Saturday, 11 July
The two-hour trip to Pomona State Park took us along smaller state roads, and everything went smoothly until Google Maps tried to direct us onto a gravel road near the end of the journey. When I rerouted to bypass the gravel road, Google Maps provided an alternate route leading us onto a five-mile stretch of gravel road we couldn’t avoid. Lisa handled the gravel road slowly, and we arrived at the state park 30 minutes later.
Securing a camping site on a weekend can be challenging unless you reserve far in advance, so we were lucky to find one. Although we could only see the lake through the trees if we looked hard, we had a decent view from the non-door side of the trailer.
The forecast predicted a heavy storm around mid-afternoon, but we managed to set up the trailer before the skies opened up. The storm brought lots of lightning, thunder, and rain, but it only lasted a few hours. During the storm, we relaxed inside the trailer and watched some Netflix while waiting for it to pass.
After the storm, we drove around the park, which was sprawling with several dispersed campgrounds. The primitive sites were close to the lake and accessible by gravel roads, while the RV sites were farther from the lake, with most lacking a view of the water. We were fortunate to have a site with a water view. All the RV sites appeared full, and many had boats parked at the campsites or nearby. One campground far from the water had full hookups.
We also passed a frisbee golf course and a full-service marina with gas, ice, and snacks. When we returned to our campsite, I finished the outside setup, and then Lisa cooked up some delicious Ham & Cheese sandwiches, which we enjoyed with Hyvee potato salad.
After dinner, the humidity pushed us indoors, and we watched more Netflix before bed.
Sunday, 12 July
The weather was cool and comfortable in the morning, with the high for the day expected to reach the mid-80s, promising a pleasant day. Lisa cooked up some delicious French toast and bacon for breakfast. We then drove to a part of the park where we could walk along the shore. The limestone shores were beautiful with fractured cracks, and we found a bench on one of the peninsulas overlooking the water, where we sat for a while. The wind was a bit high, so instead of kayaking, we rode in the truck and explored.
We drove around the lake and discovered a few lake communities and small towns. Lisa picked up a sales flyer for a home on a hill overlooking the lake. We also found another small state park along a river that likely connected to Lake Pomona. Eventually, the roads took us farther away from the lake and through farm fields before we found a road that brought us back toward the lake.
We eventually made it back to the lake and found the dam area. The Corps of Engineers administered a campground on either side of the dam area, and there was a beach. We went into the Michigan Valley Park campground and found an empty, shady campsite where we had lunch overlooking the beach area.
After lunch, we drove through the Outlet Park campground on the other side of the dam. Afterward, we got some gas at a nearby gas station before returning to the camper.
We relaxed at the trailer for a while with a couple of margaritas while I typed in this journal and Lisa read.
Lisa then suggested that we go kayaking. The water was rough, but we enjoyed getting out on the lake. Now and then, we saw a large dead fish floating on the surface, probably discarded by fishermen. On the way back to the boat ramp, we noticed several groups of vultures around some dead fish that had floated up to the banks.
We had dinner with chicken thighs and green beans when we returned to the trailer. After dinner, we sat outside for a while longer before heading inside to watch another Netflix movie and then went to bed.
Monday, 13 July
It was another pleasant morning when we got up. We decided to hike the only nature trail the park seemed to have before breakfast. All the previous state parks seemed to have several trails, but this park was solely devoted to boating and fishing. The trail ended up only being partially maintained and not marked at all. It was supposed to be a loop, but after we hiked what we thought was the trail for a little over a half-mile, we ended up on the road and somehow missed the part of the loop that brought us back to the beginning. Though we enjoyed the walk it was full of spiders and spider webs.
When we got back Lisa fixed us some blueberry pancakes and sausage. We then decided to take the kayak out while the wind was calm. We launched out of a different boat ramp, and Lisa wanted to paddle some this time. We briefly paddled around the marina and then went into the open water. With Lisa paddling, we could cover more distance and had a great time.
When we returned, we took showers, and Lisa made us some bacon and tomato sandwiches for lunch. Afterward, we enjoyed some margaritas.
The day was getting a little hotter and muggier, so instead of taking the kayak out again, we decided to go to the beach near the dam at a Corps of Engineers campground. The beach was a rocky pebble and sand mixture gently sloped into the water for a hundred yards. There was also hardly anyone at the beach, so keeping a large distance between us and anyone else was easy. We just enjoyed floating on several life preservers for quite a while.
We relaxed for a bit when we got back and took some showers. Lisa then cooked some spicy sausages for dinner, which we enjoyed with HyVee coleslaw and leftover potato salad.
After dinner, we stayed outside for a little longer before the bugs chased us inside. We watched TV for a while and enjoyed fruit on a pound cake covered in whipped cream and chocolate. We headed to bed around 10 pm.
Tuesday, July 14
It was another beautiful morning, considering we needed to pack up. The weather stayed relatively comfortable while we packed, and we took our time and cleaned the trailer well.
Before leaving the park, we also spent extra time at the dump station, ensuring the black tank was as clean as possible.
We were on the road by 11 am, and it took less than an hour to get to the trailer storage lot. We were back at the house, unpacked, and drinking a celebration beer by 2:30 pm.