I can't take any credit whatsoever for our recent mini vacation...friends of ours actually invited us to join them in Akron, Iowa at Lazy H Campground....yah...Akron, IOWA.
I had never even heard of this place...so I was...confused? Not necessarily skeptical...I trusted them, but I really didn't know what to expect. But I figured, regardless of where we were going, we'd have fun!
The day we were leaving for this mysterious campground, we loaded up the bed of the pickup with our travel bags, Kindrey's suitcase (which I thought was a bit much and not necessary, but she insisted), bicycles, fishing poles, totes of food and supplies (too many, if you ask Jake), corn hole boards, a case of wine and water...and then, when the kids got out of school that Friday, we packed them up, too...and then headed out of town towards Akron.
We stopped in Sioux City along the way to grab a few groceries (too many, if you ask Jake), and when we arrived at Hy-Vee to pick up my online grocery order, Jake's mom called to ask if our friends had left yet...kind of an interesting question, right? Well, one of the trees in our friends' front yard had been snapped in half by a gust (or two) of wind! Fortunately, it missed their house, their fence, and the street...it couldn't have landed any better considering they weren't going to be back to take care of it for a couple of days. Everyone who needed to know was notified about the tree, and with the groceries loaded, we continued on our way.
Highway 12, winding along the Big Sioux River to Akron, is such a beautiful drive...surrounded by hills and trees...and it is only an hour and twenty minutes away...just a "few" hours less than the 7 hour drive we took to the Wisconsin Dells with the same group of friends. :) Much more manageable for all of the kiddos (and adults) who might find themselves asking, "Are we there yet?"....although that question was still asked...
The Lazy H Campground is located just on the edge of Akron...and when we arrived and checked in with the super friendly and informative staff and found our way to our cabin, I was immediately impressed...it is absolutely beautiful. There are groves of trees and luscious grass surrounding the quaint lake. Being in the drought situation we were in back home, the perfectly manicured and landscaped property had us in awe. Soft green grass (was it just a figment of our imagination??)...and the smooth paved roads...and the spectacular playground...and then the precious cabins...can you tell I found this place absolutely charming??
We unloaded the truck and got acquainted with our very nicely done one bedroom cabin...aside from the bedroom, the cabin had a living area with a kitchen, a spacious bathroom, and then a loft with two twin beds...the girls lair. Kindrey immediately regretted the suitcase as we had to lug the luggage up a LADDER to the loft. Cracked me up, "Yah...the suitcase was a bad idea," she admitted. She is something else.
We grilled out the first night...sat around the fire at our friends' larger cabin...the kids roamed from cabin to cabin - our group rented 4 of the 10 cabins...we were mostly actual real-life neighbors back home...so the fact that we rented cabins nearly an hour and a half away to spend the weekend together doing what we could have easily done in one of our backyards in Pender was funny to us. ;)
The next morning, while the girls and I slept in, Jake took a few of the guys fishing...they were not successful. When they came back, they joined the gang for Bloody Mary's on our neighbor's patio. But some of the younger kids wanted to go fishing, so another dad took a couple of the kids and Kamryn fishing...and while this was happening, Jake and I, along with one of our friends, went for a walk on the trail on the property. Jake received a call during the walk from the fishing dad...asking fishing questions because his daughter caught a fish! Leave it to the little girls to catch the fish. ;) And Kam had helped handle the fish after it was caught. :) A chip off the ol' block.
But we kept walking along the trail, and I'm not quite sure how far we could have went, but we found a path to the river - checked it out, and then turned back around and headed back to the cabins. When we got back, the guys decided to run into town to the winery...you heard that right....there's a cute little winery in Akron, Iowa.
Now you're probably wondering why the guys went to the winery...well one of our friends had been asked to bring back Aronia Berry juice (a magical elixir filled with antioxidants) for his uncle. This special juice is sold by this particular winery...so they went to the winery (like 5 minutes away) and took entirely too long to buy juice...eventually I received a blurry selfie of the group with id's on a bar top and wine glasses in hand as explanation for the delay. Juice, eh??
So when the guys returned, it was the gals turn to go into town...we were NOT going to miss the winery...so to the winery, Broken Kettle Wine Cellars, for a wine tasting we went...and after the women did their tasting and made their wine purchases, we moseyed on down to the Constitution Bar & Grill (just to say we went to the bar) and then strolled over to La Hacienda Campestre because there were no more bars...and all of this happened while the kids were left with the men. They'd survive, right? The kids and the men! The women had a wonderful afternoon break in Akron's quiet "business district"....and we contemplated just staying. Breaks are few and far between!
But we returned eventually....before dinner...we weren't THAT ridiculous! ;) When we got back, we decided to order food from the FOOD TRUCK, The Lazy Susan, that is on site at the campground (seriously...this place is just so nice!). Our stay was towards the end of the season, so they were kind of having a smorgasbord of whatever they had left...and everything left was delicious!
With our bellies full and six bundles of fire wood delivered, we settled in on the patio for the football game - Go Big Red! Our friends brought along their outdoor tv to hook up outside so we could all watch the game together. It was a bit windy and chilly, but the WIN made it a little easier to endure!
By the end of the game, most of us were ready to call it a night...the littles needed to go to sleep, and the bigs were cold. ;) So we made sure the fire was out, and headed to bed one last time in our cabins.
You might have noticed that I haven't said much about the children yet. Well, our girls are at the age where they're fairly independent and responsible and don't require a lot of close monitoring...so my perspective of the weekend might be a bit different from those parents who had younger children along. ;) Their time will come! Now, Jake and I didn't totally ignore our kids...we checked on them from time to time and they checked in with us as well. But I would say that while all of the adult tomfoolery was taking place, all of the kids spent time together making their own memories - they road their bikes, played at the playground, ran from cabin to cabin, drew pictures, and ate snacks. Sounds like a dream weekend, no?
The next morning, it was time to pack up and go...it certainly was a short trip...with lots of baggage, but it is a trip we'll likely make again (with probably just as much stuff). We all had a really nice time, and if that's what "camping" is like, then let's go camping! ;) When we asked the kids if they had fun, they said they had. And then Kindrey said, "I know yesterday was only one day, but it felt like a whole week." And I think she meant that in a good way...I sure do envy that perspective...
Thanks for the invite, friends! Excited to do it again!
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