Camping at Pine Lake State Park Recap
Kimberly J Betts | Published on 7/1/2026
Pine Lake campground provided so many close opportunities for recreation: including paddling, biking, fishing, hiking and golf. A total of 11 camper units ranging from tents to UniMog, and 19 people camped from Wednesday to Sunday.
The lineup of campers was impressive, with James Toothaker in his refurbished 1977 VW Campervan, the one used by his family. Kathy Takes with Jack Kovar in his 1986 BMW Vixen, a very rare camper that draws crowds. Keven and Edie Lubben in their impressively tricked out UniMog (also a crowd pleaser). Then there's Mary Jean Blaisdell's cute little T@B camper. We had two new campers, Brian and Tammy Keller in their new camper's maiden camping experience, also Jim and Brenda Steinke in their newest camper
Thursday, Wendall Sents, Brian Keller, Jeff Sherman and Bill Clark had a round of golf and Jeff said it was the best round he had in quite a while, but they were rained out on the 9th hole. Chris Kalmar and independently Wendall biked the loop, while others enjoyed birdwatching and each other's company while enjoying the lake view. That late afternoon, the heavy rain didn't dampen our spirits, as we pivoted to a nearby newer shelter for our traditional hors d'oeuvres night. The view of the lake was beautiful.
Friday, Jeff went to golf once again to scratch that itch of unfinished business. Bill and Jill Clark explored the nearby CCC/POW museum, the last standing relic of Italian and German prisoners of WWII, and the CCC program (Civilian Conservation Corps) which was prominent in the Eldora Iowa area. They then went fishing and Bill caught a largemouth bass. Keven and Edie with their 6-month Golden Retriever pup, did some paddling in the lake. Jane Sents organized all for a short road trip to a spectacular overlook featuring wetlands, the Iowa River and the U.S. 20 Iowa River Bridge, which made engineering history as the first steel I-girder bridge in the U.S. constructed using an "incremental launching" method to minimize environmental damage to the river valley. Think of pushing over the river from one side to the other. Amazing! At 4:00 in the afternoon, we all headed to the Pine Lake Country Club for happy hour, and the bonus was pull tabs could reduce your beverage to as low as a quarter, which Larry Smith was happy about. Later that evening we had a group campfire, featuring a natural "rocket stove" which is a piece of tree trunk missing the core. Those flames were spectacular and quite a bit of discussion on the physics involved ensued. Teresa Smith used her photography skills to document the group.
Saturday all the campers met the other bike riders, Janet Stimson, Connie Miller and George Gassman. After that, Bill and Jill went fishing and Bill caught five bluegills and Jill caught three bluegills. Kathy, on her paddleboard, and James on a borrowed kayak, went for a paddle around the lake. Later that afternoon we gathered for our second round of hors d'oeuvres and a group campfire. George brought his vintage popcorn popper, and Kim Betts popped some locally grown (in Shellsburg) "Tiny but Mighty" popcorn. Another rocket stove tree stump again entertained the easily entertainable. Wendall was a bit nervous of the very bold raccoons that came out at dusk and he noped out of there quickly when they made their appearance. Brian fended one off with a well thrown block of wood, but the rest of us thought it was time to wrap it up. We were all pretty tired anyway.
Sunday morning was forecast for rain threats, so many beat the rain out of there. Chris and I went for breakfast at the Sunshine Cafe in Eldora, and it was good! We all had a memorable and enjoyable camping experience.