With a new sense of “normal”, we were delighted to have our Spring Midwest LTVers Rally at the Lewis and Clark Recreation Area in Yankton, South Dakota. This is a beautiful campground with over 400 campsites, yet they have kept it open to nature and not crowded at all. What a great place to have a rally. This campground is on the South Dakota side, bordered with Nebraska. The area actually borders Lake Yankton, Lewis and Clark Lake, and the Missouri River.
Gavin’s Point Dam sits on the Nebraska side (just about three miles from the campsite) and has a visitors center and museum that some visited. This dam and power plant are operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It’s a great stop if you are in the area.
The weather cooperated with us for the most part. We even had a few chilly days where long sleeves were required. Not normal for the end of June, but we embraced it.
With lots to do, our group got together for dinners, a wine and cheese party, and birthday celebrations with a LARGE cake that survived being jiggled around in a motorhome – who knew you could transport a sheet cake in the shower of a motorhome, wrapped in a moving blanket, for three hours with no damage! We went on walks and bike rides (they have over seven miles of trails), and played games. Some even rode their bikes to town and visited the local establishments. Everyone brought food to share (so nice to be able to do this again) and I was able to bring my newest creations, my LTV cookies. I took up cookie decorating during the pandemic, so I found a school bus cookie cutter and turned it into a LTV! They were a big hit.
On the first day, we were on a bike ride when I had a gentleman ask me as I was riding by if I had seen the eagles. I said no, and his response was, “You need to take time to look up.” I thought, Wow… I was lucky to be staying on the trail looking forward. I didn’t know what would have happened if I looked up and kept riding. LOL! But I got off the trail and talked to him. His name was Mick, a local who takes pictures of the eagles and knows a TON about them. On that day, he photographed a baby eagle who was 64 days old and was in the nest being fed by his mom and dad. We even saw a squirrel being brought in for “dinner”. Bon appétit! We learned so much about eagles and I was even presented with pictures of these majestic birds. Each day on our bike ride, I would stop and see if the baby eagle was ready to fly yet. But, unfortunately, not while we were there. The knowledge this man had about eagles was amazing. He even told me where to stand to get the best pictures and where NOT to stand in order to avoid being hit by “liquid fish”. It is so fun to stop and learn on our trips as we travel in our LTV, and this trip didn’t disappoint.
Since the COVID rules were loosened, we were able to have coach tours and find out about all kinds of items we didn’t know we needed for our coaches. After owning our LTV for 5 years, I still discover things that people do to upgrade their coaches that I didn’t know I needed. It is so nice to see different ideas and determine if they are right for you, too.
This rally, we had a progressive dinner. This was a first for us. AND, we had a contest for the person who came up with the best idea for how to carry their chair, plate, and utensils. We had 10 couples participate. I was so excited about this. The ideas were AMAZING! One lucky winner received LTV dinnerware for their efforts (a retail value of $108). The creative ideas were amazing, and it was so much fun.
We welcomed some old friends, made some new ones, and overall had a lot of fun. I just love how owning a Leisure Travel Van means you make new friends all the time. You never know who you will run into and what new friends you will make. Can’t wait for our next adventure!
Written by Shari Froemming
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