IA | 2022, May 6-8: Pink Elephant Rally Announced (NE Iowa)!

[Kevin A]

The 2022 Pink Elephant Rally is officially announced for the coming spring! The dates are Friday - Sunday, May 6-8, but people may come early or stay late. This will be a general camping rally with no official events planned due to the still-persistent COVID-19 virus other than morning coffee and evening campfires. Participants will be on their own for meet-ups, sight-seeing, etc. There are plenty of safe things to do in the area: hiking, biking, fishing, canoeing, wineries, interesting little towns, etc. We'll provide some more information about these things in another posting later. We'll make potluck dinner decisions later next spring, too.

The campground again this year will be the Lakeview Campground in the Volga River State Recreation Area (Iowa), which is a few miles NE of Fayette, IA, off Highway 150. The original home of the rally, Pike's Peak State Park, is still scheduled for site renovations in 2022, so returning there will have to wait another year. Lakeview is the northern, full-service campground in the park. Be sure not to register for the other campgrounds, which are the Albany Equestrian/Non-Equestrian campgrounds in the southern part of the park (unless you want to stay with the horses!).

Cindy and I will be arriving on Wed., May 4 and staying until Monday, May 9. We hope to again be in Lakeview site 026, which is the first site in the western loop of Lakeview. Almost all of the sites in Lakeview are full hook-ups for $24 per night. Sites 26 - 36 are pull-through and have concrete pads. The other Lakeview sites are back-in with gravel pads. Showers and modern toilets are also available. Non-reservable walk-in sites are also available.

The reservation window for the park opens 3 months prior to the date you wish to arrive. Since we are planning to arrive on May 4, the reservation system will allow us to register on Feb. 4. This is a popular park, so please plan to register ASAP or you may end up with a less desirable site in the distant Albany Equestrian/Non-Equestrian Campgrounds. UPPER IOWA UNIVERSITY HAS GRADUATION ON SAT., MAY 7, SO RESERVE EARLY TO GET YOUR SITE!

*** Here is the link for the reservations:
https://iowastateparks.reserveameric...&parkId=610134

When reserving your site under the "Pick Your Campsite" heading, BE SURE TO PICK THE LAKEVIEW CAMPGROUND - MODERN SITES. Caution:If you go into the system through the general map listing, there are multiple sites on the list with the same numbers due to the three camping areas. The Lakeview sites are the last set of sites in the list, going from H -041.

To help us keep track of participants, please make a note here when you register, your site#, and your dates.

Thanks and see you in northeast Iowa in May! Keep your fingers crossed for warm days!

Kevin and Cindy Anderson

[Kevin A]

Campground reservations are NOW OPEN for the month of May at the Volga State Recreation Area (Iowa). The Pink Elephant Rally will officially be May 6-8, but we will be coming in early on Tuesday, May 3. If you want a spot, please be sure to go online ASAP! Be sure to wait for the corresponding day you want to arrive to register (e.g. We will go online on Feb. 3 to match with our May 3 arrival.).

When you register, please put a note on this thread with your dates and site# so we can track attendance.

Thanks!

Kevin and Cindy

[Jim B in Wisconsin]

Hello Kevin and Cindy! Thanks for the Invitation! We Reserved Lakeview Site 23 for May 4-8. Last year we enjoyed Schera's Restaurant in Elkader, Hopefully it will still be open? Stay Safe! and See you in May! Jim and Karen

[CindyL]

Looks like it is open, although on weekends. Maybe we can go together. I have not been there for a few years. We went to Elkader last year to see friends and ate at Johnson's. We decided to come in on Monday this year, so we can go to put flowers on Kevin's parents grave in Decorah and see my mother in Anamosa and still have time to see people at the rally and maybe do things like canoe and bike. Hope the weather is good this year.

Cindy

[LarryB.]

Originally Posted by Kevin A

The 2022 Pink Elephant Rally is officially announced for the coming spring! The dates are Friday - Sunday, May 6-8, but people may come early or stay late. ... ... ...

To help us keep track of participants, please make a note here when you register, your site#, and your dates.

Thanks and see you in northeast Iowa in May! Keep your fingers crossed for warm days!

Hello Cindy & Kevin,

I just reserved site #013 arriving Friday, May 6, departing Monday, May 9.

Having found the (well hidden) campground last year, I am looking forward to getting there a bit more expeditiously this year.

[Kevin A]

Glad to hear you are registered. Site #13, huh? Just want electric this time. No long sewer hose needed!

[LarryB.]

Originally Posted by Kevin A

... ... Site #13, huh? ... ... No long sewer hose needed!

Your extension hose won't reach? . .

This time, I'll also (try to) avoid jackknifing my rig around the water station on the the way into the campground. .

[yyyyyguy]

We registered for site 19 may 6-8. Pete and Donna Peterson.

[CindyL]

Great! See you there!

Cindy

[CindyL]

Kevin and I have been talking about some rally activities since Covid seems to be easing. We are tossing around the ideas of adding a wine tasting on Friday night (The first rally had one at Pike's Peak, but there was a shelter house there and then Covid and their plans for renovation of Pike's Peak hit.) and as part of our Bring Your Own Potluck on Saturday night, we will bring hotdogs and condiments. We have a large hotdog roaster.

The campground has a winery at the entrance.



CindyL

[CindyL]

Kevin and I are renting a shelter house for Friday and Saturday nights, Friday for a wine tasting and Sat for a modified group meal. You bring what you wish to eat with the hotdogs and fixings we will provide. We also will have coffee at our camper every morning. The campground still has 7 full hookups and 5 electric only available. Please let us know if you are coming, where you are from, and what site you have.

CindyL

[Kevin A]

Site Update for Lakeview Campground:
There are currently 4 full hookup sites still available to be reserved, as well as 3 electric only sites. There is also an electric Buddy Site, which is a site for two trailers (double cost), and several full hookup daily walk-in sites. Based on last year's rally, the walk-in sites seemed to fill up for Thurs. - Sunday. The best bet for doing a walk-in daily site would probably be to come in on Wed. or earlier.

Last year, we had one or two trailers use the equestrian campgrounds, too, when the Lakeview sites were full. Those campgrounds are a couple miles away, but not too far to take part in visiting the folks at Lakeview!

[soseman]

Jeff and Katie Soseman, Escape 17B, Friday to Sunday in site #22!!

[Kevin A]

Welcome to the rally! See you guys in about a month. Keeping our fingers crossed for good weather!

[Kevin A]

Update: As of this morning, there are two full hook-up sites and one electric site remaining for May 6 - 8 ( daily non-reservable walk-in sites are still open, too). There’s still time to come to the rally!

[Ruban&Martha]

Robert and Nancy Thompson, EggCamper, Site 12

[Kevin A]

Welcome to the rally! See you in about 3 weeks. Bring some warm weather up from Kansas, if you can!

[Kevin A]

Here is an update on events at the May 6-8 Pink Elephant Rally:

Campfires - Hopefully we'll be able to find one of our attendees who would be willing to host the evening campfire(s) since our site has the fire pit right under some small trees. Remember that firewood must be purchased or gathered locally due to State disease restrictions. There is a gas/convenience store right along the highway in Fayette that sells bundles, as well as a farm which sells bundles across from the entrance to the State Park. Hopefully folks can all pitch in to provide firewood! We'll try to have campfires for sure on Friday and Saturday nights.

Morning Coffee - Coffee and small snacks will be provided at site 26 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings from 7:30 - 9:00 a.m. Please bring your own cups/mugs!

Friday evening Wine/Beer tasting - We have reserved the shelter house at the junction of the roads going to the campground and lake. People can bring a bottle of wine or favorite beers to share from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. We will provide small wine glasses and plastic Solo glasses for beverages. Picnic tables are in the shelter, but you may want to bring chairs, too, if you want to spread around. Munchies are welcomed, too! Park regulations stipulate that alcoholic beverages can't be in open sight, so we'll keep the bottles/cans in some strategically placed coolers. We may also have some quiet background piano music if my old fingers can get back in shape. Remember: background music, no listening or clapping (or booing/jeering). WEATHER: Unless it is very stormy or blowing rain, this should be able to go on under the shelter roof.

Saturday evening Potluck - We have the same shelter house reserved, so we'll plan on a group evening meal from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. We are providing hot dogs, buns, and condiments. Please bring your own dish to pass, drinks, and plates/eating utensils. Chairs to spread out are good, too, so we aren't squeezed on the picnic tables. WEATHER: Stormy or very windy conditions could cause a cancelation. However, hot dogs would still be available at site 26!

Trailer Tours - It will be up to individuals if they would be like to welcome people into their trailers for tours at any time. Nothing is being planned as a group.

The long range forecast seems to indicate cool temps, but keep your fingers all crossed for a warming up period! See you soon.

Kevin and Cindy Anderson

[CindyL]

An addendum to the above - for the potluck and other things that might need electricity. There appears to be no electricity at the shelterhouse for crockpots, Instant Pots, and our hotdog roaster.


CindyL

[Ruban&Martha]

Originally Posted by Ruban&Martha

Robert and Nancy Thompson, EggCamper, Site 12

We have had to cancel. Bummer.