Sunday, September 21 to Monday, September 22, 2025
We were excited to arrive in Iowa today since neither of us had visited this state before. However, our excitement quickly vanished when we reached the Beyonder Getaway Lazy Acres campground near Center Point, Iowa, where we planned to stay overnight. The name should have been a warning—Get Away and Lazy Acres turned out to be quite fitting. What may have once been a thriving and pleasant campground has sadly fallen into neglect and is now in a state of complete disrepair.
I wish we could say something positive but other than the Wifi working enough to watch a couple of shows on TV and reading our books, there is nothing. The lots were overgrown, filled with thistles. The drives in the campground had huge potholes and washed-out areas, and the sites were not level at all. It was one of those camping experiences you want to wash from your memory as soon as possible.
Our campground disappointment quickly faded as we began today’s drive to Sioux City, Iowa. While planning the route, I noticed that US 20 spans the entire state. It appeared straight as an arrow, and upon researching, I discovered it’s a four-lane highway with a 65-mile-per-hour speed limit from Waterloo to Sioux City—exactly our destination today. It runs close to I-90, but since interstates often have heavy traffic with semis, it’s refreshing to take a less crowded route when possible.
This turned out to be an excellent choice. Traffic was light, the roads were smooth, and the countryside, sprinkled with small farms and occasional towns, was a pleasure to see. The endless fields of corn and soybeans stretched as far as the eye could see, while 60s Gold played in the background, making the miles fly by.
Mid-morning, we needed a quick stop, and I noticed Marker 26 up ahead with gas and a market. As we pulled into the lot, we were surprised to see it was a Sinclair Gas station! It brought back memories of my Grandpa Ralph Miller and Uncle Carl Maxwell, who owned a Sinclair Oil station. The large green dinosaur signs were everywhere in our youth, but you don’t see them in the east anymore. At first, I thought spotting one was a rare coincidence, but I quickly realized Sinclair stations are actually quite common in this part of Iowa.
We chose Scenic View Campground in downtown Sioux City for an overnight stay. After reading and rereading the reviews, I felt confident it was a good choice. It’s located across the Missouri River in Sioux City but is actually in Nebraska, not Iowa. I discovered this while chatting with the campground manager during check-in. She was very friendly, gave me a warm welcome, and asked if we’d been there before. I told her it was our first time here and our first time in Iowa. She laughed and said, “Honey, you are in Nebraska!” Ron found that pretty amusing too.
We’re at Site #9 with a great view of the Missouri River and downtown Sioux City. It’s our first time staying in a city campground, and it’s surprisingly quiet and peaceful. There’s a St. Bernard dog show happening in the nearby park and sports complex, and many of the participants are staying here too. Those are some massive dogs!
The campground is in tune with the both the reviews and its name, Scenic View. We feel relaxed, refreshed, after getting groceries, dinner, and a hot shower.
Tomorrow we are excited to travel to Mitchell, South Dakota KOA Journey.
2025 Airstream Travels 