Moncur Epic Journey May 2012: Beacon RV Park in St. Joseph, Missouri
The beauty of leaving our travel schedule open was that Mike and I could drive as far as we wanted and when we were tired we could find a campsite to stop at and sleep. The irresponsibility of leaving our travel schedule open was that we were driving home during Memorial Day weekend. After visiting The Laura Ingalls Wilder House and Osceola Cheese, we planned on camping at Lake Jacomo near Kansas City, Missouri.
When we arrived there, however, it was packed full and the camp host assured us that the other two campgrounds near the lake were also full for the weekend. Mike and I took one look at the rowdy campground full of people excited for their long weekend and decided to move on.
Mike pulled up the Allstays App [iTunes link] and found Beacon RV Park in St. Joseph, Missouri, about an hour away from the lake. They had room for us and their prices were very affordable. Their office closing time was in thirty minutes, however. The owner told us to head over and he would stay long enough for us to get there. We did our best to get through the Kansas City traffic up north to St. Joseph.
I had a bad feeling about the RV Park when we drove down the Belt Highway. How good could an RV Park be when it’s situated between a used car lot and a Chinese restaurant? I envisioned a night of noise from the big road and an unsecured location. Instead, we found a haven, sunk below the traffic noise.
We arrived within a half hour of closing and they were there, waiting for us, even though we were so late in their day. They checked us in and we were so happy to be there. We pulled our teardrop into the site, hooked up the electricity and set up our camping chairs. Mike drove across the street to get some chicken at the KFC. While I waited for him, a magical thing happened.
I was surrounded by fireflies. It was only the second time I had seen fireflies. The first time had been in Oklahoma. I immediately called Mike on the phone, urging him to come back quick because there were TONS of fireflies all around me. One even hit me in the leg. He hurriedly returned back to our trailer and we enjoyed our meal while watching the magic bugs do their mating dances.
We would have never chosen an RV park in the middle of St. Joseph between a car dealership and a Chinese restaurant if we had been making reservations and carefully planning our trip. We would have ended up staying at the rowdy lake campground just outside of Kansas City, trying our best to sleep among the Memorial Day revelers. Instead, we enjoyed a quiet evening among the fireflies.
For more information: