Campground Review:
This is a very nice county park with and we really enjoyed camping here. We came to the area to visit the John Deere factory and other Davenport/Moline attractions (and found there is lots to do in the area). We did not have a reservation and showed up on a Saturday but figured since it was a cold rainy weekend in late October we wouldn’t have a problem finding a site. You pull in, pick out a site and then pay later when the office is open. Some campsites have gravel driveways while others are paved but all have a paved patio and will accommodate any length RV. The paved sites are more popular so there was less choice but we found a spot. It seemed most of the sites were occupied by local weekend campers who left on Sunday (check out is 3 pm which gives you a longer weekend stay). All sites are 50 amp full hook-up and have picnic tables and fire pits with grill grates. There are 13 non-electric tent sites that are in a grassy area towards the back of the campground with two pit toilets located nearby. The campground is nicely treed but not too much that it is hard getting RV’s in and out of sites. The campground is open year-round but they shut of the water spigots around the end of October (depending on the weather). There is a 14-day maximum stay which prevents seasonal or permanent people from taking up residence. Our Verizon phone only got 3G and a couple two bars. The over-the-air antenna picked up about two dozen and three major networks.
The campground sits in a 620-acre park which has lots of things to do including a 24-hole disk golf course, playgrounds, four lakes for fishing or boating (which you can rent and only electric motors allowed in the lakes), a swim beach, picnic pavilions, concessions, hiking trails, boat ramp, and volleyball. This park was great for walking our dog as there are many miles of trails along the lakes and in the woods which were not heavily used (but we were there in late October and not the busy summer season).
The payment process was a little confusing. Instead of having an envelope to put your money in, you are supposed to come to the office when they open. The sign on the door indicated they would be back at 3 pm. but nobody was there at that time. About 4 o’clock a ranger knocked on our door and told us to come pay. They are a little vague about the office hours because the next day we went back around 3:00 and nobody was there. Overall, we really liked this park and would definitely stay here again if we were in the area.
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Product Review:
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test outdoor products and gear and during this trip I tested a variety of foods from Mountain House. They offer a wide variety of foods from deserts, entrees, breakfast, and sides and a variety of flavors. I liked that they have the nutritional information online so you can see what you are getting before purchasing. Many of their items come in different sizes so you can have a packet that feeds two or three or just a single serving. They also have reviews so you can see what other people liked. I choose an assortment of flavors including apple crisp, ice cream sandwich, beef stew, and beef mac and cheese. The instructions on the packet are clear and easy to follow.
The Breakfast Skillet appealed to me because it has all the breakfast components I like – eggs, sausage, peppers, and hash browns. This meal was power packed full of 12 grams of protein but had a whopping 21 grams of fat so I wouldn’t be eating this every morning. I thought this might be a little mushy but there really was a good texture contrast and you could taste the individual components. Preparing it was pretty simple - just add ¾ cup of water, stir and let it heat for 8 minutes (stirring once during that time) and you have a piping hot delicious breakfast.
I am a fan of ice cream sandwiches and was skeptical as to how this item was going to taste. But, it really did have the flavor of a frozen ice cream sandwich but won’t melt on you on a hot day. Best of all, you just open the pouch and start eating. It is a nice way to take a desert with you on camping trip that doesn’t take up too much space.
The chili mac with beef was one of the highest rated meals on their website so I thought I should give it a try. It was really tasty, hearty, and filling. A small portion of the noodles didn’t seem to rehydrate all the way through and were a little chewy. Next time I would stir the contents twice while it was heating up. All in all, it was very good and I would definitely order this again. I could see adding salsa to give it a little zip.
While Mountain House offers a pretty good selection of items, I wish they had some hearty soups options. Overall, I would order from this company again and found the food tasty and convenient. The food tasted as you would expect from the product description and the online ordering process was easy.
