

Made a snap of the cameras in waiting and tried to deal with the subtlety of the situation – in the distance water on 83 under the CN/Wisconsin Central tracks that supposedly will collapse once dam breaks.

As I said for the most part around here, the flood is an intellectual problem, for most – me included – it is hard to understand that the standing water in fields will mean higher prices in everything – these are dedicated to growing corn. Even that house in Wheatland that is flooded annually speaks of stalwartness, and/or neglect – and maybe the stupidity of the people who insist on staying there – rather than property loss.

Looking at the dam, which one can easily hop across, determines the fate of Tichigan, Burlington, and yet again Wheatland and Silver Lake.

The shock came seeing the Sly Fox at 83 and W almost flooded not from the river but run off from the fields. The beauty parlour even further from the river which hadn’t overrun its banks – an island. It seemed that wherever water could pool there was a lake.

Since I was this far west, I thought that I would have a look at the Vernon Marshes. The last time I was here it was with a directionally challenged yinser and a southerner. Last time we could walk out on the marsh. Now it was a lake.

Walked to the edge of the water.

-Wish I had brought my bow and arrow – buddy says to me freaking out a digital DSLR toting buddy with a discernable aesthetic eye.

- For the waterfowl

- For the carp.

As he stated that four flopped out of the water and back again. We discussed refraction of the water – he aims 30cm in front of the target.

Trains are coming and going along the CN tracks in the distance.

Digital guy leaves quietly

He used to work for CP rail, running trains from Portage to Minneapolis, as well as Fond du Lac to Milwaukee. It was he that told me about when the dam would go, and that the trestle will collapse. Smiling, he heard tell from a woman in town that the world would end in 2015 and looking around…

We discussed closed roads before both heading off he going to retrieve his bow and arrow me to see one of these roads closed by the Fox.

Again it was understated. County Trunk I was a winding road by a full river where every once in a while there was a bit of water crossing the road. Flushing hydrants looked more violent, the water was gently flowing apparently not deep. In the distance a sub-division. It was the beginning of the greater Milwaukee area.

90 miles into the 35 mile ride up I-94 to Alterra, I am re-stocked.

A ding dong ditch in Kinnickinnic in Bayview and more $3.99 gasoline before I-94.