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Awash in Glampers

5/22/2021

The May gathering of the Iowa Midwest Glampers is taking place at Lake Anita State Park in western Iowa. I arrived Thursday evening about 5:30 in a downpour. The strange thing about this campground is that all three of the one way roads in the campground run the same way instead of alternating ways. The only option to go from one road to another is a loop that goes out of the campground a mile or so and back in the other end. I found my site on the lakeside road right away but sitting in the middle was my picnic table. I tried to drag it but couldn't budge it. Still raining hard by the way. So I made two more loops out and back through the campground to find the host site or a ranger.

I found the host and told him my plight. He went down and moved the table while I went back out on the loop and around to my road again. Finally got parked and hooked up, but immediately while I was getting some things out to warm up supper, dropped my container of coffee in the stairwell, spilling the whole thing. I am camping after all and couldn't let a little dirt interfere with my morning joe, so scooped enough up for that. I managed, hanging down into the well, to get the bulk of the rest up.

Yesterday went much better. The rain was scattered, but the wind was very insistent. It produced an interesting effect in the lake, pushing lily pads up vertically. I wondered if they might not be the tops of aliens' heads who were crouched in the lake waiting for us to go to bed so they could invade. But we managed to get in some visiting in spite of that threat and a propane run to Atlantic.

Evening brought a charcuterie board and wine tasting. All of the group contributed to a wonderful spread.

Today we made an excursion to Elk Horn, Iowa's Danish community. We visited the windmill, a woodworking shop, and several other interesting spots. By the time we were done, we had contributed mightily to the local economy and all of us had bought some Danish Kringle. Tonight, if the rain holds off, we have a potluck scheduled and tomorrow home again. If the aliens don't invade.

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A Rockin' Good Time

5/17/2021

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The last days of our trip featured an internet black hole for me so another delayed post. Before we left Johnson's Shutins, we spent part of a day at nearby Elephant Rocks State Park. This unusual spot features huge boulders millions of years old that do sort of resemble a parade of elephants. For years, the rock was quarried for streets and buildings in St. Louis. A fairly easy walk takes the visitor around the biggest concentration of stones, with stops by the quarry and an old depot. Many of the trees have wrapped themselves around the boulders.

Then we visited Pilot Knob, Civil War battlefield. In many tourist spots in this pandemic age, visitors centers are either closed or have hours limited to the weekends. But as we milled around, a volunteer came out and gave us a very precise account of the battle. The earthen foundations of Fort Davidson still stand with a small pond in the middle formed when the Federals blew up the ammunition dump before escaping into the night. A Confederate general on the side of the mountain heard the explosion but thought there would be time to check it out in the morning. Bad decision.

On Friday, we hit the winding roads and headed back north to Mark Twain Lake, this time to a campground on the North side--Indian Creek. My site left a little to be desired in the leveling department but was quite secluded in the trees. The next day, we paid the piper for a week of pretty good weather and endured a morning of steady rain. When it finally broke in the afternoon, we decided to get our usual evening campfire in early, and then retired to our respective abodes. All in all, a great week. Now for the laundry.

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Riding the Rumble Strips

5/13/2021

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Tuesday morning, it was time to continue our week-long trip through Missouri. Johnson's Shut-ins is a state park south of St. Louis, so named because one of its main features is a rocky gorge in the East Fork of the Black River where huge boulders force the river into torrents and pools. GPS gave us several routes from Mark Twain Lake to Johnson's. The fastest skirted the east side of St. Louis, but since our caravan consisted of five RV units and we wanted to stay together as much as possible, we opted for a two lane route.

We made a stop about halfway in a Walmart parking lot, which offered space for all of us to maneuver and park. Lunch and other necessities out of the way, we continued on, deeper into the rugged hills of southern Missouri. Part of our route was the through a section of the Mark Twain National Forest where the scenery was gorgeous and the rumble strips performed admirably to keep Agatha on the straight and narrow.
Ken and Harriet led the train and as we neared our destination, Harriet's GPS offered the "O" road as the most direct route. We soon discovered that the "O" was as in "OMG." The road became narrower and then gravel, punctuated by concrete dips to allow the water to run over the road and signs warning of high water areas and flash flooding. But, pioneers that we are, we made it.

The campground is fairly new because it was moved up the mountainside and rebuilt after a breach in the Taum Sauk reservoir sent 1.3 billion gallons of water cascading through the gorge, destroying much of the park facilities, in late 2005. No one was manning the checkin when we arrived so we were unable to get a campground map. We finally located our sites, but unlike Mark Twain Lake where we were lined up in a row, this time we are scattered through two loops. The sites are level but very wooded, so after set up it took some time to locate the others.

Yesterday morning, Letha served a lumberjack breakfast and we organized a trip to the Shut-ins. A beautiful hike along a paved path and boardwalk led to spectacular views. Up a long flight of stairs, platforms gave us even more vistas and a look at the turquoise pool at the bottom of the shut-ins. After a stop at the Visitors' Center and a couple of short excursions, I welcomed a short nap back at my camper.

We have absolutely no phone reception here so this morning I will go to the campground store where there is WiFi, post this blog, and check messages. Later we will take in Elephant Rocks State Park a few miles away and a couple of other scenic hikes. No rest for the retired!

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On the Road Again

5/10/2021

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A week long trip to Missouri started out as a potential disaster for me. No, I didn't have a blowout or break down along the road or get accosted by Jesse James' Gang. The bad news came when we stopped for gas and I realized I left my billfold at home. With of course my license, debit and credit cards, and cash. Fortunately, my in-laws took pity on me and by the time we get back, I will probably have to turn over the deed to the house, but at least I didn't have to turn around and go back home.

We (four couples and myself) are at Ray Behrens campground at Mark Twain Lake. We did have a little difficulty upon arrival because the roads are not marked with the site numbers. When our caravan ended up filling a small loop, one of the campground hosts snagged us and tried to straighten us out. We do-si-doed back out of there, and after a couple of more wrong turns, found our sites. Mine is a nice, level, VERY long and narrow strip of asphalt. I managed the back-in with only a few (Well, maybe more than a few) corrections. Syd and Ken cooked the perfect camping meal for supper: burgers and brats, macaroni salad, beans, and of course dessert. Afterwards, a perfect campfire with smoke going straight up--for about 5 minutes until someone mentioned it. Then it swirled around, throwing us into a game of musical chairs.

This morning we decided to go for a 'little walk.' Since we didn't have a Sacajawea type scout, we did a little wandering, to the tune of about 3 1/2 miles. It didn't help that Harriet kept singing about a "three-hour tour." But we figured out where we were when we returned to a signpost that the carver had labeled 'Scout Trial'. That mispelling only seemed to be on one post. It was very beautiful with lots of interesting mosses and wildflowers. Now for a nap.

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Wild Wacky Women Wrap Up!

5/3/2021

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In the wind, I should add. The final day of SPARKS was warm, sunny, and WINDY! But that didn't stop any of the activities. Besides decorating hats for the Kentucky Derby, the crafters created coil bowls, decorated flip-flops and colorful dreamcatchers.

In addition to crafts, the day was filled with visits and even a little kite-flying by the 'Manpers', some of the intrepid husbands who brave these gatherings.

Viewing of the Derby was on my outside TV. I decided if football and other sports only lasted 4-5 minutes, I could become a fan.

After supper, we gathered for a final campfire and awards in the hat contest. This was held "behind the dumpster" on the only flat piece of ground on this peninsula of land where all of our campsites were. The group also posed for a sunset picture. After much deliberation by the judges and some questionable choreography by the contestants, the winner of the hat prize, a bright pink pony, was Kim from St. Louis with her black straw festooned with a red rose, a few pheasant feathers, and plume of black net. She had spent most of the day pretending she was Queen Elizabeth but didn't fool anyone.

The drive home yesterday was just as windy. It seemed to be from the west when I was driving north and I swear it switched to the south when I turned east. But a great weekend. A few of the vintage campers below. The wind prevented most of the usual outdoor decorations.

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A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

5/1/2021

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A good weather forecast for any trip always makes me a little nervous because it never seems to turn out that way. But so far, here at Smithville the prognosticators have been right on the money. Yesterday was beautiful. Many of the Glampers took advantage of the weather to hit the local yard sales. I abstained because 1) I don't need any more stuff, and 2) I had a book to finish. I did get a chance to check out one of the amazing campers here. Pictured is Sheryl's Gypsy Wagon which was built in Alabama.

During the day, I did manage to finish the first draft of the next Frannie Shoemaker book, Corpse of Discovery, something I have been trying to achieve for the last year and a half. Woohoo! And took a couple of nice walks. The others returned and a few of us Iowa folks pooled our supper fixings--jambalaya, tortellini, a shredded chicken dish, and pasta salad. A little heavy on the carbs but delicious.

There are about 35 here from Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Illinois. Many were still coming in yesterday. So after supper, we gathered for a big campfire and made introductions. Entertainment was provided by the pets--especially Camper, a miniature Australian shepherd, and Miles, an indeterminate mix. Today there are lots of possibilities. There will be a hat contest in honor of the Kentucky Derby, and since two of us have outdoor TVs, viewing the Derby can be done comfortably and safely. There is also a concert by the KC Symphony in a park on the other side of the lake.

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Awash in Glampers

A Rockin' Good Time

Riding the Rumble Strips

On the Road Again

Wild Wacky Women Wrap Up!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

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