Rend Lake was a quick stop for me to get from Kentucky to Missouri, but I was honestly pretty shocked by the natural beauty Southern Illinois had to offer.

If you’ve been on the road, own a camper, or even know someone who owns one, you probably already know this: things break. Even though I built Frank the Tank myself, there were still plenty of parts I had to buy instead of building myself. And, of course, one of those parts decided to fail. At Rend Lake, my city water inlet broke. No big deal—I’d just switch over to my backup water tank. Except my water pump wouldn’t prime.

Now the company is sending me a replacement pump, but being in remote campgrounds creates a whole other problem. A lot of these places aren’t exactly package-friendly. USPS is usually an option, but the company only ships UPS. So I had to get creative. Fortunately, I was able to get the city water connection working again, which got me back in business. I’ll pick up the new pump at one of my next stops and add it to the growing list of things I’ve learned about keeping Frank the Tank rolling.

Ok, back to the real stuff… nature.

About an hour and fifteen minutes from Rend Lake is a place called Garden of the Gods. And no, not the one in Colorado—which I’ve also been to. This one is right here in Southern Illinois. And it was amazing.

Large rock formations, cliffs, and views stretching for miles over the mountains. The colors in the rocks against the dense forest made this one of those places where I was constantly looking around and thinking, wow.

Bella and I did two trails and had an absolutely incredible day.

Hiking around cliff edges with a leashed dog—even a nine-year-old dog who is pretty well trained—was a little unsettling at times. Bella may only weigh about 63 pounds, but she somehow packs the strength of a linebacker. 😂

The campground itself was really nice too. Very wooded, peaceful, and with some pretty incredible views of its own.

One thing I haven’t written much about yet is the people.

I’ve met so many incredibly kind campers along this journey. People offering good conversation, meals, or simply an extra chair around their campfire.

That has become one of my favorite parts of this trip.

I’m really enjoying meeting people from all the different areas I pass through, hearing about where they grew up, what brought them here, and their perspectives on life. I try to keep a very open mind and take in as much as I can from every person and every place.

A lot of the campers I meet are older and spending their days relaxing and enjoying retirement. Others are younger families making memories together. Everyone has their own story.

It also helps with the solitude of this trip. There’s a lot of time alone on the road, and sometimes a simple conversation around a campfire can make a place feel a little less unfamiliar. I will talk about this in my next story or so, but I am also finding horses to be coming into my life more than ever, and I am trying to figure out why.

Now I’m heading into the next chapter of the journey: the Ozarks.

And I’m pretty excited to see where it takes Frank, Bella, and me next.