Crabtree Cove Campground - Stockton, MO
We took a weekend trip in late June and headed down to the Crabtree Cove campground on Stockton Lake. It had been over a year since we had last camped at Stockton, due to the flooding that the area experienced in 2019. This was also the first time that we had camped at this lake in a campground other than Hawker Point.
We were in site A8. When we first arrived, the site quickly reminded us of the sites we stayed in at Indian Point. The site was gravel, and lined with retaining wall blocks. It made for a very neat looking site. We were also only about a hundred yards from the lake, which made for a nice view.
It was also apparent that we were one of the few campers that did not also have a boat (unless you count the paddle boards :) ). The campground had a boat ramp that was used heavily. It was also close to what appeared to be a popular area of the lake, where several boats were hanging out, and people were jumping off of nearby cliffs.
Typically, we really enjoy our outdoor kitchen on the T@g. Saturday morning was one of the exceptions. It was raining when we woke up, and we quickly started getting hungry for breakfast. Knowing that there were storms in the forecast, we had taken the cover off of the canopy the night before. Therefore, I got the job of going out in the rain, and putting the top back on, so that we could cook breakfast. Since the area under the canopy would be a tight fit for Bagheera, Tammy, and I, I also set up a tarp for Bagheera to stay under. In other words, I got to run around in the rain, so that no one else would get wet.
The rain didn’t last long, and the rest of the weekend was enjoyable, but on the warm side. On Saturday afternoon, a gentleman by the name of Ken White was walking by our site, and stopped to chat. He explained that he was 91 years old, and was a freelance writer for some of the local papers. He also went on to tell us that he was Harry S. Truman’s personal photographer for many years. We sat and listened to several stories of the people he had the opportunity to meet over the years. As he left, he apologized for “bending our ear” for so long. However, I think we could have sat and listened to his stories all afternoon.
The sunset on Saturday evening lit up the sky with pinks and oranges due to the Saharan dust cloud that was moving through the area. I was hoping to get a nice picture, however our site was not in a good location to view the western horizon, and to be honest, I was too tired to walk to the other side of the park. We stayed out until a little after dark, and as usual, we packed up early on Sunday, and headed home.