| 1984 |
Skip Baker foresees a campground at the present day
location of Skip-A-Way Resort & Campground along the Turkey River.
Thoughts were to make it a weekend hobby. People might want to stay
there when they visited people in Clermont, Iowa. |
| 1986 |
Skip and his wife, Bev, bought the land.
Using their backs and a bulldozer, they developed the river area with roads, a
small bath house and seven camping sites. Starting with a goal of 20
campers per week, the Bakers hosted a total of 19 campers the whole year.
|
| |
1800s log cabin found on a farm near Clermont
inside of a house. It was
dismantled by Skip, his sons, sons-in-law
and grandsons. They carefully numbered the logs and rebuilt it on
the Skip-A-Way site. It is now rented to guests. Many
families enjoy the experience of living in the small space their
forefathers lived in and raised families. |
| 1995 |
Skip and Bev bought the 18-acre lake and area surrounding
it, which had been a former sand and gravel quarry. The lake is now
used for fishing, swimming, and paddleboating. In recent years,
Skip-A-Way has hosted the Mississippi Blackhawks ski show. See our
schedule of events for show times. |
| 1996 |
Quarry lodge opened on July 3, 1996. It
overlooks beautiful Quarry Lake, and houses a full service restaurant,
bar, bathrooms, laundry, game
room, and screen-in patio. Because the restaurant is open on Sundays,
it has become popular with both campers and local residents alike. The restaurant
contains an office and snack bar and is open from 7 am to 10 pm every day.
It is closed in January and February. The lodge serves home-cooked
foods and local produce whenever possible. It is best known for real
mashed potatoes, homemade pies, soups and the seasoning used on their meat
and potatoes. Rhubarb and custard pies are the most popular |
| 1998 |
The pavilion was built for campers
and has become a popular facility to host reunions. The pavilion
building also houses the tube room - the tubes are rented for use on the
Turkey River. In 1998, the
miniature golf
course was also added. Designed by Dan Berger, the course has
proved a favorite pasttime among campers of all ages. The
beach has been a great attraction at our
campground. The swim area in the lake is free to campers and a small
fee to locals. |
| 1999 |
The lodge was enlarged with the addition of a party room,
living quarters for Skip and Bev and a screen porch. |
| 2000 |
Kitchen was enlarged. Sites are now at 150. |
| Spring 2003 |
Launch of the Skip-A-Way website,
www.skipawayresort.com |
| 2004 |
Old barn was moved to the resort and restored.
On weekends, a local farmer brings a Brown Swiss cow and calves for
children to see. |
| 2005 |
There are now 172 campsites and a mobile home living area
called Quarry Heights. 15 people are
employed at the restaurant and another 5 at the resort. |
| Fall 2005 |
Skip-A-Way Founders Skip & Bev Baker sell the
popular northeast Iowa resort to son and daughter-in-law, Steve and Terri
Baker. Read the Baker family message to
you--> |
| Summer 2008 |
Major flooding hits large portions of Iowa.
The Turkey River rises out of its bed to devastate the Skip-A-Way
Campground. With a lot of work and effort, the campground is back
and running that same summer and better than it was before.
Campsites increased for a total of 180. The flood was a chance to
update the bathhouse, increase the size of the game room, seal-coat
roads, and update a majority of the sites to 50 amp power. |
