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2025 Campout #5 - Cuivre River State Park
Here we are, the fifth and likely final, camping trip of the season! The destination this time is Cuivre River State Park . This weekend would see a high temperature around 80°F on Friday and around 60°F overnight - perfect weather for camping! Like 3 of the previous trips this year, we would once again shoot for a single night trip. Continuing to better prepare for this trip, after the disaster that was Robertsville State Park , I would bring the diesel heater where my wife

Trail Guide Joe
Nov 143 min read
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2025 Campout #4 - Montauk State Park
It's time for the long-awaited trip of the season! What will be the longest trip for the 2025 camping season and my personal favorite trip of not just this year but any year... It's time for the annual Montauk State Park  trout fishing trip! This year would see the 3 of us in a tent on the first night and a cabin the last two nights in an effort to improve sleep for all. It would also be the first time returning to Montauk since flooding ravaged the park in November 2024, jus

Trail Guide Joe
Oct 87 min read
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2025 Campout #3 - Washington State Park
Here we are, the third camping trip of the season! The destination this time is Washington State Park . This weekend would see a high temperature around 83°F on Friday and around 60°F overnight - perfect weather for camping! Like the previous two trips this year, we would once again shoot for a single night trip. To better prepare for this trip, after the disaster that was Robertsville State Park last month , I would bring the diesel heater where my wife would get to experien

Trail Guide Joe
Sep 252 min read
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2025 Campout #2 - Robertsville State Park
Finally! A perfect  camping weekend! This year has been quite a challenge as far as camping is concerned with hot, humid weather and storms being the primary factors in the accompanying misery. This weekend, however, was the exact opposite! With cooler weather and clear skies, it was indeed perfect!

Trail Guide Joe
Sep 42 min read
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2025 Campout #1 - Babler State Park
More than half the year has gone by and I am just now getting the FIRST camping trip in for 2025. By an unofficial measure, this might just be the second latest start to a camping season I have ever had... Second to last year which saw the 2024 season kick off August 12th. That means it's time to get moving! With the weather finally handing me a great weekend, with temps in the lower 80ºF range, it was PERFECT weather for a trip! This would be no ordinary trip either, this wo

Trail Guide Joe
Jul 312 min read
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2024 Campout #4 - St Joe State Park
Camp set up before the sun sets; very rare!

Trail Guide Joe
Nov 15, 20245 min read
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2024 Campout #3 - Montauk State Park
When the leaves on the trees are starting to change, that can only mean one thing... it's time for the annual Montauk State Park  trout fishing trip! Continuing the recent trend of taking the full departure date to pack up and roll out, I would quickly come to realize this newfound "take your time" approach to packing really does more harm than good...

Trail Guide Joe
Oct 9, 20247 min read
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2024 Campout #1 - Mark Twain State Park
The time has come! Halfway through the 8th month of the year and finally getting my first camping trip in for 2024. The destination, one...

Trail Guide Joe
Aug 11, 20243 min read
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2023 Campout #5 - St Francois State Park
The 5th and possibly final trip of the year would also be the second solo trip of the year for me. The weather would be nice enough, a...

Trail Guide Joe
Nov 2, 20233 min read
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2023 Campout #4 - Montauk State Park & More!
When the leaves on the trees are starting to change, that can only mean one thing... it's time for the annual Montauk State Park trout...

Trail Guide Joe
Oct 12, 20236 min read
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2023 Campout #3 - Washington State Park
After a month off due to insufferable heat and severe weather, we would pack up and head out on the first fall-like weekend of the...

Trail Guide Joe
Sep 14, 20233 min read
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2023 Campout #1 - Mark Twain State Park
The time has come! Nearly to the 6th month of the year and finally getting my first camping trip in for 2023. The destination, not one I...

Trail Guide Joe
May 18, 20233 min read
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2022 Campout #5 - Echo Bluff State Park
It's December again. The tents and sleeping bags are all packed away. Camping season is done, right? Wrong! Like last year, we would set our sights on an indoor camping trip to the Betty Lea Lodge at Echo Bluff State Park !

Trail Guide Joe
Dec 8, 20222 min read
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2022 Campout #3 - Pomme De Terre State Park
After a short 3 weeks off following the Washington State Park trip, it was time to get back on the road again and head to someone relatively new! Pomme De Terre State Park is not completely new to me as I have camped here before maybe a decade ago ... or more. It was a refreshing change to try a less familiar place while still beating the heat!

Trail Guide Joe
Aug 11, 20223 min read
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2022 Campout #2 - Washington State Park
For the second camping trip of the year, after an unexpected month off, we would pack up and head out on the hottest weekend of the year so far. Much like the same exact weekend of 2017 at Sam A Baker State Park , which saw a high temperature of 108°F, this weekend would see a high temperature of 104°F with the temperatures above 100°F each of the 3 days of the trip.

Trail Guide Joe
Jul 21, 20222 min read
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2022 Campout #1 - St Francois State Park
With almost half of 2022 already over... the first camping trip of the year was LONG overdue! Why has it taken almost 6 months to get the...

Trail Guide Joe
May 13, 20224 min read
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2021 Campout #6 - Echo Bluff State Park
It's November. The tents and sleeping bags are all packed away. Camping season is done, right? Wrong! With a holiday on the calendar and a free day off work following that, it was the perfect opportunity to squeeze in one more trip! November weather, like any weather, can be pretty tricky to predict, especially months in advance. But none of that would matter because we would set our sights on an indoor camping trip to the Betty Lea Lodge at Echo Bluff State Park ! This would

Trail Guide Joe
Nov 26, 20212 min read
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2021 Campout #4 - Robertsville State Park
Finally! A perfect camping weekend! This year has been quite a challenge as far as camping is concerned with hot, humid weather and...

Trail Guide Joe
Sep 23, 20213 min read
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2021 Campout #3 - Mark Twain State Park
Finally, a camping trip that doesn't include a heat advisory! How exactly this happens in the middle of August is beyond me but it did and it was perfect! The trip this time would be to Mark Twain State Park featuring a large body of water to sit in if the temperatures had been worse. On top of the reasonable temperature, no rain again! This was really turning out to be an ideal weekend on all counts!

Trail Guide Joe
Aug 13, 20214 min read
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2020 Campout #5 - Table Rock Lake State Park
This trip would be a special one for a lot of reasons. First, it would be the first time staying at Table Rock Lake State Park , a park I have visited in the past though, in my memory, have never stayed the night. Second, and perhaps the biggest reason for this trip being special, it would be an anniversary celebration! Of course, in the midst of a pandemic, you must take time out to celebrate the major life accomplishments! Lastly, this trip would not be the standard run-of

Trail Guide Joe
Oct 18, 20203 min read
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