This weekend, we camped at Loyd Park, along the western side of Joe Pool Lake. With record-breaking heat, we were concerned that it would be difficult to keep Cloud 9 at a comfortable 73 degrees, but Loyd Park’s dense tree canopy made climate control more manageable. We arrived on Friday in time to set up,…
We traveled to Cedar Hill State Park to get away from March Madness, only to find ourselves surrounded by it. The park was crowded with campers of every sort, including Boy Scouts in tents, newbies in Class B’s, seasoned pros on electric scooters and first-timers. Having done this routine for more than eight years, we…
Our weekend at Loyd Park included the first day of Spring, accompanied by a symphony of birdsong. The warm weather allowed us to enjoy gentle breezes through open windows, visits from a mallard couple just outside our door, and persistent pecks from a pesky cardinal. The budding trees, greening grass, and blooming flowers all conspired…
Our Thanksgiving visit with Jon’s family began the weekend before Turkey Day, as we readied Cloud 9 for its long road trip. We camped at nearby Cedar Hill State Park, where we enjoyed mild weather ahead of what promised to be an unseasonable cold snap in the St. Louis area. Preparation included checking the tires…
This weekend brought an end to Daylight Saving Time (DST) and a return to Standard Time, giving us an extra hour of sleep and providing the commentariat an opportunity to argue for and against its continuation. We were surprised to learn that we were clinging to a few myths about DST. For example, we had…
Our weekend began a day early, when CJ from Dalworth Cleaning Services told us we wouldn’t be able to walk on our newly cleaned and waxed hardwood floors for 24 hours, so as to allow the wax the time it needed to “cure.” The campsite we had reserved for the weekend wasn’t available on Thursday,…
Anyone who spends time in forested areas throughout North America will have to deal with spiders. Every time we encounter a particularly menacing arachnid, we remind ourselves that spiders are our friends. They eat other bugs, including mosquitoes, so they actually protect us from pests. On Friday, as we were taking our sunset walk, we…
We’ve met all types of people while camping. Some are folks we wouldn’t associate with under any other circumstances, but love of the outdoors and the desire for adventure can create strange bedfellows. In these politically polarized times, when our differences are even more pronounced, many campers go to great lengths to make sure everyone…
This weekend’s campsite was new to us, although we had scouted it several weeks before. We selected it because we appreciated its seclusion, with heavy forestation that reminded us of Loyd Park. We arrived at the site around 4 p.m., but it took nearly a half-hour and three attempts before we were able to get…
As much of the Pacific Northwest sweltered in a dangerous and historic heatwave, we headed back to Cedar Hill State Park amid triple-digit “feels like” temperatures. We arrived around 4:30 on Friday afternoon and stayed with the dogs in the air-conditioned cab of our tow vehicle for about 45 minutes while we waited for the…
Garinns on the Go 