2024 Mississippi River Rendezvous Sept 27-29

[fudge_brownie]

Plans are for a return to Thomson Causeway in Thomson Illinois at a beautiful US Army Corp of Engineer facility. Typical to have 40+ units with double that number of guests. This will be year nine.

Official activities start on Friday September 27. Unofficial visiting starts when the first person arrives. Booking a site is six months in advance of your arrival date. Use Recreation.gov.

For a review of prior years, with photos, search using the above tool bar for 2023 Mississippi River Rendezvous.

[Iowa Dave]

Thanks for the update Paul. We plan to attend. Hope for good weather. Let us know if there’s anything we can help with. Say hello to Peter for us. The garlic sleeps. Snow is deep and drifted but the New Holland is up to the task
Iowa Dave

[Steven M]

Paul, thanks for the heads up. Placed a reminder to make reservations. Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

[Lorraine Pittsburgh]

It was such a treat to meet everyone there last fall, & the location is lovely. Can't wait to see everyone again in Sept!

[mcdonner]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

Thanks for the update Paul. We plan to attend. Hope for good weather. Let us know if there’s anything we can help with. Say hello to Peter for us. The garlic sleeps. Snow is deep and drifted but the New Holland is up to the task
Iowa Dave

Hi Dave. Hope you guys are staying warm. Counting the days till getting back out camping.

[Iowa Dave]

Hello Ralph and Linda
We’re doing great even with the cold weather. Went to a nice retirement party for a former coworker Friday night and to a High school speech contest yesterday. My grandson was in a choral reading production called “The Jack Trice story”’. Very good and they received a #1 rating that ladvances them towards “state”.

Looking forward to the camping and fishing seasons. Once this snow goes off I’ll be hunting shed antlers till ice out. Hope we get chance to catch up in person this year. Been a while.

Jake: sporting his new new Christmas hoodie as he goes out for a couple minutes
Iowa Dave

[thoer]

Paul - we won't make it this year as we have a Viking River Cruise in France that conflicts with it - see you in 2025 hopefully.

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by thoer

Paul - we won't make it this year as we have a Viking River Cruise in France that conflicts with it - see you in 2025 hopefully.

Hey Eric,
Are you taking your fish pole to France? Trolling for carp is about as much fun as trolling people. And you can eat them if you’re tough enough.
Iowa Dave

[thoer]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

Hey Eric,
Are you taking your fish pole to France? Trolling for carp is about as much fun as trolling people. And you can eat them if you’re tough enough.
Iowa Dave

Maybe they will let me hang a pole over the deck railing...

[HABBERDABBER]

Originally Posted by thoer

Paul - we won't make it this year as we have a Viking River Cruise in France that conflicts with it - see you in 2025 hopefully.

We're cruising with Mary & Eric too, for 1/2 their cruise. Then a spot of Spain.
Alas, no show this year for us. My recycle collection duties at the evening group get together will need to be picked up.

Have fun and see ya all next year.

[brroberts]

We will be in Pennsylvania at that time. We will be back in Iowa spring 2025 if we keep the tentative plans.

[WillyB]

If I don't forget to reserve a site when you can we are going to go to the rally.

Hopefully someone will post when reservations are open. Forgetful me thinks. It looks like 6 months in advance.

If the world doesn't fall apart beforehand, this will be a month before I retire.

[smeagol]

Hope to make it this year, excited to take some trips with the new E23!

[Mamaduck71]

same sites as 2023? The OP does now say. Looks like the COE are doing some work to the sites.

[Iowa Dave]

We reserved today on 46 along the backwater. It’s all good.
Iowa Dave

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by Mamaduck71

same sites as 2023? The OP does now say. Looks like the COE are doing some work to the sites.

Rita talked to the Ranger at Thompson today. He was a super nice guy and eligible to join the Iowa Dave park guy mafia. He said they are working primarily on the sites where we used to assemble. Those are the sites that are currently marked first come first served and they thought they’d be done with their work well before September. They are fixing up some pads and some Electrical boxes that got flooded a while back. As they complete their work those sites will be reservable again. The sites where we were last year are not affected so reserve away.
Iowa Dave

[WillyB]

I'm confused on how Recreation.gov works.

We would like to arrive on that Friday and depart on Monday but those days are not yet at the 6 month mark for booking.

However, if I click on 9/24 (Weds) I can reserve through Monday? That just doesn't seem right. Am I missing something?

Just seems like I can reserve Not Reservable Days before the 6 month reservation period.

[Steven M]

Originally Posted by WillyB

I'm confused on how Recreation.gov works.

We would like to arrive on that Friday and depart on Monday but those days are not yet at the 6 month mark for booking.

However, if I click on 9/24 (Weds) I can reserve through Monday? That just doesn't seem right. Am I missing something?

Just seems like I can reserve Not Reservable Days before the 6 month reservation period.

You can reserve on the date you want to start your stay and continue through to the date you want to leave. It's why many weekends disappear, people reserve on Thursday but don't show until Friday.

[WillyB]

Originally Posted by Steven M

You can reserve on the date you want to start your stay and continue through to the date you want to leave. It's why many weekends disappear, people reserve on Thursday but don't show until Friday.

Just seems wrong to be able to cheat your way into reserving non reservable dates.

Very disappointing!

[YakRV]

Originally Posted by WillyB

Just seems wrong to be able to cheat your way into reserving non reservable dates.

Very disappointing!

I know it’s frustrating, Willy. They can’t win either way, though, because for campers who are staying multiple days starting on the first day of the reservation window, how could they reserve those additional days without having to hope they can grab that same campsite each day at a time in competition with so many people? Those folks would probably think doing reservations any other way is unfair. Unfortunately, the current system has to rely too heavily on the honor system.

FYI, I don’t think people who game the system by grabbing more days than they need to get dates past the window actually leave the site empty. After a waiting period, they can modify their reservation to drop the days they don’t plan on using. This is where apps that alert you to cancellations at popular campgrounds prove to be so useful.

I don’t know the answer to how they can make things fair for everyone. I’ve seen that places like Yosemite NP are so inundated with reservation seekers they’ve gone to a lottery system for one of their campgrounds. Things are pretty crazy out there!