Month: May 2025

First stop – Kooser State Park, Pennsylvania

Just 2 1/2 weeks after returning from our spring ski trip in Colorado, we loaded up the RV and headed south toward Virginia. We had eleven nights reserved at two campgrounds in Shenandoah National Park. We also had reservations at Shenandoah River State Park, on our way to and from the national park. We planned to stop at Rocky Gap State Park in Maryland, on our way home. This would be our third attempt to camp there, as bad weather forced us to cancel there, twice before.  We planned to be flexible with our plans after that. On our way south, we stopped for a quick overnight at Kooser State Park in Pennsylvania. It was nothing special, but a good stop. A highlight there was a hummingbird greeting us when we first arrived.

Shenandoah River State Park and Front Royal, VA

We loved Shenandoah River State Park, including the campsites. They are well-spaced, flat and have cement pads, electric and water. Once again, we were greeted by a hummingbird. I was sure this was a sign that we would have a wonderful trip. We spent two nights there. Dave rode the bike trails while I walked, ran and birdwatched. It really is a birdwatcher’s dream in springtime. There were many types of birds, including Indigo Buntings, everywhere.  Along the trails there were numerous bird houses, occupied by tree swallows. We spent a late afternoon and early evening in the town of Front Royal. It wasn’t too difficult to leave after just two days, as we would be there again, on our way home.

Shenandoah National Park

We had three nights reserved for for our first campsite at Loft Mountain Campground in Shenandoah National Park. It was all we could manage, since it is a popular destination and booking is very competitive. We had an additional two nights reserved at a second campsite. We also had 6 nights reserved at Big Meadows Campground, which is about 30 miles away, also in the park.

There is no power or water at the campsites, so we used our small quiet generator. The campground was mostly full, including a lot of tent campers. We spent our first few days hiking and sightseeing, often on sections of the Appalacian Trail.  The weather was nice and not too hot. We saw some waterfalls, great views and, thankfully, not the bear that had been recently spotted in the area.

Most of the time, there was no cell service, but occasionally we could get a weak signal. I was trying to check weather and news and discovered I could only see sites with no ads, so was checking NPR, PBS and NOAA for weather. I was hardly reading any news, but briefly ran across an article at NPR about a flood watch for the Shenandoah area, due to a major weather system approaching. After further investigation, it appeared that we would be getting many days of heaving rain in the national park,  Shenandoah River State park, and Rocky Gap State Park in Maryland. All the towns in the area were under flood watches or warnings.  We checked the forecast for all the nearby states, including Pennsylvania, and they would all be drenched by the huge weather system. Rather than spend multiple days hunkered down in torrential rain, we decided to head home quickly.  We knew we wouldn’t be hiking and were also concerned we may have to evacuate and then tow our rig home through the storm or flooded areas.

Heading home early with a stop in Ohio

We normally try to limit driving to 2 1/2 hours a day, allowing us to enjoy ourselves and check out new destinations along the way. Afterall, we are retired and have no reason to rush.  This was a rare occasion, where it made sense to drive about seven hours to avoid the storm.  Towing a large fifth wheel in heavy rain and wind is quite stressful! We stopped at West Branch State Park, in Ohio. We were lucky to get a nice campsite and avoid the weather.

For a week after we returned home, we tracked the weather conditions. There was flooding in the towns, schools were closed and multiple trails were closed in the parks. While we were happy to have experienced what we did, it was very disappointing to have driven 600 miles for just a 7-day trip.  We plan to go back and camp at Big Meadows and Rocky Gap, sometime soon.

I did some research and learned that in many cultures a hummingbird is a sign of good luck (among other positive things). I initially doubted that, but maybe I was lucky to have noticed the news article about the storm….