December 2021 A big shout-out for Oconee SP in the northwest corner of South Carolina. This well-maintained CCC park is off the beaten path, with only a couple of other campers here during our stay. Visiting Oconee SP, Kings Mountain SP, and Table Rock SP brings back the “Ah, yes!” feeling that accompanies our camping trips. Although responsibilities typically take longer than at home, they’re limited and we have plenty of time to enjoy ourselves. Every December, South Carolina Parks has twelve days of deals including 25% off camping fees in specific parks and 20% off gift cards that can be used to pay for camping fees. In addition, out-of-state seniors get the same 30% discount as SC seniors at six state parks.
November 2021 Returning to Asheville in mid-November we initially enjoy the many conveniences but I soon hit a wall — too much traffic and it’s moving too fast; too many people and they’re moving too fast; the house is stuffy and far larger than it needs to be; responsibilities seem infinite.
Autumn 2021 The two day delay caused by Hurricane Ida is actually fortunate, giving us more time to complete the extensive preparations for this 2.5 month trip through the Northeast. We spend only one night at Camp Creek SP in WV before moving on to a favorite, Laurel Hill SP in PA, for Labor Day weekend. Our campsite this time is closer to the beach and trails, and we enjoy biking along the lake and then hiking on Hemlock trail beside a rushing, rocky creek and through an old growth forest.
Oh joy! Allegany SP in NY is delightful. A huge, well-maintained park with miles of roads and trails for biking and hiking, there’s even a scent that reminds me of my grandparents’ home. We bike down a closed road to the deserted beach on Quaker lake where we discover Verizon service (none at the campsite). An hour later a downpour forces us into the breezeway of the clubhouse but the storm passes quickly. One disadvantage of a series of reservations is having to leave a wonderful spot too soon, but one advantage is the opportunity to discover it in the first place.
The gorge and falls at Letchworth SP are spectacular and worth at least a day trip. The campground is decent and well-maintained but we’re inundated with mosquitoes even on the nearby trail. Fortunately our Winegard hotspot provides internet service and we spend much of the day inside, playing online poker and catching up on these blog entries.
When darkness falls over the Watkins Glen gorge, forest pixies gather to dance and play among the narrow chutes, the tumbling water, the clear pools, the mossy rocks and twisting walls, the stone bridges and stairways. While the grandeur of Letchworth is primarily in the three main waterfalls and the depth of the gorge, at Watkins Glen there are countless jaw-dropping features along the gorge trail. From the campground we walk about a half mile to Mile Point Bridge, then follow the Gorge trail downhill. Despite this being a weekday in September there are many people going in both directions on the narrow trail. Expect to get wet from the sprays of water dancing down the rocks above you and from the Cavern Cascade waterfall behind which you’ll be walking. We climb back out of the gorge by way of Couch’s Staircase, then hike back uphill along the South Rim trail until our AllTrails app shows that we’re just below our campground loop. We bushwack up a steep hillside and, lo and behold, we’re a short walk from our campsite. The town of Watkins Glen, on Seneca Lake in the NY Finger Lakes region, is worth a visit and we plan to return.
From Watkins Glen we spend a day on a driving tour to Ithaca and Cornell then north along the western shore of Cayuga lake, stopping to hike up to Taughannock Falls. The many vineyards in the area are a large part of the Finger Lakes scenery. Our travel plans soon go a bit haywire thanks to a water leak into the footwell below the driver’s seat. We cancel our Boondockers Welcome reservations; try unsuccessfully to find a Ford dealer who will see us; and end up staying at Cayuga Lake SP. The campground loop with electric hookups is close to the main road, with some traffic noise, and the campsites are mostly exposed but are within easy walking distance of the lake.
Concluding that the leak is from the air conditioner, we get back on track and stop in Syracuse for groceries and laundry before traveling to Whetstone SP located just west of the Adirondacks. The campground is positioned near the bottom of the gorge. To get any kind of a view, visitors must hike up a steep muddy trail. A ranger tells us that it’s best hiked when leaves are off the trees. There’s a nice walk along the creek, however, and the campground is forested with red pine and has electric hookups at some sites.
It’s in the Adirondacks that we first see some serious leaf color. Heading north as the sun is heading south, we’re accelerating autumn’s debut. While some ADK towns like Old Forge are too crowded and commercial, the natural scenery is outstanding. At Fish Creek Pond we have a lakefront campsite with a super view (no hookups in ADK state park campgrounds, and showers are inconveniently located at one large facility). We paddle or bike every day, including into Rollins Pond campground (closed for the season), and agree to return for at least a week next time. A new discovery: we like windy weather for keeping away the bugs and dispersing neighbors’ campfire smoke. See www.FishCreekPond.com regarding more or less windy sections of the campground along with lots more information.
Lake Eaton campground was chosen with hopes that the Long Lake regatta would resume this year but, alas, it did not. Although lakefront campsites have a lovely view and canoes/kayaks can be launched from these sites, the park isn’t well-maintained. The roads are just plain awful and the one trail is too muddy to hike. We enjoy seeing many wooden canoes here and throughout the ADK.
On the western coast of Lake Champlain we settle into Ausable Point state park. The wind speed on the lake is about 20 knots with choppy conditions for the first part of our stay here. Fortunately our campsite is at the mouth of the North branch of the Ausable River and a short carry of our kayak and gear enables us to paddle on this river. The views across the lake and of the nearby wetlands are stunning.
We drive down the NY side of Lake Champlain and cross into Vermont on route 4 through Rutland, VT and south to the Green Mountain National Forest. The fall colors seem to be intensifying. We stay at a Corps of Engineers campground, Winhall Brook, with electric AND water hookups (limited campsites with hookups) but spotty internet. There’s a lot of variation in the quality of campsites but Winhall creek itself is gorgeous and there’s a nice .5 mile hiking trail with loads of mushrooms. Of particular note is the idyllic West River rail trail.
Little River SP is on our itinerary so that we can rendezvous with my sister Karen and her husband Jeff who are staying in the Smuggler’s Notch area. This is a very nice wooded campground with spacious, private, relatively level sites. As with all Vermont state parks, there are no hookups. Our site is on a cliff above the Waterbury reservoir and the scenery is breathtaking. While visiting Burlington with Karen and Jeff we enjoy a boat tour of Lake Champlain. Burlington has great atmosphere and I can’t wait to return. Another day we join Karen and Jeff for a gondola ride up Mount Mansfield, photo ops at the top, and a drive through the rocky Smuggler’s Notch which is a must-see. These and other popular attractions in Vermont are crowded in October. Our final day at Little River SP is spent relaxing and appreciating the wilderness, and regretting that we leave tomorrow.
OMG Umbagog! After crossing Vermont AND New Hampshire we arrive at Umbagog Lake SP. The campground is located in New Hampshire while the picture-perfect lake straddles the border with Maine … which means we kayak from New Hampshire to Maine. Of interest about this lake are the many land masses that appear to be islands but upon closer approach have a thin land bridge connecting them to the mainland. Another day we kayak toward Canada, circling a large island that has boat-in campsites. With fall color at its peak, we lament that photos just can’t capture the grandeur of this place. The campground itself has the advantages of electric AND water hook-ups; a shower/restroom/laundry/dishwashing facility; and several campsites with views of the lake and close enough to carry a kayak/canoe to the water.
We leave New Hampshire too soon, traveling to the “Northeast Kingdom of Vermont” where we stay with Boondockers Welcome hosts on a farm in cattle country. Near the interesting town of Newport, this location overlooks expanses of emerald farmland framed by the mountains beyond. We enjoy a bike ride through the community. The sunsets are to-die-for and our hosts kindly give us an ATV ride up the hill for a better view. Zoom in on the sunset photo below for a closer look at our hosts’ property.
Time to start heading south! With peak fall color having come and gone in northern Vermont, we begin trying to catch it. The campground at Quechee Gorge SP resembles the one at Little River with wooded and spacious campsites but no hook-ups. There are no dishwashing stations either, making it difficult to avoid running low on water. There’s a trail that runs alongside the gorge with only so-so views. After some of the gorges we’ve seen this one is underwhelming.
Stopping in Albany NY for groceries, laundry, and propane, we ultimately reach North-South Lake SP in the Catskills. It’s remote and peaceful here, especially during this quiet last week of the season. In this very wooded campground, mossy boulders, twisted roots, and colorful leaves cover the ground while sunlight filters through the hemlock canopy. Our campsite is uphill from a trail that runs alongside the lake. By crossing a bridge over a creek and following a spur trail to a bench overlooking the junction between the two lakes, decent internet coverage can be found. There are good hiking trails including to an escarpment with a view of the Hudson River valley. We’d love to spend a week here. This blog includes so many photos of gorgeous lakes and mountains so ….
We enjoy a scenic drive through the Catskills and the region’s small, funky villages en route to a Boondockers Welcome host near Troy, PA. This is a large property in a rural area with views across a pond to a valley with windmills in the distance. Our hosts have just ordered a Ford Transit that they plan to customize for camping. (Added note: my iphone crashed in December and many photos were lost. Photos posted below for the remainder of this trip were taken by Tim.)
Gifford Pinchot SP in southern PA surrounds a large lake. It’s good for hiking and biking, and would be good for boating if the shoreline weren’t so clogged with weeds and algae and muck. This may be due, however, to the lake having been drained in 2020. Even the drinking water tastes muddy, but these issues are somewhat offset by electrical hook-ups, hot showers, and a dishwashing station.
Our next destination is Owens Creek campground in Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland — a National Parks property and home of Camp David. We seem to have caught up with the leaf color! The drive on Park Central Road is lovely with a walkable woods surrounding much of it. The campground is quite nice, with cell and internet coverage but without hook-ups. Unfortunately, many sites aren’t level enough for RVs. There’s a nice trail along the creek and a restored “up and down” sawmill. Tim’s brother, sister, and their spouses drive up from the metro DC area for an informal and pleasant reunion, including walks on the Blue Blazes Whiskey trail and on Spicebush trail with its moss-carpeted pathway.
Freezing weather descends upon us, uninvited, at Rocky Gap SP in western Maryland. In fact, we stay at Rocky Gap for a full week because next on our itinerary, Deep Creek Lake, is at a higher elevation with even lower temperatures. We came prepared! Lights and a heat lamp under the van surrounded by a mylar hammock keep our water tanks and lines a toasty 40 degrees despite an overnight low of 25. It’s a good large campground with some electric hook-ups, hiking/biking trails and spacious wooded campsites, yet 90% of the waterfront campsites don’t have electricity. Those that do are at the end of the lake where it’s overgrown, obstructing the view. At the other end of the lake, mostly out of sight, is the resort area including a casino, golf course, and large lodge. The contrast in lifestyles gives us whiplash.
We’ve been looking forward to camping at Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park and we’re delighted by this spot. It’s level enough for bike-riding; has many tempting trails; deer grazing at dusk; a well-designed campground with decent separation between most campsites. The weather is perfect. We hike a loop from the campground up to the lodge (which blends in well with the setting) then up to the Blackrock overlook, ultimately joining the Appalachian Trail until we reach a spur that connects back to the campground. It was a pleasant surprise to find cell and internet connectivity on the lodge patio, and the hike was everything a hike should be – colorful leaves on the ground, mossy boulders and towering rock formations, distant views, an open forest. After lunch and a well-earned nap, we bike to the visitor center for our National Park Passport Guide stamp. Outside is a life-size bronze statue of “Iron Mike” – representing the Civilian Conservation Corps. Poignantly, an older man is leaving the visitor center and walks alone up to the statue. He gazes at it briefly, then pats both of Mike’s shoulders before walking on across the parking lot.
When I wake up this morning, two young deer are grazing and grooming each other right outside my window. The park is closing tomorrow, Veterans Day, and the savvy deer and birds, including bluebirds, are all over the campground. It’s a bit sad to be saying goodbye to this park tomorrow. We’ve barely scratched the surface it seems. It’s only a two day drive from Asheville, though, and we talk about returning in the Spring to see the new fawns. A ranger told us that the fawns, which have no scent, are hidden by their mothers in the campground thickets to keep the black bears from finding them.
Sunrise on Skyline Drive! What a treat. We’ve departed Big Meadows in record time for a long drive to Charleston, WV to visit Tim’s aunt and uncle. Near Charleston we stay at Kanawha State Forest campground which introduces itself by being as annoying as possible. The ranger-recommended approach route takes us past numerous road/bridge construction projects, requiring an hour to drive eleven miles from Charleston. The campground map must have been created by a very drunk person; it truly bears no relationship to the actual campsite locations. The office is closed (at 3 PM) and there’s no campground host so we’re unable to get directions to our campsite. Then, as we’re walking around the campground, someone driving a leaf blower seems to constantly be wherever we are, eliminating conversation and any sense of peace and quiet. The park has appealing terrain, however, as well as water and electric hook-ups, laundry machines, and Wifi near the office. It serves its purpose as a home base for three days until we make a beeline home to Asheville.
Summer 2021 Travel is common in the summer but not for us. We’re catching up on just about everything — house and yard projects, annual health visits, tweaks to Pard, haircuts, showers — in anticipation of an extended trip through New York and New England. Tim studied for and passed the Technician and General HAM radio tests and is now licensed. By avoiding summer travel we’re avoiding crowds and heat and bugs — our least favorite parts of camping. In the meantime there have been a few improvements to Pard including winter weather protection. When there’s time I’ll add a page to this website for upgrades. For now we’re chomping at the bit to finish projects and hit the road!
May 2021 A longer trip reaching as far north as Pennsylvania this time. Stony Fork campground in Virginia – a good first stop from Asheville – seems more appealing than when we were last here. Most campsites are level. Even campsites on the interior of the loop road back up to woods, with some adjacent to the creek. With more time we could bike to Seven Sisters day use area and hike on the trail.
En route from Stony Fork to Seneca Shadows campground, Harrisonburg has some interesting features including a Mennonite community. We pass a horse and buggy. Route 33 between Harrisonburg and Seneca Rocks is a scenic route including large farms, distant views, a curvy climb up Shenandoah Mountain, and the active and pretty North Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac.
At Seneca Shadows campground a woodthrush announces our arrival. Our site is level and wooded with electric but no water. Some of the bathhouse showers are out of order. We walk on a trail from the group camping area past a small old cemetery to a tiny village (with Wifi) and across a field to the Discovery Center. Despite its being closed the surrounding area is enjoyable, with Seneca Creek rushing by; various bridges and trails; and the Sites Homestead – a restored 1900-era home with gardens. The steep 1.5 mile trail to the Seneca Rocks observation platform starts nearby. I walk part of it; Tim continues to the top. Later, we walk on the Sunrise trail for a good view of Seneca Rocks. Through Tim’s new binoculars, we spot a climber moving horizontally across the face.
The Laurel Highlands area in southwest Pennsylvania is lovely – a fitting backdrop for Frank Lloyd Wright’s creations – and Laurel Hill SP is large with great trails and a dammed lake with an extensive beach area. We find ourselves with bikes on the Tram Run trail which is NOT intended for bikes. This translates into carrying/pushing our bikes across a boulder field, over narrow “bridges”, and through many steep and rough areas. The historic Jones Mill Run Dam is worth it, and we return on Copper Kettle trail, eventually riding alongside the lake. The new Verizon SIM card improves our cell coverage (according to reports from other campers) but it still varies according to elevation within the campground. We hope to return.
Traveling to Ohiopyle SP is a short, gorgeous drive through Laurel Highlands, and the town of Ohiopyle is bustling with biking and paddling outfitters. This is an outdoor sports paradise on the Youghiogheny (Yawk) River with class 1-5 rapids as well as the Ohiopyle falls in the middle of town. The Great Allegheny Passage is a Rails To Trails bike path along the river. There are several hiking trails, including one we take from Kentuck campground to Cranberry Falls. The campground is large and wooded, with Verizon coverage, though sites vary in spaciousness and privacy. It’s a half mile walk from the campground into Ohiopyle, crossing the Yawk twice over various rapids and walking through the Ferncliff Natural Area on a peninsula within the curve of the river. A toad would have expanded our opportunities here.
From Ohiopyle we travel to Coopers Rock SP in West Virginia, detouring to Morgantown for stops at Lowes and Krogers. Coopers Rock is a decent campground but the sites are fairly exposed. After the office got its Wifi working we had internet but no cell coverage. There are several good trails. We bike on one that runs through the woods parallel to the main road, from the campground to the Coopers Rock overlook.
Holly River, another WV state park, is a treat. Somewhat difficult to reach, the park is spread out along the river with many campsites having a creek view. Our morning routine is to ride bikes “over the river and through the woods” to the office where we sit in rocking chairs on the porch and check email and the news. Nearby there are well-maintained cabins, historic structures, and lovely natural areas.
Originally we had planned to be home by Memorial Day weekend to avoid the crowds, but Tim’s uncle and aunt kindly invite us to camp on their property across the Greenbrier river from Watoga state park. The Greenbrier River Trail runs through their property and we enjoy a bike ride to Seebert for icecream and Wifi access. Deer sightings are common.
We spend a single night at Camp Creek SP near Princeton, WV (worth a visit) before continuing on to Goose Point on Philpott lake in Virginia. One downside of the Goose Point park is that the only road to the beach and day use areas goes right past several of the campsites, with non-camping local folks coming and going all day and evening. Our campsite is on a finger of the lake and we’re able to carry our kayak and gear to a launch area. We circle a couple of islands and, for lunch, go ashore on Deer island where there are boat-in campsites and, you guessed it, deer.
5 – 21 April 2021 The sun is moving north and so are we! With South Carolina campgrounds in our rear view mirror, we return to an old favorite, Little Oak in the Cherokee Nat’l. Forest. We have our preferred campsite on the shore of Holston Lake and enjoy kayaking, hiking, and bike-riding from this spacious, no hook-up site.
Next is the Wilderness Road campground at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park where Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky meet. A couple of miles from the campground there’s a good visitor center documenting the “first great gateway to the West”. Scenic hiking trails abound in the area. The campground itself is first-come-first-served and the sites with hook-ups are mostly full. There are plenty of vacant sites without hook-ups. Finding a level site can be challenging.
We have reservations for Fall Creek on Lake Cumberland, Kentucky, a Corps of Engineers campground. COE campgrounds are desirable because they’re usually well-designed and have hook-ups, but when we arrive at Fall Creek we realize that there’s absolutely nothing to occupy our three days here. No hiking trails, no biking of interest, no Wifi or cell coverage, and the boat ramp ends in a seething cauldron of driftwood and trash. We cancel our reservation and re-trace part of our day’s drive to reach Holly Bay campground on Laurel River Lake. Glad we did! This turns out to be a large, beautiful campground with spacious sites, many with views across the lake. (Part of F loop faces a marina.) There’s a fine boat ramp but we’re fortunate to get one of the few sites where it’s feasible to launch our kayak. Most sites are too high above the lake. There’s a good hiking trail along the shoreline, and the campground is large enough to get some exercise on our bikes. We really enjoy our time here and plan to return.
Tennessee’s Standing Stone State Park campground is in a lovely hardwood forest that would be walkable if it weren’t for the poison ivy not far from the campsites. Cell coverage is spotty at best and this actually becomes the trigger for our purchase of a SIM card for the Winegard. Standing Stone SP hosts an annual marbles tournament. While we’re looking around the marble yards, a ranger stops by and spends quite a bit of time describing the game, the rules, and the top players. What fun! We take the Tea Room Spur trail to the dam and boat house, and then follow the Lake Trail along the perimeter of the lake. This turns out to be a jaw-dropping (literally) experience thanks to the abundance of gorgeous wildflowers, sedum, and ferns. Photos below.
Our November visit to Pickett State Park was so enjoyable that we return again this trip. While the campground is nothing to crow about – the sites are mostly exposed, not very level, with hookups in odd locations and no cell coverage – the park itself is extraordinary. There are numerous simply-awesome trails and we hike three that are new to us: Hazard Cave Trail, Indian Rockhouse, and Ladder Trail. (Upon reaching Ladder trail by the spur from the campground, it should be hiked counter-clockwise for optimal viewing of a scenery surprise and for safer navigation of one of the two ladders.) Paddling around the lake includes views of some of the park’s outstanding rock formations such as a land bridge to the island that the lake surrounds. This is a small but complex lake and two of the creeks that feed it are navigable for a short distance upstream. Pickett, we’ll see you again.
“If I Had a Day that I Could Give You”:
3 – 15 March 2021 Returning to Hamilton Branch for the start of this trip, we have a spacious isolated campsite with a beach where our kayak is based. We spend one day paddling/motoring around the perimeter of this large state park and another riding bikes to explore the park and its various campground loops (evaluating sites for next time). On to Calhoun Falls State Park, located on Russell lake fed by the Rocky River which runs into the Savannah River. (Tip: boating on these dammed lakes is facilitated by maps available through Kingfisher.) The Russell lake area is mostly undeveloped and the water seems cleaner and the air fresher. We paddle/motor around various parts of the lake including under the railroad bridge …. as in trains …. day and night, but fortunately the noise level at the campground is tolerable. There’s too much elevation change to ride bikes at this park, but we enjoy our waterfront site with a very nice beach. I wish the same could be said for Lake Greenwood State Park, where we stay for four nights at three different sites. If you like the aroma of smokey dog doo this is the place for you. Basically a parking lot full of big noisy trucks, super-sized RVs, dogs, and motorcycles, its only redeeming quality is the ability to launch our kayak from our campsite. Even the hiking/biking trail is too swampy to enjoy.
7 – 15 February 2021 We spend two nights at Santee State Park (see description below) en route to three nights at popular Hunting Island. At Hunting Island, it’s too cold for swimming and the water is too rough for kayaking, but the beach is lovely. Unfortunately, none of the campsites have a view of the water and they’re small and closely spaced. While the state park is interesting and worth the long drive, it’s not a place I’d recommend for summer or weekend visits. We enjoy a bike ride down the island to the lighthouse and beyond, but anymore traffic would have made the ride too risky. There are trails for more adventurous riders. Our next campground, at Hamilton Branch State Park on Clark Hill lake (Savannah River), is quite a contrast with Hunting Island. This large park is composed almost entirely of wooded, waterfront campsites — spacious ones for the most part. Due to rain, we neither bike nor kayak but our cool, fresh walks are energizing and online poker keeps us busy.
3 – 11 January 2021 This trip is divided between Dreher Island State Park and Santee State Park — four nights each although at Santee we spend two nights in each of the two campgrounds. En route from Dreher Island to Santee we stop at Congaree National Park and hike on the upper boardwalk to the river (the lower boardwalk is flooded). This time of year is ideal for Dreher Island (no crowds) when the weather cooperates. We bike through the park — crossing small bridges to go from island to island — enjoy hiking a great trail, and christen our new inflatable kayak with a motorized tour among the islands. At Santee we both prefer the Lakeshore campground for its wooded, spacious sites. Cypress View campground is more exposed and congested, although its closer to the office and boating facilities. There are two boat launches within the park, one of which is connected by a land bridge to a day use area. There’s a decent hiking trail as well as a seven mile mountain biking trail with two cross trails allowing for shorter rides. Both campgrounds are situated about ten steep feet above the level of the lake, making it nearly impossible to put a kayak into the water from a campsite.
Dodging freezing temperatures and getting more practice at winterizing Pard, our camping trips between January and March have primarily been spent at South Carolina state parks. Our choices have been driven by bike and kayak opportunities, as well as the scarcity of non-commercial campgrounds open during the winter.
2021 opens with some changes we’ve made to expand our horizons. Until now, we’ve felt somewhat limited in our exploration options after we’ve settled at a campsite. This has now been mitigated by taking along bikes and an inflatable kayak. (Thank you, Leisure Travel Vans, for an exterior compartment that can hold the kayak, paddles, motor and mount, battery, seats, life vests and miscellaneous other gear. So much for downsizing.) We’ve not yet bought a toad but can foresee situations where either a toad or a rental car would be advantageous.