The final (maybe) outing of the Midwest Glampers is in the books. I say maybe because a few members have been known to take advantage of an unusually warm November weekend. But for most of us, it's time to unload and winterize. It was a good ending. The weather was wonderful and the trees filled with color. The only fly in the ointment was not a fly, but an Asian lady beetle and about a million of his closest friends. My site had no shade and in midafternoon they congregated on the sunny side of my camper and found a number of places to weasel their way in. But we hiked, explored, painted leaves, and had great campfires every night.
Seven Glampers and one 'Manper' gathered for this event from eastern Iowa and Illinois. I had not been able to attend an even this summer since Palisades in April, so it was great to catch up. Several had had losses and challenges. I met a new member--another Karen--who is my age so I am not the oldest anymore! Jackie and Harry filled us in one evening on their participation in Koi competitions and we shared the other changes in our lives. There were also lots of reminiscing and laughs about previous jaunts.
I went for a hike the first morning on a mile long trail near the campground. You know the old saying "What goes up, must come down"? Since the campground sits high, the opposite is true of the trails. What goes down, must come back up. As the trail wound down into a ravine, I knew it would be a challenge coming back up, but I made it and the scenery was worth it.
Later that day, we made a trip to Bellevue, visited a brewery overlooking the Mississippi, a chocolate shop, and a grocery store. We also stopped at a lookout in the northern unit of the park. There are great views of the town of Bellevue and the lock and dam on the Mississippi.
So it was a great wrap up to the season. Unfortunately, after the return home, that also means unloading the camper and preparing it for winterizing. I emptied the fridge and perishables at my apartment, as well as bring in bedding, towels, and paper products before I returned the camper to Andy's driveway. There is still much to be done but there is time for that.
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