10 Aug 2022 - Arrived at Red River Recreation Area Campground

 10 Aug

And on down the road we go!  We arrived at stop# 24 today, Red River Recreation Area campground in East Grand Forks MN.  

I mentioned last night that we switched gears on where we were staying here.  Originally when we planned this trip for 2020, before COVID, we had reservations here at Red River.  Then due to COVID we had to cancel that trip.  This years when we planned it out we decided to give Grand Forks Air Force Base FamCamp a try.  I read the information and reviews as I always try to do.  They don't take reservations but when I called the Outdoor Rec Office they said they were never completely full.  Sounded pretty good, but what I did not know was the hookups on many of their sites are near the back of the site and may require an extension cord for the coach's power cable.  I don't carry and extension cord so that would be a no-go for me.  So rather than messing around with all that, we decided just to come here.  Tomorrow we plan to visit Grand Forks AFB including the FamCamp and we will find out whether we made the right decision!

So back to today's travel, it was only 111 miles from Bemidji to here, so we took our time departing this morning, flushing the tanks and stowing the hoses, etc.  We stopped once for a potty break at a rest area and arrived here at 1245 hrs. Check-in was not until 1600 hrs but I had checked in advance and our site was unoccupied last night, so we got right in.

This campground is a bit unique (I will explain later), so when we checked in I had to ask.  So, set your way-back machine to April 1997.  After months of brutally cold weather, over twice the average snowfall and a spring ice storm, unseasonably warm weather followed and the waters of the Red River crested in a record-breaking flood.  The flood caused over $3.5 billion dollars of property damage.  To protect against future flood damage, the Army Corps of Engineers proposed a permanent, comprehensive flood protection system.  That system included a 2200 acre Greenway which includes recreational parks along the banks of the river.  This campground is a part of that Greenway.  Here are some awesome pictures I found that show what this area looked like before the flood, and how it looks now.

What this area looked like before the flood.  It may be kind of hard to see but it is primarily residential - all wiped out with flood waters

What this area looks like now!  A beautiful campground and trails.

The images are superimposed.

  The campground sites are primarily crescent-shaped pull-throughs. I don't think I have ever seen a campground laid out quite like this. 

This unoccupied site is across from us, but it shows the crescent-shaped drive.  Notice the other Alliance coach in the background.  We have yet to meet them.

The nice part is you can pull into the camp sites from either direction.  We chose to pull in so our door opens to the inside where the green space is, but this put the utilities on the wrong side.  No worries, we just ran them under the coach!

We got all set up and then after a late lunch, took off with Liberty on a walk. The trail system is extensive 

Our campground is in yellow.  The east side of the river is Minnesota, the west side North Dakota..

The bridge to North Dakota (west Grand Forks ND)

Either a running club or a track team on the trail

Levy system,  part of the flood control they installed.  On the other side is the campground

Aesthetically-pleasing flood gates surround the downtown area 

The Veteran's Memorial sponsored by the local VFW and American Legion

Liberty checking out the Dalmatians at the nearby fire department!

Tomorrow we will drive about 18 miles west to Grand Forks Air Force Base and check out the FamCamp, etc.  We will probably do some more walking on the trails.