We planned our first camping trip of 2018 six months ago, and it was finally here. There was always a chance we’d need to cancel because of snow but we got lucky. The roads were dry and there wasn’t any snow to be found on the plains for the entire trip, and then it snowed right after we were all safely home. My front door was about 15 feet from the lake, and Mike’s motor home and Walt’s trailer were next-door neighbors. Robin was staying with me for the weekend, too.
The first night was windy and raining, so we had dinner in Mike’s RV. Irish stew and soda bread, with cheesecake. Yes, this is glamping. Unfortunately, it was too windy and rainy for a campfire, so we all went back to our homes fairly early.
The next day was really windy, again, but at least it wasn’t raining. We drove out to see the only notable thing, the Pawnee Buttes. There was a hiking trail and the area was nice, but it was almost too windy to stand up. We hung out for a little while, but we didn’t even think about trying to wander around.
That night, the wind finally died down and we had dinner in my motor home. Grilled chicken, corn on the cob, and all of the good side dishes. Robin’s son came to see us, and we ended up with seven people eating in my motor home. It was cozy, but really fun. We even had a campfire. The wind was steady, so the smoke didn’t chase anyone. Friday was definitely the best night.
Saturday was pretty cool, and I set out to do RV walkthroughs with Mike and Walt. The plan is to get tours of people’s RVs and hear about what they like and don’t like about them. I tried to think of everything, but you can tell I’m pretty new to this. I have a lot of footage, but almost all of the audio is completely unusable. It’s so frustrating! I’ll have to do those walkthroughs another trip when there isn’t wind like that. I wasn’t even able to get the drone in the air — I was hoping to use the tripod mode.
We went to Fort Morgan to check out the cool Rainbow Arch Bridge there. It was built in the 1920s and it’s withstood a lot, and it still stands. It’s a footbridge now, and we walked from one side to the other and back again. It was nice doing some wandering around. We left Fort Morgan and went to Brush for chips and salsa at one of the worst Mexican restaurants we’d ever been to. Live and learn.
It was too windy for a fire again, so we had another dinner in my motor home. Walt made steaks and we ate until we were stuffed.
Everyone headed for home on Sunday. It was unbelievably windy, but it was still a fantastic weekend at the lake.
Site Review: Pelican Loop Site 95
This site is big enough for a 30-foot motor home, but you have to make some adjustments for slide outs so they don’t hit tree branches. The fire pit ended up too close to the coach to use. There was enough room at the front of the RV for my Jeep to park perpendicularly. A different or smaller RV would have an easier time.
The site is one of the best ones at Jackson Lake State Park because it is surrounded on two sides by water (one side has a little inlet) and one side by trees between it and the next site. It provides a private place to fish and enjoy the water, though the shore is very rocky and a bit steep. It wouldn’t be the easiest place to put a kayak in, but it would work if you wear shoes.
The electric worked well and the views were amazing.
