MarDon Resort completes expansion

OTHELLO - The MarDon Resort is now ready to accommodate more campers, thanks to the recent completion of a site expansion project.

Dubbed Blythe Bay (as it wraps around the south end of the reservoir to Blythe Point), the new section features RV sites, camper cabins, room for tent camping and a large grassy park and play area.

Work on the project began last September and was finished in time to welcome campers for Memorial Day weekend, owner Marilyn Meseberg said. She owns the resort with her husband Mike. Expanding the resort is something that has been in the works for a while, she said.

They got the idea to extend the property a few years back, when they were putting in a set of new cottages near the edge of the resort. They had an extra parcel of land past that point, and decided they would eventually turn it into more camp sites.

"Finally last September we said it's time to do this," Meseberg said. "So we finished up the permitting, broke ground and worked on it all winter."

She said the great thing about the new section is that all of the RV pads were built to accommodate what the industry calls big rig RVs.

A lot of RV sites right now are only designed to accommodate standard 20 to 30 foot RVs. However, newer RV models are much wider and longer than before, Meseberg said.

"RVs are getting bigger and bigger and we knew from our customers that they were buying these bigger and bigger RVs," she said. "Before the expansion we only had about five sites in the park that could accommodate the bigger rigs."

Blythe Bay features 21 big rig RV pads. Meseberg said the spots are also considered pull-through spots, which is a plus for owners of larger RVs because they won't have to reverse into or out of spaces.

She said the Blythe Bay addition was designed to cater to other types of campers as well. In addition to the RV pads, there are two camper cabins in the new section as well.

Camper cabins are in between tents and cottages in terms of amenities. Between the camper cabins, RV sites, cottages, traditional tent sites and their motel, the resort can accommodate anyone no matter what their definition of "camping" is, she said.

Mike Meseberg said the expansion was completed just in time for the busy summer season. He said Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend are when the resort is most crowded, but they do stay busy throughout the whole season.

Most of the resort's guests are from out of the area.

"About 70 percent of our clientele come out here to get away from the stressful city life," he said. "They're looking to spend some quality family time in the sun."

Meseberg said he understands what it's like to need to get away from the city. His parents, who used to live on the west side of the state, would often drive them to MarDon to go fishing and camping, he said.

His parents ended up purchasing the resort in 1972. Meseberg said he and his wife and his brother eventually took over ownership of MarDon.

They then bought out his brother, who was ready to retire, about seven years ago, he said. The Meseberg's children, Levi Meseberg and Annie Baltzell, are also heavily involved in the family business.

"Like us, our children learned how to work hard and be a part of MarDon," he said.

While the expansion was a large project, the family still has a few upgrades they want to make in the coming years. They plan on adding a 200-person picnic pavilion in the grassy area of the Blythe Bay addition and upgrade some of the existing RV sites.