Roam With Friends

Category: Campground Review

La Bella Villas & RV Park
For the past several years Mother’s Day has afforded us the opportunity to gather with other families and enjoy a weekend of camping while honoring the mother’s day. Our original plan for Mother’s Day was to visit a local state park. However, COVID restrictions were extended and ultimately we were cancelled as our state parks are not allowing camping.

So, we moved our reservations to a full hook-up campground in the small town of Carrollton, MO, La Bella Vista & RV Park. Carrollton is a small town with a population of 3,500 people. We are familiar with Carrollton as it is where we deer hunt and close to my hometown.

La Bella Vista & RV Park is beautiful piece of land with thick green grass, a boundary line of mature trees and across the street from the city park and soon to be aquatic center. Occasionally pipeline workers check in and call La Bella home while working near Carrollton. During Mother’s Day Weekend 2020, there were no other guest except for the one rental house and one full time RV’er on property.

We spent the weekend resting, relaxing, playing, and even shopping. Naps were taken. The kids played nonstop. It was a welcome treat to not worry about vehicles speeding through the campground. Even the littlest of the littles could toddle along minding their own business. The kids were not the only ones who enjoyed their best life; the dogs ran off leash all weekend.

Our Mother’s Day trip came during Phase 1 of life post COVID quarantine. We really just hoped to find a place that would allow us to camp. However, we found a small town open for business. We visited the local downtown square and found hand dipped ice cream at the Mercantile. (Ya’ll that Black Raspberry Truffle made me forget that I am lactose intolerant!) We visited the Amish store and even were gifted free firewood from the Amish sawmill. We made nightly runs to the local brewery, River Bottom Brewery, for to go growlers and to go Beer Margaritas.

The hand scooped ice cream from the Mercantile. I think we each hit this place several times during our weekend stay.

On Mother’s Day we were gifted the most amazing tour by the La Bella Villas & RV Park owner, Linda. She also co-owns La Bella Casa Mansion and offered us a tour of the home. La Bella Casa Mansion is an event center and a beautiful place for a wedding or party. Linda showed us the grounds and the home. The home was built by a banker in 1912. The woodwork throughout the house was amazing. Linda even pointed out the resident critters (bats!) that call the shutters home.

All the mothers with their children/grandchildren outside of La Bella Casa.

The grounds and first floor of the mansion can be rented for one price. If you would like access to other parts of the house, you add them on. I am pretty sure I got lost in counting bedrooms but I think there are approximately 8 bedrooms and the house can sleep nearly 30 people. The entire third flood is a giant bar/billiards room with a lot of space for entertaining. Linda and her business partner have done an amazing job of turning an old house into something very beautiful! Thank you, Linda, once again for a wonderful Mother’s Day treat!

Bar/Billiards room on the third floor of the mansion.

Foyer/Entryway

One interior fireplaces. The door off to the left goes to the kitchen. All of the floors are original as is all the other wood work.

Beautiful stained glass hanging in the window from the first to second floor. Linda reported the original owner obtained this from an old church.

What do you need to know if you are considering visiting La Bella Villas & RV Park?
- Only some of the sites have concrete. Most are on grass.
- All sites have water, electricity, and sewer.
- The rate is $25 a night.
- There are no fire pits but you are able to bring your own fire ring.
- There are no public shared spaces. So no bathhouse, no public restrooms.
- The sites were originally set up for mobile homes. So you may need to maneuver around the site to make your electric cords and sewer connections work. Otherwise be prepared and bring extensions.
- Contact Linda and let her know you are coming. She will swing by and pick up the rent.
The weather was fickle. Cold, windy, sunny, warm. Our evening campfire was a welcome treat.

Cowboy Stir fry for dinner for large group on the Blackstone.

Carrollton is not exactly urban setting. It is the epitome of a small rural town. It is located at the intersection of highway 65 and 10 highway. It is one and half hours east of Kansas City MO. It is 50 miles north of the highway 65 and I-70 intersection. However, there is enough cute shops and soon to be the inclusion of a aquatic center right across the street from La Bella RV Park that makes this a nice, change of pace location.
May 12, 2020
Mt Carmel Motel and RV Park Utah

In the summer of 2018, on our long fifteen day road trip, we found ourselves planted in Mt Carmel Utah at a quaint motel and RV park. Mt. Carmel is located north of Fredonia Arizona and north of Kanab Utah on highway 89. Mt Carmel is seventeen miles from the east entrance to Zion National Park. Mt Carmel is also south of Glendale and south of Alton Utah. It is a sixty-nine minute drive from Bryce Canyon National Park.

Mt Carmel offers RV camping, cabins, and motel rooms. The RV sites offer full hook-ups and a picnic table. The park is small, so everything is close. So, that community shower/bathroom (by the way that is the cleanest and most spacious public wash house I have ever seen) is only steps away from every camper. That also means that your RV neighbor is pretty close as well.

Mt Carmel RV park is engulfed with beautiful white poplar trees that grow tall over the RV sites. These trees have leaves that are two tones (green on top and silver on the bottom). The leaves blew during our entire visit. As they blow all you can see is waving silver above your head. The leaves sung us to sleep each night and woke us in the morning. If a person can fall in love with a tree, I was pretty infatuated. Then the owners of the park told us the branches are very weak and fall frequently. Oh well, some love affairs are only meant to be brief.

Google describes Mt. Carmel Motel and RV park as “low-key”. I want to tell you that is a harsh description but it is honestly spot on. But we did not pick Mt Carmel for park amenities. We were among the amenities we wanted: we wanted Zion National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and Brice Canyon National Park. And this RV park put us close to all of that without having to pull our camper through the Carmel Tunnel in Zion National Park.

The neighboring communities provided what amenities we needed. Kanab (20 minutes away) had grocery stores, restaurants, and shopping. We even found a place to swap out tires for Roxie.

Mt Carmel Junction (two minutes away) offered a restaurant for meals we did not want to make ourselves. Orderville (four minutes away) had access to stores that met our quick/emergency needs. And…Mt Carmel Motel and RV park had an onsite post office so mailing those post cards to our loved ones home was so easy!

So, maybe “low-key” is an accurate description. But ‘”low-key” is just what we needed/wanted from our resting place in the south west corner of Utah. And after climbing Angel’s Landing, I needed a safe, comfortable place to land. Mt. Carmel Motel and RV Park provided that to us.

February 17, 2020
Our Shake-Down Trip at Basswood Resort
We live in a state with amazing state parks. We are spoiled with large spacious sites in beautiful locations at a very low price. So, for us, spending money for a private campground is a splurge.

There are a few private campgrounds near us that are worthy of a visit when you want to treat yourself. One of those private campgrounds is Basswood Resort. Basswood is located off of Highway 92 between Smithville, MO and Platte City, MO, just north of Kansas City. RV sites at Basswood run between $56 and $66 a night, which is significantly more than the $23 a night at the county campground a few miles down the road.

If there is a downsize to Basswood other than the price, it would be the proximity to the Kansas City International Airport. Air planes fly over head all day. They are loud. But they are also fun to watch.

We purchased our new camper, Ruby Lou, in September 2019 so we booked a shake-down weekend at Basswood joining Wayne’s extended family. For our first weekend in Ruby Lou, we wanted to have full hookups, be close to home, and have access lots of resort amenities to keep The Short Chic entertained. Our dates were September 20 and 21, 2019, which was Hero’s Weekend at Bassword Resort. Our site was number 95.

We arrived later on that Friday evening than we would have liked and it was rainy. I had planned for a grilled steak dinner but cooking in the rain did not sound fun. Luckily for us, Basswood has a Snack Bar/Pizza Kitchen. As Wayne checked us in, he ordered pizza that was delivered to our campsite just as we finished setting up.

The rain continued into Saturday morning and afternoon. Wayne and I played with every gadget in or on the camper and there were so many new ones to learn! While we played with the camper, The Short Chic and her cousins played with the resort. Basswood printed an entire directory of activities for the day:
- coloring contest
- themed word search
- scavenger hunt
- fishing contest
- craft time
- tie dye
- ice cream social
- candy bar bingo
- pancake breakfast
- outdoor movie
In addition to the organized activities, they also have a heated swimming pool (so despite the air temperature the pool is warm and inviting)! Next to the pool is a jungle gym/ropes activity center and not far away the resort has a tomahawk throw. We were able to borrow tomahawks from the registration area.

One of the funnest activities they had was the foam ride of fun. A tractor hauling a large trailer picked up kids of all ages. The trailer was equipped with a foam making machine. The tractor pulled the trailer full of kids producing foam all the way. The trailer paraded the kids through the campground leaving a trail of foam behind! The kids had so much fun playing in the foam. For hours after the foam ride of fun, foam floated through the air bringing a smile to my face.

The rain continued for the entire weekend but The Short Chic had a great time and we enjoyed shaking down the new camper. Due to the weather, we actually spent a lot of time inside the camper (something we do not normally do). During this weekend, we decided we are no longer campers. With our heated/massaging seats, fireplace, big screen television, convection oven we have become glampers. And glamping at a fancy RV resort is okay with me.

Maybe not all the time but occasionally it does make a very nice treat!
December 24, 2019
Winding River Resort, Grand Lake Colorado
Colorado has so many amazing options for camping that selecting the right spot can be a challenge. To help us whittle it down we started listing the non-negotiable we wanted in a Colorado vacation:
- mountain views
- mountain lakes
- hiking
- fishing
- moose
Moose? Yes, moose. We knew the first four items on our list would be easy low hanging fruit to grab but moose; in Colorado? Everyone we talked to told us about elk in Colorado. Even some big horned sheep. But, not so much chatter about moose.

As we started our research. I found an article online that talked about the increase in moose population in Colorado specifically in an area near Grand County. The Kawuneeche Valley is suppose to be home to a significant moose population. So that lead me to brainstorming with my dear friend, Leslie, who lives in Colorado. I asked her if she felt I could see moose in Colorado and she clued me into Winding River Resort in Grand Lake Colorado. Leslie told me that she had a friend who visits Winding River regularly and she always has photos of moose encounters.

We learned that Winding River Resort is a few short feet away from Rocky Mountain National Park (you can literally walk into the park from the resort) and equally close to the Arapaho National Forrest. On the grounds of the resort is a ATV rental shop. Within a few short miles away are three mountain lakes: Grand Lake, Shadow Mountain Lake and Lake Granby. There are other smaller alpine lakes in the national park as well. The icing on the cake for us, was Winding River Resort offered us full hook-ups.

Booking:

Booking at Winding River Resort was easy as a phone call to the resort. I explained to the reservation taker that my goal of seeing a moose. She explained that the moose enter the resort in the back by the staff area so she was going to put me as close to them as she could. A quick look at the campground map also showed that we were right next to a lily pond. Perfect!

Our dates:

We planned to spend an entire week at Winding River Resort; June 10th to June 16, 2019. We were in spot 93. Our rate was $60/night but we did have to pay an extra $10 child fee.

Getting There:

To arrive at Winding River Resort from Denver, we had two options. Option 1: Travel north in I25 and take our 35 foot camper through Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. Option 2: Take I-70 west 40 Highway north through Berthoud Pass and Winter Park. Trail Ridge Road is a 48 miles stretch of road from the east side to the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park. It reaches elevations near 11,500 with a grade between 5% and 7%. Trail Ridge Road is narrow, with minimal shoulder and pullouts. Weather conditions on Trail Ridge Road change quickly.

Berthoud Pass is also a mountain pass that reaches elevations near 11,300 and steep grades (6%). We also found wide lanes, with well established shoulders. The biggest difference between the two passes is the traffic. Trail Ridge Road is in the park and is a huge tourist draw. So, we opted to take Option 2 and travel Berthoud Pass while pulling our camper.

Finding Winding River Resort was actually very easy. Just north of Grand Lake, Colorado a quaint mountain town with a population under 500 residents. Almost directly across from the Kawuneeche Visitor Center of Rocky Mountain National Park right off highway 34 was county road 491. A mile down the road, across a little bridge, was Winding River Resort, right on the banks of the Colorado River.

Upon arrival, we found a cute sprawling resort. We were welcomed to the ranch by the horses that call the stables their home, just to the left of the entrance. We checked in a the general store/office just to the right of the entrance. We were surrounded by evergreen trees and mountains. Our first impression of the resort; we had found a piece of Colorado heaven. We easily found our site, which was a dirt site that backed up to the Wapiti Lilly Pond (which we were so excited to find actually had water and lilly pads during our visit). We were a little disappointed to find out that our neighbors had parked their RV a little caddywhompus which caused us to be a little askew. Thankfully the resort staff, problem solved and helped us get into our site.

Our first Moose sighting happened after we had been on the property less than 10 minutes. We checked in, drove to our site, quickly assessed that our site was odd (thanks to said neighbors mentioned above), drove back up front to request help, and as we drove back to our site to wait for assistance, we passed by the lilly pond a second time in a matter of minutes. There, in the Lilly Pond was a yearling female moose munching away. We quickly named her Lilly and we would learn that she visited the Lilly Pond every single day during our visit. Gosh, and I was worried about seeing a moose. Goal met in less than an hour!

After setting up our camp, we headed to the Kawuneeche Visitor Center. We have found that asking Park Rangers for hiking and fishing recommendations usually pays off. The Rangers recommended a hike called the North Inlet Trail which actually started in Grand Lake. The Rangers told us that moose sightings had been reported around dusk on this trail.

We managed to find two moose on our first hike, both were a field and a river away but we were able to respectfully visit them. As we were hiking back to our vehicle, I was leaving our first day very happy. Three moose sightings in one afternoon! This vacation, this location, was better than I ever could have imagined. As we walked back, a tad after dusk I suddenly became weary of predators watching us. Moose were not the only animals in the area and my husband, who was hiking behind me, kept stopping which kept putting me up front alone. Just as I turned to “school” him on proper mountain lion safety, I looked up and found a large bull moose staring down at me. Seriously, I about peed myself! But there was no time for such things because as soon as I caught my breath at stumbling onto a bull moose, I realized he was not alone. There was not one but three bulls directly above us!

The rest of our time at Winding River Resort, was just as idealistic as our first day. Every day we experienced moose. And elk. My favorite experience was waking up early to find our campground full of moose. My cousin had gotten up early to walk his dog and found a huge surprise, moose everywhere. Thankfully he came and immediately woke me up so I too could experience it. We learned during our vacation that moose strongly dislike dogs. It is in their DNA from years of fighting off the cousin of the dog; the wolf. That morning as the moose were running free around camp, I just kept thinking our being there all started with my cousin out walking his dog and coming up on a random moose out grabbing a morning bite to eat. Our week at Winding River Resort was nothing short of perfect. It was the best balance of activity and relaxation. We enjoyed quiet time and we also had moments where we were joined by friends. Besides my cousin, who moved to Riverton Wyoming joining us, we were also visited by our dearest friends Jackie and Harry. Harry loves Grand Lake and loved driving up from Denver to spend the day having lunch at the Snack Shack on the lake and hiking to Adams Falls.

We rented a Razor from On The Trail Rentals, which we were very satisfied with. We got lucky as On The Trail opened for summer rental on June 15, which happened to fall on our last full day at the Resort. We took the Razor and spent an afternoon exploring Arapaho National Forrest which is adjacent to the resort. During our rental time, we learned a lot from my cousin about dry camping on public land and we were able to see numerous camping sites full of boondockers.

We spent a great deal of time wondering around the town of Grand Lake. Whether you are visiting in the summer or winter, this town is a mecca of outdoor activities. We enjoyed ice cream at one of the ice cream shops. We found the locals to be friendly, engaging, and so willing to share their beautiful home with us. We enjoyed shopping in all of the downtown shops. We were even able to find a pizza restaurant/bar (The White Buffalo) to watch The St. Louis Blues win the Stanley Cup.

The Short Chic and her daddy even braved the frigid cold water of Grand Lake to SUP. We warned The Short Chic over and over again about how cold the water was but she was convinced she was not going to fall in. Wayne, on the other hand, was positive he was going to fall in. I am happy to say he never fell in and unfortunately, after 50 some minutes of perfect SUPing, The Short Chic did fall into that water. I have never seen someone fall in and jump out of the water faster than she did!

After consulting with Park Rangers and the owners of Kirks Flyshop, Wayne spent several days wetting fly line in streams and lakes in the area. Unfortunately, we were on vacation and visiting during the summer run-off so the rivers were running high and fast and the alpine lakes were still pretty frozen. Thankfully, he learned how to manage the water and was still successful at catching fish. This is a huge accomplishment for him as we come from an area that mostly has stocked rivers and catching a wild trout is something to send a post card home to Dad about!

Winding River Resort had several amenities that deserve to be highlighted even if we did not partake in them. First of all, this is a campground that allows campers and non-campers to spend time together. They have cabins for rent as well as pioneer covered wagon! They have equestrian sites; full hook up sites that come with a small corral for your horse. Many of the other campers we saw, bring their fun with them to Winding River Resort, that “fun” maybe ATVs or they may be horses, or fishing rods in our case.

Horses are a big deal at Winding River. You can bring yours or rent one of theirs. They have organized trail rides, pony rides, hay rides, and even sleigh rides in the winter. They have chuck wagon dinners and chuck wagon pancake breakfast, ice cream socials, square dancing, and even Cowboy Church. We spent time walking around the Animal Farm playing with all the baby farm animals. If organized activities are not your thing, there is pickleball, basketball, frisbee golf, volleyball, horseshoes are all available on the property for your enjoyment. Oh yeah, let’s not forget that the Colorado River is right behind the Animal Farm.

Every minute we were in Colorado at Winding River Resort and every minute we spent driving home from our Colorado we just kept saying to ourselves, “wow, that was amazing.” We selected this place in hopes of seeing a moose. I had no idea or expectation that we would see as many moose as we did.

I hope if you are looking for a Colorado adventure that is a little bit quieter and a little (a lot) less crowded than say…Estes Park…we hope you will consider booking a stay at Winding River Resort.
December 20, 2019
Mesa Verde National Park
I love the idea of staying in a National Park. I love the idea of waking up before the park gets busy, grabbing that moment of solitude inside a national treasure, or staying up late to hear the animals and see the dark skies long after the crowds move on for the day. But if I am honest with you; I am spoiled. I love my electrical sites and I love my life more when I have easy access to water. There I said it. So, because of this, I find taking my camper to national parks somewhat challenging. I have a large camper and it does not always fit in the spaces available.

When we decided to visit Mesa Verde National Park I was most excited to see that they have a small number of full hookup RV sites at Morefield Campground. With early planning, we were able to secure three of the 15 full hookup sites for our visit.

We arrived at Mesa Verde after a short (less than 4 hour) drive along Colorado Highway 160 from Alamosa. Upon arriving at Mesa Verde our daughter had the experience of actually using her Every Child in the Park pass and taking us to a National Park.

We spent two nights and roughly three jammed packed days inside the park. We had a nice balance of some relaxing time, some hiking, and some exploring of ancient communities.

Morefield Campground:

Staying at Morefield Campground was everything I had always knew staying inside the park would be. It was peaceful, there were breathtaking views, and intimate animal encounters. I felt like we were some place special from the moment we arrived. The sites were spacious and had grass, shrubs, and trees, the exact opposite of what we experienced in Yellowstone at Fishing Bridge.

One funny thing about our site at Mesa Verde, the sewer connection was uphill from our camper. We were a little “worried” because we all know stuff rolls down hill and not uphill. We established a back up plan: use the holding tanks and the dump station at the bottom of the campground. But since we were only there for two nights, we managed.

Nightly there were Ranger Lead Programs in the campgrounds although we never attended any of these. By the time we reached our campers at the end of the evening, we were worn out and ready for bed.

Hiking:

One of my favorite vacation activities is hiking. Mesa Verde National Park has several different hiking options. Their hiking trails seem to be batched by area and there are three different areas: Morefield Campground has three trailheads, Chapin Mesa has four trailheads, and Wetherill Mesa has two trailheads. We elected to hike the Petroglyph Point Trail from the Chapin Mesa area.

The Petroglyph Point Trail is a 2.4 mile loop that takes you past a large petroglyph panel as well as evidence of ancient Pueblo homes. We found the trail challenging, which was a level of fun for everyone in our group. The age ranges of our group varied from 7 to 65 years old.

Tours:

Mesa Verde is most known for their Ancient Puebloan cliff dwellings so if you are visiting this national park, planning to visit the dwellings is a very important part of the experience. There are two ways to see the cliff dwellings: a ranger led tour and the self-guided tour. We did a combination of both. We were able to do self-guided tour to see Spruce House, the third largest cliff dwelling and best preserved, from the Chapin Mesa Visitor Center. Currently there are not any tours to Spruce House so seeing it from afar will have to suffice.

We purchased tickets to tour both the Balcony House and Cliff Palace. Tickets were $5 per person and we purchased our tickets the night before at the ranger station by Morefield Campground.

I, personally, had a lot of anxiety about taking the two tours and visiting Balcony House and Cliff Palace. The park brochure gave fair warning to visit the dwelling you would climb multiple ladders, of various sizes (8 to 10 feet long, 32 foot long, and up to 60 feet long) making a verticle ascent of 100 feetup exposed cliff face, crawling through a tiny tunnel, and using a series of stone steps.

I do not like ladders! Can I even fit into a tiny tunnel? And… what was it about exposed cliff faces? OH MY GOODNESS! I tried very hard not to show it, but these were the questions running through my head all day long.

We toured Balcony House first and as I stood at the base of that large 60 foot ladder my heart pounded. We had to ascend it two by two and I found myself with Meeghan’s husband, Mr. Calm Cool and Collected. The guide told us that we just needed to keep three points of contact with the ladder at all times, which I repeated over and over all the way up the ladder. Maybe I even said it outloud. This is probably why Mr. Calm kept looking at me like “I can’t believe I got paired up with this crazy lady!”

As freaked out as I was, with as much anxiety as I entered touring these dwellings with, it all melted away. I challenged myself and I felt the growth because of it. Isn’t that what a vacation is about? Stepping outside your normal routine and doing something new. For me, it is and I find that I return from my travels a little stronger than I was before.

I found out the ladders were super sturdy. They were no were near as wobbly at the ladders we use at home to hang Christmas lights. You know the ones you threaten your children with their lives if they leave the bottom rung while you are on it. (Oh wait, maybe that is just me?) As far as the tunnel, well it was tight, but we all made it, and maybe had fun doing so. The tour guides (park rangers) are pretty specific about not touching the walls of the dwellings as it will leave oils on the rock. So, we did a great job of balancing and I am happy to say, no one fell off the cliff face.

The tours are well attended. They are quick, you only spend about an hour on each tour, but we learned a lot about kiva’s, corn, and the Puebloan people. It is amazing to see dwellings that have been around for centuries still standing (yes, some of them may have had a little help being rehabbed but who does not need a face lift after a few hundred years).

As we would soon learn, this National Park is alive and exciting but most of that excitement is below the canyon. If you are willing to take a walk, descend down the canyon you are going to see some amazing things.

Mesa Verde was a joy to visit. We crammed a lot into the three days and two nights we were there. To recap our trip we:
1. Stayed at Morefield campground
2. Toured Balcony and Cliff Palace
3. Obtained Junior Ranger Badges
4. Hiked the Petroglyph Trail
5. Learned a lot about Puebloan history and the plants they harvested.
In case you have been following along, this stop was the third stop on the Betty and Roxy Desert Vacation of 2018.
July 20, 2019
Great Sand Dune National Park and Base Camp Family Campground

The Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado was our first real stop on the Desert Vacation of 2018. I had be*en to this park once before, twenty some years ago and in reflection, it seemed as if I missed something. So, back we went for one night, a pit stop, a stretch break on our way to some other place.

We had desired to stay at Great Sand Dunes Oasis, a full hookup campground, just a few feet from the entrance. Even though our travel dates seemed inconspicuous, last year we juggled Memorial Day Weekend, we soon learned about Medano Creek. Once a year, Medano Creek swells from the spring thaw. Locals and tourist love to visit Great Sand Dunes National Park during this time to play in the water and see firsthand how those amazing sand dunes exist in the middle of Colorado.

So, with Great Sand Dune Oasis full, we began searching for another campground. We ended up landing at Base Camp Family Campground outside of Alamosa and 27 miles to The Great Sand Dune National Park.

The Great Sand Dune National Park

After dropping the campers off at the campground, we drove over to the national park. booklets ahead of time but we were not able to do that for this park. So, the first thing we did was obtain our Junior Ranger badges. Next we set about to do some sand hiking.

I learned a few things during my time at Great Sand Dunes National Park. First of all, I learned that hiking in the sand is hard work! The ground moves, the sand gets in your shoes making walking difficult, if you take your shoes off, the sand is hot and prickly making walking difficult. So basically walking is difficult in the sand.

Second thing I learned, when the wind blows and the sand is being blown all over you are get pelted. Imagine a full body microderm abrasion facial. And, the wind does blow at The Great Sand Dune National Park. Like, it blows a lot, Which is another key factor in why there is sand dunes in the middle of Colorado.

Third thing I learned, sandsledding is a popular sport in the Dunes. But you must have a special type off board and it is important to rent a board before you find yourself standing on a dune wondering where everyone got their boards.

Fourth, I decided I was too out of shape to be walking around the dunes. We hiked to a nearby “hill” and played around. I thought for a few minutes about trying to hike more hills but I called uncle and my dear husband and I started heading back to the truck.

During our time on the dunes we did notice haze all around us. We later learned that wild fires were blazing around us. To our south, areas of New Mexico were on fire as well as to the west of us, areas north of Durango were on fire. We are accustom to watching for thunderstorms, tornado’s, and hail storms but wildfires was new to us. You can see the haze in the photo below.

San Luis Lakes State Parks And Wildlife Area

On our way back to Base Camp Family Campground we noticed signs for a state park so we took a detour and did some extra exploring. The water seemed low to us but we have no comparison.

Base Camp Family Campground

We arrived early in the afternoon, shortly after check in at 1:00 p.m. We were assigned three spaces in a row, sites 11, 12, and 13, all of which were giant pull through sites. Ya’ll, when I say giant I am telling you for a private campground these sites were unbelievable.

After exploring, we returned to find the campground had filled up. Several families we saw on the dunes were now camping by us. Funny story, as we waited in the parking lot for all our group to finish exploring the dunes, this family walked by our parked truck and one of the kids randomly hit their head on our tow mirrors. Their momma, reached up and swatted her head for not paying attention. As a social worker it caught my eye. As a mother it caught my eye, there was not a moment that the momma asked if her child was okay before swatting them for not paying attention. As the owner of the truck, I just snickered. When we arrived back at camp, what would be the odds that this family was now tent camping just a few feet from our RV!

The afternoon winds settled and we enjoyed chicken tacos for dinner. We built a fire and settled in to experience a night under a dark sky. We were recommended to catch the sunset behind the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The name translated to English means Blood of Christ, and it is commonly believed the name originates from the alpenglow that occurs at sunset. We only had one night in this location, and we had already experienced the impact of wildfire, so I am not sure if it was the best sunset the area had to offer. But, for a girl from the Midwest, who was camping in sand for the first time ever, it was a memorable night!

April 23, 2019
Knob Noster State Park

Every year we have a goal of visiting 5 different Missouri State Parks, which earns us our Missouri Camper Award. Some of those five are parks we visit every single year: Watkins Mill State Park, Weston Bend State Park, and Wallace State Park. But, we also like to explore and try new things (isn’t that part of the love of RV’ing?) so I also look for a couple of new parks we want to visit. Knob Noster State Park has been on our list of places to visit for the past couple of years and we finally made it there Memorial Day Weekend 2018.

Located an hour east of Kansas City in the small town of Knob Noster, we found ourselves arriving just about the time we felt like we left home. Knob Noster is home to Whiteman Air Force Base so by coming here, I really hoped to catch a glimpse of the B-2 Stealth Bomber, which is permanently housed at Whiteman AFB.

This trip came days before we departed for our two week family vacation, so we were really hoping for a quiet weekend before we sat off on an adventure. As we rarely roam without a friend or two, this weekend was no exception.. Our friends Josh and Vickie and their two children joined us.

Camp Life:

The campground loop is long and weaves between completely shaded sites to full exposed to the sun sites. Primitive sites are sprinkled throughout the loop and next to electric sites. There are 70 total sites at Knob Noster SP.

In addition to the campground, there is also a special use area with two group campgrounds that are available to nonprofits, weddings, family reunions, and other approved groups. One of the parks even has an in-ground swimming pool!

Each night and day that we were visiting KNSP there were ranger led activities. We attended an owl program Friday night after settling into camp. We attended a ranger led nature walk the next day and on our last evening we attended a ranger led program that discussed the history of the park.

Interesting History:

Knob Noster State Park actually started off as part of the National Park Service. Construction began on the future state park in 1936 as part of the employment relief service and with a goal of turning marginal land no longer suited for agriculture into a recreational area for Kansas Citians and nearby residents. Ten years later when construction was completed in 1946, the National Park Service transferred control to the Missouri State Board.

Our Time:

As we prepared to come to Knob Noster State Park for the first time we heard from many people that the hiking at this park was exceptional. We ended up hiking the Buteo Trail and the Discovery Trail. We found wild plants, animals, cliffs, streams, and lakes. The Buteo Trail has a fun water feature to cross and it takes you around the Buteo Lake. We heard that the Buteo Lake is home to fresh water jellyfish and beavers, but we found no evidence of jelly fish.

We heard that the town of Knob Noster had a farmers market on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, there were only three vendors at the farmer’s market so we finished in like six minutes. Fortunately, we decided to wander around downtown and found ourselves a few antique shops and a few other cute shops. We even found an ice cream place and Josh proved to everyone that it is never too early in the morning for ice cream!

One of the evenings during our visit we traveled over to Clear Fork Lake to catch the sunset and do a little bit of fishing. We did not catch any fish but the sunset that night was beautiful! I added returning to Clear Fork Lake to my next time list. I think this place would be beautiful space for an evening picnic.

Sunday afternoon we welcomed visitors, my brother and niece arrived. One of the small pleasures in life is to enjoy a grilled hot dog and the company of loved ones. As we sat around our campsite, following the shade from spot to the next we actually had a B-2 fly overhead. By the time we heard the noise, the bomber was long gone but man, it was so loud! Maybe next visit we will actually get to see a B-2 fly over. Maybe, but they are stealthy.

March 26, 2019
Campground Review: Branson Tree House Adventure and RV Park

RV parks in the Branson area are plentiful. You can find private campgrounds in the middle of the excitement of the 76 strip. There are smaller private parks nestled into the hills away from the excitement but with great panoramic views of Branson. You can also find spacious public campgrounds right on Table Rock Lake at either local state parks or on corp land. We made plans to visit Branson over the Thanksgiving holiday where we found a number of campgrounds closed for the winter season. We did thankfully find a few that are open year round. We wanted a base camp that would be close to Silver Dollar City and other local attractions we planned to visit during our 5 day/4 night stay.

We selected to stay at Branson Treehouse Adventures and RV Park in Branson West. Branson is known for it’s traffic and towing a 35 foot camper through that traffic was a little anxiety invoking. However; we were able to use one of the alternate routes (465 to 76) to skirt most of 76 highway joining it just before the turn off to Silver Dollar City. As we turned onto 76 West, we found the traffic was backed up in the left lane for the turn into Silver Dollar City. The right lane, however, the lane that went to Branson West was wide open. We felt like winners when we were able to buzz right past the traffic and pull into our campground with ease.

The signage for the park was big and easily noticeable. Just off the main highway, down a gravel driveway is Branson Treehouse Adventures. As the name implies there are a lot of treehouses available for rent but there are also RV spots, and even cabins. You will start to see RV sites as you enter the property.

We found the office and began checking in which went super smooth. We received a Good Sam’s discount during our stay. Besides Good Sam, Branson Treehouse Adventure also gives a Military and First Responders discount. If you are traveling as a group, be sure to inquire about group discounts for parties of 10 or more campers.

The campground has several different types of sites available; deluxe sites, upgraded back in; back in, and pull through. We selected an Upgraded Back In Site which gave us full hook ups, a concrete pad, a picnic table, a fire ring, and a light on the electric box. Unfortunately, there were some big trees that we had to maneuver around to get into our site. One was at the end of our spot and the others were directly across from us. I am sure those with more experience backing up would have been ok but that is still an area we struggle with.

We were so happy to finally get into the site that we settled to be a little off center in the site putting us closer to our next door neighbor than I am sure they would have appreciated. Luckily for us, our neighbor appeared to be full timers who were not “home” for the holidays. What they don’t know can’t hurt them, right?

The park has several amenities that we enjoyed during our stay. The Rec Hall was located close to our site. We played pool and ping pong in the Rec Hall. The Rec Hall also has a kitchen and picnic tables. I believe the Rec Hall is reserve-able for large groups to use.

There is also a hospitality building that The Short Chic hung out in a lot. She met several other friends her age who were camping with their families and they all hung out together. The hospitality building has complementary pastries, coffee, hot chocolate, and tea. They also have WiFi. Which is good because despite advertising free WiFi for the entire park, and being camped right next to the router, we found the WiFi did not work. Later we were told it was broken during our stay. The kids enjoyed the assortment of board games that were available in the hospitality building as well.

Across from the office, you will find a community fire pit going at all times. I love the idea of the community fire pit because the sites are actually pretty tight. If we would have had a large group gathered around the fire at our site we would probably have been too loud for the neighbors. The community fire pit allows groups to gather and maybe meet a few other campers as well.

The community fire pit is close to the basketball court, the tetherball pole, badminton/volleyball court, horseshoe pit, the playground, and the pirate ship. Yep, I said Pirate Ship which comes complete with a kids’ zip line and rock wall. An adult must be present during zip lining but a word of warning; if you supervise it they will come!

There is a pool to the right of the community fire pit but it was closed during our visit.

And of course there are showers and public restrooms. There were two shower rooms in the rec hall and then several by the hospitality room. They were heated and very clean. I actually talked with one of the campers as she was about to head into the showerhouse. She and her group of friends were renting this cluster of treehouses that had no kitchen or bathrooms. Branson Treehouse Adventure provides them with an outdoor kitchen area but they use the showerhouses for other needs. She raved about how clean they were.

The campground is surrounded by hiking trails. I think it would be easy to get lost in the woods surrounding the campground. If you do go out to hike, just remember you are in the Ozarks and them hills get steep! To help with those hills, check around for hiking sticks. We found several by the trailhead for our use.

If the hiking is not to your liking here I suggest heading over to Table Rock State Park a few miles away from here. They have amazing hiking trails that have received a lot of praise.

The thing that makes this campground near perfect is the variety of lodging available. This is the perfect place for those with RV’s to camp with/next to friends/relatives who do not have RV’s. There is enough activity in the campground to be pleased and yet if you seek more excitement Branson is just a short drive away. My only suggestion if you are planning to leave the campground and wander around Branson is to really study and use the alternative routes. Highway 76 easily backed up at the end of November but during the height of the tourist season it is basically a parking lot.

We absolutely enjoyed our time at Branson Treehouse Adventures. The owners were very polite. The other guest were cheerful and friendly. We met a couple from the Kansas City area and The Short Chic came away with a new pen pal that she has kept in touch with since we stayed here.

The only small thing that we did not enjoy about our stay here was the turn-in to the property from 76 highway. The turn-in hits at the crest of a hill, making it very difficult to see what is coming at you as you turn. Your line of sight is missing for a significant distance. They have tried to address this by creating a secondary entrance, which we did use as we pulled out but the angle is off for pulling in when arriving from the east. Arriving from the West you would be able to do it , but then it is not clearly marked. By the time you saw the signage, you would be past it. I would just say, take your time. Watch and be aware of the cars as they go down the hill so you can have an idea of what is coming up the hill.

There was a lot of construction going on during our visit. This place seems to be expanding and growing into some very good things. If you are looking for a private campground near Silver Dollar City or any other Branson adventures, consider Branson Treehouse Adventures.

April 16, 2018
Labor Day Weekend at Thousand Hills State Park

As an adult I developed a love/hate relationship with Labor Day Weekend. I loved the long weekend. I loved the extra paid day off from work. I hated that it symbolized the end of summer. I hated the realization that soon the days became shorter and the temperatures would start dropping. I even hated that the pools closed. However, as a camper, I don’t so much hate Labor Day Weekend any longer. Many of our favorite camping trips occur in the fall. So, instead of seeing it as the end of summer, I see it as a transition from summer camping to fall camping.

We selected to spend Labor Day at Thousand Hills State Park in Kirksville MO. This was a new state park for us, it was within the 3 hour radius limit we set, and there is a lake to play in. Our friends Mike and Marnie were already booked to be there and they offered no loud objection to the Master’s and Taylor’s joining them.

GETTING THERE

We left Kansas City late, late afternoon with plans to stop along the way to eat dinner. Wayne took a new job and his early release Friday’s went away so we had to wait for him to fight traffic to get home. The restaurant we selected was in Hamilton MO and while it had ample parking for the trucks and campers all their wait staff had returned to college leaving the small restaurant running very slowly. The slow service allowed the Taylor’s to meet up with the Master’s for the remainder of the journey.

As we approached Kirksville, our GPS directed us in. We found ourselves on a dark, gravel road. The map app showed we were by the lake but we were no where near the campground. The map showed us that we were on the backside of a giant loop road and that we should theoretically be able to follow it around and find the campground. After many jokes about Keith Morris narrating our final trip, we contacted Mike and he lead us to the campground. Ironically, his GPS did the same thing to him the day before only he was not driving down the gravel road at night. This is the second Missouri State Park that we know of where the GPS is not connected to the state park.

We arrived at dusk. By the time we filled up with water, we found ourselves backing into a shared site at night. Backing up and parking by flashlight is no joke. Getting in your camper after you have traveled down a bumpy gravel road to find that you have lost all power to your first slide, is also no joke. Unfortunately, we experienced both.

SHARED SITES

We booked site 39, which is a family site. This was our second experience with a family site and the Master’s first. The site is wider than a regular site (in fact it is double the width of a regular site because it is virtually two put together). A family site comes with two of everything; two electrical boxes and two picnic tables and a much larger side yard. Family sites may work great for tent campers or even smaller units but they are pretty tight when you have two 32 foot campers with a combined total of five slides.

Thousand Hills State Park

There are two campgrounds at Thousand Hills State Park. We were in campground 1 but we did visit campground 2. I think there are decent spots at both. Campground 2 appeared to be the smaller of the two.

Ironically, we found the entire park unsupervised. When we arrived there was no campground host Thankfully we brought our own firewood because there was no one to purchase any from the entire weekend. There was no one working the office. Sometime on Sunday a brand new campground host arrived. And when I say brand new I mean she had never been a host before, so we had to walk her through signing our camper award.

Park Activities

Thousand Hills State Park is one of two state parks with petroglyphs or Native American rock carvings still visible in the park. The petroglyphs are inside the Interpretative Center just off of the swimming beach. We had a great time stretching our imagination to see the carvings, and then to decide what they meant. It was sad to see so much graffiti. People had carved their initials over the carvings. I would like to think that is the reason for the interpretive center was built but given it was completely unsupervised I am not sure.

We encountered a lot of people hiking at Thousand Hills. From short .6 mile hikes to long 10 mile hikes, from day trips to overnight trips there seems to be a trail for everyone. We hiked portions of the underdeveloped Forest Lake Trail.

If hiking is not your thing, or it is your thing and you feel the need to cool off after a hike, you can head to the swimming beach. The kids enjoyed the beach. We enjoyed the beach. Until that moment when the unsupervised child starts throwing rocks at your kids. And while the unsupervised child’s parents never see him throwing the rocks at your kids they sure see you asking him to stop throwing the rocks and they get all mad at you for addressing their child. Swim at your own risk.

The marina rents boats. We rented a TriToon boat for an entire afternoon. We had looked forward to spending our time anchored up in a cove but we learned that you are only allowed to anchor at designated swimming docks. There are four docks total on the lake and they were all busy as we approached. It felt very intrusive to join an group but we finally found a group who welcomed us to the dock and we anchored up. We spent the afternoon swimming, tubing, and just generally enjoying the lake. For a holiday weekend, the lake was really empty. We were able to do loops on the tube in the main channel with no worries of other boaters.

I should note that on this trip I faced one of my fears. I have an absolute phobia of putting my face in water. I know it is ridiculous but it real to me. Panic attack real. Watching the kids and everyone have such a fun time, I decided to give it a go. I think it is so important for me to keep trying to tackle this phobia. I think it is so important to me for my daughter see me keep trying. I got on that tube. I got splashed in the face. And I had a great time. Meeghan and I shared the last adult beverage as a celebration of my accomplishment!

We enjoyed spending time animal watching. Wild turkeys and deer visited our campground and camp sites. Mike and I got up early and drove around the grand loop oohing over dozens of deer all over the place. Friday and early Saturday we were able to watch helicopters trim the trees from the power lines. The deer loved the fresh cut tree limbs. Have you ever seen a helicopter trim trees from power lines? Pretty amazing!

Of course, we also just enjoyed activities at our campsite. Meeghan made giant bubble wands and we threw together a solution for making large bubbles. The kids practiced and practiced to make giant bubbles. They also got a kick out of painting rocks and watching outdoor movies, from eating home made funnel cakes, and just from hanging out with friends.

On our last morning at the park, we attended a ranger lead program called Hug A Herp. What is a herp? We learned all about herptiles. There were even live examples. We noticed the day was foggy and the park ranger was the first to tell us how the fires in Canada were impacting our skies. I am not gonna lie to you all, we thought maybe the park ranger was a little off. She ended up being right on.

We saw a lot of new types of snakes. Including a pug nosed snake. Mid morning we packed up and headed home. Our ride home was way less eventful than the ride there. After this trip, we had to put Betty in the shop to fix her lack of electricity to the slide.

So, we bid summer farewell. It is not a time for sadness because we have the fall and I am pretty sure fall camping is my favorite. So long summer; see ya next time around!

February 27, 2018
Campground Review: Big Lake State Park

Big Lake State Park,

Craig, MO

Dates of Stay: August 10-13, 2018

Sites: 48, 44, 33, 34, 35

Campers believe that camping is magical. Noncampers might disagree; but we aren’t really hanging out with noncampers so their opinions do not really matter to us. What makes camping to a camper so magical? I don’t really know the formula. I would suggest it differs from one person to the next. Maybe it differs from one camping trip to the next. I think the magical formula has to do with the company, the setting, the activities, or maybe even the weather. While I can’t pinpoint what exactly makes a camping trip magical, I can recognize a magical trip. It is one you walk away from with a big smile on your face. It is one that reaffirms your love for camping.

The weekend we spent at Big Lake State Park last August was one of the most magical camping trips. I think each of us walked away feeling like we had just had one of our favorite camping trips of the year. Even now, in the dead cold of winter, my heart is warm just thinking about our time there. I am going to try and breakdown the component of this magical weekend.

The Company:

Meeghan organized this camping trip in order to bring back together a trio of friends. Several years ago, one of our really good friends (Jen and Glen) moved to the East Coast. Jen and Glen send their children back to the Midwest for a month each summer to stay connected to extended family. Meeghan came up with an idea to camp with the extended family when they had the kids so we all could reconnect; especially giving our children the opportunity to spend time together. Unbeknownst to us Jen and Glen had to make a unexpected trip back to the Midwest and they were able to surprise their children and us with a face to face visit!

In addition to the three families, we also had a few others decide to join us. In the end we had five families with around 23 people camping at Big Lake State Park.

The Short Chic and I got the last second chance to go up to Big Lake a day early. We enjoyed a mommy/daughter evening in the camper and enjoyed waking up leisurely at the campground. The Short Chic made new friends while I worked from home that Friday morning. It was not until after lunch that I realized Jen and Glen’s extended family arrived a day early like us. Any time you can get an extra day at the campground is a good day. Spending the afternoon with friends is a great day!

The Setting:

Big Lake State Park is in the far northwest corner of the state of Missouri near the Nebraska/Iowa/Kansas border. It is 87 miles north of our home in Kansas City and took us under one hour and thirty minutes to arrive.

Big Lake is the largest remaining oxbow lake in the state of Missouri. An oxbow lake is one that is created when a river ebbs and flows and cuts itself off and fills in with water. It is suspected that Big Lake was formed in the 1800’s and was documented in the Lewis and Clark expedition. Recently the park was closed from 2011 to 2014 as Big Lake State Park was closed due to flooding.

There are only 76 camping sites at Big Lake, making it a fairly small park. The sites closest to the lake are basic and the rest is electric sites only. The loops are narrow. The weekend we were there it seemed as if there were a lot of group campers enjoying the weekend. This is a campground that would be perfect if you have campers and noncampers as Big Lake also has eight sleep cabins available for rent.

There are showers on both ends of the campground. Most of the bathrooms are shower/bathroom combinations and then they have a few single stall bathrooms. All weekend it felt there was a line to use the bathrooms, so i think unfortunately, they might have missed the mark on the number of bathrooms needed.

There are two playgrounds at the state park; one near the campground and one near the swimming pool.

The Activities:

The lake is the biggest draw at Big Lake State Park. The park rents canoes and kayak’s at a rate of $20 a day which makes it easy to for visitors to get out and enjoy the water. Of course, you can also bring your own water toys to play with.

There are areas to swim in the lake but if lake swimming is not your thing, there is also a public swimming pool at Big Lake State Park.

Bird watching is a nice thing to do at this park. We have spotted our share of Bald Eagles.

Big Lake also has a beautiful night sky. During the weekend we camped here there was a meteorite shower occurring. Of course, we did not know anything about the shower until our campground neighbors so rudely asked us to shut off our outside lights so they could watch the meteorite shower. Funny, we sat out under that dark sky and saw numerous meteorites that night and I am not sure our neighbors saw any.

Hiking is a standard activity we enjoy participating in at state parks. However, there is no hiking at Big Lake State Park. In the place of hiking, bicycling became an important part of this weekend. Specifically, an epic bike race between Meeghan and Jeremy. Through the course of the summer, Meeghan had been riding on an old green Huffy she picked up for $30 at an auction. Way back in May on our first bike ride of the summer, Wayne aired up Meeghan’s nearly flat tires. However, we soon found out that fully aired, the tires rubbed against the bike frame. The gears would not shift so her 21 speed was limited to pretty much two gears: peddling or not peddling. We all knew Meeghan needed a new bike. But Jeremy was less than convinced. So he struck a deal with Meeghan, a head on head bike ride and if Meeghan could beat Jeremy then a new bike she could have. Jeremy would take the green Huffy and Meeghan borrowed my bike.

Meeghan and Jeremy took off on a three mile race. We all gathered to watch the dramatic conclusion. I will say, the race was much tighter than I expected it to be. I know Jeremy pretty well and he was not going down without a fight. But, I also know my bike and just felt like even with a novice on it, my bike alone should have smoked that green Huffy. In front of all his family and friends, we watched Jeremy fall to Meeghan in the home stretch of the race.

Other activities we participated in while we were there include: the playground, an outdoor movie, and a giant water balloon fight.

The Weather:

August in Missouri should be melt your face off hot. It is not uncommon to experience triple digit temperatures. However; we had some of best weather of the summer. Sure it was super warm during the day but a cool dip in the lake and then the pool took that edge off. The evenings cooled off and were perfect for sitting around a campfire or watching an outdoor movie.

I hope for a second you get a glimpse of how magical this weekend was for us. We left there planning to make it a yearly experience. Want to see more of Big Lake? Check out our short video.

February 9, 2018