Visiting family in Iowa, Glenda finds an overnight stop at Wallace SP in MO and new state at Minooka COE in KS

We had a wonderful time visiting family after our whirlwind trip out east and it was time to move on to AZ for the winter. We made plans to add additional family in Iowa as we traveled westward. Glenda's brother, Bryan and SIL, Ann live in our hometown of Burlington, IA. We hadn't seen them since our visit last year. It was time to get back together. We stopped near Iowa City at Linder Point a COE campground which is part of Coralville Lake. This stop helped us stay on track to move into KS and visit her brother.

Bryan and Ann still work so we made plans to meet at their home after they got off work. Dinner at The Drake in downtown Burlington was the place and the food was good. The conversation was even better. So nice to catch up with family. Our conversation eventually got around to retirement and of course, we're loving it. Bryan and Ann have plans to make that happen in the next few years. They're great planners and I know as soon as they can it will happen.

Wish we could have spent more time but we had to make the trip back to our campground and that was about a 90 minute drive. We said our see you later's with hugs and handshakes. Thankful that we live this lifestyle so we can make these visits with family that's not as mobile. 

The weather was a little rainy the next day but we did get out for a walk on a trail in the park and even found a couple of geocaches. I had to climb a fallen tree to search for one cache and unfortunately I didn't find it after all that work. All in all a good visit.

We moved on through IA into MO and had planned an overnight stop at a Wal Mart however Glenda continued to do some research as we traveled that day and came up with a nice little state park near Cameron, MO called Wallace SP. Very convenient right off I-35 about 2 miles. We called ahead and the camp hosts told us there would be some sites available. Once we arrived we were directed to a wonderful pull through electric site. Fortunately we had taken the advice of our friends, Steve and Debbie from Down the Road and had some water in our fresh tank so a water hook up was not necessary. In addition I used the shower house and Glenda used our shower and we didn't use the black tank for #2 so we could leave the next day without having to use the dump station. We're expanding our camping experiences. 

I forgot to mention with the senior discount...$19/night

If you're traveling along I-35 in MO around Cameron and you need a place to stop....this is the place. 

The next day we continued our travels westward into a new state for us. KANSAS. 

We had a reservation at Minooka COE on Wilson Lake near Dorrance, KS. There are 3 different campgrounds that are part of the COE however Minooka was closest to the Interstate and they had great pull throughs with electric and water right on the lake. Unfortunately for us the weather was not cooperating. It was extremely windy, hot and humid. No opportunity to use our kayak or bikes but we did get out in the morning for a nice hike on the Prairie Fire Trail.

Do you see the windsock blowing straight out?

The trail was a wide grassy path along the lake and through a part of the park. Even getting out early it was humid, hot and dusty. Not really complaining...that's just what it was. We found the remnants of the old campground from days gone by.

Enlarge photos for best viewing

                                                    Even some old car parts left behind. 

It was a short stay but we enjoyed our time there. A nice find in KS. It would have been nice to use more of the resources there but weather is the one thing you can't always plan for. 

I know, so far not that exciting but our next stop is in Pueblo, CO. We love CO and contacted friends on FB for suggestions on what to see and where to go. That's what's up next as we continue our travel toward AZ. Thanks for following along.