CB1100 Monthly Photo Challenge

[emptysea]

Campground Road in Des Plaines, IL is a short road, a half-mile long if that, which was originally an access road for a now-dilapidated Methodist campground. Opposite the campground is a maintenance building for the City of Des Plaines and, further along, the commuter rail line linking the downtown Chicago with its northwest suburbs. It connects Algonquin Rd. to Miner Street. It's not much of a road but it has a couple of redeeming features: It's not well-traveled and it is the closest road to my home that has a legitimate curve. It has two curves, really. The first is a left that brings you around the back of the campground and the second is a sharp right that goes under the train tracks and up hill to a stop sign on Miner. This last turn is not as much fun as it could be because you have to stop on a steep incline immediately after it. I use the road as part of my circuitous commuting route when I turn what could be a 1.5 mile ride to work into something like 10 miles.

Campground Road takes this last hard right to keep it from running directly into the Des Plaines River. The road bed is just a tiny bit higher than the banks of the river. When it rains hard to the north, Campground Road floods. When Campground Road floods, I get detoured off of my route and miss two opportunities to lean my bike over.

So...when I see this....




I miss this...




Addendum: Sometimes I sneak around the barrier and ride down to where the water crosses the road then turn around and ride back. That lets me hit the first turn once each way; some small consolation for the detour.