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03-04-2021, 12:22 PM
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#21
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Senior Member
Trailer: 16 ft U-Haul VT
Posts: 2,867
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Things to do near Marquette and McGregor, Iowa.
See the Pinky, the Pink Elephant for whom this rally was named. She stands outside another attraction for those of you who do this: the riverboat casino, Lady Luck, on the banks of the MI River in Marquette. There used to be a dinner club in the spot where the casino was, called "The Pink Elephant." Kevin played piano and sang at that supper club just after our son was born.
Effigy Mounds National Monument is just north of Marquette. The trails are open, but the Visitors' Center is closed until the end of May. Bring your facemark in case it is crowded.
Marquette has a winery: Eagles Landing Winery on North Street in Marquette.
Marquette hosts the Driftless Area Wetlands Centre but its building is closed, or its website has not been updated since last year. The trails are open.
Bloody Run Creek for trout fisherman. Hmm, was this where I caught three trout using a bobber, and Kevin caught none using correct methods? Since I don't do worms and fish removal, and just wanted to fish in one spot, I had to keep calling him back to remove the fish and put a worm on my hook, until he stated strongly, "You don't catch trout with a bobber." Oops, I did. (I will hear about it for telling this story )
While the location of this rally was supposed to be Pike's Peak State Park, we could not hold it there, as the availability of the campground was iffy, due to some unclear comments about renovation to the campground. Nevertheless, the park itself is open. It is a hiker's delight, with lots of paths at the top of the bluffs over the MI River, including some Native American mounds.
McGregor Historical Museum - the status of this museum due to Covid is unclear. Iowa is pretty open, but their calendar on their website does not reflect activities.
Downtown shopping in McGregor, although I found 2 years ago that much of downtown McGregor is closed until Memorial Day.
And, if you have a boat, there is the MI River.
CindyL
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1988 Bigfoot Silver Cloud, "The Egg Carton"
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03-06-2021, 10:25 AM
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#22
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Senior Member
Trailer: 16 ft U-Haul VT
Posts: 2,867
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Across from the Mississippi River at Marquette, Iowa, is Prairie Du Chien, WI. Some things to do there:
Walk around the Villa Louis and the Fur Trade Museum. They do appears to be closed for the 2021 season.
Visit the Fort Crawford Museum which is close to the Villa Louis and appears to be open.
Mississippi Explorer Cruises.
CindyL
__________________
1988 Bigfoot Silver Cloud, "The Egg Carton"
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03-06-2021, 10:51 AM
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#23
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Senior Member
Trailer: 16 ft U-Haul VT
Posts: 2,867
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Things in or near Decorah:
Decorah eagles are not available this year, unless a new pair adopts the abandoned nest. The regular Decorah eagles moved their nest to a private area. Still, it is fun to visit the Trout Hatchery near there.
Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, although it is temporarily closed.
Porter House Museum, if open
Ice Cave State Preserve
Palisades Park
Phelps Park
Dunnings Spring Park - beautiful waterfall
Malanaphy Springs or canoeing the Upper Iowa River
Trout Run Bike Trail
Winneshiek Wildberry Winery
Seed Saver's Exchange
Luther College
Trout fishing
Canoeing and kayaking on the Upper Iowa. I am not sure the status of rentals.
Nearby: Spillville's Bily Clock Museum and Antonin Dvorak exhibit
Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Burr Oak, at the hotel where Pa worked. Not featured in books, but TV had the family working a hotel.
Fort Atkinson State Preserve if open. Sounds like the recreation area we will be camping at will be able to tell you.
CindyL
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1988 Bigfoot Silver Cloud, "The Egg Carton"
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04-04-2021, 07:05 AM
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#24
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Junior Member
Name: Scott and Heidi
Trailer: 16 ft. Scamp
Iowa
Posts: 2
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We are booked for site #007 Albany Equestrian May 7-9. Looking forward to it!!
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04-04-2021, 07:12 AM
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#25
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Senior Member
Trailer: Bigfoot Silver Cloud -1988
Posts: 1,543
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Glad to hear it! Hoping for good weather so people can enjoy the outdoors.
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04-14-2021, 08:19 PM
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#26
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Senior Member
Name: Larry
Trailer: Casita17'Spirit Deluxe (aka: Tweaker's Casita)
Southwest Ohio
Posts: 319
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Site 027
Looking forward to my first rally in Iowa! Arriving Friday & departing Monday.
However, I understand that, this year, we'll be about 47 miles removed from the (infamous) pink elephant.
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04-15-2021, 03:13 AM
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#27
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Senior Member
Trailer: 16 ft U-Haul VT
Posts: 2,867
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LarryB.
Looking forward to my first rally in Iowa! Arriving Friday & departing Monday.
However, I understand that, this year, we'll be about 47 miles removed from the (infamous) pink elephant.
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Larry,
Sorry about that. Pike's Peak State Park had a confusing note on their website, indicating they might be closed. We have a blow-up substitute pink elephant. You can find our camper that way. Some people do not recognize our Bigfoot Silver Cloud as molded. It will be a subdued rally, I am afraid, due to Covid. Our potluck will be a bring your own meal and sit safely socially distanced.
CindyL
__________________
1988 Bigfoot Silver Cloud, "The Egg Carton"
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04-23-2021, 03:22 PM
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#28
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Senior Member
Trailer: Bigfoot Silver Cloud -1988
Posts: 1,543
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Well, we're only two weeks away from the Pink Elephant Rally at Volga State Recreation Area in beautiful northeast Iowa! Walk-in sites are always an option for those of you who may not yet have signed up, but of course, it's hard to guess what will be available. Every other site at Lakeview appears to be booked. There appear to be 5 boondocking (no electric) sites still available in the Albany Non-Equestrian southern campground, too.
Just as a quick reminder... No official group events are being held due to COVID-19. However, since many people will have had their vaccinations, we are inviting folks to gather around a campfire Friday night (BYOB with spaced seating) around 6:30 p.m. and again for a bring-your-own supper gathering at the campfire on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. The site will be determined when we get there! We're not campfire folks, so we're hoping someone will volunteer to be the fire host each night. We'll chip in Iowa firewood!
Hopefully potluck suppers and shareable snack/drink nights will be able to return in 2022!
Finally, we will have a 30-cup pot of coffee on each morning at site 26 starting at 7 a.m., so bring your own cup and enjoy some morning joe!
Kevin and Cindy
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05-02-2021, 09:23 AM
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#29
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Junior Member
Name: Jim
Trailer: Scamp
Michigan
Posts: 10
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Pink Elephant Rally
First RV Rally for my wife and I
Arriving thursday/leaving Sunday
Site 011
Jim & Ruth
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05-02-2021, 01:37 PM
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#30
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Senior Member
Trailer: 16 ft U-Haul VT
Posts: 2,867
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim with Scamp
First RV Rally for my wife and I
Arriving thursday/leaving Sunday
Site 011
Jim & Ruth
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Welcome!
Cindy and Kevin
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1988 Bigfoot Silver Cloud, "The Egg Carton"
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05-02-2021, 01:46 PM
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#31
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Senior Member
Trailer: 16 ft U-Haul VT
Posts: 2,867
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Well, our personal activities for this rally have changed. We planned to canoe and see about a bike path near Elkader, but I landed at the knee doctor's after hoisting too many moving boxes on Tuesday. He found yet more remnants of falling when I slipped on the step exiting our Bigfoot last May. In addition to 2 healed broken bones in my foot and 2 broken teeth, it turns out I also broke my leg. We did not X-ray that, as the bulk of the pain was my foot. The leg has healed on its own, but I also tore my meniscus in my knee which now requires surgery. We won't be canoeing and will limit biking to closer by. Darn it, another summer impacted by that darned accident.
A word of warning: if you use a yoga step, make sure you have something under it like a rubber mat. Ours slid to the right on the asphalt as I was exiting the camper, while I fell left and hooked my foot on the door frame as I fell.
This should be it though this year. Fix the knee and finish the implants and good to go.
CindyL
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1988 Bigfoot Silver Cloud, "The Egg Carton"
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05-05-2021, 02:18 PM
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#32
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Senior Member
Name: Rich
Trailer: Escape
United States
Posts: 106
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Does anyone know if the park will let campers into their site before the official 4:00 PM check in time? Assuming their campsite is open.
__________________
Rich and Maggie Passmore
2017 Scamp 16
2018 Ford F150 XLT 4WD Supercab
St Paul, MN
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05-05-2021, 03:17 PM
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#33
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Senior Member
Name: Dave
Trailer: 2013Escape 21
Iowa
Posts: 1,212
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Percentages
Quote:
Originally Posted by rpassmore
Does anyone know if the park will let campers into their site before the official 4:00 PM check in time? Assuming their campsite is open.
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99.9 percent of the time that is acceptable to park managers. The exception is if a previous camper left a mess that needs cleaned up, if there’s a quickie maintenance job like changing a breaker or fixing a fire ring that got backed into or a fire ring that was improperly used and needs an extensive cleanup like someone burned pallet lumber and overhanging boards dropped nails. These are relatively rare. In addition a fraction of camp hosts can be “by the exact rules guys” if I was really concerned I’d call the ranger in charge and ask what his policy is.
Iowa Dave
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05-05-2021, 03:20 PM
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#34
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Senior Member
Name: Rich
Trailer: Escape
United States
Posts: 106
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Thanks Dave. Driving down from St Paul. We might plan to grab lunch in Decorah and arrive around 2:00 ish.
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05-06-2021, 04:46 AM
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#35
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Senior Member
Trailer: 16 ft U-Haul VT
Posts: 2,867
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We did yesterday. No one was in our spot, we had prepaid, so we simply drove in and set up.
CindyL
__________________
1988 Bigfoot Silver Cloud, "The Egg Carton"
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05-07-2021, 06:07 AM
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#36
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Senior Member
Trailer: Bigfoot Silver Cloud -1988
Posts: 1,543
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Heidi,
The Albany camping area is pretty bare bones and about 2.5 miles south of the Lakeview Campground. If you would like to only stay down there one night, Jim and Karen have a large site with hookups in Lakeview and have to leave a day early due to family changes. They would be leaving by mid morning Saturday and have said you could have their site until Sunday. This would put you with the rest of the group. If you are interested, you could swing by Lakeview first today and check this out. They are in a Scamp on Lakeview site 23.
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05-10-2021, 01:32 PM
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#37
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Senior Member
Name: Steve
Trailer: 2018, 21ft escape— 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie
NW Wisconsin
Posts: 4,500
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Linda and I would like to thank Kevin and Cindy for the great job they did organizing the Pink Elephant Rally !!
Looking forward to next years rally .
PS ; Iowa Dave we missed you, maybe next year .
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05-10-2021, 03:36 PM
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#38
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Senior Member
Trailer: 16 ft U-Haul VT
Posts: 2,867
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Thanks, Steve, it was a pleasure. I am looking forward to the next two we are going to being hosted by someone else though, LOL!
CindyL
__________________
1988 Bigfoot Silver Cloud, "The Egg Carton"
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