MAY 2015 • NEBRASKAland 51
wait for another day. We got off the water before noon and
packed up for home.
A Cure for the Fever?
If you're looking for the modern amenities of a full-scale
resort with electricity, WiFi and warm showers, Cottonwood
Lake might not be your place. If you want to get off the
pavement (barely), enjoy a little fishing and the serenity of a
Sandhills lake, it will be hard to find a better destination.
I know of at least three satisfied visitors. The true measure
of our overnighter's value was evidenced by scribbled
text on sticky notes made by my daughter after we arrived
home. The trip had given her reason to ask what other
camping spots we could visit in the upcoming summer. As
we discussed destinations near home, she daydreamed of
weekends ahead and made a checklist of almost every park
in the Panhandle.
Alas, weekends would soon be consumed by the kids'
games of baseball and softball and that checklist went to the
backburner. Along with their upcoming at-bats, though, our
last-minute decision to camp at Merriman will be etched into
their summer memories for years to come.
If you're looking to alleviate the spring-to-summer fever
and to truly get away from it all on Memorial Day weekend,
a lesser-visited state recreation area such as Cottonwood fills
the prescription nicely. ■
Kiera Haag proudly displays a bluegill she caught at
Cottonwood Lake.
Sawyer Haag enjoys time at the campfire.
