FALL 2024 It seems that every departure finds us barely completing the numerous projects and preparations minutes before leaving home. How do we manage to pull it all together just in time, with a sequence of advance reservations leaving no room for error? Is it a matter of superb planning, or run-of-the-mill procrastination? Among the RV projects we completed (so far) this year: selling the Coachmen Nova; replacing the inverter as well as the rearview camera on the LTV Wonder; and having Ford put in a limited slip differential.
En route to the Canadian coast of Lake Ontario, we stop at three familiar campgrounds: Stony Fork in Virginia, Coopers Rock in West Virginia, and Allegany SP in New York (see prior year blogs for photos and descriptions). For camping during the first third of this trip (August) we prefer locations with hookups so that air-conditioning isn’t dependent upon generator usage.
LOVELY PHOTO
While in the Buffalo area, we visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Graycliff on Lake Erie, as well as his splendid, don’t-miss Martin House.
https://buffaloah.com/a/DERBY/oldlake/6472/hist
https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/darwinmartinhouse/details.aspx
Four Mile Creek SP in northwestern New York is a large and good campground on Lake Ontario. Although cell coverage is spotty, it can be found at some locations within the campground. There’s a free shuttle from here to Niagara Falls. Also at this campground are Sue and David, camping in their LTV Unity. As with many LTV owners, we strike up a conversation and realize how much we have in common. The conversation continues by email as we travel in opposite directions from here.
It seems that every nationality is represented among the visitors to Niagara Falls, NY.
Border crossings always make us a bit nervous. Will some of our food be confiscated? The guidelines vary and can be based upon temporary conditions like Bird Flu. Crossing into Canada was no problem today, fortunately, with about a 15 minute wait. The line of cars waiting to cross into the US, however, was much longer.
https://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-safety-consumers/bringing-food-canada-personal-use
The Niagara region of the Ontario province is dominated by vineyards. We stay two nights with a Boondockers Welcome host near the appealing town of Beamsville, followed by two nights at the 50 Point provincial park east of Hamilton. 50 Point is on Lake Ontario with a beach, marina, and lake surrounded by a walking trail.
Three cheers for the Boondockers Welcome / Harvest Hosts program! For this trip, about 50% of our reservations are with member hosts compared to 10-20% in the past. There’s great variety in the types of locations and social contact with the hosts. Boondockers Welcome was bought in 2021 by Harvest Hosts. www.HarvestHosts.com
Elora is a small scenic popular town west of Lake Ontario. It’s worth playing tourist here despite the tourists. There are walking/biking trails all through and around the town, and we spend most of a day sightseeing by bike. Don’t miss the Elora bakery and its exceptional sourdough bread.
A smaller version of Harvest Hosts, the Leisure Travel Vans Driveways program is another opportunity to meet like-minded travelers. We have our first contact with LTV Driveways hosts in Belleville Ontario. From the very beginning it feels as though we’re old friends.
Extending from the Ottawa River to Lake Ontario, the Rideau Canal includes several locks. We’re watching and photographing operations at the Lower Brewers lock when we’re invited to board a boat that’s about to transit through the lock. Made our day!
Crossing the border into the US on Labor Day weekend isn’t such a great idea, but we want to visit Boldt Castle in the 1000 Islands without signing on to a tour. We camp at Wellesley Island State Park, and use the ferry service of Uncle Sam’s out of Alexandria Bay, NY.
Boldt Castle was started in 1900, about the time the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC was completed. Perhaps Boldt Castle was intended to be as opulent as the Biltmore Estate but it was never completed. George Boldt terminated all work on the project in 1904 due to the death of his wife Louise, for whom the structure was being built. It wasn’t until 1977 that the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired the property after decades of damage by the elements and vandals. A multi-million dollar restoration is ongoing. The contrast between the restored lower floors of the mansion and the damaged upper floors is striking.
MAY 2024 At the Wilderness Road campground of Cumberland Gap NHP, we’ve returned to the scene of the crime — the location where a tree fell across the roof of our LTV Wonder one year ago (see Spring 2023 for photos). This will be a relatively short trip thanks to an assortment of projects occupying the past couple of months. The van we bought as a temporary replacement for the Wonder – a Coachmen Nova – has been sold to a young family of four. Their first trip was to Ohio for the eclipse. It’s gratifying to know that children are now enjoying the van that took us all over the Southwest last Fall.
Mammoth Cave National Park, a six-night stop, is a focal point for this trip. The campground has no hook-ups but is shaded and pleasant. Generator hours are liberal: 8A to 8P. Intriguing trails and cave tours abound here. We take the Great Onyx, Frozen Niagara, and Extended Historic tours. It’s the mysterious passages we don’t take that make us wish for a moderate version of the lengthy and strenuous Wild Cave tour.
The map below is on the wall of the Mammoth Cave visitor center but it’s the only one, regardless of date, not for sale. It includes two entrances to the cave – Cathedral Domes and New Discovery – that have been omitted on subsequent maps. It’s of interest because I found one of these entrances during a 1998 visit. At that time, it appeared that it had been used in the past for one of the cave tours. Now, everything in the vicinity is overgrown.
Isn’t google a treasure? https://grottomap.org/en/#37.162601,-86.069271,16,cRAZBoqj
En route to Bailey’s Point Corps of Engineers campground, we stop at the National Corvette museum in Bowling Green. It’s particularly renowned for the sinkhole that swallowed several corvettes one night in 2014.
Our third visit to Tennessee’s Pickett CCC Memorial state park, we once again appreciate the CCC structures, the trails, and paddling on the interesting lake. Circling a large island that’s accessible to the park by a land bridge, the lake offers views of interesting geologic formations and a sense of wilderness in the upstream portions.
At Big Ridge state park north of Knoxville, we enjoy a four-mile hike around the lake.
Typical for us, we’re spending most of the summer at home in Asheville to avoid the heat, bugs, and crowds that are part of summer camping. Meanwhile we’re trying to tolerate the heat and bugs that accompany our much-needed yard work. Looking forward to our Fall trip to Ontario and the northeastern US.
January 2024 It’s truly a joy to be traveling again with “Pard”, our Leisure Travel Vans Wonder RV. Our first stop is Santee SP in South Carolina, which we’ve visited on two prior occasions. It’s a large park with hiking and biking trails as well as water access from the two dock areas. There are two campgrounds: Cypress View, mostly open but closer to amenities, and Lakeshore, with more trees and deeper into the park. The land bridge and day use area are within walking distance from Lakeshore.
Anastasia SP, on St. Augustine beach, is definitely worth the difficulty in getting a campground reservation. It’s an easy walk from our campsite to the beautiful beach, or to the inland bay, or to the hiking trails. The park feels far-removed from the bustle of St. Augustine. Despite having reservations for five nights, we left for two nights due to high wind warnings. This park will see us again before long.
As we did last year, six of our family get together for a pontoon boat ride — this time on the St. John’s River near DeLand. During the winter, Florida’s rivers become cooler than the springs and the manatees gather near the springs. This year Blue Spring hosted a record number of manatees — over 1000.
Camping in Central Florida:
Plenty of wildlife this trip:
Wakulla Springs State Park, south of Tallahassee, doesn’t have a campground, but the pontoon boat tour is definitely worth a stop. The historic lodge is lovely.
A delightful stay at the North Florida farm of a Harvest Host:
And now we’re back in Asheville, probably throughout the Spring considering the number of projects needing our attention. A three-month Fall trip is in the works though, with the route covering the Canadian rim of Lake Ontario, the Adirondacks and Catskills of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and as far as Acadia National Park in Maine, if we can get a reservation!