Cherrystone Family resort 2015

We drove to Cherrystone while my in-laws followed in their car with the kids. We stopped in Easton Md for lunch at Bob Evans and afterwards JP decided he wanted to ride with us instead. I want to say it took about 4 hours to get there. We really like Cherrystone because they have a ton of things to do. Its 300 acres and they have over 600 sites and activities everyday, anything from crafts to a DJ to live bands. The only thing I don't like about the campground is the site are very awkward and hard to get into. They also only have 3 bath houses for the entire campground which is ridiculous. I do like that they don't up charge you for things. The balloon battles, paddle boats, and kayaks are free. The only thing they charge for are some crafts and bike rentals. They also have 4 fishing piers, boat rentals and 4 dog walk areas and a farm/seafood stand. We really enjoy going there even though its a little bit of a drive. We've never drove there from the house though we usually come from somewhere else.
As I said we went down with my father inlaw and mother inlaw and they will be staying with us for the week. I don't mind when we have guest but when it's for that long and can get cramped. so we arrived at Cherrystone and they put us in a beautiful spot however it was right next to a sand road right by the water and I instantly had a small panic attack thinking of getting Paul into the site. He had to drive through the sand and 3 other sites to get into it and I was certain he was going to get both his trailer and truck stuck... he did not. Unlike when my parents come camping with us my inlaws keep all of there clothes and stuff in the car it really cuts down on the clutter in the camper. After we got settled in and set up we talked with the neighbors who were leaving the next day. They were an older couple from Delaware and they brought there two grandsons with them in a pop up and tent. That night we invited him to come sit with us and his youngest grandson hung out with the kids in the camper and watched a movie together. I had to send him home after I found kenzie running around in her underwear. The man sat with us for a while outside just talking. I will say you wont meet better people when you go camping. Everytime we interact with anyone they're very nice and easy to get along with.
Thursday we made a quick stop at the grocery store for some lunch meat and just realxed the rest of the day. We had beautiful weather and there was always a breeze. We were right on the bay so we were able to go stick our feet in the water and watch the boats and cruise ships go by.
Friday we let the dog go swimming and she loved it. She swam for probably and hour with her tennis ball at one point she made a friend a little black lab puppy.when she was finally done we went to the pool and played balloon wars.
Saturday was another pool day and more balloon wars. We played in the bay for a little bit and found a hermit crab shell that Paul insisted had a hermit crab in it. I didn't believe him until about 5 hours later while we were outside playing cards the damn thing got up and started moving. Mckenzie kept saying to JP " and you had that up to your ear listening to the ocean, it could have bit your ear". The kids had been bugging us for days about going kayaking and we kept telling them they weren't big enough, we finally decided to let them trying it out so Paul took them out and they actually did really good. So everyday after that it was can we go kayaking. The campground put on a short fire works display that night and we went crabbing off the pier with a chicken neck and a string and a small crab trap. We caught a couple of pretty decent sized males but not enough to keep and cook. I think we went crabbing after that just about every night around 8 till 930

Sunday was pretty uneventful and we left for Frontier town Monday.

Harpers Ferry KOA August 2015

Let me first start out by saying I was very disappointed at the state of the campground. I don't know if they're under new management or what but they repainted all the building I guess to try to save face everything else was crappy looking. The golf course alone looked like it was about 20 years old and in disrepair, the green was ripped and some of the boards were missing. The first day we got there I had to do laundry and most of the washers and dryers were broken and it cost me $2.25 for a load smaller then what I can do at home.The pool was cloudy and they also raised the prices at all the games at the arcade. They had a ton of spots open and yet insisted on putting us in a teeny spot right next to someone, however when we asked to move they did accommodate us.
The first day we got there I had to do laundry because we had been camping for ten days prior while I did that Paul took the kids to the pool. I'm pretty sure that I lost a couple of shirts and a pair of kenzies shorts because I can't find them anywhere.
One good thing that we always like about going to Harpers Ferry if the free pancakes every morning, and considering all the changes I'm very surprised they were still free. We went to the giant bounce pillow for a little bit and then went to go play golf. Jp played like a big boy but Mckenzie cried and complained most of the time. after that we wne to a little pizza joint and had a french fry with bacon and ranch dressing. Of course after we went to walmart as usual. That night we had smore by the fire and went to bed.
Thursday we went into historic Harpers Ferry and went into some of the building and walked across the train bridge. Paul wanted to take a 2 hour hike with me and the kids to the mountain peek above the train tunnel but we didn't bring any water and the kids didn't want to so we went back to the trailer. That night the kids were playing on the playground and met the little boy whose family was staying next to us. Whenever our kids meet friends and hangout at their campers we like to meet the parents and introduce ourselves. For some reason the kids never bring friends back to our camper which is fine with me because it gives me anxiety when other kids are at our site. So we go over for the intro and the father is like is your name Paul Perry and Paul said yes, turns out him and Paul played high school lacrosse together and the all went to the same school and I went to school with his younger brother. Small world. The wife and me get our hair done by the same person and they live like 15 minutes from us. We hit it off instantly and we spent the rest of the night at their camper talking and drinking beer till probably 1130.

Friday we had to pack up and go home after we exchanged phone numbers and facebook info and ate out pancakes of course. They left a little before us but we actually past the on the beltway going home. We've been in touch and tried to get together for Halloween but it didn't work out. We're looking forward to seeing them again soon though.
We will be home for 5 days then it's another 2 weeks of camping planned for us.

Deep Creek Lake 2015

So had a pretty short ride from Rocky Gap to Deep Creek state park.We stopped at Burger King to have some lunch and let Elle out to go to the bathroom. We had a pretty decent site at Deep Creek it was a little small and right next to the road but Paul didn't get to mad at me while backing him so win. We got everything set up and the trailer open and went to the lake to play at the playground with the kids. My parents arrived around 8 so we met them at the entrance to the park and made some dinner. We sat by the fire for a little while and went to sleep.

Saturday we all took a walk to the nature center and looked at the animals, mostly frogs and turtles, then went to the aviary. I want to say they had a bald eagle, a red tailed hawk, peregrine falcon, horned owl, barn owl, and a screech owl. It really is cool seeing these birds up close, they were feeding them when we got there and we were able to talk to the handlers about them. We headed back to the camper and the kids made friends with the kids up the road from us and we had some sinner before we drove to the Garrett county fair. I've never been to a fair this big, the had $10 dollar wrist bands for the kids to ride the rides and it was so worth the money. They had a ton of really great rides including a big ferris wheel. They also had tractor pulls and animals; pigs, cows,rabbits, goats, and chickens. I'm assuming they were show animals or auctions. The kids had a lot of fun at the fair we met up with the friends from the campground for a little bit and had some fair food. All in all a great night.

Sunday my parents had to leave to go home so we waiting for them to leave around 2 before we went to the lake to swim. Other then that we didn't do much that day.

Monday we went t the local putt putt course and Paul wooped all of us as usual although JP won a free game because he got his ball in the clowns nose on the last hole. I hate mini golf with a passion, I'm horrible at it and I never win so it's really no fun for me. The things we do for our kids right? They have a small arcade the building so we played some games and air hockey JP won 200 tickets on one of the games so they were able to use the tickets to get toys. They also have a rock climbing wall that the kids insisted on climbing that we paid for, of course JP ckickened out and the bottom and while Kenzie was on it it started pouring so they let her try again after the rain stopped, she got like foot from the top and got scared so she let go. We left there and got ice cream at the local creamery and took another trip to Walmart to get trash bags that I forgot Saturday when Paul and I went to Walmart for trash bags. I'm not really sure why we took so many trips to Walmart but thank goodness they're basically everywhere. After we left there we took an impromptu trip to swallow falls state park and went for a hike with the kids. Paul and I use to tent camp there, it's a nice little campground but I want to say that the camper we have is to big to fit in any of the sites there now. After we did the hike and saw the waterfalls we went back to the camper and had marshmallows and went to bed.

Tuesday we packed up and headed to Harpers Ferry which wasn't in the plan but is always a good trip.

Rocky Gap 2015

Finally the camping season has started for us. I'm all packed and everyone is rearing to go. It took me a good week to pack everything but I did it. We're starting our camping season at one of my favorite places and we'er at our favorite site, number 10 on the Ash loop.
The ride to Rocky Gap is always a smooth one its just short enough for a movie with the kids but long enough to feel like we're getting somewhere. The scenery is breath taking after you get past Hagerstown and keeps me occupied with out getting to boring. It's about a two hour drive and I know we're getting close when we hit the cut in the mountain. After we got to the campground we get everything set up before we do anything else. That means getting the camper level and unhitched. Site number 10 is a start shot so its no problem at all for Paul to get it backed in. After we get everything level it's my turn to get the slides out while Paul hooks up the electric, no water or sewer hook ups at this site. The smaller things include the awning, the rug, table clothes, clothes line, awning lights and getting everything off the beds. one more reason I love site number 10 it's less to do, what we call dry camping. The only problem we encountered was filling up our water tank before we left and that was a somewhat quick fix.

Monday we woke up got dressed and headed for Lake Habeeb the lake was great not to crowded and the water was nice to. I got in and usually don't get in the water. We had great weather and stayed there most of the day. We went back to the tailer after we got the toys and umbrella cleaned up and got dressed to go to the playground. We all played and hide and seek and went to the store when we were done and got an ice cream to cool down. After we ate dinner we went to visit the birds at the aviary where they keep the birds for scales and tails. Most of the birds they keep there are injured in some way or another. I think I read they were hit by cars and are unable to be released back into the wild due to there injuries. We played a little while and headed back to the camper  to get ready for showers. Unfortunately a couple weeks before we arrived the shower house on the Ash loop was struck by lightning and the girls bathroom was out of order and they didn't have power or hot water to any of the bathrooms on Ash so we had to drive to another loop to shower not a huge deal though.

Tuesday we took Elle to the other side of the lake to go swimming and JP slipped on the boat ramp and got soaked which wouldn't be a big deal but I only brought enough outfits to get us through the trip. We had lunch and went back to the lake with the easy up and enjoyed the weather. that night we played the movie Home on the blow up screen.

Wednesday we went to the playground where JP and Kenzie made some new friends and we finally got the go to the Nature Center, it was closed Monday and Tuesday. I was a little disappointed that they really didn't have to much to offer as far as activities. we went home ate some lunch and went back to the lake with the easy up. This trip to the lake we decided to sit on the other side of the beach and discovered they have a new dog beach area, an older lady and her yellow lab occupied it pretty much the whole time we were there and he was searching for minnows most of the time.After we left the lake we went to the Walmart we can't go a trip with out going there for some reason, I'm not even sure what we needed, I'm pretty sure we got snacks a couple of movies and some other crap that we probably didn't need.

Thursday was the most eventful day for us. We drove into Cumberland and surprised the kids with a train ride on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. As many times as we been to Rocky Gap we've been on it. Its about an hour ride to Frostburg then they turn the train around and go back. The kids were very excited on the ride to Frostburg. Paul took them both out between cars so they could stand and watch everything go by. At one point the train goes through a tunnel and its drark. When we got to the station in Frostburg we decided not to watch the engine on the turn table and opted for something to eat in town instead. We ate a little diner that has been open for 75 years called the Princess Cafe. they had so so food great prices and friendly service and we made it back to the train with 10 minutes to spare. The ride back was uninteresting to the kids I guess because they saw all the sites already and they were a little rowdy. The train lost power not to long after we left so it was dark and the AC didn't work but it never got to hot. It was a very enjoyable experience and I think the kids really liked it as well. I'm pretty sure we took a trip back to the Walmart before we went home for a couple small things and me and the kids stayed in the truck

Friday was the last day at Rocky Gap and none of us really wanted to leave but we were headed to Deep Creek lake state park for more dry camping. My parents will be meeting us there later in the day.

Starting of 2015 Camping

It's now July 16th and we have yet to go on a camping trip in the year 2015, I know crazy right. My husband and I have been working so we haven't really had any time until now, but we're going to really make it count with 10 straight days of camping and only going to 2 different places.Were starting the trip off at Rocky Gap state park in western Maryland and then headed to Deep creek lake where my parents will meet up with. we are all very excited to get going. We come home for 5 days I think, basically just to regroup and repack and then head back out for another 10 days and two different places, this time Cherrystone campground in Virginia and Frontier town in Marylands eastern shore.

I think I've already wrote about how getting ready for a long camping trip kind of stresses me out and how I really do hate doing it. It's just so much to get prepared. I pack for 4 people for 10 days and they don't have any laundry mats at state parks so it 10 outfits each. that's 80 pieces of clothes 40 shirts 40 shorts I pack 20 pares of pajamas 40 pares of socks, and underwear, the list goes on and on. I do all the grocery shopping and meal planning and RV packing. I almost always forget something even though I keep a draft hard copy on my computer of literally everything that goes in the camper and the first trip is always harder because we take everything out of the camper at the end of the season. Needless to say I don't sleep much the week before because I'm constantly going over things in my head.
We leave July 26th so have about a week and a half to get everything that I need together and I've already started packing the kids stuff because my in-laws are taking them to Ocean City Maryland for 5 days sunday so I wont have to clothes them for a week.
I'm looking forward to getting this camping season started and I hope I'm able to keep up with my blogging mostly because I like to look back and remember

Fort Whaly Ocean City 2014

Hello fellow campers/readers Fort Whaly is a very nice campground about 20 minutes from Ocean City Maryland. We usually stay in Frontier town when we go to Ocean City but they were already booked for the week we wanted to go and since we vowed to never return to Castaways Fort Whaly was the next option. We've stayed there once before and liked it but we didn't do much because Mckenzie was only a baby. This year we had a 4 and 6 year old to keep us busy and use all  the amenities they had to offer. Its not a huge campground which is nice because we had plenty of space and a huge site all to ourselves. The campground itself has plenty to do but most of the activities dont start until take to  4 or 5. They have a shuttle that will take you to Assutegue national park, Frontier Town, and Ocean city its free until 4 o'clock and after that it only costs a dollar. We only took the bus one time because it took us an hour to get into ocean city after all the stops. They also have mini golf, a fenced in dog park, laundry room and a pretty well stocked camp store.
We had a really awesome camp site on a corner with lots of room for the kids and dog to play.