2025 Summer Road Trip - Berry Bend Campground Update

If you've been following along, you know we wrapped up our time at Harry S. Truman State Park and were gearing up to head to Hannibal. Of course, no good travel story is complete without a little chaos—and Mother Nature really delivered.

Just as we were settling in for the night, our peaceful slumber was rudely interrupted by a tornado warning. Nothing says “vacation” like grabbing your loved ones, your flashlight, and heading to the shower house for shelter in the dark and pouring rain. We huddled there with other campers, grateful for the sturdy cinderblock walls and slightly less grateful for the flickering fluorescent lights.

Though tornadoes did touch down nearby—causing major damage in some parks and campgrounds—we were fortunate. Our park was hit with strong straight-line winds, which still packed a punch: power lines down, trees uprooted, and limbs everywhere. It looked like a tree-themed game of pick-up sticks out there.

Thankfully, our campers were unharmed, and we emerged from the shower house (a little groggy and a lot grateful) to find everything intact.

The roads, however, were a different story—blocked by fallen debris and power lines. Spencer jumped in to help park workers clear a path, proving once again that he's never met a chainsaw or a challenge he didn’t like.

Meanwhile, the rest of our group had planned to stay a few more days at nearby Berry Bend—until the power went out and the park closed for safety reasons.

Instead of toughing it out, they decided to join us in Hannibal. We were surprised—and very happy—to see them roll into The Mark Twain Cave Campground, eager to join our trek back in time to visit Tom and Huck's stomping grounds.

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