2011 - July 20-24 Gathering of Aframes at Nauvoo State Park

Marsha and I were the first of our group to arrive at the state park on the south edge of Nauvoo, IL on Wednesday afternoon and get our camper set up. The campsite loop with electrical service was pretty crowded and we questioned whether the 11 other Aframes scheduled to join us in the next couple of days would be able to find a site. But, as other campers left, those of our group who were there parked their cars in the empty sites, saving them for those Aframes yet to come. It worked out fine and all of us got a site.

The weather was in the mid to upper 90s with high humidity (see the weather screen by Chuck McCullough below) every day until Saturday evening when a storm skirted the area, dropping temperatures enough for us to have a campfire. I started a small fire for cooking, but after dinner, Larry Lippman built it into a roaring inferno!

For those who are unfamiliar with Nauvoo, Illinois, it was established in 1839 by early members of the Church of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons, led by Joseph Smith. When they were forced to leave the area, they traveled west and established their new home in Salt Lake City. A very interesting historical account of the rise and fall of the Mormons in Nauvoo is available at: http://tinyurl.com/3j6hl7g

On Wednesday evening, those of us who had arrived went into Nauvoo for dinner at the Nauvoo Hotel. Other than that and an "ice run" on Friday, Marsha and I stayed in the shade of the tall pines in the campground visiting with our fellow Aframers. Thank goodness for our air conditioned camper, which made sleeping very comfortable.

Once again, we celebrated Marsha's birthday while "on the road," as we have done so many times over the years during our motorcycle travels.

Enjoy the pictures below.