Lake Red Rock, Iowa: Eleven Days in a Little Trailer

"Where have you been, and what have you been doing?" you might ask, since it's been about nine months since I've last posted. The short answer is childcare for grandchildren and other family business. However (and my wife and I are so happy that the however has finally arrived), the kids are now back in school and the other family issues are settling down, allowing Sandy and me to finally use our Airstream Bambi 16 this beautiful fall. I honestly have to add that my emotional predilection is tending more nowadays towards doing and living rather than spending considerable time writing about what I've been doing. 

Photo from Observation Tower, Cordova Park

We are now camping for eleven days at Lake Red Rock, Iowa's largest lake, riding our bikes on the Volksweg Trail and just settling in for a nice quiet time of getting away from our usual routine. It's great to finally be able to use all the cool camping stuff we've accumulated to live a lifestyle that includes time outside, exercise, and private time with Sandy and me, while still allowing Sandy to work her online business and me to write when I feel like it (like now when it's in the 90s outside and it's so cozy inside with our air conditioner). After this trip, we'll take about a week at home, and then it will be another eleven days out in the Bambi, this time at Lacey-Keosauqua State Park, one of our old favorite camping spots. And then after another week or so, we'll be off by jet to Carlsbad, California, for a week to enjoy the ocean and to attend a wedding. Luckily, Sandy's son will be house-sitting for us during this time, keeping everything shipshape. 

As of last night it is now official--we are no longer the smallest camper in the campground. We had a Hiker Trailer roll in across the way, a tiny trailer with, as they said, a small air conditioner because they are, after all, camping in the humid Midwest. I chatted with the husband for a while last night about ease of towing, spending more time outside, and those little potty tents, one of which is pitched next to their tiny trailer. Ah, the Green Goddess memories! 

One table, two work stations

Not, of course, that we are complaining about the set-up of our Airstream. What we really like about our little trailer is that it has a rear bed and a front table (which also converts to a bed). This is the classic design of the small trailers of the 60s and 70s--bed in back, table in front, and everything else in between. This floorplan allows Sandy to work online at the table and for me to relax in the rear bed, with a significant space between the activities. That way, Sandy can work without having to endure my snoring if I take a nap! We can also both work at the table as we are doing today as I write this blog while she works at her mobile office. Starlink has really provided us with a lot of flexibility for her mobile office. We also still hardly use our water, which enables us to camp for eleven days without having to break camp one or two times to empty the black tank and fill our water tank. In a sense, we still enjoy tiny camping, just with a little trailer rather than a tiny trailer. 

We've been riding our new Velotric Fold 1 Plus, heavy but enjoyable e-bikes that we pack in the back of our pick-up topper. Sandy helps me load and unload the 67-pound weight; however, I could remove the ten-pound battery before loading, which would help. We've been riding every day, pedaling to Pella, buying groceries, and riding the Volksweg Trail, yesterday 23 miles from our campground to the end of the trail at Cordova Park. Our Ford Ranger tow vehicle hasn't been moved since we arrived and set up camp. We are happy with the bikes, even though the smaller twenty-inch wheels and the weight makes a different ride than a conventional bike frame, even a conventional ebike frame. The bikes provide us with greater freedom, and we've been getting our regular exercise while still traveling long enough distances to feel we are really exploring. 

This is all for now. I wish everyone happy travels and good times. When the weather is too hot or cold, I'll probably get out of my garden, off the hiking trail, or off my bike and write another post. It's great to share and to be part of the camping community. 

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