Roam With Friends

Category: Campground Review

The Adventures of Betty, Roxie, and The Rockwood: Rafter J Bar Ranch

Rafter J Bar Ranch

Hill City, South Dakota

Dates of Stay: June 6-9, 2017.

We received a Good Sam Discount during our stay.

After spending seven nights in Yellowstone National Park, we bid farewell and made our way east to the Black Hills in South Dakota. We had planned to spend three nights in Hill City, South Dakota at Rafter J Bar Ranch before we headed home.

Upon recommendation from Kerri Cox, who blogs at Travels With Birdy, we chose to stay at Rafter J Bar Ranch in Hill City, South Dakota. As we arrived in the area two things were clear, the area is abundant with RV parks but none of them are Rafter J Bar Ranch.

At Rafter J Bar, we found space, which after a week at Fishing Bridge was a welcome feeling. Not only did we find space we found wide open space. Rafter J Bar is geographically huge. There are six different camping areas that vary from close to the amenities to remote sites far from the noise of the swimming pool. Their sites are large and spacious, some are even nestled into the pine trees. All the other RV parks we saw were crowded or had very little shade, or were right along busy highways. That night as we sat around the campfire and reflected on our trip the conversation was all about how lucky we were to be at Rafter J Bar and not the local chain campground.

We chose to stay in the Ranch Camp. Ranch Camp is the furthermost camp from the office and swimming pool area. We traded wifi and cable tv for pine trees! Our loop had easy access to a shower house and laundry facility. Being able to access laundry without a line was another welcome relief coming straight from Yellowstone where the laundry facilities are as crowded as Old Faithful is. Each loop has different services/amenities so if you are looking to book a trip here, spend some time exploring what each loop has to offer.

The kids enjoyed the heated swimming pool even if we did have to drive them to it. While they play, we were able to connect to the wifi and communicate with the outside world (social media). Of course, on our scheduled “down” afternoon a thunderstorm passed through the area. That might have resulted in the best nap I had on the entire That’s WY vacation!

Rafter J Bar also serves an unlimited pancake breakfast most mornings. We purchased tickets from the office and on our last morning we enjoyed having someone else fix breakfast.

Our options for our three days in the Black Hills was abundant: Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, Needles Highway, Iron Mountain Road, Wind Cave National Park, Jewell Cave National Monument, Spearfish Canyon, Deadwood, Crazy Horse Monument, as well as the local antique shops, vineyards, and ice cream shops. With so many options, we knew we would leave wanting more. I was only moderately surprised when Wayne started mentally finding a way to extend our time there.

With so much to see and do in this area that it became clear this should be a destination and not a stop over. In the end, we all decided to do Mount Rushmore, at night as well as during the day. The Taylor’s and the Todd’s drove through Custer State Park on Needles Highway on our way to get to Wind Cave National Park. We chose Wind Cave over Jewell Cave because of the boxwork formations which we do not have in Missouri’s caves. The Master’s also took the Iron Mountain Drive and enjoyed the framed views of Mount Rushmore as well as the corkscrew roads. The Taylor and Masters families also made the commitment to drive an hour and half through Deadwood to get to Spearfish Canyon to go searching for a couple of “hidden gems” hikes. Not being into hiking, The Todd’s chose to spend time exploring the local community, antique shopping and wine tasting.

We found something for everyone at this location. If you are visiting The Black Hills we highly recommend Rafter J Bar. Check back soon for details on our adventures in the Black Hills.

January 5, 2018
Campground Review: Arrow Rock State Historic Site

Arrow Rock State Historical Site

Arrow Rock, MO

dates of stay: June 30 – July 4, 2017

Sites 44 and 45.

Winter solstice has come and gone and while we may not be able to see it the days are getting longer leading us right back to our favorite season: camping season. As I sit with my computer covered in my flannel blanket and watch the snow fall out my window, I am reflecting on camping trips of the past.

This past July we visited a new state park that I think is worthy of visiting again so I thought I would spend some time reminiscing about Arrow Rock State Historic Site.

I first visited Arrow Rock State Historic Site the summer of 2016 when I started the Centennial Passport. I am not sure what I was expecting the first time I visited Arrow Rock but it certainly was not an entire little town along the Missouri River. The town of Arrow Rock is rich with historical relevance to the westward expansion and the Sante Fe Trail to name a few. And a bonus, this historical site has a beautiful camping loop.

Arrow Rock is conveniently located just north of Interstate 70 between Marshall MO and Booneville MO. The first observation we made on our trip there was just how quickly we arrived, in fact it took us only an hour and half. Traveling with us on this trip was the Todd’s but we also had other friends in the campground.

In our research of Arrow Rock and things we should do while we were there, two things bubble up: J. Huston Tavern and The Lyceum Theatre, J. Huston Tavern is the oldest continuously serving restaurant west of the Mississippi with nearly 200 years of service to the public. Historically this tavern, which started as a family home, boarding house, served meals to traveling settlers and local citizens. Today, it continues to serve two meals a day to travelers and locals. Reservations are highly recommended if you plan to eat at J. Huston Tavern. I tried so hard to get reservations and the wait list was the best I could do.

Thankfully, my phone rang on the way to Arrow Rock telling us they could fit us in at 6:00 p.m. the night of our arrival. We were so excited! At dinner time the menu is streamlined; they serve fried chicken and country ham with all the fixings family style. Our meal was delicious! Everything, from the fried chicken to the potato salad to the mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, and even the buttermilk biscuits, was amazing. We left full and carrying giant to-go boxes.

Before you leave J. Huston Tavern take a moment to look around. We did not realize the restaurant was more than a restaurant and we did not look around. Later we learned about the restored kitchen and bedrooms upstairs so we had to make a second visit during the crowded lunch service.

After a large meal, we did a cursory walk around the town. The roads are flanked by cobblestone drainage ditches. Store fronts have boardwalks with large porches that provide shade from the summer son. First impression of the town of Arrow Rock, I felt like I was in the little town that Mark Twain was in when he wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. What I did not know at the time is that in fact in 1973, Arrow Rock was the setting for a Mark Twain musical staring Johnny Whitaker (any other Family Affair fans out there?), Jeff East, and Jodie Foster.

On our first morning at Arrow Rock we got up early and went for a hike. We found a trail head to the Pierre A Fleche trail was at the end of our campground loop that looked to take us around the entire camping area. Somehow we managed to get ourselves off the trail. We lost the trail down by the original spring but we took a gamble by climbing a steep bank and found ourselves in the primitive camping loop. It may not have been the trail we were suppose to follow but we had a nice hike and by the time we made it back to the campground we were ready for breakfast.

Mid-morning we set out with the Todd’s to do a bike tour of Arrow Rock. The campground is less than 1/2 mile to town but the way to town requires biking on the blacktop highway. There was very little traffic and the vehicles we did encounter were very gracious to us. The entire town is about 8 blocks long and four blocks wide. We followed the self-guided tour. We visited the Shelby Log Cabin, the Masonic Lodge, the Lyceum Theatre, Courthouse, the Calaboose (jail), and the gun shop. We also visited several buildings with historical significance to the black community of Arrow Rock.

I should note that the Lyceum Theatre comes highly recommended. Each year they host a traveling performers group that preform several Broadway worthy productions at a fraction of the ticket price. When we were visiting Mama Mia was showing but we could not get tickets to the show. The 2018 schedule is out and you can find shows like: Mary Poppins, Crazy for You, Footloose, The 39 Steps, Souvenir, A Comedy of Tenors, Honky Tonk Angels, and A Christmas Carol. If you are planning a trip to Arrow Rock in 2018, or any other year, make sure you plan early and get your tickets to the Lyceum. I will give you an insider tip: J. Huston Taven is open every single day the Lyceum has a performance.

History lessons are not contained to the city limits. The Arrow Rock Ferry Site is a short hike/drive from downtown. The Sappington Cemetery State Historic Site and Boone’s Lick State Historic Site are two other historical relevant points of interest very near to Arrow Rock all worthy of day trip visits. The nearby town of Blackwater is also another great day trip destination during your visit to Arrow Rock. Blackwater is home to the Iron Horse Hotel and Restaurant, the Blackwater Telephone Museum (which was not open during our visit), a Calaboose, several antique shops, beautiful gardens and a train depot.

Another attraction in nearby Booneville MO is Warm Springs Ranch. Warm Springs Ranch is a breeding facilities for the Budweiser Clydesdale horses. Advance tickets are required and advance planning to get tickets is a must. We were able to secure 6 tickets but on two separate days. We took the Guided Walking Tour and we were able to talk to the horse handlers, see the harnesses, a 1903 beer wagon, the luxury semi trucks, we watched the grooming of a Clydesdale, and we we able to meet a brand new foal. Tickets cost $14 per person and you will spend 1 1/2 to 2 hours on the ranch.

We enjoyed our time exploring the town of Arrow Rock and the local community. We also enjoyed our time in the campground. Wayne spent some time fishing in Big Soldier Lake. He successfully caught some bass and tried out his new Whopper Plopper lure. Fishing came to an abrupt end when Wayne lost his fancy lure and my cousin’s lure landed in his finger and had to be cut out.

When we checked into the park we had the most amazing attentive campground host we have ever had at a state park. The host helped us with recommendations for local activities, fishing, and hiking.The shower houses were the cleanest in any state park we have ever been to. Unfortunately, they left during our stay to move to a new location. The new host arrives on site but were not ready to resume host duties. This caused a delay in cleaning the shower houses as well as there was no ice or firewood. to purchase.

Our sites at Arrow Rock were huge. They were very long and the mature trees provided great shade. We had lovely neighbors who played the guitar and serenaded me to sleep in the afternoons. I enjoyed it so much I ask them to consider camping with us for the rest of the camping season! When making our reservations, Allen and I carefully selected our sites. Insider tip: this campground is set up to have two campground host but only has one. That leaves one full hookup site to be rented by guest. It is worth it to plan ahead and book this one site if you can.

Overall, we found this to be a lovely place to visit. We loved the small town and the activities. We loved the sites. Arrow Rock State Historic Site felt like we were visiting a community an that community welcomed us with open arms. They even had a Fourth of July pot luck dinner at the campground the afternoon of the holiday.

December 29, 2017
Yellowstone National Park’s Fishing Bridge Campground Review
Fishing Bridge Campground

Yellowstone National Park

Dates of Stay: May 31, 2017-June 6, 2017

Traveling to Yellowstone National Park to camp with a thirty-five foot camper can be tricky but we went with three of them! There are approximately twelve campgrounds in Yellowstone National Park; only four have sites large enough for our campers, and only one has full hookups. The options for large campers are:
- camp without hookups and use a generator, public baths, and dump stations;
- camp with full hookups at the Fishing Bridge Campground
- or staying outside the park.
The decision for our vacation group came down to three points: we valued full service hookups (which means no public baths), we valued staying in one location the entire visit, and we valued our time in the park. We elected to spend a week camping at the Fishing Bridge Campground.

Yellowstone National Park is a huge place which requires a lot of driving. You will find nearly 200 miles of roadway in the park (142 in the the grand loop alone). We found Fishing Bridge Campground was fairly centrally located and allowed us to access all parts of the park. We did have longer drives to reach Lamar Valley and Mammoth Hot Springs but because we were centrally located, we made it to every single part of the park during our week visit.

We made our reservations at Fishing Bridge about 11 months in advance via the online reservation system. When we made them there were no sites larger than 40 feet long available, so this is a place where the early bird does get the worm and the last minute planner will find themselves outside the park. Traveling in a group of three, we did request to be close to each other but our exact sites were not guaranteed until we got there.

Getting There:

We left Cody Wyoming mid morning after another failed attempted at trout fishing on Monster Lake. Heading west on Highway 20 out of Cody, you travel through a series of tunnels before reaching Buffalo Bill Dam. I do wonder, are we the only people that honk their horns and flash their lights when going through tunnels? The Buffalo Bill Dam is a National Historic Site, so we stopped by and stamped our National Passport. The scenery around the dam is breathtaking and is a teaser of the sites to come.

We passed by the old house on the hill that looks more like the entrance to a mine than it does a house. I remember passing this house when I was a child coming to Yellowstone National Park for the first time. The entire trip from Cody to the East Entrance is beautiful. The Shoshone River runs the entire way, you pass by Buffalo Bill State Park, and plenty of rock formations. Fifty miles after leaving Cody, we arrived at the East Entrance to the park. A single bison greeted us to the park just past the entrance.

The East Gate to Fishing Bridge Campground:

Entrance fees for a private vehicle are $30 or if you plan to visit both Yellowstone and Grand Teton the price is $50. The pass is good for 7 full days. I am not sure what part of that I found confusing but the Park Ranger and I were not speaking the same language on the day we checked in. (I think my barrier came from the fact that I have never paid to get into Grand Teton National Park. I know realize the error of my thinking but at the moment we were entering Yellowstone, I was not aware of my thinking error.) I just wanted this Park Ranger to take my $30, send me on my way and let me start my Yellowstone Adventure.

Upon leaving the East Gate, you immediately start climbing altitude to pass over Sylvan Pass. Wayne’s fishing guide at Monster Lake had told us to look for the 105 mm Howitzer Cannons (large guns) on the side of the road as we went through the pass. The Howitzer Cannons are used to create controlled avalanches through the pass. There was still plenty of snow in the higher elevations but I think the threat of avalanche had diminished by the time we had arrived the end of May.

26 miles west of the East Gate is Fishing Bridge Campground. The campground staff were waiting for us in the parking lot to direct traffic and parking. After parking we went in to register. There were four or five employees ready to help us with registration. Although we reserved together and specified on our reservations that we wanted to be together that was not a guarantee until we arrived. The Todd’s and the Taylor’s were placed next to each other but the Master’s were not placed close to us. With a little luck, a lot of patience, the Xanterra employees were able to re-place the Master’s family right behind the Todd’s.

Our Sites:

We proceeded to our sites and at first glance they look decent sized; until you try and get into them. Once you park that camper it becomes apparent that there is very little room for any extra space. We all had trees in our spots. In order to put the slides out, we had to move closer to the trees; then we could not open the outdoor kitchens. Then we had very little space to park our trucks. There was no room left to set up chairs outside for any type of outdoor enjoyment. Of course, if we had smaller campers the sites would have had more room.

Fishing Bridge is a hard sided camper area only because we were in bear country. They are really strict about not leaving anything outside of the camper. Things like; coolers, cook stoves/grills/ trash/pet food containers, must all be put inside or in a vehicle at night. A few nights the campground host even came by and reminded us as people in the campground had left things out. We were all anxious about what was lurking outside after we went inside at night.so we took trail cameras with us to set up. Three trail cameras doing all night surveillance for a week and all we found lurking was: trucks, early morning dog walkers, and one lone four legged animal that we think was a fox or coyote. What we know for sure is it wasn’t a bear. We have posted his photo here, what do you think?

Fishing Bridge does not allow campfires of any type. We knew that going in so we did not plan any campfire meals but we also found it a little too chilly to sit outside with our friends and talk about our day without a fire to keep us warm. I am not sure it was the fire we missed the most but we missed the social aspect that we have come to love about group camping. Recapping and story telling is a big part of our camping experience and at the end of the night, alone in your camper, it just felt like something was missing. For us anyway.

The last thing I can say about the actual sites at Fishing Bridge, and I suspect this is true of all Yellowstone Campgrounds, the sites turnover quickly. I think we went through four or five new neighbors during our week long stay. If you like meeting and chatting with new people, you really don’t have to look very far to talk about your Yellowstone experience with. We found camping neighbors to be a great source of information: some have been coming every year for decades, while others are on their first trip. Everyone is excited to talk about their day, if you can catch them outside to ask about it.

Amenities:

There are a few amenities to point out. We did have wifi at the campground. But, it was painfully slow every time I went to do something. It became even slower during high peak times. I found if I woke at 3:00 a.m. I could access wifi with little problems.

Each reservation at Fishing Bridge is given 2 free showers per day. The shower house and laundry facilities are located at the main check-in building. Wayne and The Boy used the showers frequently and other than waiting in line for a shower they did not have any complaints. The Taylor’s and The Todd’s both did laundry during their stay at Fishing Bridge. We both endured long lines for machines and rude people who did not care if you had been waiting longer for a machine than them. Our best advice is to do laundry before or after your time at Fishing Bridge.

Down the street, less than a 1/4 mile, is a general store and gas station. The general store is stocked with souvenirs as well as allergy medicine, bread, peanut butter, beer and wine. We did notice that diesel fuel was no more expensive inside the park than it was outside the park.

Overall Impressions/Conclusion:

We did not come to Yellowstone National Park to camp. We came to experience the thermal features, to see wild animals, and to hike. We camped while at Yellowstone National Park using our camper as a base camp to be close to the action. We would have loved to have a campfire at night but not as much as we enjoyed having full hookups. We were crowded in our spot; there was no way we could access the outside storage bin with the truck parked at the spot, but we were only at that spot a short time during the waking moments.

I asked each family that went on this vacation with us if they would stay here again and 2 out of the 3 said yes without hesitation. The one family that said no, said no, because they feel like they have done that and now they would like to do something different.
August 24, 2017
Campground Review: Monster Lake Ranch, Cody, Wyoming

Monster Lake Ranch Cody, Wyoming

Dates of Stay: Monday May 29-Wednesday May 31, 2017

Six miles south of Cody, Wyoming on Highway 120 with the Absaroka Mountain Range to the west and the still visable Big Horn Mountains to the west sits a relatively small 10,000 acre Wyoming ranch called Monster Lake Ranch. The name of the ranch comes from it’s namesake a nearly 200 acre lake on the property that is stocked with it’s namesake monster sized trout fish of all breeds. Monster Lake is a world class flat water fly-fishing destination to avid fishermen and even hunters.

While the word may be out about the fishing at Monster Lake, their little unknown secret is the plethora of lodging options from traditional teepee’s to cowboy camps, from glamping tents to brick and morter lodging cabins, to four full service RV hookup sites. We looked at our other RV options for our stay in Cody. They included a KOA and two local campgrounds. We selected to stay at Monster Lake Ranch because this location offered us a quiet alternative at a cheaper rate than any of the other options. Based on our experience during our visit here, we would book this campground again and again.

Check In and The RV Sites:

Mid Afternoon the caravan of travelers pulled into Monster Lake. The office manager was on her first week of employment and still figuring things out. She told us we were the only guest on the ranch, welcomed us to explore the ranch as much as we were interested (she only requested that we shut the gates after we went through them), directed us to the RV sites and sent us on our way.

The sites are a short walk to Quick Lake, the second lake on the property and near the homes the ranch staff live in. We found 30 and 50 amp service as well as sewer and fresh water. The sites are graveled. In the interest of full disclosure, the sites themselves were nothing fancy. In fact, they resembled a gravel parking lot. We lined up three in a row and set up our camp.

The Rest of the Ranch

Of course there is the namesake lake, Monster Lake on property. It actually sits to the east of the main office and needs to be driven to. In addition to that lake there is also a second smaller lake, Quick Lake, closer to the entrance of the ranch. The men were advised to use sinking line on their rods and they were able to get some practice casting in at Quick Lake before their big day of fishing.

We know there is a restaurant and a bar on the ranch, which I believe are called the Bliss Restaurant and The Cutthroat Saloon but I am not totally positive of that. They provide guest the opportunity for a meal or a cocktail without having to go into Cody. Unfortunately, both were closed during our stay. Sadly, there is no outside signage to indicate its existence nor were we handed any type of information on Ranch amenities upon our check in. We did camp next to two staff who work in the restaurant who did confirm there was a restaurant and we did see an outdoor cooking area so I am assuming some of the food served is cooked over a large open flame. It seems as if we started our vacation about four days too early of that magical June 1 summer start.

Very much like fishing, hunting experiences are also available on Monster Lake Ranch. Bird Hunting as well as a pistol shooting range and a rifle shooting range are available on property. The pistol range is by the office and near the restaurant. The rifle shooting range is some distance away but you can actually see some of the targets from the main area of the ranch. No one was on property shooting while we were there. I do imagine there would be a chance you could hear the short range shooting from the RV sites but the wind does carry sound differently so I am not sure.

Several of the ranches different types of lodging are located near Quick Lake. Five total traditional teepee’s, two one bedroom cabins, two three bedrooms, as well as a cowboy camps. The cowboy camp is a remote rustic wooden cabin. They also have canvas wall tents on platforms around the property. As many of the lodging is rustic there is a shower house close to the main office. Members of our group did visit the shower house and reported that it was clean and nice.

What would a ranch be without animals? Well, thankfully we really don’t have to find out because this ranch has animals; both wild and domestic. Quick Lake had geese on it; even babies. The ranch has llama’s and horses. The male horses were separated from the mare’s and colts. The kids loved watching the horses. We also saw plenty of wild animals: antelope, mule deer, pheasants, prairie dogs, meadowlarks, rabbits, and magpies. The ranch also has two, three or four hour trail riding adventures available.

As we roamed the ranch, it became very clear to us. We had come to this place to fish but each of us were having a great moment on a ranch in Wyoming. Speaking for myself it was nice to feel small. The ranch maybe small for Wyoming standards, it felt huge to me. The wide open range allows you to see forever in almost every direction you turn. Even though it is a working ranch we hardly saw any people. Knowing that our next stop on this vacation is Yellowstone National Park and the crowds that attracts, we enjoyed the seclusion Monster Lake Ranch afforded us.

The Local Area:

On our second day at Monster Lake Ranch, we said good luck to Wayne as he went to fly fish on Monster Lake. The rest of us headed into Cody to catch up on laundry at the local laundromat and lunch at a local restaurant: Millstone Pizza Company. We enjoyed pizza and sandwiches, cold drinks, and the kids enjoyed playing in the arcade. That afternoon, each family selected a different activity and we went their separate ways with the plan to meet back together for our first community meal that evening. We had planned for three community meals during our two week vacation and the first of those was happening at Monster Lake Ranch.

Our Ranch Experiences:

As the day began to settle and we started finding our way back to the ranch from our afternoon of sightseeing, we noticed the clouds were building and the sky was darkening. We were able to enjoy a quick Wyoming rain shower. The clouds were impressive and so was the rainbow. Wayne’s fishing guide for the afternoon, Mike, offered to take us to see a site he said would knock our socks off. As he escorted us to parts of the ranch we would not have visited by ourselves, he did warn us that we had to be cautious of rattle snakes Mike escorted us to Cowboy Camp and carefully walked us to the edge of a rocky bluff carefully avoiding all snakes as we went. During our trip, Mike told us that the some of rock on the ranch has petroglyphs from Native Americans but we would surely encounter snakes so he would not recommend us exploring alone.

After our ranch tour, we were able to enjoy a campfire as the ranch hands had come by and made us a fire ring and supplied us with firewood. We enjoyed a community meal of hot dogs, chili, all the fixin’s, and ended it with s’mores and board games.

After dinner, Wayne decided to organize and put away his fishing gear. He also thought it was a good time to flush our black tank. So with water running into our black tank, he wondered away from the water to his fishing gear. The rest of us were completely pre-occupied with the campfire until two things started happening simultaneously. Wayne started yelling at The Boy to pull the black tank lever and we noticed water coming off the awning. Wayne had literally left the water running, which filled up the black tank, filled up the toilet, and with no other place for the water to go was coming out the vent on the roof of the camper! The Boy pulled the black tank valve and water poured out of the hose. Everyone was quick to assist us but no one wanted to open either door to the camper. I think each of us feared the camper was full of water.

Thankfully we had minimal water in the camper. Just a small area around the bathroom. Weeks after the vacation is over, we are still teasing Wayne about his method for flushing the black tank. I do hope he has learned to not walk away or try and multi-task during this chore.

Disaster adverted, mess soaked up, we spent the rest of our last night at Monster Ranch around the campfire and enjoying the stars. There is very little ambient light to interfere with stargazing out on the ranch.

Recommendations:

We left Monster Ranch with only a few recommendations. We loved the seclusion and the ample space available at Monster Lake Ranch, and I am not sure referring to the RV sites but to the feel of the entire ranch. The RV sites are located right next to staff housing, which was not problematic but it did feel as if the RV sites were an after thought. Like, we have this extra staff housing that we are not using so we can rent it out to the public. Monster Lake Ranch has taken a lot of care to make other parts of the ranch a meaningful experience and it would be nice if they put that same thought into the RV sites.

Throughout our planning and visit with Monster Lake Ranch, we could not help but notice that the staff in the office at Monster Lake Ranch changed frequently. The person who confirmed our reservations was not the same person who checked us in. The office manager who checked us in told us she was brand new and had no idea we were coming until we were in her office. Thankfully she was able to find our reservations and was able to seamlessly provide us with service. Sadly, when we called back a few weeks ago, there is another brand new office manager. Obviously we consumers don’t necessarily need to know the inner workings as long as the workings keep working but in the mean time, make sure you make reservations, keep the documentation, and confirm your appointments.

Monster Lake Ranch has made one massive change since we made our visit in May 2018 and that is their web presence. We have noticed they have updated their website. The new website is easy to navigate, is appealing, extensively offers information on all of the services available at the ranch.

Conclusion:

We spent two nights and a few days on the ranch. Sadly Wayne had little lunch in the fishing department but we found a place of solitude. We found a place where the animals still roam. We found a place where the wild pheasants woke us in the morning and the meadowlarks sang to us every evening. We found a place with beautiful views both during the day and the night.

If you are interested in fly fishing or bird hunting then this is the place for you. While Wayne did not have much luck he still hopes for a chance to return and catch one of those monster trout that swim in monster lake.

If you are like us, passing through Cody on your way to or from Yellowstone National Park, Monster Lake Ranch offers you a haven from the hustle and bustle and the crowds. A peaceful place to stay before or after a visit to the national park offers that balance we often seek during our vacations. At $35 a night, Monster Lake offers you something no other campground in Cody offers; wide open space.

August 4, 2017
Campground Review: Smithville Lake Loop C Read This Before You Book!

This post was updated on 7/18/2017 to reflect a change in the Clay County Reservation website. Scroll to the bottom for the update.

Smithville Lake is located just outside Smithville, Missouri in Clay County. It is a 7,200 acre lake created by the Army Corp of Engineers and is managed by Clay County government. There are three total campgrounds at Smithville Lake. Two of them (Crows Creek and Camp Branch) are on the 5,000 acres of public land and managed by Clay County. The third is Smiths Fork campground which sits on and is managed by the city of Smithville. We have reviewed Smiths Fork Campground before.

With 175 miles of shoreline, 777 campgrounds, 2 swim beaches, miles of biking/walking trails all just minutes from downtown Kansas City, Smithville Lake is a popular weekend destination. Camp Branch has nearly 330 unimproved sites and has 34 electric sites (30 amp service). Crows Creek is a little larger than Camp Branch, it has 415 total camping sites. Crows Creek has more electric sites than unimproved sites. Both Camp Branch and Crows Creek are organized into loops. There are several individual sites per loop.

This year, Clay County upgraded one entire loop, Loop C, at Crows Creek to have 50 amp electric service as well as water hookups at every site. This was a welcome upgrade to those who frequent Smithville Lake! The sites in Loop C cost $35/night, which is ten dollars more than their electric only sites.

We were invited to Smithville Lake for a Father’s Day Weekend camping trip with a few friends. We could not get into the loop they were in so we decided it would be a good time to try out the newly remodeled Loop C. I got on their website and found several sites to chose from; we booked site number 194. As you can see from the maps below, the site we booked appears to be individual sites. You can imagine our shock when we arrived and found that we were on a shared site. A shared site has one entry from the main road with space for two camping units. There are two picnic tables, two fire pits, and two electric boxes. The empty one below resembles a “y” with each RV having a space.

In fact, most of Loop C is shared sites. Shared sites are very nice when you are camping with friends/family/someone you know. It allows two camping groups to be close together. But when you are on a shared site with a total stranger, well, it feels intimate. Too intimate in fact. It is like that moment when someone steps into your bubble space and you want to step back but you can’t, so you divert your eyes to create the sense of space.

Let me just paint you a picture of how close we were to this complete stranger. Our fire pit was behind his camper. Our picnic table was behind ours. Our awning extended to just mere inches from his camper and covered his utility pole. The area behind us (opposite of our front door) was grassy and large but then we get into the old question: where does my site end and the neighbors site begin? While we were setting up our camper, our neighbor decided it was time to come out and do work on his camper, so he was literally standing in our space where we were setting up.

Thankfully for us, our friends were in another loop with ample space. So we spent the entirety of our waking time at their campsite or in the lake. Any time we spent at our campsite was spent inside the camper; mostly sleeping.

So, here is the bottom line. When you are at Smithville Lake you will find a sign outside Loop C that says most of the sites in the loop are shared. That information is not helpful to those of us who make advanced reservations using the website. No where on the website can you tell which sites are shared and which site is not. Even the map they pass out upon check in indicates that all sites in Loop C are individual sites. It is very misleading to customers and is a concern that I hope Clay County remedies soon.

Specifically, I would like to see Clay County update their website and their maps to indicate the shared sites. However, considering how long Clay County government took to allow online advanced reservations, I have no faith that a solution to this problem will be timely. So, before we left Loop C we drove around and took note of which sites were shared and which sites are not. We also noticed that in the shared sites there is a “better” side. So, if you are headed to Smithville Lake and Loop C with water and electricity sound good, please refer back here and check before you book. If you don’t you might end up diverting your eyes all weekend as you are uncomfortably close to a stranger.

On the map above; I have marked every shared site with a blue circle. I have marked the “better” of the two sites with a red star. If you want to be in the water/electric loop and all the single sites are full aim for the ones with the star; other than having someone at your backside you will have the better hand.

UPDATE as of 7/18/2017:

I heard this morning that perhaps the website had been updated. So, here is a video of me walking through it.

What do you think? Is it enough? I think the dropdown box under Select Spot Type that list all of the shared sites is confusing. I appreciate the popup box that tells me that loop C “has many double sites” is good but it only pops up if I scroll my cursor over that paragraph. If I have my cursor on the photo, no warning pops up. The map is still not updated, nor is the legend. If a consumer overlooks the shared site statement under the amenities they will still inadvertently stumble into a shared site. I am afraid that it is still a “BUYER BEWARE” situation on this website.

July 16, 2017
Campground Review: Devils Tower KOA

Devils Tower KOA, Devils Tower, Wyoming

Date of Stay: Sunday, May 28, 2017

In the summer of 2016, Meeghan and I watched and listened as Kerri Cox with Travels with Birdy headed west. She documented her trip on her blog and made campground recommendations on the podcast RVFTA Campground of the Week. We booked this campground back in the height of winter and had been anticipating our time there for a long time.

Devils Tower KOA is literally located at the entrance to Devils Tower National Monument. The KOA has approximately 90 RV sites, a dozen cabins, and several designated tent areas . They have a pool (which was not open during our stay), a playground, volleyball and basketball courts, as well as general store, a cafe, and a gift shop. Amenities aside, we selected this campground for our third night on the road due to the proximity to Devils Tower and given we could not be any closer and have full hook ups for the RV’s.

We booked the premium RV sites; sites number 67, 68, and 69. We learned from Kerri’s review that these sites had the best view of Devils Tower. KOA’s website even says these sites offer the best views in the campground and are on a quiet, less traveled part of the campground.

We can attest that we had AWH-MAZING views of Devils Tower. What we failed to realize is that our premium sites were grass sites. I am not sure if we overlooked that or if we were not told. Either way, we had grass sites, We also had no picnic table but we ended up snagging a table from site 70 as it was vacant during our stay.

Campfires are not allowed at grass sites or at RV sites. Central campfire pits are provided. The tent sites are given fire rings and since we were camping right next to tent campers, we left feeling a little envious that we did not have a fire ring, especially considering how chilly it was in the evening and how amazing the view was in front of us.

For the moments that you are not out exploring Devils Tower National Monument, the campground has a few activities. From June 1 to September 1, as weather permits, they have a hayride through a historic ranch. They also have a heated swimming pool to help you rest and relax. The other activity this campground has is a nightly showing of the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. This movie was filmed onsite at this campground back in the late 1970’s. We thought we would miss all the extra activities as we were there before June 1. However, they actually started showing the movie prior to June 1. We did not realize the movie was being shown until we were on our way back to the campers from the playground. By that time it was beyond chilly and we were ready to be warm.

Our stay here was short and quick. We arrived early afternoon and were back on the road by 9:00 a.m. the next morning. In conclusion, this was by far one of our favorite stops and we felt like royalty with the best seats in the house. In this case, it was a direct, unobstructed view of the tower.

July 11, 2017
Campground Review: Arrow Campground Wall, South Dakota

Arrow Campground, Wall, South Dakota

Dates of Stay: May 27, 2017

We rolled into Arrow Campground around 3:30 local time. After a long day of fighting the wind on I-90 we were dusty, weary and ready to unhitch. We were visiting just prior to the summer rush so the park was not crowded. Quiet might be a good word to use to describe our experience at Arrow Campground.

Arrow Campground is located on the west side of Wall, South Dakota and easily accessed using the Exit 109 exit from I-90. This exit provides an easy uncrowded access to the campground with no lights, no stop signs, just a few right turns and one left turn.

The park has 20, 30, and 50 amp sites with water but no sewer connections. They do have a dump station. Our sites were all back in but they also had some pull through sites. The campground also offers free wifi and we did not have any connectivity issues during our stay. The sites were a little close together but given that we were traveling with two other families we did not mind being close together. It is also a Good Sam campground, so we enjoyed a 10% discount during our stay.

We found the shower rooms and public restrooms to be clean; several of the men used the shower facilities while we were there. The one thing that most of our group commented on was the doors to both the showers and restrooms. They were not actual doors but rather curtains. While we maybe use to curtains being used as doors in the shower stalls we are not accustom to that in the bathrooms and I think many in our group found it to be not their thing.

The campground is simple. They have grassy areas for tent campers, gravel pads for RV’s and they even have motels for all other types. There is a pool but it was not open during our stay. The owners/managers/host were very nice. In fact, Connie told us she was a Park Ranger at the local national park and she was able to provide us with several hiking recommendations for our short visit to the park.

To compensate for its simpleness, this campground has proximity. The campground is two blocks away from Wall Drug Store, 2 miles to the National Grassland Visitor Center/Buffalo Gap National Grassland, 8 miles from Badlands National Park, 22 miles from the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, and less than 55 miles from Rapid City, South Dakota. We were able to easily visit Badlands National Park and Wall Drug in our short overnight stay. We were not able to get tickets to the Minuteman Missile Silo because we did not plan far enough in advance. It seems they are only staffed to run a few tours a day so they fill up quickly. If you would like to visit this attraction, plan ahead; they were running at least three weeks out on reservations when I called.

The other insider tip that may make your life easier is that Arrow Campground has an 11:00 checkout time. However, if you want to make a side trip to visit a local attraction, you can move your trailer over to a holding area. This allows you to go visit but not have to tow your RV around with you and leave it safe at the campground without occupying a camping spot another weary traveler ready to rest a bit.

We would recommend this campground. It is a great pass through space in close proximity to all the super cool activities in Wall, South Dakota.

June 27, 2017
Campground Review On-Ur-Wa Campground Iowa

On-Ur-Wa Campground, Onawa Iowa

Date of Visit: Friday, May 26, 2017

This was a one night stay on our way to Wyoming for our summer vacation. We had hoped to avoid staying at the casino parking lot in Council Bluffs, Iowa when we found On-Ur-Wa RV Park. Located at the intersection of Interstate 29 and Iowa 175, at a cost of $35 a night ($38 for 50 amp) with a Good Sam’s Discount, we quickly selected this park as our first pit-stop. Our sites had water, electricity and sewer connections as well as excellent wifi. Our sites were gravel with a grass side yard and level, or really close to being level.

The owners of the RV park are the on-sight managers. They shared with us how they went full time in their Class A and then became a little less active than they planned so they purchased an RV park. They run the park from spring to fall and then head to warmer weather during the winter. The common areas of the park are very well maintained: the office/store (they even sell local Iowa wine), the bathrooms/shower houses are very clean. Oh and they have pets; lovable cuddly cats all around. I told one of the kitty’s I would leave by door open so he could come crawl into bed with me. Without missing a beat the owner told me in fact if I did that, the cat would indeed visit.

Check in was quick and simple. We were escorted to our sites under large beautiful shade trees. The RV park is just a few blocks off I-29 making it easy to access and maneuver. The road the campground is on turns to gravel but after the entrance to the park. We found the gravel road to be less traveled than the other roads, which made it good for getting a daily walk in.

We walked to dinner during our stay. Dairy Queen was a block away (Subway and McDonald’s were another block away but across a busy highway). After dinner, after our walk, we simply sat around and enjoyed the cool weather. The kids had a great time playing in the open space at the back of the campground. There was a wooden swing back there and the four of them sat in it just happy to be finished with school and finally on summer vacation. When The Short Chick came to for the night she asked if we could spend the next night there as well because she was not ready to say good bye.

If there is a .downside to this park, the impact of traffic would be it. I think the campground has done what it can to minimize the noise of traffic; tall trees and a large wooden fence, but it is there. When we were out walking the gravel road, that paralleled I-29, the noise was immense but once we entered the campground that noise did not penetrate into the campground. The noise that does penetrate into the campground does not come from the interstate but rather Highway 179 as people come/go from the town of Onawa. The speed limit must change further east on 179 but in front of the campground, you can hear those cars passing by. I think one other factor helped contribute to the vehicle traffic having an impact; the weather. Normally we would have the furnace on or the air conditioner running which would have drowned out the noise. But as it happened, we were there on a perfectly cool night, so we slept with the windows open. And unfortunately, I am a light sleeper.

In case you have more time to spend in Onawa, I should let you know that the area does seem to have enough activity to support a longer stay. The town of Onawa, Iowa claims to have the widest main street in the USA, is also the gateway to the Loess Hills. A full-sized replica of a keel-boat can be seen at nearby Blue Lake and a few miles north is the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Sioux City. If you are willing to drive south an hour, you can visit the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska.

The best thing about this campground for us, is literally it was right on our way! So if you find yourself traveling north and are looking for a comfortable, friendly stop, give Un-Ur-Wa RV Park a shout out.

June 22, 2017
Echo Bluff State Park

Rejoice fellower RV’ers, Missouri State Parks has given you another reason to try camping at one of their state park. Echo Bluff State Park opened its doors on July 30, 2016 in the heart of the Ozarks becoming Missouri’s 88th state park and its 9th state park with full service campgrounds! With 430 acres Echo Bluff State Park is designed to provide something for everyone who visits the park.

Located south of Salem, north of Eminence on Highway 19, Echo Bluff State Park is less than three hours from St. Louis, a little over two hours from Springfield, easily accessible from Highway 60 and Interstate 44. For us Kansas Citians, it is a jaunt (five and a half hours) but worth every minute!

The towering limestone bluff along Sinking Creek, that is the parks namesake, is absolutely impressive but it is Echo Bluffs State Park lodging options that will draw all of you to the park. Campers are going to find a pretty impressive campground that offers 62 sites; 43 of those are full service with water, electric and sewer! While shade in the campground is sparse right now, you will find level concrete pads, large modern shower facilities, bathrooms, and a dump station all easily accessible. Campers looking for something a little less populated and rustic will find 12 primitive walk-in camping sites hidden among the tall mature trees.

For the non-campers in your life who like to tag along on your adventures, Echo Bluff has lodging for them as well. The Betty Lea Lodge (named after Missouri Governor Nixon’s mother) has 16 standard rooms and 4 suites for rent as well as a gift shop and market, a full service restaurant, a great room and a lodge deck making this lodge the center-point of the park. For families who need a little more space than a hotel room, Echo Bluff State Park has modern 2 and 4 bedroom cabins as well as 4 stacked duplex cabins that can be rented individually or for extra large groups. While the water at the campground may not be on all year long, the lodging at Echo Bluff is available year round so guest can enjoy the Ozarks through the spring bloom, the summer sunshine, the fall leaves and even the frozen winter.

Long before construction began on this new park the property was home to generations of campers and Echo Bluff State Park has honored some of that history. From 1929 to 1986 the land was home to a youth summer camp called Camp Zoe where youth from St. Louis spent several weeks each summer enjoying the great outdoors. Missouri State Parks has left the original Camp Zoe Lodge in place as well as the original horse barn. They have also named one of the hiking trails after a former staff member, Painter. On the contrary, from 1986 to 2014 this property was home to a different Camp Zoe but still an important piece of this lands history. During this time the land was owned by a Grateful Dead tribute band frontman who held music festivals commonly known as Schwagstock. In 2014 he was arrested and subsequently imprisoned for “maintaining a drug environment” after the government raided and subsequently seized the property. Missouri State Park acquired the property through auction. In talking to locals during our visit, this more recent colorful chapter lingers and lives in hushed whispers.

The park has a day use area that will keep either the leisure traveler or the experienced outdoorsman busy. Sinking Creek runs throughout the park and brings swimming, wading, floating, and fishing. Wayne spent several hours in the rain fishing and was happy to have caught five or so small mouth and rock bass. Children of all ages will enjoy a splash park as well as a playground. There were no activities scheduled during our visit but the park also has a beautiful amphitheater.

If bigger water activities are your desire, Sinking Creek is a tributary to the Current River and is near the intersection with another river, The Jacks Fork. Within a few short miles of the state park you will find several outfitters to help you spend a day floating down the Ozark Scenic Riverway. One outfitter, Carr’s Canoe Rental, even made daily visits to Echo Bluff to provide round trip service, at no additional cost, to guest.

Our Experiences:

We spent a four day weekend at Echo Bluff State Park celebrating the end of summer and the start of another school year. This trip we traveled with ten of us: with Angie’s Aunt/Uncle, Mom and Step Dad with us. Coincidentally, shortly after we arrived the first night, our campground neighbors pulled in and to our surprise it was Chuck and Dana from Kansas City who we also camped next door to at Wallace State Park back in June. The “old folks” as they called themselves stayed in the Betty Lea Lodge. We stayed in the full service campground, which is walking distance from The Betty Lea across the Wheeler Bridge. We visited the park three weeks after they opened.

On our second day at the state park, we enjoyed a float trip down the Current River. We used Eminence Canoes Cottages and Camp as our outfitters for the day. Their staff were very friendly and helpful getting us on and off the river. This was the first time we had ever used plastic canoes and we learned they are smaller and less balanced than our favorite aluminum canoes. Unfortunately, some lessons are learned the hard way and we learned just how “tippy” the canoe was when ours flipped over on us and quickly filled our canoe full of cold water! On a related note: If you find a Sony Cybershot at the bottom of the Current River upstream from Twin Rivers give us a shout out because ours went to the bottom when we tipped.

We barely made it back to the park by the time the rain clouds opened. The rest of the weekend was wet. Wayne and I got up super early Saturday morning to roam the park in between downpours. I am so glad we did because it was the last moments of non-rain we had. We decided to take a road trip to enjoy the local area as a way of dealing with the rain. We visited Current River State Park (almost across the highway from Echo Bluff). Wayne brought along his fishing pole and within three cast caught a beast of a large mouth. I think he would have stayed there all day if we would have let him. Instead, we had him drive us over to Johnson Shutins, Elephant Rock State Park, and The Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site. It was a long day of driving but everyone had a really fun time visiting some of our favorite places.

After our long road trip and the fact that it was still raining, we opted to forgo our campfire meal and eat dinner at the full service restaurant at The Betty Lea called Creekside Grill. The restaurant is actually pretty small so they sat us and two other large groups in some conference space used as overflow seating. Our experience with Creekside Grill started off pretty rocky. As soon as we were seated, one of the other large group , who were obviously from St. Louis, ramped up their conversation about who to root for this football season now that they are without a team. The gist of this conversation was that they had two choices; the Arizona Cardinals (formerly from St. Louis) or the Kansas City Chiefs. Well let’s just say it was not a pleasant experience when foul language coupled with bashing of our side of the state welcomed us as we were settling into our seats. I did enjoy their looks of horror as my husband introduced ourselves and proudly let them know where we were from. Jerks.

The dinner menu at Creekside Grill is a little upscale: Mushroom Studel, Catfish, Buffalo Meatloaf, Smoked Chicken, BBQ Ribs to name a few of the option available. Prices run between $15 to $20. (The kids meals were $5.00.) We started with slow service; the table seated after us got their drinks and salads before we even got our drinks. Overall, the food was consumed but it was not anything so fantastic that I have to tell you about it nor am I rushing back to have something again.

On our last morning there, the “old folks” invited us to breakfast at the Creekside Grill so we would not have to make a mess before tearing down. Our experience with them the night before was so mediocre I thought it was a good thing to give them a second try. As we approached the restaurant we were not greeted, we watched staff clear and set up tables without once speaking to us. There was no sign telling us to “seat ourselves” so we just stood watching the waitresses work until we finally asked if we could be seated.

The buffet consisted of coffee, orange juice, fresh fruit, muffins, biscuits, gravy, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, and potatoes. When we arrived, it was obvious the buffet table was wrecked: food spilled all over and the food supply was depleted. The waitresses never once showed any action to attend to the buffet table until we specifically asked. Unfortunately, the quality of food was not any better. The coffee was weak, the biscuits were hard and overcooked, and I am sure the eggs were powdered eggs made to serve the masses. I have had better quality food at hotels that offer a free breakfast with your stay and this was a $9.99 per person breakfast. I think I expected more from this Lodge who is clearly trying to portray a more upscale experience. I do believe the workforce in the restaurant are young and inexperienced. I just hope someone with experience steps up and provides some training so the quality of service can match the experience before our next visit.

While I would say we were less than impressed with the restaurant, we were very impressed with the overall park. From the impressive limestone bluff to the natural iron guard rails that run throughout the park, from the beautiful Wheeler Bridge (named after the Governor’s Father-in-Law) to The Betty Lea Lodge, from the splash park to the original Camp Zoe Lodge the park is beautiful! It is a place we will plan to return to time and again.

Eastern Cultures consider a double rainbow to be a symbol of transformation; the inner ring representing material world and the outer ring spiritual. On our last night in the park we were blessed with a double rainbow. I think Missouri State Parks has transformed this piece of land from something questionable (Schwagfest) back to a park where all are welcome and new generations are invited to explore the great outdoors.

August 19, 2016
Big Meadow Family Campground

One thing is true about visiting the Smoky Mountains; there are ample places to stay and this is true of RV parks. Pigeon Forge, Gaitlinburg, and Sevierville are all very well known destination spots in the Smoky Mountains but they were not what we were looking for when we selected our destination. We were looking for a place close to the Smoky Mountain National Park. We were looking for a place close to fishing and other water activities. We were looking for quiet place to lay our heads after hours of exploring. We found Townsend, Tennessee and Big Meadow Family Campground. Both provided exactly what we wanted and were looking for in a vacation destination.

Townsend calls themselves the “quieter side of the mountain” and I can attest that after a few trips over to the more popular Smoky Mountain destinations (Pigeon Forge, Gaitlinburg, and Sevierville) it is quieter, less commercial, less touristy, and generally smaller. Big Meadow Family Campground is not the only full service campground in Townsend but it was the right choice for us. From my observations I saw a lot of older couples vacationing with grandchildren, families just like ourselves, and even vacationing couples all enjoying their time at Big Meadow Family Campground. We also noticed that many people at the campground are repeat customers who come back over and over.

Big Meadow is a family run business. They have 78 full hook up sites, 25 of these are gravel pads with the rest being concrete, 58 sites are pull through leaving only 20 back in sites. The grounds are beautiful and very well maintained. Security and safety of all guest seemed to be a very high priority of the owners. To enter the park you have to use a key pad to pass though a locked gate.

During our check-in we were advised that there is a strict 5 mph speed limit in the campground. I can’t begin to tell you how many times we are told about a speed limit and we see people speeding through the campground during our stays but this campground actually enforced the speed limit. I, as a parent with a little girl who has only just recently begun riding a bicycle by herself, really appreciate the safety I felt during our stay at Big Meadow Family Campground.

The other rule explained to us at check-in was that the gates locked at midnight and unlocked at 7:00 a.m. This rule impacted us only once. We had planned an early morning departure to drive over to Clingman’s Dome and wanted to leave by 6:30 a.m. The night before we moved our trucks to the front of the campground just outside the locked gate. The morning of our departure we walked a short walk to our trucks and went about our site seeing.

The campground has a splash park, a gazebo with a fire pit, a dog park, and a playground with a large pirate ship climbing structure. The little girls in our group loved playing in the splash park and found it a perfect place to make friends and cool off after our long days of exploring. The only negative thing that I can say about any of these amenities is that the girl’s clothing got stained after a short play on the playground area. I have no idea what they touched but it was a stain that did not come out of their clothing. But to be fair, it is a playground and they are little girls.

Our campsites were equipped with water, electric (both 30 and 50 amp service) sewer and cable television. The only thing that the sites did not have was a fire ring. Campers could make a fire at their campsite if they had a fire pit and made it on the gravel or concrete (not in the grass). Other campers during our visit made fires at the fire-pit in the gazebo but we never felt the desire to add extra heat to the already humid temperatures.

We utilized the campground laundry room several times during our stay and found it to be clean and easy to access. In addition to the laundry room members of our group used the men’s shower. All reports from the shower room were very positive (large, clean, spotless, bug free, really, really nice were all words used to describe when I asked). We were also invited to a Sunday Morning Church Service held on site at the campground.

We arrived on a Thursday early evening just ahead of a round of storms, which we could not seem to shake on our trip. Our check-in process went smoothly as we were shown to our sites, given a list of cable television stations, explained the rules of the campground, and introduced to the family cat, RJ. The rain caught up with us before we could even make it to our site and unhitch. Yet another wet hitch/unhitch.

We had saved grocery shopping for our week’s stay till we reached Townsend. So, on the first night with little food in our campers and the sky’s dumping inches and inches of rain on us, we sat out to find a local restaurant. We found the Montre Real Mexican Restaurant. The food was good, the staff were friendly and the prices were reasonable. It rained the entire meal so we said good night and turned in early. The sound of rain falling on the camper sang us to sleep that first night.

We did use the IGA for our grocery needs. The butcher there was kind enough to special cut some meat for us as they did not have what we were looking for packaged. The store had our basic needs plus a little more but I would say if you are wanting something a little out of the norm you might want to stop at a store in a larger town.

Smoky Mountain National Park is only a few short minutes from the campground and within fifteen minutes to Cades Cove. We found a back scenic road that connects Cades Cove to Townsend that was a breathtaking and exciting trip to make. (We learned later this road, Rich Mountain Road, is the original route to Cades Cove.)

Outside the national park, floating down the Little River is a popular pass time. There are multiple outfitters very close to Big Meadows Family Campground. Two of the outfitters are literally within walking distance to the campground and offer a mile or so float downstream. The water level of the Little River changes frequently so I think any given day the experience can be different. I promise to give you more information on floating the Little River in a later post!

All along 321 highway is a bike path that we used to bike to Burgermaster’s Drive-In for ice cream. Not only was the ice cream amazing (super smooth and creamy) they also had this 1950’s theme. I learned about “wet nuts.” which is a dessert topping you can add to ice cream that is basically chopped walnuts in maple syrup. Burgermaster may not have had my favorite sundae available (a turtle) but I added wet nuts to my chocolate sundae and it was pretty good!

We partook in wine tasting at Cades Cove Cellars and then stopped into Apple Valley Country Store and Cafe for some shopping and a fried pie. We actually met some fellow Missourians in the parking lot of Apple Valley who were stopping by to grab a few fried pies on their way home to Missouri. We purchased our pies from the store and I wish we had ordered them fresh from the cafe. Next time.

We also stopped at several other small shops and eateries along the way. Some of our favorites were: GSM Outfitters, The Boy purchased his first pair of Chacos from them. We were very impressed with the product knowledge and helpfulness of the owners. The local fly shop in Townsend is the Little River Outfitters. If you plan to fish in the Smoky Mountains I highly suggesting going in and talking to them, they have a huge selection of fishing gear and give some great advice . Jake’s on the River is just a cool little retail shop, and PawPaw’s Kajun Kitchen has the best catfish we’ve ever had; and we have had a lot of catfish.

Keep checking back, we have more reviews and stories to share from our time in the Smoky Mountains.

July 28, 2016