Month: July 2022

Where we have camped since fall 2018, in addition to our own Northern Outpost:

Campground	State	Year
Rickwood Carverns State Park	Alabama	2021
Gulf State Park	Alabama	2021
Heaton Bay Campground (White River Nat’l Forest)	Colorado	2021
Redstone Campground  (White River Nat’l Forest)	Colorado	2021
James M. Robb – Colorado River State Park, Fruita	Colorado	2021
Matterhorn Campground (USFS)	Colorado	2021
Ouray Riverside Resort	Colorado	2021
Lightner Creek Campground	Colorado	2021
Bruce Spruce Ranch	Colorado	2021
Antlers Rio Grande Lodge/ Campground	Colorado	2021
Cheyenne Mountain State Park	Colorado	2021
Big Lagoon State Park	Florida	2021
Fort Pickens Area – Gulf Islands National Seashore	Florida	2021
Henderson Beach State Park	Florida	2021
Dr Julian G. Bruce State Park	Florida	2021
Anastasia State Park	Florida	2021
Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area	Florida	2021, 2022 (x2)
Favor-Dykes State Park	Florida	2022
Sebastian Inlet State Park	Florida	2022
Fort Clinch State Park	Florida	2022
Rodman Campground, Rodman Recreation Area	Florida	2022
Rivers End Campground & RV Park, Tybee Island	Georgia	2021
Forsyth KOA Journey	Georgia	2022
Eagles Roost RV Resort	Georgia	2022
Skidaway Island State Park	Georgia	2022
Geneseo Campground	Illinois	2021
Fisherman’s Corner	Illinois	2021
Starved Rock State Park	Illinois	2021
Walnut Woods Campground	Iowa	2021
Sanilac County Forester Park	Michigan	2018
Stafford County Park (we do not recommend)	Michigan	2019
Holland State Park	Michigan	2019
Young State Park	Michigan	2019
Fayette State Park	Michigan	2019
Marquette City Park	Michigan	2019 (x2), 2020
Porcupine Mountains State Park	Michigan	2019
McLain State Park	Michigan	2019, 2020
Wilderness State Park	Michigan	2019, 2020
Brimley State Park	Michigan	2020
Cheboygan State Park	Michigan	2020
Orchard Beach State Park	Michigan	2020
Hartwick Pines State Park	Michigan	2020
Lake Michigan Rustic Campground, Hiawatha Nat’l Forest	Michigan	2020
Wells State Park	Michigan	2020
Fort Wilkins State Park	Michigan	2020
Tahquamenon Falls State Park	Michigan	2020
Straits State Park	Michigan	2019, 2020
Wild Cherry Resort, Leelanau	Michigan	2021
Warren Dunes State Park	Michigan	2021
Grand Haven State Park	Michigan	2021
Ludington State Park	Michigan	2021
Myre-Big Island State Park	Minnesota	2020
Blue Mounds State Park	Minnesota	2020
Cloquet/Duluth KOA Journey	Minnesota	2020
Oregon Inlet, Cape Hatteras National Seashore	N. Carolina	2021
Island’s Choice RV Park	N. Carolina	2022
Ocracoke Campground, Cape Hatteras Nat’l Seashore	N. Carolina	2022
Frisco Campground, Cape Hatteras Nat’l Seashore	N. Carolina	2022
Eugene Mahoney State Park	Nebraska	2021
Ogallala KOA	Nebraska	2021
Hunter Cove Park	Nebraska	2021
East Harbor State Park	Ohio	2022
Fox Den Acres Campground	Pennsylvania	2021, 2022
James Island County Park	S. Carolina	2021
Huntington Beach State Park	S. Carolina	2021, 2022
Badlands National Park, Cedar Pass CG	S. Dakota	2020
*Buffalo Gap National Grassland (USFS)	S. Dakota	2020
Whistler Gulch Campground	S. Dakota	2020
Custer State Park	S. Dakota	2020
Tower Campground, Sioux Falls	S. Dakota	2020
Clinton/Knoxville North KOA	Tennessee	2022
Fredericksburg / Washington DC South KOA Holiday	Virginia	2021
Newport News Park Campground	Virginia	2022
Misty Mountains Campground	Virginia	2022
Goose Island County Park	Wisconsin	2020

17 states, 74 campgrounds and 1 BLM location

*Techically, Buffalo Gap National Grassland is BLM land and not a campground

 

Keeping with our general rule of five-hour maximum drives, we stopped at Fox Den Acres in New Stanton, PA, just a short drive off of I-70. We discovered it last year, on our return trip. It’s nothing special but it’s in a pretty setting and has nice pull-through campsites with full hook-ups. While we weren’t discovering something new, it was nice to know we could expect an easy, quick stop for a night.

Our final camping spot was at East Harbor State Park. It’s located in Lakeside Marblehead, Ohio, about 17 miles from the Cedar Point amusement park in nearby Sandusky, Ohio.

We arrived around 1:30pm. For only the second time, after camping at 75 different campgrounds over the past few years, we were at a park that enforced a 3pm check-in time. The first time was in Taquamennon Falls State Park, which was 100% booked and otherwise overrun with tourists during the height of the pandemic. That day at East Harbor, the park was mostly empty and we walked through to see our site was ready, but were not allowed to drive in until 3pm. We have heard this is a growing trend, at least at Michigan State Parks.

The park has 573 campsites, including electric, full-hook-up and non-electric, group sites, yurts and cabins. It also has a 1,500-foot sand beach on Lake Erie and 10 miles of multi-use trails. The campground seemed especially beautiful because it was still spring. The trees still had new leaves and spring blossoms. We realized that in Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio, we were experiencing our first spring camping since we bought the RV. I was really appreciating that.

We were there for less than 24 hours, so didn’t get to explore a lot of the park or the nearby lighthouse. We drove to the local marina area, about a mile outside of the campground and had a beer at Crabby Joe’s. We enjoyed a fantastic dinner at the Crow’s Nest. We did our usual walking around the campground and talked with some other campers. On Saturday morning, May 14, we headed home.

I definitely had mixed feelings about returning home. I really love exploring new places, seeing new scenery and meeting people along the way. It’s been a great way for me to deal with the change of no longer working at a high pressure, demanding job for 34 years. It is always nice to return to our home, which feels like a mansion after months in the RV. It’s nice to take long, hot showers, sleep in a king size bed, and use the dishwasher and full-size refrigerator. Our routine shifts to working in the yard, walking, running and riding bikes around home, enjoying our patio and planning our Michigan camping adventures for summer. Best of all, we can spend time off-grid camping at our own Northern Outpost, in Frankfort, MI.

Our 2022 Spring tour was a great mix of exploring new places and returning to some old favorites. It included 18 campgrounds (19 counting 2 times at Gamble Rogers) in 8 states, 4670 Miles, and 69 nights. Since we purchased the RV in fall of 2018, our all-time total campground total is 75, with 378 total nights in the RV (as of May 14).

 

Stopping in Virginia, near Shenandoah National Park, was a perfect way to check out a beautiful area, while also avoiding a route through Washington DC.  We drove through there once before, on our way to the Outer Banks and have avoided it ever since.

We found Misty Mountain Camp resort online and had no problem getting a reservation midweek before the summer camping season. We had a nice creekside site with water and electricity. It was about a 10-minute drive to the park entrance, to several breweries and wineries, and to a very nice Harris Teeter grocery store.

Dave realized that he had passed through the area, during his cross-country bike tour on the Transamerica Trail, back in 1986. Read his journal here: http://tuz.net

We were able to find the location of the house where he stayed. It wasn’t difficult to find because “The Cookie Lady” was well-known by cyclists around the world and there are many articles about her in newspapers, magazines and on the internet. The exterior of the house looks mostly the same, but the area has changed significantly. What Dave describes was poor, rural Appalachia, is now mix of old rural houses  and wineries, vinyards, and microbrewries. There is also a mix of vehicles on the roads older vehicles and jacked-up trucks with over-sized wheels and tires and Toyota Prius’ (Prii..??) everywhere.

It was still spring in the park. Many trees still had new, young leaves and there were flowers everywhere. It mad me realize that I had not experienced spring in a couple of years. Last year we were in the southern states until Memorial Day and spring in Michigan had passed by then.

We did some beautiful hikes and went to a local microbrewery and winery, both with beautiful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was a perfect finale to our winter tour. Over three days, we only saw a small fraction of the park, so we plan to return sometime soon.

Only two more quick stops before arriving at home.

Our creekside campsite at Misty Mountains Camp Resort, Greenwood, VA