2014 Camping Plans:Mice, Whales, Lobsters, Bears & Tatas

Jeepin Dad · 02-28-2014, 07:25 AM

With the winter being harsher than normal, to help preserve my sanity I've been planning and booking our camping trips for the season. So far we have trips booked out to Columbus Day weekend. The boys and I kick off the season in a couple weeks camping with the Cub Scout pack at one of the local Boy Scout cabins.

Our first trip is at the end of March when we head south from this winter wonderland to sunny Florida to spend a week with Mickey and all his friends at Disney's Fort Wilderness. This will be the boys first Disney experience and we are all getting really excited for this trip.

A couple weeks after we get back to from Disney we head to Little Pine State Park near Williamsport PA for a long Easter Weekend. This trip includes the boys two day Spring Break, the rest of the their break was cancelled to make up snow days. We hope to do some fishing and hiking and if she isn't too busy studying for finals we may get to visit with our niece who goes to college near by.

In May we will stay close to home for Mothers Day weekend and try Susquehanna State Park just over the border in Maryland for the first time. My wife has been saying for a while that she wanted to camp here, since it is her weekend we are finally going to try it out.

Memorial Day weekend we head over to Western PA for a stay at Laurel Hill State Park. Fishing, swimming and relaxing.

Fathers Day weekend we will be North of Gettysburg at Pine Grove Furnace State Park, we camped here for the first time last fall and loved it so we have two trips planned here this year.

At the end of June the boys will finally be out of school, assuming we don't have too many more snow days, so we will do our 2nd week long trip of the season. We will be heading to the Maine Coast for 5 nights at Acadia National Park. We plan on gorging ourselves on lobsters and heading out on the ocean one day where we hopefully see some whales. From Maine we will head over to my parents place in the hills of Vermont for a small town 4th of July celebration with family and friends.

In August we will head to Twin Grove Campground where we will get Topless, or at least the Jeep will, and hopefully we will help raise a bunch of money for TATAs during the 6th Annual Topless for TATAs Breast Cancer Fundraising Event (www.toplessfortatas.com). While I am helping lead a bunch of Jeeps and other 4x4s through the woods and over the rocks of PA my wife and the boys will probably be relaxing by the pool, playing some mini-golf, and may take a day and head to Knoebels Amusement Park.

For Labor Day it is back to Pine Grove Furnace State Park for some fishing, relaxing and a day trip to Gettysburg.

At the end of September we head to Big Meadows Campground in Shenandoah National Park. We were there last September and the weather was great, we saw lots of wildlife, and both boys earned their Junior Ranger patches. Our only regret was we didn't see any bears, the rangers said they were around and they had been seeing them fairly often but they didn't show themselves for us. We really hope we see some this year. When we were there last year there were two other Fun Finders in the campground. This is the only trip that isn't booked yet, need to wait a couple weeks until the 6 month booking window opens.

Columbus day weekend in October it is back to Little Pine State Park for some fall color and to visit with our niece. To give it a little bit of a Halloween feel I booked the cemetery site again this year.

We are still trying to figure out a Halloween camping trip. Most places here do them the weekend before Halloween, I think we have it narrowed down to either Twin Grove campground or the campground at Knoebels Amusement park.

Last year we did camp into November but the weather that time of year can be iffy and the campgrounds are pretty empty so we won't book any trips in advance. Hopefully we get some nice weather we will be able to get some late season camping in.

It should be a fun camping season, we will probably have a couple more scout trips and may try and squeeze in a couple of quick local trips if we can. If this winter doesn't end soon, we have another big storm coming in a few days, I may have to start planning for 2015. Well actually already have some preliminary plans for a 2015 summer trip through West Virginia and down to Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

Eagle · 03-01-2014, 08:39 AM

I'm more of a spur of the moment when doing fun things.

Pre-planning and entire summer would never be a fit for me.

Regardless ~ have fun!

Jeepin Dad · 03-05-2014, 05:31 AM

For us we have found if we don't pre-plan we don't get out nearly as much.

guybmoto · 03-11-2014, 07:01 PM

Once again, I'll follow the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship series. This is the fifth year I'll be making the tour with my Fun Finder.

They've got us bouncing around a bit this summer.

May 24 Glen Helen National San Bernardino, CA
May 31 Hangtown Motocross Classic Sacramento, CA
June 7 Thunder Valley National Lakewood, CO
June 14 High Point National Mt. Morris, PA
June 28 Tennessee National Blountville, TN
July 5 RedBud National Buchanan, MI
July 12 Budds Creek National Mechanicsville, MD
July 19 Spring Creek National Millville, MN
July 26 Washougal National Washougal, WA

SJS1951 · 03-21-2014, 11:26 AM

Hi Jeepin Dad!

Little Pine State Park is near where both sides of my family had family farms, relatives buried in nearby cemetaries (including mom and dad). There is even a road named after my great uncle.

It's really pretty up there. I hope they aren't fracking there like they are up the Loyalsock, north of Montoursville.

Sounds like a great summer planned for your camping fun. I have a couple of trips planned to Texas and Michigan, then whenever I can at my local membership campground.

JeepGuy · 05-17-2014, 06:32 AM

hey man, ill see you at the tata's. not camping this year and only wheeling one day but at least ill be there, bringing a first time wheeler and her jeep this year. im BeerMonkeY on all the other forums

Jeepin Dad · 05-20-2014, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeepGuy

hey man, ill see you at the tata's. not camping this year and only wheeling one day but at least ill be there, bringing a first time wheeler and her jeep this year. im BeerMonkeY on all the other forums

See you there, after having to drop out last year after grenading both my axles in my backyard stream I'll be leading a group made up mostly of people from the Lancaster County Jeeps and Friends Club on green and blue trails.

Jeepin Dad · 05-20-2014, 01:23 PM

So far it has been a fun Camping season. We had a great trip to Disney in March. The only issue we had was one of the frame weight distribution brackets got tweaked and I could not lock it in without it popping off the frame so we ended up making the trip home without the bars on. I ended up welding the brackets to the frame.

Ready to pull out

Our first night at Jacksonville North KOA

At Fort Wilderness

My Cool Donald Duck Lights

We ended up cancelling our spring break/Easter weekend trip because my wife needed her gallbladder taken out but had a really nice Mothers Day Weekend trip to Susquehanna State Park in Maryland.

We are heading to Laurel Hill State Park in southwest Pennsylvania for the holiday weekend

Travels with Yoly · 11-17-2014, 10:42 AM

I tend to be a planner as well, especially when traveling in summer peak season. We did an 8,265 mile trip around the country this summer and there were many, many instances where the campgrounds were full and turning away people all afternoon. It was nice to know we had reservations. We were gone 6 weeks and had reservations for every night along the way. It also gives me something to do during the "off-season" to make time go by quicker

Love looking at pictures of people's travels, it gives me ideas and inspires us to get out more ourselves. We've got 6 weeks planned (and reserved) for Florida this coming winter

michellep · 11-18-2014, 08:53 AM

Hoping this arctic blast passes TN soon...I have reservations to camp Thanksgiving week. Always wanted to camp over Thanksgiving, but hubby wouldn't do it.

So, this year, turkey in a Dutch oven it is! Let's hope for daytime temps in the 40s (or higher would be okay, too)

Travels with Yoly · 11-18-2014, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michellep

Hoping this arctic blast passes TN soon...I have reservations to camp Thanksgiving week. Always wanted to camp over Thanksgiving, but hubby wouldn't do it.

So, this year, turkey in a Dutch oven it is! Let's hope for daytime temps in the 40s (or higher would be okay, too)

Regardless of the daytime highs, the nights will be well below freezing I'm afraid.

michellep · 11-18-2014, 02:08 PM

I'm all winterized and don't plan to use the tanks, except put waste water (dishes, teeth brushing, etc) down the toilet, which will contain several bottles of pink stuff. Lots of disposable dishes in the thought process...

State Park showers are kept open and heated. So, that's a good thing. It will be a brisk time, I'm sure.

Travels with Yoly · 11-18-2014, 04:35 PM

I always think of the settlers who traveled and settled the west and mid-west. They didn't have hook-ups for electric heaters nor propane and somehow, many of them survived

Just glad we have our warm and cozy Fun Finders

michellep · 11-18-2014, 04:50 PM

Plus, I want to get all the use out of this thing before its warranty expires (April, I think)

I'm sure it will be warm and cozy and full of all the great smells of the Holiday. Oh, wait - those smells will be outside...

Someone should invent a turkey scented candle. You'd make millions -women would buy it - think of all the calories they'd save with just a sniff...

Eagle · 11-18-2014, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michellep

Plus, I want to get all the use out of this thing before its warranty expires (April, I think)

I'm sure it will be warm and cozy and full of all the great smells of the Holiday. Oh, wait - those smells will be outside...

Someone should invent a turkey scented candle. You'd make millions -women would buy it - think of all the calories they'd save with just a sniff...

Here it is: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/turkey/nutrition.cfm

michellep · 11-18-2014, 05:08 PM

TURKEY is the healthiest dish!

Load it up with gravy (butter/fat) mashed potatoes (cream cheese/butter/sour cream/cream/salt), dumplings, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, dressing, pie, etc.

And then the women get to clean up while the men snore it off during a football game...

OMGosh - I am SO hungry for Thanksgiving Dinner right now!!! And I get to do it in my little Fun Finder...

I also wish my sweetie would be here, snoring on the couch with the football announcer yelling something about yards and bounds, and offsides...you get the drill.

Yes, Thanksgiving is TRULY my favorite holiday. I have so much to be thankful for, including the people of this Forum, and others, who help me navigate this brave new world of mine. THANK YOU!

Now, I need to go calculate the effect of lower temps on the charcoal briquettes that will be cooking my tiny little turkey to perfection...

PS: Just so you know - there will be a Swanson frozen turkey tv dinner in the freezer for the unexpected failure...