FIRST TIME CAMPERS

We are just back from another paddle / camping weekend. This time we paddled a nice tour on the Northern Raccoon River near Jefferson in Central Iowa. Last night we were joined by our grandsons and their dad in our camp at Squirrel Hollow County Park, a wooded area next to the Raccoon River. This was the first time for the twins to camp in a tent and I can tell you, they had a blast. An unwritten rule of camping is that the household chores are shared. We didn’t have to point that out this morning to Anthony and Teegan. They were eager to grab the empty water canisters, walk across the whole campsite to the location of the water faucet, and fill them with daddy’s help.

When we watched the boys walking away, the sun just appeared over the top of the oaks in the forest and made their blond hair standing out. I ran to the car, grabbed the camera, and made this early morning shot of this memorable moment.

True campers, Teegan and Anthony

The help didn’t stop there. According to their dad Danny, they insisted and carried the full jugs all the way back.

Breakfast with Oma and Opa

There is a German saying, “Wer gut arbeitet soll auch gut essen!” (Who works good, should eat good!). Oma Joan feeds the boys Pflaumenmus-Brötchen (plum jam bread). Looks a little messy but tastes soooo good!  Can’t think of a better morning…

This afternoon we were invited to an early birthday party for the boys. On Monday they will be three years old. Happy Birthday Anthony and Teegan!

TURKEY RIVER, NORTHEAST IOWA

Turkey River, Motor Mill and bridge ---

As mentioned in a previous blog post I usually don’t take the camera with me while paddling a river with a good chance of whitewater passages. The Turkey River, and as well the Volga River in northeast Iowa, had a good water level last weekend. We didn’t feel like it would exceed our paddling skills and we went down with our kayaks safely and without any incidents (except our little dog Cooper jumped out of the boat a couple times when he wasn’t supposed to do it… 😆).

Today’s photos were taken at the Turkey River, at the old mill of Motor, a rural Iowa community that is now a historic site on the National Register of Historic Places. I always like to provide the sources of information that I use, so please click the following link if this is of interest for you: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor,_Iowa

We have been at Motor Mill a couple times before and I always make a mental note if I want to come back to a particular site and shoot with the right light in place. Camping at the primitive campsite nearby allowed just doing this and working around sunset with the old buildings of Motor, and of course the Turkey River, led to some new photos that met the expectations . More to come…

LIFTING FOG

Rabbit Blanket Lake, Ontario Canada

If an area of rain-laden clouds moves out of the area overnight and the weather forecast promises nothing but sunshine for the next day, you better get out of your sleeping bag early and put the legs of your tripod in the sand wherever you have spotted a good photo opportunity ahead of time.

At Rabbit Blanket Lake in Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario we camped right next to the lake. When the fog lifted in the morning the clicks were made quickly, while the gorgeous light of the raising sun was present. You can’t start better into a new day…

 

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! 😊