Our First Outing of the 2013 Season - Sparrowfoot Campground

We kicked of the new camping season in an old favorite campground, Sparrowfoot, on Truman Lake.

What a difference a few months makes!  If you'll remember, last July we visited Sparrowfoot during a the middle of a heat wave and drought.  The beach then was almost non-existent and the park was practically empty.

This weekend was a different story.  The park was full almost to capacity.  A few sites were closed and their power hook-ups wrapped, so we assume they were out of commission.  The grass and trees were green and lush.  The temperatures were lovely, around 80 degrees during the day and mid-60s at night. 

Unfortunately, the beach was again non-existent.  We thought because the lake levels were so high earlier in the spring that maybe the sand had washed away (it's been known to happen), and then later we heard that at least one beach on Truman Lake had been closed because of a high E.coli count, but we found out with certainty that the Sparrowfoot Beach is closed this season because of budget reductions.

That didn't keep Kat from getting in the water, though.  Or at least trying to, but she soon found out that the water is still quite cold.

She and Shane tried some fishing.  Our neighbors at camp who had boats were hauling in some very large catfish, but all Shane caught from the shore was this little bass.

I spent some time lounging in the sun, then lounging in the shade, then lounging while reading.   Shane also did some reading and poked around at the campfire a lot.  Meanwhile, Kat made friends with other young campers and enjoyed a water gun fight.  We watched a movie or two inside the camper, (NOT roughing it, but so what?), stayed up very late, slept in very late, and generally had a great time doing whatever we liked, whenever we liked.

More often than not, it rains on us at camp.  This time, the rain didn't happen until our drive home, when we ran into (and back out of) a very heavy thunderstorm, but it was bright and sunny again by the time we got home.

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Parked at Sparrowfoot Campground, Truman Lake
near Clinton, MO
May 24-27, 2013

The Food - May 24 through 27

It's been several months since we camped and I completely forgot about taking pictures of our camp food.  I did manage to snap one picture after we got home, but for the rest, you'll have to use your imagination.


Friday p.m. - Grilled bratwursts and hot dogs, variety of chips and dip, grilled banana boats (slice a banana open lengthwise, but leave it in it's peel...add chunks of chocolate and marshmallows, wrap in foil and grill until the chocolate and marshmallows melt.) 

Personally, I didn't care for these.  I thought the peel gave off an unpleasant flavor and I don't really like marshmallows.  Next time, I'll use non-stick foil and just chocolate, but then I'll sprinkle it all with peanuts once it's melted.


Saturday a.m. - I had some breakfast enchiladas I'd made previously and frozen.  We warmed these in the microwave and ate them along with coffee and/or chocolate milk.

Saturday midday - We enjoyed serve-yourself platters of cold cuts, cheeses, chips, crackers, dips and fruit.

Saturday p.m. - Grilled pork chops, cowboy potatoes and corn on the cob.


Sunday a.m. - Because we knew we'd have a large midday meal, we just ate buttered toast for breakfast.

Sunday midday - My dad joined us and we ate foil dinners (ground pork patties, potato slices and baby carrots cooked in foil packets with butter that had been seasoned with onion soup mix), green beans and pound cake topped with strawberries and half-and-half.

Sunday p.m. - Round two of the meat, cheese and veggie platters.


Monday a.m. - I had made a cobbler of blueberry pie filling topped with lemon cake (recipe below) for our Sunday meal, but my dad brought the strawberry dessert instead, so we ate the blueberry cobbler for breakfast with our coffee and milk.

Monday midday - after a stressful drive home in a thunderstorm we stopped for gas at a Flying J truck stop and decided to eat lunch at the Denny's there.

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Easy As Pie Cobbler

1 box any flavor cake mix (I used lemon)
1 can any flavor soda (I used lemon lime)
1 large can any flavor pie filling (I used blueberry)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a large pan (9x13 rectangle or 12 inch deep dish pizza pan) with pan spray.

Spread pie filling evenly in bottom of pan.

Combine cake mix and soda; mix well.  Spread evenly over pie filling.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until cake is lightly browned and springs back when lightly touched in center.

Serve warm or at room temperature, flipping pie filling side to the top as each serving is dished.

Makes 8-12 servings.

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Parked at Sparrowfoot Campground, Truman Lake
near Clinton, MO
May 24-27, 2013

Low Water at the Lake - Sparrowfoot Campground

Despite the ongoing heatwave, we hitched up and drove an hour or so south to Truman Lake.  This time we camped at Sparrowfoot Campground, which is a Corps of Engineers park.

Because of the heat, we had the campground nearly to ourselves.  There are two camping loops in the park, and we saw about half a dozen campers in each loop.  Most were in campers of some sort, but there were a few brave (or crazy) tent campers.

We arrived around 5:00 on Friday evening, quickly set up, and headed straight for the beach.  We couldn't believe how low the water lever was.  Here is a picture of Kat and Shane at the ropes.  At the ropes, the water should be chest high on Shane most of the time.  There was also grass growing on the beach; this part of the sand should have been under water.

After sleeping in on Saturday morning, we ran into town (Clinton, MO) only because we needed to pick up foil and a couple of other things at Dollar General.  There was nothing to do in town, and it was too hot to do it, so we headed back to the lake and swam for a couple of hours.  In the early evening, we drove out about five miles to the tiny town of Deepwater, MO (ironic name, yes?) where an ice cream social was going on.  $5 each bought us huge bowls of homemade ice cream -- vanilla, strawberry and/or chocolate, a large serving of homemade cake or pie, and iced tea or coffee.  Ice cream socials seem to be an endangered species, so we wanted Kat to experience one before they fade away entirely.

We spent the evening either reading inside or stargazing outside, and we allowed Kat to watch a movie.  That's something we limit at home and more so when we're camping.

We took our time breaking camp on Sunday morning and were back at home before 1:00, which is rather early for us.

We do a lot of sight-seeing on most of our trips, but this one was more about relaxing and getting away.  It was a nice change.

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Parked at Sparrowfoot Campground, Truman Lake
near Clinton, MO
July 20-22, 2012

The Food - July 20 through 22

Our fare this weekend included:

Friday p.m.:  Bratwurts and hot dogs on the grill, potato salad made in advance, sliced tomatoes, watermelon


Saturday a.m.:  Waffles, eggs, hash browns

Saturday noon:  HLTs (ham, lettuce and tomato sandwiches), chips, dip

Saturday p.m.:  Grilled pork chops, Cowboy Potatoes, lettuce salad, corn

Sunday brunch:  HLTs (ham, lettuce and tomato sandwiches), chips, dip

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Parked at Sparrowfoot Campground, Truman Lake
near Clinton, MO
July 20-22, 2012