Seen a number of Copper heads in my SoIL travels. Did you have any snapping turtles in your pond? Also an SoIL classic.

I had a bobcat in my yard a few years ago. I just assumed you would have seen them around with your chicken coop and all.

The start of the Illinois River. Confluences of the Des Plains and Kankakee Rivers. Last river picture of the day.

Upper Illinois River

Upper Mississippi - Illinois River confluence

Missouri River Valley

Better picture of the Auxiliary Structure.

Old River Control Structure from 10,000ft. Low Sill Structure bottom right and Auxiliary Structure top right.

24 hour a day operation to move sand out of the navigation channel.

Of course the government is pay to dredge the channel in the middle of a shut down. Essential service.

Morning on Mississippi River in Baton Rouge.

Finally made the pilgrimage to the Old River “Control” Complex and the Morganza Spillway.

I can confirm the “bad” air has arrived. Breathing Texas and Oklahoma in Evanston, IL this morning.

Dust bowl 2.0 precursor?

Not just farmers… The USACE used old cars to train rivers and hold river banks along U.S. navigable rivers from the 1950s through the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972. Picture below is from a wind dike field on the Mississippi River near Memphis, TN.

Southern most point in Illinois. Confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers