Season 1; Episode 3

Our trip to Arrow Rock Historic Site at the end of April was brought to you by the letter K. As in Kids, Kasey and Kaboom. We had purchased concert tickets to see Kasey Musgraves before we ever bought Lil Red. P Rob was intent on trying to combine the camping and the concert, so he booked site 18 at Arrow Rock State Park. After working the morning on Friday, we made our escape rather easily by 1:30 and made the short drive up 179 & 87 to Hwy 41 and our final destination. We were thrilled to have a pull through site and arrive before the other campers. We quickly set up camp, purchased some firewood and headed out for a hike through the woods. We saw some large deer and ended up in the quaint but empty town of Arrow Rock. Evidently, it doesn’t come alive until theater season at the Lyceum opens in June.

The dodgy weather caught up to us and a steady sprinkle fell while P Rob grilled brats and corn under an umbrella. We took our nourishment inside to Table 3 at Lil Red’s diner. After our standard dish washing routine, the rain stopped and allowed us to catch a gorgeous sunset over Big Soldier Lake. Then pyro Millie restarted a fire and all was well until, like clock work, the predicted 9 pm rain started to fall. We scurried inside, poured a stiff drink and went back to the newlywed years by playing Gin Rummy. P Robby’s memory of dominance was quickly corrected via a thorough whupping at the hands of Miss Leah. Sleeping to the light rain and cool conditions was quite pleasant.

The K for kids was on full display the next morning. One happy youngster proclaimed “There are a million kids here!” Another pedaled excitedly around camp yelling “I smell popcorn!” I’m not sure where Leah’s usually nurturing spirit went but she could never get their names right and she was about to strangle one little diva girl who made a dramatic squall at every small infraction. Thankfully, her focus on making our breakfast omelette kept her from blowing a fuse.

We hiked back into town and then had lunch by Lil Red, enjoying some time journaling and reading before we headed to the bath house to beautify for the next K: Kasey Musgraves. We drove into Columbia and met our city friends for a proper dinner at Houlihans before making our way to the street fair concert. The setting was ideal and the weather pleasant but as old folks, we hung way towards the back and nursed our Tall Boy beers. Kasey was cute and the concert enjoyable but to our disappointment our Lil Red anthem “My House” didn’t make the concert playlist.

This trip had a few more firsts as well. We learned to level the camper and place the chocks before unhooking it. For a moment, we thought Lil Red was going to roll away into oblivion. This was also our first outing with trays and ice cubes from the mini freezer. Hold the presses, right? It was a nice touch and Leah played a silly game of hot/cold as Paul tried to discover the surprise of the hidden silicone trays in the freezer.

Our last first -an injury – coincides with our final K- Kaboom. Maybe it was too soon for Paul to leave an unattended Leah alone with fire and other hazards but none the less, he went off fishing. Meanwhile, Leah decided to lounge in the hammock with no one around but a mouthy 7 year old.

What happened next may never be known with precise recollection, but legend has it the coordinated Miss Leah went Kaboom right out of the hammock and right on her side onto the ground. The little child overseeing didn’t know what to do. Leah gave her permission to laugh although it wasn’t funny because that bruised rib and sore back were still problematic weeks later. Such is the rough and tumble life of wildness weekend camping.

Overall it was a decent trip. We are gaining confidence and speed in our duties and we love the outdoor life and new adventures. So, from the Kids to Kasey to the Kaboom, we give the trip an A-OK-rating. See you down the road.

Postscript: Apparently, there is a discrepancy over the accuracy of the facts and timeline in the above journal entry. Millie has lodged a protest that Pop Pop was actually taking a nap in the camper (not fishing) when she went Kerplunk out of the hammock. She had some other wrangling about this or that. I’ve reminded her this is more like a story than a history book. Middle age memory is tentative by nature and embellishment is an author’s best friend. Let the reader beware as they proceed that the adventures in this journal are best consumed with an open mind, a full glass and a roaring campfire.