Friday 4-17-26 Hot & Humid Day, Hiking & Having Fun

 

CCC Gatehouse

We had a hot humid windy day. 

We woke up with the temperature of 61 degrees and humid at Lacey-Keosauqua State Park. It got up to 82 degrees. 

I woke up at 7:15 and got dressed. Then we had a quick breakfast of a bagel with cream cheese spread and a shake. Afterwards we got ready to go on a hike. Today we rode the motorcycle to the CCC Gatehouse to do the trail. We were going to wait until tomorrow but it's suppose to be in the 30s. We thought it would be a little cold for the 2 mile drive.

We got at the CCC Lodge at 8:00 and parked the motorcycle. There was a trailhead on both sides of the road but we decided to take the one by the lodge. Larry had downloaded the trail to his phone so we could follow it and not get lost. The trailhead had a hiking sign that told us how far the point of interest were on the trail. They were 2nd Shelter .6 mile, Ely Ford .9 mile, 1st Shelter 2 miles and Keosauqua Bridge 3 miles. The trail took us up and down hills through the forest, across a creek, along the banks of the river, across the park road, by a shelter and to Lacey's monument. It was a great trail we started along the river and crossed over a creek a couple of times via bridges. The first bridge was built in 2024 over an old bridge. We saw a lot of beautiful views of the Des Monies River. As we hiked we passed a sign, that read Monument Trail. We said we'll do it after we finished this trail. Then we passed by shelter 2 on the hill but not too far when the trail took us up the hill to the shelter. It was a gorgeous shelter built by the CCC and is still being used by the local people. It had picnic tables and a huge fireplace. After walking around the shelter we took the road not too far and picked up the trail once again. We continued climbing up a hill. It was very humid, we had to stop once or twice to catch our breath. It didn't seem too steep because you gradually climb but it went a long ways. We hiked through a couple of meadows of wildflowers. We came across another trail to the monument, it was only .4 mile so we took the trail to the monument. When we got to the monument we were disappointed because it was a boulder in memory of Major John Fletcher Lacey. We turned around and hiked back to the Gatehouse trail. We hiked the trail back to the CCC Gatehouse, which was .4 mile. This section of the trail we climbed another hill gradually to a bridge that went over the creek. We crossed over the bridge and hiked to the gatehouse. Then we crossed the street to where the motorcycle was. Before getting on the motorcycle we walked to the lodge and sat down at a picnic table to rest. They were mowing and weed-eating around the lodge. There were a couple of guys getting the lodge ready for the wedding later on. They had a very friendly Minatare Australian Shepard. She came running up to us to say hi. We said hi to her owners also. While sitting there a lady walked by with a golden retriever and we said hi to her. We weren't there too long because they were mowing. By the end of the hike we had done 2.4 miles in an hour and a half. The wind came up.

The bridge rebuilt in 2024

CCC Rock Steps we didn't do

Des Moines River from the trail

Larry enjoying the CCC Shelter #2

Major John Fletcher Lacey Monument

Meadow of wildflowers

Bridge to the CCC Gatehouse

On the way back to the Minnie we rode to Lake Sugema, it was only a few miles from the campground. It was very windy Larry had to hold on to his hat so it wouldn't blow away. It wasn't that big of a lake but it had a lot of boat parking. It had a very nice permanent fishing dock. It had a two lane boat ramp. After walking around the parking area and looking at the lake we got back on the motorcycle and went back to the Minnie. We had a great hike and motorcycle ride. 

Lake Sugema in the State Forest

Lake Sugema fishing dock

While eating lunch Larry went on a weather application to see what was happening with the weather. The wind was blowing very hard. He said that we were going to get a front come through around 5:00. After we finished eating lunch I decided to do my three mile walk before the storms come in. The park has a paved walking trail down to the cabins, which was .4 mile long. We clocked it while we were riding around. I walked the paved trail to the cabins, they are located by the park office. When I got to the park office I walked across the road to the office, where there was a sculpture of  Major John Fletcher Lacey and a bird watching area. I took a picture of the sculpture and walked in the building for the watchers to see the birds. Then I walked back across the street and walked to the cabins. I walked around the cabins area, which was a small area they had six cabins. They looked very well taken care of. Next stop was down at the end of the road, where there was the Beach Lodge. It was closed but there was a guy working on it to get it ready for the season. It a beautiful large building. It looked like it was originally built by the CCC. Then I headed back to the campground, where I walked around the two loops three times. I walked for an hour and did three miles. 

A swing on the paved walkway in memory of Jim and Marilyn Wiley

Signage for the wedding at the CCC Lodge

Major John Fletcher Lacey

View from the bird blind

Cabin #6

Beach Lodge

By the time I got back to Larry I was hot and tired. Before resting I took my cans over to their recycling area. There is a big basket where you put your aluminum cans and a sign. The sign said for each can they get 5 cents and this helps keep the park up.

When I got back I took a nap for a couple of hours. Larry read. He started a book and finished it in the evening.

At 4:15 the front rolled in with thunder, lightening and a lot of rain. We were under a tornado watch from 4:30 to 5:15. About 5:40 the rain let up but it stayed around all evening.

I spent the evening playing games. I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Klondike Mini of five games. It took me 9 minutes and 40 seconds, which put me in 16th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

After I finished playing games I continued reading A Stranger In The Kingdom. I ended up doing 15,000 steps.   

  

              

Thursday 4-16-26 New State and Campground & Motorcycle Ride

 

Iowa welcome sign

We had a gorgeous day with sunshine and a breeze. 

The temperature in Missouri has been 20 degrees warmer then normal. Usually the normal high temperatures for April in Missouri are 63-72 degrees and the lows are 39-50 degrees. We have been having the highs in the 80s and lows in the mid to high 60s. So we have had temperatures 20 degrees warmer then normal. 

We woke up to the temperature of 60 degrees in La Grange, MO with blue skies. It rained last night and went away early this morning. The weather felt good because there was a breeze. We had a high temperature of 82 degrees in Keosauqua, IA with a breeze.

I crawled out of bed at 7:15 and got dressed. Today we're said good-bye to Missouri and hello to Iowa. We had a quick breakfast and got the Minnie ready to go. We didn't have too far to go, about 70 miles. 

Before leaving Boulder Lake Campground we stopped by a water spicket and filled our water tank and the dump station and dumped the tanks. We weren't sure if the water was going to be on in the Iowa state parks because their website said they try to get the water on by May 1st.

Good-bye Boulder Lake

We were on the road by 8:15 am. The first part of the adventure was on a four lane highway through small towns, we saw a lot of farms and ranches. The highway was Hwy 61 North. Then we turned on Hwy C, which was a two lanes. We drove this highway for a ways and then got on Hyw 81 North, which was a two lane highway. As we were driving we went through Amish country so we had to share the road with buggies. We saw one along the way, it had a male driver and two women in the buggy and one beautiful black horse pulling the buggy. The horse was going very fast so I couldn't get a picture. The people were all dressed up. When we got to Farmington, IA we stopped by the Des Moines River where I took a picture. Farmington is a small town. After stretching our legs we continued our adventure.

Farmington Iowa post office

Des Moines River

When we got to Keosauqua, IA we stopped at Circle B and filled the Minnie with gas. Then we drove around the town. It didn't take too long because it was very small. The state park was right before you enter Keosauqua. 

We arrived at Lacey-Keosauqua State Park about 10:15 am. We drove around a little bit looking at the sites. Then we parked the Minnie and Larry went to the website to see what sites were available for three nights. Then we walked around looking at the sites. One loop had some full hook-ups in the middle and on both sides there were electric sites. As we were walking the camp host drove up, he explained that reservations were all online even though the sign coming in said there was a kiosk, he also said that at the moment every site was $20 dollars. Larry asked about the bathroom/shower house, they are open and all the water is on. He was very nice.

We found site # 26, it was level enough we didn't have to use blocks and Larry could get the motorcycle off the carrier with no problems. Most of the sites weren't level. There were a lot of pull through sites but we took a back in site. 

Once we set the Minnie up for it's stay we had lunch. After lunch because it was such a beautiful day we went on a motorcycle ride around the park. Lacey-Keosauqua State Park is a CCC park and has some CCC buildings, bridges and other structures. We drove around to the entrance, where there was a CCC worker statue, a CCC gatehouse and a CCC stone lodge. We stopped and walked around the area. We learned more about the CCC. While walking around the lodge we noticed the door was open and the windows were open. So we popped in. There were two ladies cooking in preparation of a wedding tomorrow. They were very nice and friendly. They had three little girls on blankets playing. After saying hi we continued our walk. Then we loaded back on the bike and stopped at another historic site called Ely Ford. Ely Ford is the crossing point of the Mormon Trek heading westward from Nauvoo, Illinois. I walked around and took pictures. Then we continued riding around the park. We drove by the cabins. We drove around for about an half hour. It was a beautiful ride through the park.

CCC Bridge

CCC  Worker statue

CCC Entrance Gate

CCC Lodge

Fun Facts on the CCC

CCC Gatehouse

Ely Fork Mormon Crossing of the Des Moines River

Des Moines River

I spent the rest of the day playing games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Tri Peaks Adventure of 20 games. It took me 1 hour, 1 minutes and 50 seconds to complete, which put me in 10th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

After I finished my games I continued reading A Stranger In The Kingdom. Larry finished the thirds book in a series he has been reading and started another book.

Reading is fun

For dinner Larry barbecued hamburgers. After dinner I walked around the campground for an hour and got my 3 mile walk in. 

Camping at Lacey-Keosauqua State Park (New State Park)

By the end of the day I got 12,000 steps. I'm happy considering it was a driving day. 

        

  

 

Wednesday 4-15-26 Rain, Walking, Laundry & More

 

Canadian Geese enjoying Boulder Lake

We had a rainy morning with the temperature of 61 degrees. It was very humid all day because it was overcast. There was a breeze all day at times it was stronger then other times. The high was 75 degrees.

We woke up to rain, that had started early in the morning. I woke up at 7:15 and got dressed. Then we shared a bagel with cream cheese spread on it and a shake. 

Rain Day

About 9:00 we decided to go to the office and pay for another day because we didn't want to drive in the rain. Our site was available until Friday so there was not problem to pay another night. After paying for we continued to walk. We walked to Wakonda Lake Campground and walked around it. We ended up walking around for an hour for 3 miles. By the time we got back we were drenched with sweat. 

We spent most of the day relaxing. Larry read and I played games.

Larry had gotten a three book series from Libby. He finished one of the books yesterday. He started the second book and finished it today. He did his daily reading of groups he follows and the news groups. He did research on where we are going next.

Relaxing with a book

I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Two Game Tango Mini of 10 games (5 Free Cell and 5 Pyramid). It took me 1 hour, 14 minutes and 45 seconds, which put me in 14th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

The rain was suppose to be back between 5:00 and 7:00 so I decided to do my evening walk at 1:00. I walked around for an hour, which was our campground three times for 3 miles.

While I was walking Larry went and took a shower. When I finished my walk I went over and took a shower. 

The park has a washer and dryer for $1.50 per load so I did a load of shirts. I thought why not, we're going to be hanging around the Minnie for the rest of the day. We had been sweating so much we needed some shirts done. When I went over to take a shower I put the load in the washer. Its timer said it should be finished in 29 minutes. After my shower I had 10 minutes to spare. When it was time to put the load in the dryer I went back to the laundry. The dryer cycle took 45 minutes and the clothes came out perfect. 

Doing laundry

In the evening after I finished my games I continued reading A Stranger in the Kingdom. I ended up doing 16,000 steps.

  

  

Tuesday 4-14-26 Wakonda State Park & Having Fun

 

Wakonda Lake

During the early hours of the morning we had a rain front come through. At one point it rained very hard. The morning temperature was 66 degrees and it got up to 89 degrees. It was a muggy day. 

Larry woke up at his normal time of 5:45 and did his morning routine. I got up at 7:15, I wasn't in any hurry because we weren't going hiking. I got dressed and we had breakfast. It wasn't a big breakfast we shared a bagel with cream cheese and a shake. Then we went for a walk around the campgrounds before it got too muggy and hot. We walked around for an hour for 3 miles. We walked to Wakonda Lake Campground, which was about 1.5 miles away from our campground. We walked to the entrance office and kept walking straight. The road led us to Wakonda Lake day area. It was a beautiful day area with a ramp and rental store of kayaks. There was a nice dock where the rentals are on season, not today. A little further down the road there was the picnic area, beach and shower house. The picnic tables were under the trees and had a view of Wakonda Lake. While walking we saw remains of cement structures, they were from open-pit mining in 1924. Next we walked around Wakonda Lake Campground. It had 13 full hook-up sites, two were being occupied. They did a great job of making the campground. After walking around the campground we walked back to the Minnie. By the end of the walk we had walked for an hour for 3 miles. We were hot and sweaty.

Remains of the open-pit mining

Wakonda Lake Campground

Cool birdhouse (two layers with holes and a roof for the birds to perch and use)

Flood lines of Boulder Lake (yellow 1993, green 2008 and red 2019)

Fun facts rom the internet: Before Wakonda was a state park it was a source of deep glacial gravel deposits used for road surface. Beginning in 1924, the Missouri Highway Commission contracted private companies to perform open-pit mining on the site, removing over 26 million tons of sand and gravel by the late 1980s. The excavation process left behind six lakes and piles of  sand that eventually developed into a rare sand prairie. In 1960 Wakonda State Park was established after the state highway commission transferred 273 acres of the mine land to the Missouri State Park Board.

As you walk, hike or drive around the park you can see the lakes, which are: Boulder Lake, Granite Lake, Jasper Lake, Agate Lake, Wakonda Lake and Quartz Lake. It's a beautiful park with a lot of trees.

Most of the day we spent hanging around the Minnie because it was too muggy to walk around or sit outside. We  have power so we kept cool and relaxed under the air conditioner. 

Everyday Larry gets an e-mail from Book-Bub and E-eeader on free or bargain e-books. He loves getting these, sometimes he will buy and download the book. Sometimes they're free or sometimes he has to pay $.99, $1.99 or $2.99. These applications introduce him to authors he wouldn't normally know about.  

Have fun reading

We're also a member of the Houston Library and they have a program called Libby, where you can check out books and videos. Today Larry saw a book on Book-Bub that interested him, he looked the author up on Libby and found other books by the same author. Libby is just like a library, you check out a book and after you finish reading it you check it back in. Some books have a waiting list and they only have a couple of copies. It's a great for people who read a lot and it's free. We don't live in Houston, we live in Belton but the Houston Library still lets us join and use Libby. We have added them to our yearly donation list.  

I played my Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: World Tour Mini of 10 games. It took me 37 minutes and 17 seconds, which put me in 21st place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

When I was playing games I continued reading A Stranger In The Kingdom by Howard Frank Mosher. 

After dinner I did my 3 miles walk around Boulder Lake Campground for an hour. I did 14,500 steps today.      

Woodpecker pecking on a power box

      

    

Monday 4-13-26 Hannibal Mo, Wakonda State Park & More

 

Sunrise on the Mississippi River

We had a hot muggy day with rain and wind.

The morning temperature was 67 degrees in Clarksville, MO. The high was 83 degrees in La Grange, MO. It sprinkled on and off all morning into the afternoon. It was very humid and windy. 

We woke up to a gorgeous sunrise on the Mississippi River at Silo Access Area. We didn't have power but it was very comfortable sleeping. I got out of bed before 7:00 to go to the bathroom. I decided I was awake so I stayed up. We put things away and secured. Then we had a quick breakfast. 

It had rained while we slept and there were some rain in the area. We decided to hang around at Silo for a bit to let the rain pass through. While we waited I continued reading A Stranger In The Kingdom. Larry did some research on where to go next. 

Relaxing with a book

At 9:30 we were on the road. Our next destination was Hannibal, MO, which was 40 miles from Silo. The road we took was The Great River Road Highway 79. It was a two lane curvy country road. It was a beautiful drive through Louisiana, which was a very small town. There were a lot of trees. As we drove we noticed we just missed the rain because the roads were wet.

The Great River Road sign for Missouri

Hannibal was the boyhood home of author Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain 1835-1910). He was known for his novels of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884). 

 We arrived at Hannibal at 10:30 and parked in a public parking lot in a park by the Mississippi River. Then we walked around Hannibal. First stop was at Mark Twain Dinette for lunch. We shared a roast beef & cheddar melt and onion rings and a bottle of the homemade root beer. After lunch we walked around Hannibal. We climbed the 240 steps to the Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse where there was a beautiful view of the Mississippi River. We walked where the old bridge was, that stretched across the Mississippi River. They have a very nice Memorial Park. At the bottom of the hill (Cardiff Hill), where the lighthouse was located there was a huge statue of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer made by Fredrick Hibbard in 1926. Then we walked through a few shops. When we got back to the park where the Minnie was we walked around. It had a very nice marina and benches along the bank of the Mississippi River for people to sit and enjoy the river. There's a riverboat, that takes people on cruises down the Mississippi and learn the history of the area. There's a big statue of Mark Twain. We had a very nice walk.    

Fun Fact:  Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse is 54 feet tall, 200 feet above the Mississippi River and 240 steps from the statue of  Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer.

A mural of Hannibal

Downtown Hannibal

Mark Twain Dinette 

Homemade Mark Twain Root Beer

Our meal

 

Mark Twain Dinette sign

Memorial Park

Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse

Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn Statue

Riverboat cruise boat

Mark Twain statue

After our walk we continued our adventure for another 30 miles to Wakonda State Park. Before leaving Hannibal we stopped by the Walmart to pick up a few items we needed. 

We arrived at Wakonda State Park at 2:30. Larry couldn't make a reservation online because the park doesn't officially open up for the season until 4/15/26. We stopped at the office and Larry went inside. The gentleman told Larry to find a site and come back. There were two campgrounds, which were Boulder Lake and Wakonda Lake. We decided on Boulder Lake because it's not full hook-ups. We had no problem, no one was there. We picked #57, which looks over Boulder Lake (20 acre lake). Larry paid for two night. The gentleman said it's available until Friday night. 

Entrance sign to Wakonda State Park

Camping at Wakonda State Park

Boulder Lake

We backed the Minnie in site #57 and Larry plugged us in. We set the Minnie up for two nights. We were glad to hear, that the water was on in the shower house. 

After dinner we went on a walk around the campground to get familiar with it and where the trailheads are. Larry walked with me for a half hour, which was a mile. While we were walking we saw a few cottontails and a beautiful woodpecker. Then I continued walking around for another 2 miles. By the end of the walk I had done 3 miles for an hour and fifteen minutes. It was very hot and humid but there was a breeze. 

A couple of cottontails

I spent the evening playing games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Klondike Adventure of 20 games. It took me 1 hour, 51 minutes and 38 seconds, which put me in 19th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

Larry started a book and stopped after reading 20% of it. He didn't like it so he picked a new one.

By the end of the night I had done 13,000 steps.