Gamble and Daddie v. the Wilderness

I took Gamble camping. We went to the Whiterock Conservancy in Coon Rapids, IA (about 6 hours away), and we stayed at their 805 River Cabin residence.

805 River is described as very basic. No running water. No electricity. No windows. It's a wooden cabin with a loft. Screened in windows and shutters to keep out the wood wasps. When it's quiet and still, and dawn is breaking, you can hear them chewing. The sound goes "Bzzzz... Scritch, scritch, scritch... bzzzz... scritch scritch scritch." I wouldn't have thought you could actually hear them chewing.

There is an outhouse. A cold water shower fed with a rainwater tank on top. A fire pit. Possibly our favorite, though, was a pond out back stocked with fish. It was Gamble at the most patient I've ever seen him. For two hours, Gamble fished. He caught three fish with no help whatsoever (other than to take the fish off the line). It was all he wanted to do.

We also got to attend a star party. It's so dark out there that the Conservancy has a star field, a field away from any lights from which you can see maximum stars. We got a lecture on astronomy, and I brought my green laser, with which you can point into the sky, and was able to point stuff out to Gamble. Some of the other stargazers helped us see binary stars, nebulae, globular clusters, and planets. We also saw shooting stars and satellites.

We got to cook dinner over a fire. We roasted corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and cooked baked beans in the can. Gamble really enjoyed putting the hot dogs on a fork and cooking his own over the fire. That, and s'mores.

Gamble and I played cards in the loft of the cabin until well after midnight. We even discovered a dead mouse in the cabin!

Oh the adventures we had! I recommend this cabin for anyone who wants to get away. Really, really far away. See us at our picture site for pics.