HaftaCamp
Northeast Illinois
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Retired andLoveIt wrote:We will be there on June 14 to spend the week. Have a full hookup site reserved. I'm sure my daughter and her family will join us. This will probably be our vacation this year.
I enjoy camping at Sugar Bottom. Lots of things to do in the area. It's a well maintained campground with clean facilities.
I won't be able to haul much wood. I'll see if my SIL can line some up for us.
Since we are bringing our boat, we should have a little extra space to bring some wood 
Tom took Friday off - we're thinking of going up Thursday after work. Will anyone else be there early? Do we have a confirmed site number that we will be able to add the extra day?
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mudmaker
Iowa
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Joined: 10/15/2006
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Ok I was just making up some spot arrangements up tonight.
C234 Jim/Carol
C235 Jim/Carol
C236 jbeletti
C237 Tom/Renee
C238 Mike/Bob
C239 Merle/Marie
C240 Glen/Loretta
C241 Roger/Alicia
C242 Jim/Carol
C243 Jim/Carol
054/055 Arne and Marcia
That will fill the 10 loop spots. Randy and his DW have a week long spot with full hookups already reserved and I don't yet know if F.L.U.F has a spot marked off yet or not.
Saturday night potluck...YES! Good time to spend talking and trying some nice eats and treats. There is a pavilion that is shared by all three loops in the area and its a first come first serve for saving the time spot needed for then. Just have to be thrifty when the weekend arrives and get our name in as fast as we can on the list.
For Friday my DW had thought of a meat and greet. An informal gathering where everyone brings whatever they want to roast over an open fire. This will let everyone come together at their leisure since some may be setting up and require help in doing so.
Renee, I would bet that my father will bring his boat. He usually is an early morning fisherman. That is if he doesn't find something else to occupy his time.
We should be arriving on Thursday to get set up early. (hopefully everything at work goes well and we can have everything ready to go.)
Any interest in a group tour of the dam? the Devonian fossil gorge? the raptor center? If there is enough interested we will try to set something up.
I'm starting to get a little nervous. I hope everything works out nicely for all.
I still have a son who graduates before this and I have been interviewing for a different job as well. I will definitely need a break at least one whole weekend long by then.
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Glen and Loretta
Marc, Jake, and Kirsten
Coachmen Futura 2000 2980 FK
02 Chevy Suburban 5.3L
01 GMC Sierra ext sportside 4x4
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1 official rally!
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Retired andLoveIt
Charles City, Ia
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Joined: 08/18/2004
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HaftaCamp wrote:Retired andLoveIt wrote:We will be there on June 14 to spend the week. Have a full hookup site reserved. I'm sure my daughter and her family will join us. This will probably be our vacation this year.
I enjoy camping at Sugar Bottom. Lots of things to do in the area. It's a well maintained campground with clean facilities.
I won't be able to haul much wood. I'll see if my SIL can line some up for us.
Since we are bringing our boat, we should have a little extra space to bring some wood
Tom took Friday off - we're thinking of going up Thursday after work. Will anyone else be there early? Do we have a confirmed site number that we will be able to add the extra day?
Here are directions to Sugar Bottom.
Getting There:
Sugar Bottom (IA)
2192 MEHAFFEY BRIDGE ROAD
Solon IA 52333-9208
Take I-80 to I-380 N. Take I-380 to Exit 4, turn E onto Penn Street; follow Penn St to N Front St. Front St turns into Mehaffey Bridge Road. After crossing Mehaffey Bridge, turn S. Follow the entrance road to Sugar Bottom Campground.
On another note: I'm not sure what Iowa's rules are about bringing firewood from out of state. I know state parks ask that they be notified if wood is brought in from out of state.
CORRECTION This from a Iowa DNR newsletter:
DON’T BRING OUT OF STATE FIREWOOD TO IOWA PARKS
AND FORESTS
DES MOINES – While thousands of Iowans will be camping and building
campfires over the Labor Day holiday as a farewell to summer, state forestry officials are
urging visitors and campers not to bring out of state firewood into Iowa state parks and
forests.
“Transporting firewood from out of state sources could threaten the health of our
ash trees by spreading the dreaded emerald ash borer that lives in ash firewood,” said
John Walkowiak, chief of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources forestry bureau.
Forestry experts in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and most recently Illinois are in a
battle against the “emerald ash borer,” a tiny green beetle that was accidentally
introduced to the U.S. from Asia. Since its discovery in 2002, the insect has killed more
than 20 million ash trees in the lower peninsula of Michigan, northern Indiana, and
northern Ohio alone. “Within the last month, emerald ash borer has been found in three
Chicago metro areas. The borer attacks all species of native ash, green, white and black
ash and all associated landscape cultivars,” Walkowiak said. “Ash trees are common in
our forests, and have been heavily used in urban landscapes, perhaps totaling one in every
five trees in a typical Iowa city.
“To date, continuing joint trap tree work and survey efforts by Iowa DNR and
Iowa State University Extension Entomology have not found emerald ash borer in Iowa,”
Walkowiak said. “There is no reason to remove ash trees or to do any type of chemical
treatments for a pest that has yet to be found. But, by reducing the movement of out of
state firewood to Iowa public camping areas we can minimize the risk of accidental
introduction of an unwanted pest such as emerald ash borer.
“Wisconsin and Illinois have recently banned bringing out of state firewood into
their state parks as the concern of emerald ash borer coming from Michigan,” he said..
Walkowiak urged travelers to emerald ash borer infected states of Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan and Ohio not to bring back firewood from those states to Iowa. “Plenty of
firewood is available locally at your favorite state or county parks. Lastly, make sure you
burn all of your firewood at your campsite and not leave it or transport to a new area.”
Please help Iowa save her forests.
Randy & Dianne
Silverado 2500Hd 6.0 4.10 gears
2008 CrossRoads Cruiser CF30SK
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mudmaker
Iowa
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Thanks for that Randy.
I know that I-380 is being resurfaced but i have no idea where they will be in June so when it get closer to the date I will let everyone know.
One alternate route is to go from I-80 to Hwy 965/Coralridge Blvd. (its the exit where the mall and and Wal-Mart and many other businesses are) Then just head north until you get to Penn St. Turn east on Penn St. and then North again on Front St. which turns into Mehaffey Bridge Rd. Just when you get across the Mehaffey Bridge there will be a road going south up a hill. That is the Sugar Bottom enterance.
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HaftaCamp
Northeast Illinois
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Bummer about the firewood. We just bought 2 face cords for the camping season. Do they sell it at the campground? How's the fishing that time of year? Glen, maybe if your dad can give us some pointers, we might invest in out of state licenses for a few days.
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mudmaker
Iowa
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Well there is a saw mill in Tipton where I grew up. I know they have bundles sitting out for sale although I was told that they were having some sort of sale there this weekend I think.
Pointers, huh. Well fishing on the lake really isn't his strong suite (we grew up on the Cedar River) but we could point you in a couple of directions. Lake McBride (state park) is just down the road and there are some diverse species in there. The illusive Tiger Muskie is rumored to be swimming around the lake but they are a real challenge to reel in.
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HaftaCamp
Northeast Illinois
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We never really thought the emerald ash bug was a big threat to our area/state until yesterday when our local news did a segment about a bunch of infected trees being cut down in one of our suburbs. What a shame!
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Arnemar
Cedar Falls,Ia
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Joined: 11/03/2004
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Mudmaker: Noticed that you have us set in C236. Since another couple was joining us and the circle was filled, I had gone ahead and reserved sites 054 and 055. Looks like that couple will not be coming after all. It will cost me $10 each site if I cancel. Guess we'll keep the 054 and you can use C236 for any newcomers. I'll keep the 055 for a couple of weeks in case that is needed for someone. Hopeing more will join the rally. We saw the fossil area last year and plan to go again - was interesting.
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mudmaker
Iowa
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Ok Arne, no problem.
We have an area at work that looks like the fossil gorge so I see that all the time but there is always something new. I took some rocks home for my fathers rock garden last night for his birthday. Some that are just laden with shells. I haven't found that yet in the gorge but it probably due to the 3i ledge, the upper layer that never formed on that site. It all interesting though when you are exploring.
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mudmaker
Iowa
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And the loop is full again.
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