FEW LEAVES, BUT GOOD TIME

Little Paint Creek, Yellow River State Forest, Allamakee County, Iowa

It was maybe the last chance for a camping weekend during this season for us. We pitched our tent in northeast Iowa at Yellow River State Forest, only 90 minutes away from home. 8,900 acres of forestland and over 41 miles of hiking trails make it a great area for an autumn hiking trip. We had some good conversation with other hikers on the trail and friendly camp neighbors shared their dinner with us (Thank you again Pam and Phil!). At this time of the year, when the wind blows and the temperatures drop below freezing at night, the camp sites are usually not so full and often you find like minded people that enjoy the quiet side of tent camping as we do.

To be honest, I had high hopes to find still an abundance of leaves with fall colors, but if you look at the image below, most leaves were already on the ground. The rain and wind during the last few weeks is probably to blame for. No leaves means more light on the ground and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The challenge was to find the places where the light was not just a dappled mess. Little Paint Creek flows through the campsite and right before the sun disappeared behind the bluffs, the moss and lichen covered rock wall and the shadows from the trees behind me “painted” the surface of the water with warm colors and a pattern that worked for me…

Paint Creek, Yellow River State Forest, Allamakee County, Iowa

OPENED THE TENT CAMPING SEASON

Paint Creek, Yellow River State Forest, Eastern Iowa

Despite temperatures slightly above freezing at night, Joan and I couldn’t resist to go out and open the tent camping season this weekend. We did a lot of bird watching along the Mississippi River and spent Saturday night in the Little Paint campground at Yellow River State Forest in northeast Iowa. We live in the drift-less area of Iowa, land that has not been flattened by the glaciers. As a result we have deep valleys, streams, rocks, bluffs, and large areas covered by forest. Yep, Iowa is not just corn and soybeans!!

One of the reasons I like it here so much is the fact that the landscape reminds me of the Sächsische Schweiz (Saxon Switzerland), an area not far from my hometown in the southeast corner of Germany. The sandstone bluffs and rocks in this part of Germany are very similar to what we have here in eastern Iowa. The Sächsische Schweiz is also a National Park in the state of Saxony.

There are many reasons to safe money in the endless world of “modern” consumption if you try to make a living by going to work five days a week. However, when it comes to camping and outdoor equipment we only buy the best of the best. There is nothing worse than freezing or being uncomfortable during a time when you are supposed to have fun. First class sleeping bags, good insulating mattresses, and the best tent in the world (Swedish Bo Hilleberg NALLO3!!!…, ours is almost 19 years old, and has still not let any water in) are the ingredients for trouble free camping! Even with the best equipment, a nice campfire works wonders. As you can see, Joan makes sure we have enough firewood on site before the night starts. Will talk about wildlife later, … so please stay tuned! 😊