6/5/20 Welcome

This sign greets you at the entrance to the forest preserve and its associated campground. Notice that below the title, it says "International Dark Sky Park and Campground." I don't believe that there are any dark sky parks within several hundreds miles of this park. Among other things, it means that on a clear night a person can see the Milky Way Galaxy as well as many stars that cannot be seen where there is a lot of light pollution.

This map of Illinois shows approximately where Middle Fork is located.

Here is a close-up of central Illinois showing where Middle Fork is. The actual address of Middle Fork is 
3485 County Road 2700 East
Penfield, Illinois

As you enter the park you drive by two small manmade ponds,

 the Sugar Creek Picnic Shelter, the

 pavilion, 

and then a stop sign which is flanked by two campground signs.......

 This sign reads, "Welcome to the Harry L. Swartz Campground. (I"m not sure who Harry L. Swartz is yet.)

This is a sign of the times. it reads 
"Campground rules during COVID - 19, 
Online Reservations only, 
Two night maximum stay, 
Only 10 people at a single campsite, 
Swimming beach will remain closed." 
In front of this sign is another one reminding people about social distancing.

There is also a map of the campground showing where the campsites, outhouses, shower house, beach and campground hosts can be found. (The beach is on another manmade pond.)

This sign lets campers know the location of the Campground Hosts and invite them to check-in with the hosts.

This is the only place in the park where campers and visitors can get 'potable' water which means it has been treated so it is safe to drink.

 A shower house with flush toilets sits right next to the beach.

Outhouses, also called 'vault toilets', are located at several places in the park.

Most of the campsites look like this, a gravel surface, picnic bench, electric box, and a pole from which campers can hang their garbage so raccoons and other critters can't get into it.

 This is where campground hosts spend a lot of their time. There is a shed with firewood, a refrigerator for ice, a "cabin," and a "coach." 

 Campground hosts use the "coach" to drive around the campground to talk to campers, clean up garbage, and drive to the  outhouses and shower house in order to clean them. Behind the "coach" is the "cabin" where campground hosts sell firewood and ice and deal with reservations.

The door to the 'cabin' lists the hosts hours. Hosts can open just the top part of the door so that campers are kept out for social distancing.

Inside the cabin there is a counter with a computer and phone. Above the counter is a clear plastic "window" for social distancing.

Outside the cabin, near the shower house, there is a play area for children which is currently closed because  of COVID - 19.

The beach is also currently closed because of COVID-19.

Signs like this one dot the park. They compare birds like cardinals which have a black mask on their face to the masks people wear for social distancing.

Lamps like this one found throughout the park point the light downward and shield the light from going up to help keep light pollution in the park to a minimum.

Here is my trailer sitting in front of my garage so I could wash and wax it before taking it to the Middle Fork for the camping season.

Here is my trailer at the Middle Fork Campground. The trailer behind mine belongs to the other campground hosts. We are sharing the position, each of us working two weeks on and two weeks off. The other campground hosts are a couple named Patty and Mike. It is their first year as campground hosts also. You can see Mike in the red shirt putting up a fence to make a yard for their two small dogs.