05/25/2026
Panhandle Quilt Guild Barn Quilt Presentation & Workshop
& Lake Minatare Van Camp Adventure Blog
Scottsbluff, Nebraska Work-Vacation Weekend
May 15-17, 2026
Friday morning began with eggs and cottage cheese pancakes with honey & peanut butter. After breakfast we finished loading the van and made our final preparations for our trip to Scottsbluff for a barn quilt presentation and workshop with the Panhandle Quilt Guild. This is our second time doing this with the Panhandle Quilt Guild. It was great to hear a few that took the very first class six years ago were still painting barn quilts. One of them is on display at the Scottsbluff Zoo.
While there we enjoyed the outdoors at Lake Minatare just outside of town. We packed for our van camping adventure and brought our small enclosed camp trailer loaded with barn quilt workshop and camping supplies. The drive there was a windy one-not fun when driving a cargo van. There were antelopes just outside of Bridgeport.
When we got there, we drove around to view all of the sites and found the perfect one. It had a horseshoe drive, great view of the water and the western sky. It was sandy but not too sandy. The driving surface was solid but the sand around the trees was not. We made sure there was nothing overhead. We watched the sun go down behind the trees and lake.
We have been van and truck camping for over 10 years. Camper camping is ok but cumbersome. Tent camping is a no. Too close to the ground, sketchy air mattresses that fail and snakes. Having a comfy house foam bed mattress in a spacious metal “tent” listening to the rain and birds and watching the waves on a lake as the sun sets-yes. You just grab a few things and go. Simple, spontaneous and comfortable.
Saturday morning, we woke to the sound of a grackle on the roof. We got up with the sun and had eggs and pancakes before heading to the presentation. There were familiar faces at the presentation, and they were great to see. I had a PowerPoint and talked about the history of barn quilts, the process and other barn quilt related topics. After the presentation everyone ate, and we set up the barn quilt workshop. One of my favorite parts of the workshops is seeing which design people choose and the colors they use. Many beautiful barn quilts are in process and every one of them is different. They are off to a good start on their barn quilts. Looking forward to seeing how they all turn out! We will be putting the finished barn quilt pics on the post on Facebook.
After the barn quilt workshop, we got some food and headed back to camp. We had a light supper and watched the sunset. We saw the oddest thing- a duck roosting in the tree about 30 feet up. We saw a blue jay, robins, grackles, pelicans, ducks and shore birds.
Sunday morning, we woke to the sound of raindrops hitting the roof. We packed up quickly and headed to the lighthouse to get photos of it and start to meander our way home. On our way to the lighthouse, we passed a puffed up turkey and flock of hens. Ray gobbled at him, and he gobbled back. Chimney Rock was in a haze of a heavy mist. In Bridgeport we got delicious coffee at the gas station. While in the Bridgeport area we drove out to Courthouse and Jail Rocks. It was raining lightly, and we viewed them from the van. The yuccas are starting to bloom and with the rain, hopefully the land will transform from tan to green soon.
On our way through we enjoyed the art of Oshkosh & Lewellan. Art colors the world like nothing else. We drove the north side of Lake McConaughy and looked for future camping sites. The water was low, it was windy and raining off and on.
The trip was fun, we enjoyed our experiences and stay in the Scottsbluff area. The barn quilt quilting group was a joy to spend time with. Thank you for having us out!
