2024 Fall Trip: St. Louis, Kentucky, Ohio and HOME

Thursday  10/10: 107 miles, 370 Lakeside Campground, St. Peters, MO

We had a very short drive today.  The 370 Lakeside Park is a municipal park developed and run by the city of St. Peters, and is just a short drive from downtown St. Louis.  We have stayed here before. It is a  great park because of the large, level sites and a paved trail around the lake for biking and dog walking.  Our intent was to visit and learn more about the Gateway City of St. Louis.  But......the puppy Maggie gave Judy a tumble back in Michigan, resulting in a twisted knee that was becoming more and more painful.  So we spent 3 wonderful days just relaxing and reading in beautiful weather instead of touring, sightseeing, shopping and spending money.  😀

Site 218

Very tired pups!!

As I was walking the pups one warm evening a flock of geese flew over with the moon in the background.  Then later that evening, a friend texted to ask if we could see the Northern Lights.  Thinking we were way too far south, it hadn't occurred to me, but because of a unusually huge geomagnetic storm, the sky was ablaze with lights.  Mother Nature is so amazing!!!!

But now after 3 days of pure rest and relaxation, it was time to move on.  We have friends in Kentucky that are expecting us in a couple days.

10/14: 163 miles, Grayville/I-64 KOA, Grayville, Illinois

When we pulled in we recognized this campground as one we have stayed at before.  But it had a different name back then, formerly Rest Up Campground back in '19.  It's a newish park with large sites and of fields for dog walking.  The park also hosts a large store with an arcade and lots of other activities.

Patio site 9

Tuesday, 10/15: 247 miles, OH Kentucky Campground, Berea, KY.

We arrived in the rain today, which has been unusually rare on this trip.  We set up in drizzly 54degree weather,  YUK!  

Site 70

About half the RVs at the campground were long term.  I got to have a very pleasant chat with the owner.  There is an interesting option here.  There are no cabins to rent, but there are two full service covered wagons that even have AC.

There was frost on the truck next morning when we headed to meet our friends Dennis and Lisa for a dog reunion at their 5 acre property in the country. We met Dennis and Lisa last year when camping in Carrabelle Beach, Florida and they had a Golden Retriever puppy, River, about the same age as Parker.  It was a chilly 55 degrees but a beautiful sunny day, and the pups just ran and ran and ran......until they dropped.  It was so much fun to watch them chase and play.

We went to see Dennis and Lisa's new house and stayed for lunch.  Then is was back to the camper for naps, especially for the pups.

We ended up having two more morning play days with the three pups, always followed y long naps for both us and the pups.  On Thursday the 17th, our last day here we went to Halls on the River for dinner.  

Our time here was so much fun.  Kentucky is a beautiful state and Dennis and Lisa have become very good friends.  We have already made plans to connect with them next April to meet again.

Friday 10/18, 180 miles and camped at Ceasar Creek SP, Waynesville, Ohio

It was a nice drive today, although the GPS added a couple wrong turns and a half hour driving to the trip. Technically the turns weren't wrong, I just didn't like the choice of roads when it was time to make a turn. But in hindsight, my choices were as bad as the GPS. So as I like to say, we just took the scenic route instead of the shortest route.

This the second Ohio State Park on this trip, and I'm impressed.  The sites are very large and quite private.  We were parked at the end of a cul-de-sac and the site was HUGE.  It was electric only, so we had to fill up with water.  There was a loop of full hook ups, but they were all reserved.  We arrived early Friday and our loop was nearly empty, but it filled up by evening.  

That's us when we arrived.

Site 56

Early morning with the nearly full moon setting.

We spent the entire weekend here and the weather was gorgeous.  The park has numerous hiking trails that the pups and I enjoyed.  Most of the trails border Caesar Creek Lake, which is a reservoir created on Caesar Creek.  

On our numerous walks we saw some great sunrises, sunsets, and Maggie got to see her first deer.

Monday, 10/21:  141 miles and parked at the Butler KOA, Butler, Ohio.

We had a short drive today.  We have stayed at this KOA before, and while at first glance as you drive in it doesn't look very special, after you find your site up on the hill, it is very pleasant.  We opted for a large patio site.  The transient section was nearly empty.  There appear to be many seasonal sites and most of them were closed up for the winter.

Patio site 115

Tuesday 10/22:  226 miles and camped at Westfield KOA, Westfield, NY

Westfield is another one of our regular stops when coming or going west.  It is very convenient right off I-90 and next to a large field of grapes.  This area of NY is one of the 4 or 5 major grape regions in NY.

Wednesday 10/23: 311 miles and HOME

At 311 miles the final drive was long, but trouble free.  We have traveled this route so often that the truck could drive it without us.  May someday in the not too distant future technology will allow that.  😀  Maggie and Parker were beyond excited to be back on home turf.  So now the not so fun part.  Unpacking and winterizing.

It was a wonderful trip catching up with friends and see now sights.  We already have a trip in the works for next spring, so stay tuned for more adventures with Parker and Maggie.