A short trip near to home during the week
– note that this is posted a full year late in July 2022
With a short drive of 45 minutes and a 4 o’clock check-in, we put off shopping and most of the packing for the morning. We left home about 3:10 PM and pulled into the park at about 4:00 PM. Due to the pandemic restrictions, the office was closed. So, we drove directly to our site and set up camp.
Our site, number 2, was very close to the campground entrance. I had worried about traffic issues, but they were really non-existent because there are only 37 sites and not a lot of people leaving or arriving during the week. We arrived on a Monday.
It was certainly a campground to relax in. We had friendly neighbors at multiple sites around us. Because of the 4 o’clock arrival, we had a lateish dinner of cheddar bacon burgers on the grill and Fritos. The key for this short trip was “SIMPLE”.
The reason we booked this trip was to try out the new mattress. We had purchased a custom-sized mattress, a RV short queen, from Original Mattress Factory. We were hoping for an improvement over the factory-supplied mattress and memory foam topper.
As the sun set, we headed in to watch another Jeeves and Wooster on DVD. We turned in by 10:00 PM.
Tuesday morning we both woke about 6:00 AM, our usual wake-up time. The soreness we both found with the old mattress wasn’t there. This is a very good sign. We took our normal spots at the dinette for morning coffee and general laziness. We had MPR (91.1 News) on the radio. At some point Lynn asked me to light the oven. It was as persnickety as usual. We need to remember to hold in the knob for 30 seconds prior to trying the igniter.
When we were finally rewarded with a flame, Lynn was able to make the hot ham and cheese croissants. It was also a 2 cup of coffee morning. Afterward we both showered. I had filled the water tank at home. [ed: I have learned why this is not a good idea with our trailer model since this time. See the post on traveling with water tanks]
After a little more lazing around, we packed up to go to the drive-in in town for lunch. It was closed for “Employee Appreciation Day”, so we parked in downtown Taylors Falls and went to a diner called Juneberry. Each of us went separately so Crosby could stay in the truck. Lynn went first and only did cold grab and go stuff. Then I went and ordered a panini after a fairly long wait to speak with the only employee. She was running the register, cooking the sandwiches, and gathering the orders. The drive-in should have told the town that they would be closed.
Now it was time to cross the river to the Château St. Croix winery. We were practically the only ones there. We both had the tasting. They use stemless logoed wine glasses and a token system. So we could each chose our wines. The pours were generous and they had given us each 5 tokens.
I was tired the rest of the day. Dinner was Lynn’s terrific Sloppy Joe’s. Remember that we were doing simple on this trip. We ate inside due to the number of flies. After a stroll around the picnic area, we headed in for more Jeeves and Wooster. We were in bed shortly after 10:00 PM.
Wednesday found Lynn awake about 6 AM and me sleeping in until 7:45 AM. I guess that Crosby also slept in. We screw up his napping schedule when we go camping, not to mention the additional exercise he gets.
A 9:20 AM breakfast of French Toast and bacon was followed by showers. Then it was time to hike the Hiking Club Trail. As we approached the end of the River Trail, a black bear ran across the trail toward the highway. We reported it to the ranger and found it was the first sighting of the season.
We walked around the pothole area and then headed to the Railroad Trail to go back. Being an old railway bed, it should have been fairly level. Getting to the head was uphill out of downtown Taylors Falls. Then near the end of the hike, the former trestle is no more. All that remains is a couple of footings. Going beyond that gorge means going down into to the bottom and climbing back the other side. Then shortly afterward we had to go back downhill to a tunnel under the highway. The tunnel was actually a box culvert that was short enough that I had to duck down to go through it.
We were back at the campsite for a lunch of BLATs. The A is avocado. I guess these are healthier because there are three healthy things ganging up on the bacon.
Then it was time to pack up. That went smoothly until the last stake holding the outdoor rug. It would not come out. A neighboring camper tried to help. We ended up practically digging it out. It must of gone an inch into a tree root. I have added a crowbar to the tools that I carry.
We left just after 3 PM. With a dump station stop, we got home at 4 PM.
Trailer mileage
| Date | Start Location | Start City | End Location | End City | Miles |
| Previous miles | 2,862.6 | ||||
| 8/2/2021 | Home | White Bear Twp., MN | Interstate State Park | Taylor’s Falls, MN | 34.7 |
| 8/4/2021 | Interstate State Park | Taylor’s Falls, MN | Home | White Bear Twp., MN | 34.7 |
| Total miles | 2,932.0 |
Meals Planned
Always have a backup of shelf stable items in case the plan changes.
| Date | Meal | Menu |
| Monday , August 2 | Dinner | Bleu Cheese Bacon Burgers Fritos and Guac Grapes |
| Tuesday, August 3 | Breakfast | Ham and Cheese Croissants Coffee |
| Lunch | Taylor’s Falls Drive-in | |
| Dinner | Sloppy Joe’s Fritos and Guac | |
| Wednesday, August 4 | Breakfast | French Toast Bacon Coffee |
| Lunch | BLATs Tortilla chips and salsa |
Man of Wy 