I couldn't get in the spirit of a Lanesboro trip. Maybe next year during warmer kayaking season. Instead, I suggested tent camping (oops!) at Backbone State Park in Delaware County. TENT. Crazy, right? So many people are shocked and amazed that I would consider such a thing. The old girl still has some surprises in her!
Neither Paul nor I had ever been to Backbone before. Kinda surprising since it's in Paul's home county, camping isn't high on most farmer's to-do lists. Backbone (originally the Devil's Backbone) is Iowa's oldest state park, dedicated in 1919. It's in the the Maquoketa River valley and boasts several hiking trails, a trout stream, and limestone bluffs. We booked the last spot available in the "rustic" - no electric hookup Six Pines campground. Yes, I was leery of sleeping on the ground in a tent. We had planned on camping Labor Day weekend, and that didn't work out as the campground didn't have toilet facilities. We needed to get it done!
Paul and I took off Friday morning - first stop, Independence, Iowa where long ago relatives on my mom, Patricia Nelle Bullock (her mother was Nellie), lived. In 1996, the year before she died, Mom and I spent time in the town during a wonderful trip around NE Iowa. She told me how she'd spent summer weeks in Independence with her maternal grandparents John and Millie Weber and lots of cousins. I looked up their burial sites on FindaGrave, but we were unable to locate them as there was no map available. There are many Webers in St. John's Catholic Cemetery. More relatives are in another Buchanan County cemetery. My family boasts many generations of Iowans on both sides - I think I'm going to be the last one.
After a stop at Casey's, we pulled into the cool restored train depot in town. I'm glad communities take care of these treasures.
In this photo, Paul is filling me full of flora and fauna knowledge
We arrived at Backbone mid-afternoon and located our little home away from home campsite - not far from the pit type potty and water source (not drinkable). Thumbs up! I didn't want to totter far if I needed a late night potty visit. There is another campground at the park that boasts showers, sinks, and real flush toilets. It didn't take long to set up camp. Then we drove around to see the park sites and check out where we wanted to hike the next day. We'd brought along firewood, but no lighter fluid. Paul used leaves to help get the campfire going. Paul grilled a couple yummy filets on our small grill for supper. There's nothing like sitting around a campfire. And, for dessert - toasted marshmallows.
We had poor cell reception - helpful towards my goal of checking out. My best friend and I just talked. We decided politics were out - we get enough of that at home. My favorite topic was "places we'd like to go". There are so many. It's fun to dream. It was also a great time to be thankful for all things great and small.
We went to bed early as it gets dark early when you're away from artificial light. Our neighbors were quiet early too. They did get up early - before 6:30 am and talk in normal voices. Grrr. Even though I was awake, I would have liked quiet time a bit longer. Their dogs barked at night - answering coyotes!
On Saturday morning we had a great scrambled egg/potato/steak breakfast. Why does food taste better outdoors? Oh, and the tent/sleeping bag - could have been better if I'd remembered my pillow! Argh. I stuffed towels into a canvass shopping bag. Not recommended. The pad under my bag was also not adequate. If we do this again, I need a better sleeping package!
We drove up to Backbone Trail on a gorgeous sunny morning. The trail was marked "medium" difficulty. The trail is aptly named as it's set right on a ridge between the riverbed and another gulley. At times I had to use my hands to scramble up the path. The vistas and light were fabulous! It's nice to have my very own tree guy with me to identify them. Huge pines not usually seen in our state. We didn't see many people until near the end of the trail that loops back to the parking area - there we came across a large group of teen students.
We did some more sightseeing after that. And shopping! We needed pillows. Strawberry Point, the nearby town, only had a Dollar Store. So we visited WalMart in Manchester, driving the scenic route. We also picked up more firewood, lighter fluid, and beer, as we'd gone through our small inventory in night 1. There is something about a campfire and beer!
After a cold lunch of charcutarie. In my day was called "cheese and meat tray". That was followed by rest and reading. Then we hiked an easy grass trail - followed by pulling over in a high spot to listen to the end of the ISU/TCU football game. The good guys won! We stopped at the fancy campground for showers.
The Cyclone fans in the campsite next to us (ISU lawn chairs were the clue) were happy too. That night was quiet - dogs and kraut, chips, salad, and oh yes, marshmallows. That night I had one more pad under my sleeping bag and a real pillow. I can't claim fabulous sleep, but better!
We took off fairly early Sunday for home. I was ready for flush toilets and McDonald's oatmeal. Still, our first camping experience as a couple in forty years was really good! I made a list of things we should remember next time. Pillows are on there! And air mattresses. Carry on!
No comments:
Post a Comment