We headed to Loyd Park for the long weekend that included the Martin Luther King holiday, making it our first outing in four weeks. It was quite a hiatus, one which included an unplanned trip to St. Louis, a brief hospitalization, and several days of single-digit temperatures. Upon setting up, we realized the cold snap took a toll on our toilet’s water valve. Without the ability to flush, we essentially spent the weekend using the toilet like those “vault” facilities we’ve so often scorned at our national parks. You know, the backcountry “comfort stations,” which are actually little more than glorified outhouses, with a plastic cylinder arranged on top of a hole in the ground.

The weather forecast called for damp, dreary days and cloudy, chilly nights, as well as the threat of severe storms on Sunday night — all of which came to pass. Nothing is more unnerving than hearing weather alerts and tornado sirens sounding in rapid succession while trying to ride out the storm in what amounts to an aluminum can. Thankfully, the storm passed, dinner was served, and Victoria quickly became our new Downton Abbey crack.

We spent most of the rest of our weekend time exploring new discoveries on Ancestry.com, planning our summer trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, and taking a break from Jon’s dietary restrictions. His gallbladder surgery is scheduled for January 27, so hopefully he’ll return to normal shortly thereafter.

MLK Day brought promised sunshine and warmer temps, making it difficult to pack up and leave. But after taking Cloud 9 to Fort Worth on Friday for needed repairs, we’ll be camping again — not at Loyd Park, where the Indian Princess weekend is taking over, but at Cedar Hill State Park, where the weather promises to be warm and sunny all weekend long.