Camping with Elyse & Philip 11/5/10

Elyse and Philip came over after school on Friday afternoon ready to take off for Meramec State Park and one last camping trip before Saffire is winterized and put away until March. The weather was very cold and windy so we decided to wait until Saturday to go out when the weather would be a bit better.

We arrived to a fair number of people in the campground and to the surprise that all the water had been turned off! Without Saffire, it would have been pit toilets and no showers! Now the showers weren't a problem because we were just there for one night, but the pit toilet....that didn't interest Elyse or Phil too much...quite the opposite!!!!! I had about 1/3 tank of water in Saffire's freshwater tank so we were fine. We set up camp and headed out to explore. We did the same walks I had done before with Susie and Christine. The river was really fun with them and we spent a long time there playing and laying in the sunshine.

I think the biggest thing that happened this trip is that Elyse discovered she likes to play catch!

The campsite had a lot of land with it so plenty of room for our wild game. We had a big fire, barbecued some hotdogs and just had fun. When we went in we played some games then got settled and ready for bed.

Sunday morning Philip had us climbing a new trail way, way up up up trying to find a clear enough signal that my phone could pick up the satellite so we could go geocaching. After a very long walk we gave up. The next time I have to remember to get the cache sites before we go!

We explored a bit more before we left the park and found the boat launch. You can put your kayaks and canoes in and float back to the campground. We'll have to try that next summer.

We also found the ruins of a hotel. Construction began on it just before the Great Depression, and it sat half finished for a while. Then a couple bought it and completed it and people came out from St. Louis for many years. It was lived in until 1971 and only the chimneys now remain.

We stopped at the museum before we headed home. Then the best stop of the trip...Steak and Shake for burgers and shakes!!

It is always fun to go camping with Elyse and Phil, they love being outside and so do I!!!!

Camping With Susie & Christine 10/26/10

It was a bit cool when Susie and I pulled out of the driveway and headed for Meramec State Park in Sullivan, MO. The park is situated along the banks of the Meramec River surrounded by bluffs, caves and forests. Many of the buildings and campground facilities were constructed by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) during the 1930's. The park has almost 7,000 acres for hiking, camping and river fun.

Susie and I found a nearly empty campground as we were there midweek during the fall.

Our site was just across from the river, and after a nice walk exploring the riverbank we settled in for a quiet evening in Saffire with dinner and a movie.

Wednesday morning dawned with fall smells and sunshine and the arrival of Christine. She was housesitting and came out for the day.

I noticed a class C pull in and was intrigued to see a woman with white hair setting it up. We crossed paths with her as we headed out for the over the mountain trail hike. She was from Michigan, looked to be in her late 70's and had a friend from Kansas who had flown to Michigan and she was taking home. I invited them to join our campfire and have some stew with us in the evening.

Susie, Christine, Teddy and I had a great day of exploring. At the trailhead there was a marker commemorating the 1982 flood on the Meramec. The marker was almost at the top of the building, and as you looked back toward the river you could see the whole campground had been a large lake during the time of the flood. We poked around the caves on the trail which were pretty big and open, and agreed that we were glad that Fisher Cave was closed so we didn't have to be brave and venture inside!!!

After a pleasant lunch we went to the river and threw rocks for a while. The lighting is lovely in the late fall afternoon, the river beautiful. We saw some birds and lots of leaves down.

We had an awesome fire and delicious stew and got to know our guests a bit better. The mother of the driver had a motorhome into her 80's and camped into her 90's, very encouraging!

Christine left to return to the city on a very dark, moonless night. Susie and I snuggled down in Saffire and I was asleep before the lights were even turned out!! We returned to St. Louis the next moring, it would a great couple of days. We are looking forward to more trips in the spring!!