Green Goddess Glamping: Is This the End of My 2021 Camping Season?

A bright but happy ride

The first couple of days of December 2021, I was indeed out in my camp trailer--in fact, the only camper at Geode State Park. My wife and I joked with the ranger, saying that is was a great deal to reserve the entire campground for just ourselves for only twelve dollars a day.

I like the idea of camping at least once during each of the twelve months of the year. It just seems so right! Last year with our brand new Airstream Basecamp, we camped during December and then in January of 2021, two nights and an overnighter, respectively. Then the snow and ice hit, locking us out of local camping for a good two months. Will the same be true for 2022? I don't know, but there is still a chance to camp some in the upcoming weeks, if I feel like it.

The "feel like it" is not about if I'm in the camping mood; rather, it's about the dental surgery that's coming up--the removal and replacement of my front left tooth. I'm having the tooth removed in two days, so how will I feel afterwards . . . and what will be the schedule of appointments to complete the job? We'll see, but I chose to not camp early this week, even though the temperatures were camp-worthy, being in the 50s and 60s. However, I've chosen to get my house in order so that I can just rest after the oral surgery.

Today, though, I did ride the 16-mile bicycling loop trail around my town. I just couldn't pass up the good weather which included very little wind. This is the second time I've ridden the trail in the last four weeks, the first being on November 20. This trip I took the trail in the opposite direction, which was an interesting experiment. I didn't have to climb the steepest hills traveling counter-clockwise; however, I did have some long slogs up hills with good inclines yet which I still rode rather than hopping off and pushing. I probably prefer hopping off a couple or three times to long, tedious climbs in the lower gears, but it was all good. For the long climbs this time, I used my phone to put some music on and just kept grinding up the hills.

Bentonsport, Des Moines River

By heading out from home for a bicycle day ride, I did choose to not camp this week, but I made that choice feeling that I can camp a bit later in the month, even though temperatures will be lower with highs around freezing and lows in the teens. I can do that if my face feels okay, though, and I can wear a mask if my face happens to be a front tooth shy. Perfect! I might like to camp along the Des Moines River at Bentonsport Campground. That campground has no water during the winter but does keep the electricity on. There is some good hiking there and a gravel road for bicycle riding. I camped there three years ago in my tiny camper, the Green Goddess.

When does the 2021 camping season end, anyway? Is January 2022 a new camping season or just a continuation of winter 2021--kind of like (only backwards) how new model cars come out before the new year. Most likely, I just have to be literal and say the 2021 camping season ends at the end of the year. The exciting thing about that, though, is that the new camping season begins in a bit over two weeks. Yay!

All that calendar stuff is pretty much arbitrary, anyway. I'm just glad to be able to look forward to some more camping in the next few weeks. Beyond that, if the roads are clear, I can always head south.