*Thanks to Vistabule Owners and Event Organizers, Rachel Ong, and Lesley Katz, for their contributions to this article!*
On the same weekend, both the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic Women of Vistabule groups held gatherings. While weather impacted both events, no one was deterred.
Each gathering officially started on Friday, May 16, with some attendees arriving Thursday to get the party started early.
2025 Women of Vistabule – Mid-Atlantic
The Mid-Atlantic Women of Vistabule event was held at Hickory Run State Park in Pennsylvania, near Jim Thorpe. A total of five women and one very enlightened man joined the event throughout the weekend.
On Friday morning, some of us waited out a massive thunder and lightning storm at the local library before attempting a 2-mile loop on the Sand Spring Trail. Due to the rain, part of the trail became a raging tributary of a nearby stream, so we pivoted and hiked the Shades of Death Trail to finish out our loop.
On Saturday, a group of us hiked the Hawk Falls Trail and another portion of the Shades of Death Trail before gathering for a tour of our trailers. We had a mix of new and seasoned trailer owners. New owners were excited to share updates on the latest models, while seasoned owners offered tips on space usage and showed off some of the mods they’ve developed.
That evening, we enjoyed a fantastic potluck that, once again, did not disappoint. Unfortunately, just as our final attendee arrived and we were preparing for a campfire, the rain returned. We made the best of it, gathering briefly once the rain eased up—but it was an early night.
As an alternative, we shared breakfast together on Sunday morning before folks began packing up and heading home. It was another wonderfully successful gathering of the Women of Vistabule – Mid-Atlantic.
2025 Women of Vistabule – Midwest
The Midwest Women of Vistabule gathered at Pulpit Rock Campground in Decorah, Iowa, in the scenic Driftless Area. Located in the northeastern part of the state on the Upper Iowa River, we had eight attendees from Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Minnesota.
Although the campout officially began Friday, a few folks arrived early on Thursday. Iowa weather wasn’t particularly forgiving that weekend—rainy, blustery, and cold!
On Friday evening, we shared light snacks and s’mores around the campfire and got to know each other better. Over the weekend, we visited Dunning Springs, a beautiful waterfall surrounded by limestone cliffs, stopped by the trout hatchery, and warmed up with lunch at Toppling Goliath, a local brewpub.
Decorah is known for its Norwegian heritage, so we also explored its quaint downtown and the open-air museum showcasing early Norwegian settler life.
Saturday evening featured a Tour de Vistabule, where we exchanged gear tips, favorite modifications, and helpful camping tricks. We followed that with another delicious potluck—full of good food, laughter, and conversation.
The weekend flew by too quickly, and before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye and head home. We’re already looking forward to next year’s Midwest Meetup!
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