IOU Mars Under the Stars Haloween Party...

By, Michelle Duregger

Yellow Banks State Park, Oct. 30, 7:30:
Stars sparkled down on a fairy, a bunny rabbit, and many other of the Iowa Outdoors Unlimited rabble. Two telescopes pointed expectantly up at the night sky as members wandered back and forth alternating between sky search and grabbing a bite to eat around the various mini grills. A pack of four or five pet dogs, a couple with blinking collars, frolicked in the chilly night air.

Sitting around the roasting food, nibbling here and there, we exchanged scary stories. Some had noth’in (like me), but others had tales of haunted houses they’d stayed in, a haunted theatre that one works in.

The night was a success. After several members looked for Mars, suddenly one sleeping-bag clad blob shouted, “I found it!” I could not see who made the discovery, but quickly, others gathered around wrapped in various other blankets or toughing it with just jackets. The next few minutes were ones of “Ohhh cool…” and “It looks like a white dot…”
Wait...isn’t Mars supposed to be the red planet? Guess you can’t see that from here.

Next, Sara and Melissa flattened out on the dewy grass in their sleeping bags and most of the others followed suit. We stayed there for a while, staring at the sky, yelping in glee when we saw a shooting star. The night was so peaceful; the stars were like a glow-in-the-dark splatter painting…there were so many.

Next, four of us packed up our camping gear and started our trek to the camping site at about 10-ish. The path was eerily dark and after checking out a few sites, we settled on one that was well stocked with wood. Lighting a small fire we sat around its much appreciated warmth and chatted while the night sounds played around us. Coyotes sang uncomfortably close to camp (it was probably very far away, but on Halloween night everything is close by). My Rottwieler mix, Tipper, kept the night cheery by finding sticks (almost logs) and hitting Lee with them to entice him to throw them for her. Soon one by one our group trickled away from the fire and wandered to their tents.

The night passed quickly…at least for me. I awoke in my little blue lopsided pup tent (I didn't quite know how to put it up) and began packing my stuff, feeding the hungry dog, and getting hot cider water ready. Ken made the fire. The other two were last to wake but quickly set to packing their equipment as well. Hiking back to the cars was like rediscovering one's surroundings after waking from a kidnapping. The trail was new since we’d walked down it in the dark. :)

What a way to spend Halloween! The good company of IOU members and friends out in the chilly October night, gleefully picking out stars in the inky sky, was the way to go!

Members in attendance: Michelle, Sara, Amanda, Melissa, Emily, Ken, Lee, and Doug.