Girls Weekend Camping at Emerson Bay in Okoboji
When we bought our camper, I promised my friends we’d have a girls weekend with it soon. But first I had to muster up the courage to pull it and set it up by myself. I confess, I often got nervous pulling the boat in the old SUV, and pulling a longer, heavier camper, in that BEAST of a truck seemed even more daunting. But, our annual girls weekend over mother’s day was approaching, so I volunteered to bring the camper. I knew making the commitment would force me out of my comfort zone. So I drove the truck and trailer home from Pine Island the previous weekend as practice, with Jamey in the passenger seat in case anything went wrong during. It turned out to be so much easier than I expected. That truck is a monster, but it was made to tow — I barely noticed I was pulling anything. Driving the truck with the camper was as easy as driving it without. I cackled as I passed slower drivers!
Easy Meeting Point, Okoboji
Once upon a time, we three friends all lived in Rochester. But time and circumstances have scattered us across the Midwest. Rochelle is still in Rochester, while Carrie moved to Omaha, and I’m just outside of Minneapolis. So while we try to have a girls weekend at each of our locations, it’s nice to find a place equidistant for all of us, which Okoboji fits perfectly as a three hour drive for all of us.
We each have our reasons that Mother’s Day isn’t a great time for us, so we decided rather than spend it putting on a happy face, we’ll spend it doing a girls weekend with each other and alcohol. This is our second year of spending Mother’s Day girls weekend in Okoboji. Last year, we had perfect weather and a huge condo. This year, we had lousy weather and a tiny camper. Both times, we’ve had a good time just being together.
Feels Like the First Time
I’m not going to pretend Jamey and I have an equitable marriage; when we’re at home I do way more of the housework and the handiwork and the emotional labor. But for some reason, when we go camping, our work is a lot more evenly split, from set up and tear down to cooking and cleaning. So when I arrived, alone, at Emerson Bay, I had to do all the work to get the camper setup. It wasn’t hard, but it definitely took longer with just one person. I even managed the sewer connection without gagging (I kid, it’s very clean and easy, but the thought of it is gross). Although turning on the water had a trick to it that the campground host had to show me, I managed everything else all by myself. Because I’m a strong, independent woman who doesn’t need a man!
So what if I wasn’t quite level? Yeah, the water in the shower pooled to the right, but that side needed a good soak. And big deal that it was easy to tip forward at the sink because we were lopsided, it was good ab workout!
Obviously, I need more practice before I declare myself proficient at this whole thing, but overall for my first time out all on my own, I still think I did a pretty good job. As long as Jamey is more than happy to let me make dinner every night while he watches TV, I’m delighted to let him continue to manage the logistics of leveling the camper and backing into a site (oh, did I mention, my site was a pull through).
Windy, Rainy, Cold
Last year when we had girls weekend in Okoboji we had the best weather you could ask for; it was in the low 80’s and sunny the whole time. I guess we just assumed we’d always be so lucky. We were not.
Rochelle got to the campsite as I was setting up and helped get things put out and in their rightful places as the wind howled around us. We cracked a beer and got to work putting heavy chairs and rocks on top of the rug to hold it down in those strong winds. Once the set up work was done, I gave her the grand tour of my tiny home (it took 2.5 seconds) and then we sat at the dinette, caught up and finished our beers.
West O Brewery
Jamey and I have visited tons of breweries, and they each have great things to recommend, but West O is my one of favorite breweries ever. Their beers are great and the tap room is cool, although, they’re still not dog friendly inside, so if they want to get to the top of the list, they’ll let me and my pups inside instead of being banished to the patio. I love the Cocoa Stout. I could drink that all day every day and not get tired of it, but they have so many other great beers on tap to try. I dislike IPAs, which the craft beer industry focuses on, but West O has a good enough selection that I never feel at a loss for choices. So, when Rochelle suggested we run into town to stock up on essentials, I knew we had to make a stop at the brewery – only 3 miles away from the campground.
Over the course of the weekend, we visited this brewery three separate times. You could say, it’s my home away from my tiny home.
Ice Breaker Cruise
In keeping with tradition, Rochelle got us tickets for the Ice Breaker Cruise – the first boat cruise of the season. Again, since last year the weather was amazing, we had fond memories of sailing the great lake and having fun in the sun. This year, the winds were pretty high and it was only 40 degrees. But they had some kerosene heaters to gather around for warmth, and the full bar kept us warm inside.
In case I haven’t mentioned, we’re not allowed to take pictures of Rochelle
We enjoyed watching the spectacle of the bachlorette party on board (read: body shots off each other and twerking) as we huddled around the heater and under our blanket. A good three hours later the boat returned to dock and the sun was just starting to peek out. So we headed back to the campground to build a fire and grill the kebabs Rochelle made. But, by the time we got back, the rain had started again and it was cold. So, we ordered a pizza for delivery!
It was a light rain that ended quickly, so I built a fire and we sat around it for a while, but the wind made it difficult to sit comfortably near the fire for long and soon Rochelle and Carrie retreated back inside. I spent good money on that firewood and was determined to enjoy it, so I reclined in my zero gravity chair for a while and enjoyed the quiet alone time while the girls chatted inside. I eventually relented and joined them inside.
Bed Time
Soon enough (who knows how long … alcohol was involved) Rochelle got sleepy and returned the dinette to it’s bed state. Carrie and I moved to my bedroom so Rochelle could get some sleep without our loud drunk voices. We stayed up talking well into the night, and at some point we fell asleep/passed out.
In Sum
Overall, this wasn’t the most interesting camping trip because the weather really prevented us for being out and doing too much, but I love these girls and had so much fun just being with them and talking about life! We don’t stay in touch as much as we should each day, but when we get together it’s like no time has passed at all. The true mark of lasting friendship, and I count myself lucky to know them both!
