Day 12: Sept 14, 2026 Lebanon Hills Campground, Minnesota: turkeys

The rain set the tone early today. It started light, just enough to dampen the pavement while a couple walking their tiny dog came to a sudden halt, confronted by a medium sized, Griffon-looking dog bounding toward them, with a man in a bathrobe in hot pursuit trying to wrangle his wayward pet. It was a funny moment, though it did remind us of the strict pet warnings we’d received earlier.

Between raindrops, we spent part of the morning catching up with family over the phone. We gave Kasey’s local cousin Pam a call to wish her an early happy birthday and invited her out for lunch tomorrow to celebrate.

Before the weather finally cleared enough for a trek, a flock of roaming wild turkeys ambled past our site.

The trails in this campground are impressive for an urban park. Quite nice, grooomed and wide in a lot of places. Once the drizzles paused, we went for a walk and found ourselves exploring the east loop of the campground. Back when we stayed here two years ago, we remembered admiring that exact loop, yet somehow we didn't end up staying there then either. Looking around today, we had to ask ourselves the same question: Why didn't we reserve a site over here? The east loop is far more our style, nestled deep within lush tree canopy, mere steps from the walking trail, and filled with spacious sites that could easily accommodate our rig. Sure, they only have electric hookups without water or sewer, but with a dump station right on-site, that wasn't a dealbreaker for us at all.

Driven by inspiration, we walked up to the park office around 12:30 PM to see if we could transfer. To our delight, the staff approved it! We scored Site 85 right by the trail entrance and even got a $93 refund in the process. Excited for the upgraded view, we headed back to the rig and were right in the middle of unplugging and making our getaway when a park staff member pulled up in a motorized cart to throw a wrench in the plans.

He claimed a system error had occurred: the east loop sites cap length at 24 feet, and our rig was supposedly too long. We pointed out that the sites were clearly deep enough, but rules were rules. We were officially banished to the high-density "RV parking lot" section, where you're parked so close your neighbors can practically read your mind.

Kasey headed back to the office to untangle the mess. Naturally, resolving the move, refund, and length policy required calling in supervisors and IT support, stretching the process out so long that he came back to the rig to wait it out. By the time they called him back to pony up the difference, the sky had opened up into a downpour. He waited for a lull to trek back over, while I braved the damp air to unload our bikes from the rack so they'd be ready to ride later.

We made the most of our stay despite the site disappointment. We cleared out the fridge by consuming a smorgasbord of leftover lunches and dinners, took advantage of the  showers, and caught up on laundry (powered by a neat solar hot-water system). 

They even provide convenient bags for recycling, with the list of what they accept printed in the bag.

Later on, we walked back up to the coveted east loop with determination to measure Site 85 ourselves. The grqvel parking spot measured a full 42 feet long, at least and our RV is well under 30! The logic remains a total mystery.

So, instead of waking up to serene, forested nature views out our window, we're treated to a front-row seat of our neighbor’s sewer hose connection, the same view 2 years ago! On the bright side, the neighbor decorated their rig with nice little accent lights, so at least we can admire the view after dark. I guess we’ll just be keeping the shades drawn!