We had another beautiful campout alongside the Mississippi. We always look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones. We had to skip our traditional Thursday eve trip to the local burger joint due to a remodel but it assures us that their business will continue. Friday we visited the surplus store in Hokah to resupply our workshops and took a little ride afterwards. Saturday most of us motored off in all different directions to explore the Bluff Country roads. We saw quite a few barges on the river this year, probably making up for lost time due to the July floods which restricted river traffic. We enjoyed good weather to sit around the campfire and share stories each evening.
The potluck Saturday was delicious. Some of the highlights were Kenny Olson’s tinfoil wrapped chicken wings and pork ribs, our daughter Nancy’s chili, and Mike Murdaugh’s Dutch Oven stew. There is a story behind Mike’s dish. He bought a new Dutch Oven, brought a beef roast, vegetables and all the fixings but had no idea how to cook with a Dutch oven. He turned the entire kit over to our expert Dutch oven cooks John Boy, Brenda, Sharon and anyone else willing to tend the coals. The result was great!
Wildcat Park is usually pretty empty this time of year but my preferred sites right next to the river had been reserved by another group. I was a bit disappointed but It worked out just fine because the campground manager allowed all of the tent campers to setup on the two sites reserved by Kathy and myself. This allowed us to share and greatly reduce the cost. The campers were: John Boy and Brenda Dixon (AR), Dave and Sharon Morgan (IN), Steve Porter, John Meharg (MI), Louie Kell (TN), Kathy Regnier, Bert Hansmann, Mike Murdaugh (WI), Ken Feist (SD), Kenny OLson, Mike Kell, Chuck Rabideaux, Tim and Nancy Hagerty, Steve and Linda Knopp (MN).
Thanks to all that attended our campout and helped make it a such a nice event. We appreciate all of you. If all goes well and the river doesn’t rise, we will plan it for September 4-6 2025.
Submitted by Steve Knopp
