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Hello and welcome to the blog. We’ve got a guest camper on this road trip – my striped buddy, Jesse James, aka “Mr. Jesse”. This little guy has not had much experience camping and only recently started to enjoy the outdoors. If he adjusts well, he’s going to have a lot of fun this summer! With the weather in the 60s, now seemed like the right time to give Jesse a taste of the camping life. Serena is at the home base. She’s going to have plenty of chances to ride along this year.
This trip was all about Jesse and he really seemed to enjoy himself. Without a ton of verbiage, I’ll post a handful of pictures. Although he does not like it when the van is in motion, Mr. Jesse sure enjoys playing outdoors. The kitty slept comfortably and and proved he’s going to be good company on future trips.
Our dinner meat (which he liked) was teriyaki marinated pork ribs (baked at home for 2 hours in foil at 250 degrees) and then smoked over coals at the campground. The pureed soup was a bag of cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots. They were cooked in chicken broth and chopped leeks. Half ‘n’ half, ham bits, and cheddar cheese were added later. It was pretty tasty.
Jesse is “chilling” at The Mark Twain overlook in Muscatine, Iowa. This was the site of KTNT Radio, the station run by medical charlatan Norman Baker in the 1930s. That is Illinois on the other side of the Mississippi River bridge.
We visited a playground (aka the world’s largest catbox) He got excited and dug like crazy in this giant sandy area and then played under the tires.
Peeking through the fence and spying on a few busy robins.
Jesse is hiding out in the center of these dock pieces. With ramps and tunnels, this is the ultimate “kitty condo” and was his favorite place to explore.
Camping dinner… Smoked Teriyaki marinated pork ribs, California blend soup, fruit salad, and garden salad. It was a hearty meal with little glycemic impact.
Evening drone shot of the Mississippi River taken about 100 feet above the Fairport camping area.
Jesse did amazingly well on this trip… especially since he had lots of chances to play. As much as he likes watching Daddy cleaning fresh fish, I think he’ll be a fun companion on this year’s trout fishing trips. Trout stocking starts in just two weeks!
Please check out this short new video of the Mississippi River at Muscatine and nearby Fairport Campground .
Thanks for visiting today!
Brad, Serena, and Jesse James
Jones County, Iowa
