🎆 July 4th Camping Weekend at Council Grove

Happy 4 of July!

We went camping once again this year for the July 4th holiday weekend. The weather was great, and we were at one of our favorite spots—Council Grove Lake. It’s a fun place where we’ve rented a boat in the past, but this year we weren’t able to get one since we booked the site too late. Still, the campsite was wonderful—tucked along the dam with plenty of space and areas for our dogs to roam.

Erin and Carrie headed out a few days early, and Greg and I joined them on Thursday night. I actually made a quick trip out on Tuesday night to drop off a carload of supplies before heading back to Topeka. Erin and Carrie had great weather for their first night, with the temperature dropping to a cool 61 degrees. Carrie told me she got a little chilly that evening.

It was nice pulling into our campsite Thursday night to find everything already set up. Erin and Carrie had decorated with American flags and lights, and the tents were ready to go. Greg and I unloaded a few things from the car, and we were all set for the night. We picked up Pizza Hut for dinner since the town is only about 5–10 minutes away—another reason we love this site.

 

 

 

  

🌊 July 4th by the Water

Oliver in his Wagon

There had been a lot of rain in the weeks leading up to our trip, so the lake was flooded in some areas, and the main beach was closed. We found a nice little spot with shade where we could get down to the water and spent the 4th of July there. Charley and Oliver loved splashing around and staying cool by our sides. We think the area used to be an old campsite, so wading out was a bit tricky with hidden stumps and debris. Still, we set up our chairs in the water, dipped our feet in, and had a great day.

Steak and Potatoes for Dinner

After a relaxing day by the water, we returned to camp for our July 4th dinner: steaks, mashed potatoes, and green beans. So good! We stayed up late by the campfire, listening to music, enjoying drinks, and soaking in the night. Our friends Taylor and Rachael stopped by for a visit, which was a nice surprise.

🎇 Fireworks & Furry Friends

We were a bit caught off guard by how loud the fireworks were at our site. Fireworks aren’t allowed in the campground, but we were just on the edge of town, and there were plenty of booms and flashes. Oliver wasn’t happy about it, so I took him to the car, turned on the AC and the Royals game to help drown out the noise. That helped, and thankfully the fireworks ended by 10:30, so we could enjoy the rest of the evening.

☕ Saturday in Town

At the Brewery

On Saturday, we spent some time in Council Grove. We visited a great coffee shop that Erin and Carrie had been going to daily. Later, we hung out at Riverbank Brewing, which has been open for three years now. The beer and other drinks were great. We set up on the patio with both dogs, fans running at full blast, and had a relaxing afternoon.

🍗 Guests & Goodbyes

That evening, we had two more guests—Joan and Eddie—who came to see our campsite and brought Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner. It was so thoughtful of them, and we had a lovely evening. After they left, we gathered around the campfire for our final night and enjoyed each other’s company.

🚗 Heading Home

Packed Car with Stuff on Top Too

Sunday, we packed up and headed back to Topeka. Our car had been acting up since July 4th, struggling to start. Thankfully, it kept working, but I wasn’t sure how long it would last. Turns out it was a bad battery cell, which I got replaced after taking it to the shop on Tuesday. All fixed now and ready for more adventures!

🌦️ A Rainy Lesson

Overall, we had a fantastic time. The rain held off, the weather was nice (even if a bit hot during the day), and we were able to bring both dogs. Oh! I almost forgot—Carrie and I got caught in a rainstorm early Friday morning without the rainfly on our tent. We had to scramble at 5:30 a.m. to get it on. Lesson learned! Everything got damp, but we aired it out and it dried nicely throughout the day.

Until next time—have a great week and happy camping! 🏕️

Smoke in the Air, Memories in the Heart

Hot summer nights, thick humidity, and the smell of smoke in the air—there’s something about the Fourth of July that makes it one of my favorite holidays.

In my younger years, you’d find me on a boat at my parents’ lake, soaking in the sun and the excitement of the day. These days, I might still be by a lake, maybe camping, but I’ve traded lighting fireworks for quieter moments under the stars.

I’ve always loved the Fourth of July. It brings a flood of memories—running around with friends, sparklers in hand, and the thrill of fireworks lighting up the sky. This year is no different. As I write this, I can hear the booming of fireworks from nearby neighbors. Our dog, who used to be terrified of the noise, is slowly losing his hearing, so the sounds don’t bother him as much anymore.

I still enjoy a good fireworks show—especially when it’s far away, high in the sky, and shared with a crowd. But buying fireworks myself? That’s no longer my thing. If someone else wants to spend their money lighting up the night, I’m happy to sit back and enjoy the show.

It’s funny how holidays have a way of bringing back memories. I hope this Independence Day brings you joy, reflection, and maybe a little nostalgia too.

Stay safe and enjoy the weekend!

Happy July 4, 2024! Have a Happy and Safe Holiday!

t always feels like a sign that summer is half-over as July 4th weekend comes and goes. The summer is speeding by and only gets faster. I hope you have a fun and safe holiday.

No fireworks purchases for us this year, but we might watch some as others fire off their fireworks. Hoping our dog, Oliver, can remain calm and not be too bothered by the sound of the fireworks from neighbors. It is pitiful to watch him outside the past few nights as people fire off their fireworks. 

If you shoot something that goes into the air, please follow safety protocol. My sister, Dina, has had one too many fireworks chase after her. I remember one time it hit her and put a hole in her shirt. She was far back from the fireworks, but somehow they managed to seek her out.

Happy 4th! Stay safe and keep all of your digits.

Happy 4th of July for 2023!

Have a Happy and Safe July 4th celebration! It seems like the past few years it has rained leading up to or on Independence Day. While we need the rain, I hope that we have nice weather to enjoy the celebration.

Be safe out there if you are firing off fireworks but also take time to enjoy family and friends during the holiday. 

In my younger days, I would be all about going out to buy fireworks and spend the evening blowing them up. Now, I am good with a relaxing evening and maybe watching a fireworks show. My dog, Oliver, does not like fireworks at all, so we have found the past two or three years where we we go driving to get him out of the house and away from the boom that scares him to hide under furniture.

Until next time, have a great 4th and a short work week.

Happy July 4! Have a Happy and Safe Holiday!

Have a happy and safe July 4 celebration. It is hard to believe it is another July 4 as the summer is flying by faster than ever. Seems to be the common theme I hear from those I speak to about summer and the year that it is flying by fast. 

While I rarely buy fireworks these days, I do enjoy going to see a fireworks show. Even if it is a show the neighbors are in the street from next door, I enjoy watching fireworks. The whole process brings excitement from watching and on those rare occasions when I do shoot them off, the run to get away before the explosion.

Last year for the holiday, we drove around Kansas checking out camping sites (see Different Kind of 4) which was enjoyable and we were able to get Oliver away from the explosions that scare him to crawl under furniture or behind chairs. Poor little guy, scared of thunder and fireworks which both seem the same to him… loud!

Stay safe and enjoy the July 4 holiday.

Different Kind of July 4 Celebration and Driving Around Kansas Camp Sites

July 4 celebration was a little different for Carrie and I this year than previous years. We decided a few weeks ahead of the holiday that we would drive around Kansas to look at camp sites. This was really more to help our our dog, Oliver, who is afraid of thunder, loud noises, and especially fireworks. We thought it would be a good way for us to check out various camp sites and also get Oliver out of the house and away from our neighborhood where fireworks can go off into the late hours of the night.

We started off visiting Cross Timbers State Park located on Toronto Lake in Woodson County. We drove around looking at various locations and found a few good spots. The first camp site we visited, Manns Cove Camp Site, was not ideal as we could not see the lake from the camp site, but we found other locations that would work. Good views of the lake and tree coverage to keep us cool tent camping. 

As we reviewed the spaces, we thought about making a trip to Cross Timbers State Park in the fall to see the lake and tree coverage. Toronto Lake is in the woods with heavy tree foliage, so we thought a fall visit would be fun to see the area, hike, and camp in cool temperatures. We noticed a few different spots to hike while we were driving around, so that was interesting to see and something to look forward to check out in the future.

The next camp site we checked was located at Fall River Lake and included the Fall River State Park. Traveling to Fall River State Park from Cross Timbers State Park took us deep into Kansas countryside. Cell signal completely stopped working, but luckily, our GPS continued to work and had us going through fields, gravel roads, and single lane dirt roads as we passed by fields and country houses. 

We really liked this camp site and had fun looking around the spillway that was partially open as every lake we looked at during the day was way above their normal lake levels. Some areas were completely covered with water or could not access the area we wanted to check, but we were able to see all of the spots we wanted.

We found Fall River State Park various sites that we would love to check out in the future. The camp sites at this location, as well as the first site, were not nearly as crowded as we thought they would be on a holiday. They were busy, but not overrun with campers. Both sites included many RVs but the primitive sites were not busy at all. It was nice though as we were doing the whole day to get Oliver out of the house so he would not have to hear fireworks that all State camp sites prohibit fireworks, so that was nice we did not have to worry about loud booms while we were in the various camp sites.

We found a nice little trail to follow down to the water and the state had done a lot of work to make the trail accessible by all. A path where a wheel chair could get down to the water although it was still being worked on and washed out from the flooding, it appeared as though they were going to pour cement and make it accessible all the way to the dock. With flooding, the path to the dock was underwater (picture to the left), but we could see how they were making progress and going to have it be a nice set up with wheel chair paths all the way to the dock. 

We will be back to visit the Fall River State Park site in the future. We enjoyed the area, the camp sites, and views from the sites we visited.

Our final site to visit for the day was located at El Dorado Lake. El Dorado State Park is the largest State Park in Kansas. We had about a 40 minute drive from Fall River State Park to El Dorado State Park.  Carrie drove while Oliver and I snoozed. Of the three lakes we reviewed through the day, I was excited to be at El Dorado Lake. I had driven over it for years when going to Wichita to visit my sister over the years and always liked how the highway went over the lake. It was fun seeing the camp sites. Again, we found that on this holiday, RV sites were crowded, but primitive camp sites were mostly open. 

Carrie and I stopped at an open camp site to have a picnic. Like the other two lakes, the area was flooded and so the camp site we found in primitive camping was not reserved or we thought was not an option to reserve. The grill for the site was partially in the water, so it was a perfect spot for us to spend a while enjoying the cool July 4 weather at the lake.

We had cheese, crackers, and grapes. It was perfect! I could have spent a longer time at the lake, but we wanted to try and see my sister in Andover. We had not given them any heads up as we were not sure of our schedule from going from lake-to-lake, so we ended up not being able to connect with them. We headed on home after finishing the site review at El Dorado State Park as we were unable to meet up with Jen and her family.

We had a great time on our July 4 camp site visits. We left the house later than we had expected as we left about 1. We got back to Topeka around 10:30 that evening. It was a wonderful drive back as we could see fireworks being fired from El Dorado, Emporia, and Topeka. 

What a wonderful time spent driving around the state of Kansas. We enjoyed our time together as we searched out future camp sites. I think we found some good options for next fall/spring and look forward to being able to visit them in the future. Carrie and I talked about our camping at El Dorado State Park that we would be able to invite Jen and Kent out to our camp site to eat with us. I think it sounds like a fun time and look forward to being able to do so in the near future.

What Kansas camp sites have you visited? Which ones do you like? Any recommendations for us to check out in our future camping adventures?

Happy 4th of July

 

July 4 will always bring back memories for me from when I was a kid. I recall becoming excited as the July 4 date approached, bothering my parents for going to get fireworks, and eventually having the fireworks purchased to fire off in our driveway. I remember not only my parents taking me to get fireworks… usually my mom… but I remember my sisters and brother taking me to get fireworks too. 

I recall shooting fireworks at my parents in the driveway. I remember shooting fireworks at friends houses. Some of my favorite memories are firing fireworks off at Lone Star Lake. Off of the dock. I remember one time when we were not he dock doing a fireworks “show” and everyone was up top on the deck. Some how a rocket found its way all the way to the deck and blew up by my sister Dina. It blew up and made a hole in her shirt. To this day, she is not a fan of fireworks.

Other memories of the 4th of July include going to Wichita to celebrate the holiday. Again, fond memories of going to my sisters house in Wichita to do fireworks. Kent and I spent a lot of time doing a fireworks show which included mortar and seemed to last into the midnight hour. Of course we did not go to midnight as that would be too late, but the memory has expanded in my mind. I think this was back in the 90s but I am not sure. The whole family went to Wichita a few summers to celebrate the fourth and still have good memories from those trips.

Another good memory was celebrating the 4 in Houston a few years ago. We bought fireworks and then TBo bought even more fireworks. We spent the evening shooting off fireworks and again it felt as though it was late into the night.

We no longer buy fireworks but we both enjoy a good fireworks show and the holiday certainly brings back nostalgia for times past and good memories. 

Have a happy and safe 4th of July.