Union Grove State Park, Gladbrook, Iowa

 5/23/2023 to 5/30/2023


        The campground at Union Grove State Park is the smallest we've seen so far. It's on a small lake, but only the two cabins have a view of the lake. Scott paddleboarded around the lake twice. He tried fishing from the kayak, which he plans to do on a regular basis in the future. 



        There were several nice hikes - one on the south end and one on the north end of the lake. Because of a sign on the trail head marker indicating the trails is ok for snowmobiling we were reminded that Iowa's weather is not always as mild as it was for us this week (lows in the 50's in the mornings and highs in the 80's during the day). 



        At our last two sites, we were amazed by the number of dandelions. Here there were just a few dandelions, but we had the same "snow" from the large cottonwood trees around our site. The ground is covered with the windborne seeds.  

        There were a lot of "pitcher" plants on one the trails. They are one of two carnivorous plants in Iowa, according to the park ranger who pointed them out to us. Pretty cool to see so many, although we didn't see the digestive process. 




        We made a couple of innovations/modifications that made our space more usable. In the next picture you can see the portable washing machine lashed to the picnic table bench.  It put the machine up higher so the water would drain out faster and also made the machine more stable. The second picture shows the screen house set up over the picnic table. That gave me covered space to iron the quilt top I just finished without the cottonwood "snow" sticking to it. 





        Other highlights: 

-- We went to see the movie "Are you there God, it's me, Margaret" at the theater in Gladbrook. When was the last time you paid $3 to see a movie in a theater?

-- Robins were very prevalent at our campsite, just feet away. They were building a nest in a tree close by, and dropped unused bits of paper towels and such all over the ground in the process. 

-- Cardinals discovered that they could see their reflection in the side of the RV that was near some trees. Scott cut back some of the branches they were sitting on so they didn't peek so hard at the paint.  The cardinals also loved the CRV side mirrors.

-- I got my teeth cleaned at a dentist office in Marshalltown. Also picked up a 90 day supply of my prescription medicine at Walmart in Marshalltown. Very easy process suggested by the HEB pharmacy in Austin. 

-- I was sick a good part of the week. I had what I thought was a massive allergic reaction to all the dust we accumulated driving several miles on a gravel road to get to the park.  But turned out it probably was just a bad cold, since Scott developed the same symptoms about a week after mine started. It's been a long time since either of us has had colds. 

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