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On the Level

4/30/2021

I am at Smithville Lake near Kansas City for the annual Midwest Glampers SPARKS Rally--the official kickoff of the season. There are about forty Glampers here or due to arrive today. The attraction is a large number of yard and thrift sales in the area this weekend. Fellow Glamper Carol and I caravaned down yesterday with no issues other than persistent high winds. The loop we are in has C-sites, with no surfaces except mine. I happen to be in a handicap site for no reason other than that it wasn't marked as such on the rather cumbersome Clay County website. So if they question me, I will play the age card. Two bonuses--I am much more level (well, my camper is) than last weekend. Also my big night shade that covers my front window is working again so I didn't have to rig a blanket up.

By the time I got set up, I was particularly glad I had leftover basil and shrimp fried rice to heat up for my supper. A small group gathered for a campfire at Lori and Randy's cute red and white trailer, Retro Ruby, and watched a lovely sunset. There are many here I hadn't met and several I hadn't seen for a couple of years. Diane from Nebraska is back on the circuit with her trailer, Violet, which had been out of commission undergoing a major rebuild. Diane also had knee surgery so it's great to see both her and Violet back and functioning. Jackie, also from Iowa, is here with her pink lady.

It looks to be a beautiful day and I am looking forward to meeting new friends and seeing several more glamped-up campers.

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Virtually Adrift at Lake Darling

4/25/2021

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A shakedown cruise an hour away gave me an opportunity to discover plenty of items that I forgot to reload in my camper and also pinpointed a couple of glitches. But my blog had to wait for my return home because that park is an internet desert for Verizon--according to a young (and I assume very inexperienced) Verizon employee, because it's near a body of water. So, no phone except texting and no internet at all. But a nice weekend without storms, blizzards, derechos, or floods.

First, my site was very unlevel and the leveling blocks I had were not enough to offset it. The whole coach tilted toward the back, giving one a feeling of being in perpetual high seas. Fortunately the compactness of my camper kept me from taking any tumbles but the sense of imbalance was quite disturbing. So, more boards and levelers needed. I was also missing a can opener, tablecloth clips, umbrella, flashlight, and various other goodies.

We got in a couple of hikes, campfires, and lots of food (although I forgot to put the salmon filets in that I had planned to do in foil packets with lemon). I managed to dump the tanks more efficiently and faster than the guy ahead of me so that was a plus. Now to reload and supply the missing items and off the Missouri on Thursday for a big Glampers rally.

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A Trip to Harper's Ferry

4/17/2021

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Yesterday, we made a short drive to Harper's Ferry, VA--a historical site that we had missed in several trips out east. This strategic location at the confluence of the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers changed hands several times during the Civil War but was best known for John Brown's famous raid on the federal arsenal, considered an inciting event of the war.

During non-Covid times, I act as a volunteer docent at the old West Liberty Depot, now a heritage museum. The guns that were used in the raid were shipped out of that depot and my son-in-law has ancestors that took part in the raid. So the event has a special connection. I was surprised that the engine house, "John Brown's fort', was much smaller than I had assumed.

An interesting place to visit in beautiful surroundings (even on a cloudy day. The red buds and dogwoods are in full bloom. Part of the old town has been maintained as museums depicting the retail stores of the time. Flooding has been a major issue for the town throughout the town's history and exhibits depict just how high the water has been. Farther up the hill are fun operating restaurants and boutique shops. A great place to visit!

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Flying v. Camping

4/15/2021

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So here I am in West Virginia at my daughter's--a trip I've been waiting to make for over two years. First my husband's treatment schedule didn't allow us to make the trip. Then Covid hit. A planned visit for Thanksgiving was cancelled due to the fall surge. At last yesterday, I flew from Cedar Rapids to Dulles in DC, with a layover in Chicago.

To me, flying isn't the last word in convenience or comfort. First there's the challenge of determining what you can pack and how you can downsize to fit the requirements. Is my shampoo too big? Is my suitcase too heavy? I decided to check my bag because I wasn't sure I could lift it into an overhead. It didn't matter on the first leg because they announced that the overheads weren't big enough for carryons or duffel bags.

I arrived in Chicago and asked where my next gate was. "Just down the hall to left until you get to security and take another left." So is Gate B10 right there when you turn at security? Of course not. Down several more loooong halls and too many turns to count. I reach my gate with about 20 minutes to spare before boarding. No food is being served even though the flight is over the supper hour, but there is a MacDonald's a few steps away. I have never been a fan of MacDonald's and that chicken sandwich didn't do anything to change my mind.

The plane engines are at least as loud as the motor in my camper. I was cramped and uncomfortable. I found myself thinking too often that if I was driving my camper, I could pull over and get up and walk around. I could make myself a good sandwich, and I could even go back and take a nap. Whe we reached DC, I think they actually landed us in Tennessee, judging from the walk from the plane to the baggage claim. I miss Agatha.

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Preparing for the Season

4/11/2021

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It took a lot of snacks and coffee, a couple of bottles of wine, two raclettes, several laptops, a puzzle, food and a couple of days for six members of the Midwest Glampers to plan the upcoming season events in Iowa. The site was Tall Oaks Lodge at Quaker Heights Camp near Eldora. Raclettes, in case you're wondering (I certainly was) are two tiered table-top grills to enable very sociable cooking of delectable meals.

The lodge has a well equipped kitchen, spacious dining room, TV room with 17 or 18 recliners and nine bedrooms with private baths. It is well suited to such heavy and world altering planning sessions. The camp is located on a bluff above the Iowa River and provides some great (up and down) hiking.

The planning resulted in an event each month in various Iowa State parks, working around RAGBRAI, family responsibilities, and possible pandemic changes. Themes for each event were bandied around a bit. During the down time, numerous stories were told (some possibly even true) and a member generated version of the game "Things" generated almost heart-stopping laughter. It was a good time.

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On the Level

Virtually Adrift at Lake Darling

A Trip to Harper's Ferry

Flying v. Camping

Preparing for the Season

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