Wilson Island State Park (IA)

If Lewis & Clark had dogs...

The northward route from Kansas City is a passage that had been laid years ago.  This is the Lewis & Clark pathway, and we were not going to buck success in our journey through the Northwest Passage.

We drove  against the current of the Missouri River, traveling along the eastern bank into Iowa.  The rolling hills and jetted bluffs are a signature trademark of "The Hawkeye State," and these bluffs were immortalized in the Lewis & Clark expedition as a location where they held a "Council" with the Native Americans.

We set our sights on a pseudo-remote campground that sits on the banks of the Missouri River just north of Omaha, Nebraska.  Wilson Island State Park sits within the confines of the more expansive De Soto National Wildlife Refuge.  The I-29 off-ramp pig-tails westward down unpainted secondary roads that traverse exceedingly flat Iowa cropland.  If it weren't for the familiar brown recreation area signs sporadically located along Iowa Route 30, one could quickly began to think that they were thoroughly lost.

Wilson Island State Park is geologically interesting.  In addition to bordering the Missouri River, it also hosts a man-made lake that at one time was part of the Missouri River.  As the Missouri River snaked between Nebraska and Iowa, large curving loops were established.  By damming-up this loop and redirecting the river in a more straight-line path, an "ox-bow" lake was formed.  Even more interesting is that the original state boundary--which was located in the center of the Missouri River--remained unchanged. This resulted in a section of Nebraska being located on both the eastern and western banks of the Missouri River. 

Iowa continuing to earn it's boring reputation with this "over-the-top flashy state-line sign."

With a portion of the Missouri River now being part of De Soto Lake, historical findings  along the river are now part of the interior lake.  The steamboat Bertrand is a good example of this, as it was discovered in the man-made lake, 97-years after sinking.  The well-preserved artifacts of this vessel are on display at the nearby Bertrand exhibition center. 

We arrive at the campground by mid-afternoon and selected one of the non-reservable ("walk-up") sites.  It was at this point that we discovered our site was not a full hook-up (sewer/electric/water), nor was it a traditional "partial hook-up" (electric/water).  This campground was electric only, so we made another victory lap and headed to the potable water point.  After filling Glory's 70-gallon fresh water tank, we were ready to set chalks.  

The campground's limited amenities were fairly new, as most things were rebuilt following the serious flooding of 2011.  Always weary of natures destructive forces, we scouted the campgrounds relative distance to the Missouri River using an on-line mapping site.  Oddly (and eerily) enough, the map showed the campground during the 2011 flooding. With most access roads underwater.  It was somewhat comforting to see that--although an island--our choice of campsite was not underwater.  When we filled our potable water tank, we noticed an "advisory" sign regarding the "EXTREMELY high level of iron in the water."  We had pre-filters for our drinking water, so we didn't give this much thought.

ALWAYS...ALWAYS...ALWAYS...carry an AM radio with you (and a life vest).

This park did not have any camp hosts, but we received a hero's welcome the second we exited our vehicle.  Mosquitoes.  Swarming mosquitoes.  Moses-style plague mosquitoes.  For the first time since we hit the road, I diverted away from my set-up algorithm and focused on finding a large quantity of DEET.  Kristy was easily convinced into focusing on "inside work," and The Boys" were not chewing-at-the-bit to exit Hank.  The threat of partial exsanguination had out set-up procedures moving at a pace similar to NASCAR pit crews.

With set-up completed, we retreated to the proboscis-free confines of the RV.  Unfortunately, the security of the mosquito-free zone had to be abandoned--time to walk The Boys.  As the malaria machines salivated outside the screened enclosure, we grabbed the leashes and made a date with anemia.  The walk was a cardiovascular symphony; with a walking pace that rivaled the toughest cardiopulmonary stress-test, and a hand-waving mosquito-slapping XP-90 upper-body workout.  It was probably the most exercise we had undertaken in months.

Relief was in site.  High winds and heavy rains were forecasted, and (for the first time) we welcomed anything Mother Nature could throw at us to reduce the mossies.  As an added precaution, we ventured into Omaha and purchased a Coleman pop-up screen room.  We were finally able to enjoy the outdoors again!

About the second day I began to notice a somewhat disturbing trend--my wife was not flushing the toilet after each use (#1).  Cognizant that we were at our first campground where we did not have a "city water" hook-up, I let it slide while I contemplated a way to address this in the most loving, husbandly way.  Shortly thereafter, I discovered that the "tea colored" liquid was not of human origin, but rather the result of EXTREMELY high level of iron in the water (see aforementioned water warning above).  As I thanked The Almighty for not allowing me to wrongly accuse my wife of breaching sanitary etiquette, I could feel the marbles forming small solar systems in my kidneys.

Panorama photo of our camping site at Wilson Island State Park, Iowa.

We spent a few days along the fast flowing Missouri, but the high temps and humidity (and mosquitoes) motivated us to press onward.  We dumped our tanks--including the 500-pounds of fresh water--and followed The Lewis & Clark Trail towards The Dakotas.

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