Comment on It’s Time To Break Out That Camping Checklist by Amar
Posted by Amar on August 30, 2009 under Uncategorized | 
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Hi, I wish to go camping, Is there anyone who can guide me to make good preparation……………
All I want for my birthday is to go camping
Posted by Roy Scribner on August 26, 2009 under Camping, camping activities, kids, koa campgrounds, things to do | Comments are off for this article
Okay, maybe that’s not all she wants for her birthday, but with Chuck E. Cheese’s® just down the road, a bounce park in town and the lure of a sleepover party with her favorite friends, it makes this dad proud to say that his soon-to-be nine year old daughter chose a camping trip for her birthday. Camping has been a part of our kid’s lives just like going to movies or maybe a restaurant. It’s still something that is special to them, but it surprises me that they still get excited about it since it’s something that we do pretty regularly.
Because this is still a child’s birthday, though, she didn’t select just any regular camping spot to spend our weekend at. A normal camping trip for us is to get away from the crowds by heading up into the Sierras, or one of the lesser-known beaches along the central California coast. But not this time. On this weekend, we will brave the crowds at what has to be one of the more extravagant KOA campgrounds in the country – the Santa Cruz / Monterey Bay KOA. Hey, it’s a little girl’s birthday!
2006 Gilroy Garlic Festival - is that the smallest harness you have?
This won’t exactly be “roughing it” by any stretch of the imagination, but this place is a kid’s dream, with a train, a jumping pillow (I didn’t know what that was either – the kids did, though), a mechanical bull, a huge playground, an outdoor theater and the list goes on. They even have a climbing wall and a climbing rock, which my daughter is really excited about because she has been climbing since she was five.
It’s important to keep the kids interested in the outdoors and particularly in family outdoor activities. If that means enduring a weekend at a commercial campground once in awhile, I think I can live with that. I know that they will have a great time and I’m confident that they will still love the crisp mountain air and the quiet sounds of nature, next time.
See also…
Resources: Free eBook: Introduction To Family Camping
All I want for my birthday is to go camping
Camping is exciting with nearby thrill parks
Posted by ARVC on August 24, 2009 under Uncategorized | Comments are off for this article
Whether it’s roller coasters, wild swings, carousels or a lazy paddleboat excursion, there are parks that offer these and give you a place to park your home on wheels. We love taking these types of trips because even though the parks themselves aren’t the cheapest vacation, a full day of activity for one price isn’t bad in today’s economy. And if you have the option to go back to your campsite for a rest and food, saving you from exhaustions and saves money.
Our favorite spot is Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, and its Camper Village. Although we spend very little time at our site or in our RV, and the campground offers minimal amenities, it’s nice to eat at home once in awhile. And it gives us a chance to do two days in the park, running from roller coaster to roller coaster.
The best part of staying onsite is the early and late access to the parks, while other guests are leaving or haven’t yet arrived, you can enjoy the park! So, here are some suggestions, including our favorite spot, and their offerings. Book one before the summer is over and scream with your kids. It’s a great way to spend your day!
- Camper Village, Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio – Located on Lake Erie peninsula, you can walk right into Cedar Point Amusement Park from your RV. The park offers 209 total sites and 60 cabins. Pets are welcome and there are cable TV and laundry facilities. In addition to the amusement park, there is an outdoor pool and whirlpool spa, shuffleboard court and game room.
- Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort, Santa Claus, Ind. – The 2008-09 National RV Park of the year and is located next to Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari Theme Parks. The resort offers free shuttle to the theme parks. In addition to location to the theme parks, the resort offers WiFi at most sites, a pool, golf car rentals, playgrounds, paddleboats and fishing. The 232 sites include 200 full hookup sites. In addition, there are cabin and RV rentals. For those who enjoy more than theme parks, the resort is just minutes from the Lincoln Boyhood National memorial, Lincoln State Park and the Lincoln Amphitheatre.
- Disney’s Fort Wilderness, Buena Vista, Fla. – Part of the Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Fla. Resort, Fort Wilderness sits on 740 acres of woodlands and the Walt Disney World Resort, the campground offers 784 sites, as well as cabins. Staying at the resort allows guests easy access to all of the Disney resort with free transportation to theme parks and other parts of the resort. In addition, there are pools, horseback riding, tennis, boat, canoe and kayak rentals, as well as hiking trails. There is also a seasonal Mickey’s Backyard BBQ where characters participate in the hoedown. There is also a restaurant and snack bars, laundry facilities, babysitting, a kennel and high-speed wireless Internet access available.
- Highmeadow Campground, Hershey, PA – Offering 299 sites and 22 cabins, this campground is part of Hershey Resorts with direct access to Hersheypark and Dutch Wonderland, In addition to the theme parks; the campground offers Internet access, cable TV and laundry service. There’s also a swimming pool and an arcade/game room.
Comment on It’s Time To Break Out That Camping Checklist by paul
Posted by paul on August 22, 2009 under Uncategorized | Comments are off for this article
Agree wholeheartedly..Just been to Keswick in Cumbria..Fantastic place actually and fully recommend it to anyone..Unloaded everything and began pitching my tent..Guess what?..Had not checked everything before leaving and discovered i had forgotten my tent peg bag!!! Luckily for me campers are nice and helpful people and everyone on the site gave me a peg each so i was able to pitch and enjoy my stay..From now on everytime before leaving i will do a thourough equipment check..Sound advice !!
Comment on It’s Time To Break Out That Camping Checklist by Buck Knife
Posted by Buck Knife on August 12, 2009 under Uncategorized | Comments are off for this article
I recently went camping on a beach in the Emerald Coast of FL and realized too late that I should have checked my gear first. I was planning on just sleeping outside under the stars, but a thunderstorm in the approached and forced me to set up the tent. It was already dark (not the best time to set up a tent) when I began. I have a small 2 person tent w/ 3 poles, and when I was setting it up, one pole was missing. What a night of sleep…LOL. I tried best I could to keep dry and sleep, but it just didn’t work.
Take me to the campground, and the beach
Posted by ARVC on August 5, 2009 under Uncategorized | Comments are off for this article
Paddling around in a two-man raft is relaxing, especially when followed by grilling out and sitting around the fire. Fast forward to the next day – more of the same!
Or, what about splashing through the water, burying a “loved one” in the sand and building sand castles? And after you’re done, walking back to your camper, having a burger and then S’mores over the campfire? There’s no better way to go to the beach than to finish the day at the campsite and not in the traffic jam heading away from the lake.
There’s also fishing, a relaxing outing in itself. And, if you’re at the campground that means fresh fish for supper!
This summer hasn’t been as warm as many of those I remember, but we’ve found our way to Lake Michigan and then some smaller inland lakes to enjoy the water. Just a word of advice, when you go to Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, be prepared for some COLD water. But if you’re a northern girl, you love it!
Here are some great places to enjoy the water this summer, along with your RV!
- Lakeshore Park, St. Ignace, Mich., gives campers an opportunity to enjoy the Upper Peninsula with a view of the Straits of Mackinac and the Mackinac Bridge. With 75 sites, the park is open from May 1-Oct. 15, offering RVers access to Lake Michigan and is just an hour from the Soo Locks. The park also offers free Wi-Fi.
- Pirateland Family Campground, Myrtle Beach, S.C., offers 1,500 sites and 88 RV rentals. On the beach of the Atlantic Ocean, the park offers visitors a swimming pool in addition to the ocean. It also has a 510-foot Lazy River where floaters can relax. With numerous amenities, the park also has organized activities. The park also offers Internet access.
- Edgewater Resort & RV Park, Kelseyville, Calif., is on the 100-mile shoreline of Clear Lake, the largest natural lake in California. The park offers 60 sites and eight cabins. There is boat trailer parking, launching and docking facilities and a beach area. Watercraft is also available for rent nearby.
- Sylvan Lake Beach Park Inc., Hopewell Junction, N.Y., is on 65-wooded acres and on a 120-acre spring-fed lake just 60 miles from New York City. Offering 75 sites, a sandy beach, fishing and boating. There are also lots of family activities and a playground.
New campground doing well in spite of economy
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The Bluffton/Fort Wayne South KOA in Bluffton, Ind., about 25 miles south of Fort Wayne, opened to its customers this spring, and is having a pretty good year, so far, said owner Ann Marie Crismore, who owns and operates the park with her husband, Ryan.
The couple spent two years planning and constructing the park that will eventually have 124 sites, including five cabins, plus eight tent sites, when all is completed. Sites will be water and electric and full hookup, and the majority are pull-thru sites.
There’s also a fishing pond and in-ground pool and nearby is the Wabash Heritage Trail and Ouabache State park if hiking is something you enjoy. Little Turtle State Recreation is also nearby for fishing.
While the actual work has been ongoing for two years, emotionally the couple worked on the park for 10 years, Crismore said. So, there was no turning back this spring when things looked bleak.
However, guests to the park have come from near and far. “We’re getting RVers from all over, some who are staying near home to enjoy their RV and others who are traveling cross country,” she said.
Guests have come from Bluffton and all over Indiana, as well as Texas, California and Canada, Crismore said. “Last night, we had a tent camper come in from Montreal, Canada, and this morning we had a rig come in from California,” she said in late June.
For those who have not visited the Bluffton/Fort Wayne South KOA yet, pets are allowed for a small deposit, and an activity director on site is keeping kids busy. So far, they’ve had a scavenger hunt, charades and an ice cream social. More is planned for the summer, Crismore said.
“We’ve met a lot of wonderful people,” she added, saying she and her husband used to be RVers and now tell their friends to come to the park so they can sit at the fire with them.
Independence Day weekend is fast approaching; make your reservations now, if you haven’t already. Parks fill up quick for the long holiday weekends. Enjoy the sun, the fire pits and the weekend neighbors at the park you visit. Break out the hotdogs, its time to go camping!
Here are other new RV parks to enjoy around the country:
- The Bainbridge/Flint River KOA is just off of the Highway 84 and 27 Bypass in Bainbridge, Ga., and is open all year. Access to the Flint River and Lake Seminole is just across the street. The park offers RV and tent sites, as well as an 18-hole miniature golf and a community fire pit. There’s also Wi-Fi and a washer/dryer facility.
- Located in the Tucannon Valley, the Dayton/Pomeroy KOA is on the edge of the Wooten Wildlife area and Umatilla National Forest; this KOA has 70-foot pull-thru sites, as well as cabins and tent sites. It’s open from March 1-Nov. 30. Breakfast is served most weekends and ice cream socials and movies under the stars at the outdoor theater on weekends and holidays during the summer.
- The Salem KOA is just two miles south of Salem in the heart of the Willamette Valley, and only 100 yards from the Enchanted Forest Theme Park. Open from Feb. 15-Nov. 1, the Pacific Ocean and Mt. Hood are both within driving distance. RV sites and cabins are available. And there’s even a doggy play area. Wi-Fi is available and the swimming pool is open from May 15-Sept. 15.
- Shoreline RV Park, Eureka, Calif., is on the coast of California, 280 miles north of San Francisco is in the heart of northern California's coastal redwoods. Visitors can hike, bike and boat. The park offers 58 sites, a dog park, on-site security, Wi-Fi and is near a public boat launch, marina and beach.
- Deer Haven Campground is located in Lisbon, Conn., and has 78 sites, including 50 full hookup sites and five tent sites. Amenities in the park include hiking and biking trails, swimming in a pond, lake or the ocean, and planned recreation.
You don’t have to camp on public land to enjoy it
Posted by ARVC on under Uncategorized | Comments are off for this article
Like many, Memorial weekend was our first camping trip of the summer. We went just an hour from home in northern Indiana, enjoying the nearby state park and its natural attractions. And while the state park was full of campers, so were the surrounding private parks, which also offered their guests the options of water and sewage hookups, cable TV and Wi-Fi. And those who chose to stay at the private parks also were just minutes from the state parks vast biking, hiking and horseback riding trails, as well as the beach.
But because you aren’t the only one who wants to get away for the holiday – make your reservations early. The wonderful weather was an added boost to the unofficial opening summer holiday weekend and there were NO camping sites to be found! So, if you’re considering an RV park near a state or national park for the next holiday weekend, call NOW!
We made our reservations, along with other family, months in advance, so we just pulled in and set up. How nice that for once we were the closest to home. But I discovered that’s not always an advantage.
We were the last to arrive because of work that I could not do before 6:30 p.m. Friday. In addition, we knew we would be gone for several hours on Saturday because we had a wedding to attend. Still not a problem since we had the long weekend, and a wedding is a very important event!
However, Sunday brought sad news to my family and another trip home for me. My eldest – who decided to stay home – called me Sunday morning to let me know my dog had died sometime during the night. Now this is a dog who was 14 ½ years old and I could see him physically aging tremendously in the past few months, but you’re just never ready for it when it happens. And the fact that I wasn’t there when it happened has left me riddled with guilt.
My dog used to love camping and was a very good camper. He was a Keeshond and loved people. But the older he got, the more trouble he was having moving around, so camping wasn’t the top of his list any longer. Part of me wished we had taken him this trip and part of me is thankful he was home when he died. But hundreds of tears later, neither thought makes it any easier. I will miss my camping mate, my fuzzy buddy and my friend when no one else seemed to understand me.
Please tell me about your camping buddies. And, in honor of my buddy and for all of you who camp and travel with pets, here are a few parks that invite them in with you and are close to nearby public parks for outdoor recreation:
- In northern Indiana, just a few miles from Pokagon State Park is Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park at Barton Lake, Fremont, Ind. The park itself is located on a 100-acre lake with a pool and splash playground, waterslides, mini golf, boat rentals and five playgrounds. With 540 sites and 18 cabins, it can accommodate nearly any camper/RVer. Pets are welcome.
- In northern Georgia, Lake Nottely RV Park, Blairsville, Ga., is a relaxing stay and near the Appalachian Trail for hiking and sightseeing, in addition to numerous other area stops. The park has lake-view sites with full hookups, Wi-Fi and boat ramps and docks. It also has swimming in the lake, pond or ocean, along with hiking and biking trails. Pets are welcome.
- In St. George, Utah is McArthur’s Temple View RV Resort, where guests can enjoy Utah’s Color Country. Near Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon, the park offers 270 sites, some with full hookups. There’s also a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, exercise room and Internet connections. Pets are invited.
- Ardmore, Okla., is home to Hidden Lake RV Inc., where, in addition to large sites, Wi-Fi, cable and RV repair and service, you’re just minutes away from Lake Murray, Oklahoma’s oldest and largest state park. The park has a 5,700 acre lake with hiking and horseback riding. In addition, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, with its mineral spring and wildlife is also nearby. Hidden Lake welcomes pets.
Keep Mosquitoes Away While Camping
Posted by Dorrie on August 2, 2009 under Camping | Comments are off for this article
No one wants their camping trip to be ruined by mosquitoes. Check out the following information on how to keep mosquitoes away while you?re camping.
The first thing you need to do is to protect yourself. This means wearing long sleeves and long pants whenever practical based on the weather. Mosquitoes seem to be attracted to darker colors, so choose light colors when you can. If you?re camping in an area where mosquitoes are prevalent, you might also want to consider treating your clothing with special mosquito repellents made for clothing or perhaps investing in pre-treated clothing. However, be aware that the repellents that are designed for clothing can?t be applied to the skin. Follow the manufacturer?s instructions regarding their use and laundering.
The parts of your person that aren?t covered by clothing should be treated with a mosquito repellent. The most effect ones contain various concentrations of DEET. Depending on the concentration, a product with DEET can protect you from 2-5 hours without re-application. There are also some naturally-derived repellent products on the market, but they require more frequent reapplication to be effective.
If you don?t want to have to worry about slathering on some repellent, there are some products that are available in the form of towelettes, which may be easier for you to carry around. Whatever you choose, follow the label directions carefully when it comes to application and removal. Don?t apply mosquito repellent to broken or irritated skin, or to skin that will be covered by clothing. If you don?t have a combination sunscreen and mosquito repellent product, you?ll usually get better results by applying sunscreen first, then the repellent. Don?t forget the back of your neck!
Now that you have your person protected, it?s time to think about your campsite. First, your tent should have a mesh door ? keep it closed at all times to keep mosquitoes out. This is also a good time to think about using that mosquito repellent for fabrics again. If thing are really bad, you can even use a mosquito net inside your tent. Netting is also a good way to protect yourself when you?re sitting outside and eating or cooking. Many outdoor stores sell square tent-like structures with net on the sides to keep mosquitoes away from your campsite.
A camp fire is also good for keeping mosquitoes at bay, as they don?t like the smoke. Depending on your camp site, you may or may not be able to have a campfire and you may or may not be permitted to keep it burning all night. Always follow the rules and regulations of the site where you?re camping.
In areas where mosquitoes or other flying pests are prevalent, you may want to consider treating the area. One of the newer products available is a portable device that uses butane to infuse the air with repellent over a 15 foot by 15 foot space. There are models designed especially for camping, as well as mini-models designed for easy portability. Just a few of these would provide effective mosquito protection over your entire camping area, allowing you to enjoy your camping trip without the constant threat of mosquitoes.