The Worst & Best List (So Far)

One of the major questions people ask is our opinions on places we have stayed over the past year. This is especially true of other full-time Rvers who are always on the lookout for the best places at the lowest prices. There's nothing worse than overpaying for uncomfortable surroundings and inadequate facilities.

Overall, we've been lucky so far. Being new to the game when we hit the road, we booked stays in places we had never been and hoped for the best. Some exceeded our expectations, most were adequate and a few were outright hell holes. We realize that not everyones expectations are the same. Some people will only stay at four-star rated properties, while others are happy with only an electrical hookup and fire ring. That's fine. To each their own. The particular rankings on our list is solely based on our expectations and experiences, but the reasons why could probably be agreed upon by just about anyone.

The Worst Places We Have Stayed (So Far):

#5 - Beaver Springs Lake Campground
Location: Davenport, NY
Reasons: First, we have to give credit to the owners of Beaver Springs Lake Campground for being some of the nicest people we have met along our journey. They truly cared about our comfort and the grounds were very well maintained. Yet, the location is hard to access, is without cell phone reception or television signals, offers mainly grassy sites except for permanent residents and the wifi access advertised could only be accessed in the immediate vicinity of the office.

The major problem with our stay was the attitude of the permanent residents. They were unfriendly to the max and treated us as if we had just landed in their space with the intention of overthrowing their empire. It was weird. They never waved hello, they never spoke to us, they glared our way while speaking among themselves in whispered tones and, I'm sure, kept asking management when we were going to leave. A prime example of the overall atmosphere was when the owner rode his bike up to our spot and invited us to the weekly bingo game at the pavilion. Part of his comment was (and I'm not making this up), "At least you can get away from the Hound Of The Baskervilles for awhile." Huh??

#4 - Skidaway Island State Park
Location: Savanna, GA
Reasons: I love the low-country region of the Carolinas and Georgia. There is something very peaceful about the rivers, grassy islands and abundance of wildlife. However, Skidaway Island State Park is not the place to stay if you wish to be comfortable while enjoying the surroundings.

The park is easily accessible and hosts an extensive nature trail system replete with observation towers. But the mud-filled sites, high nightly fees, biting ants, numerous spiders, mosquitoes, bees, wasps, a wifi signal only accessible at the office area and a complete lack of customer service skills among the staff all combined for a miserable stay. We were able to take some great wildlife pictures, but left covered in huge and numerous insect bites that did not go away for weeks. This park is great for a day visit to enjoy the trails, but not recommended for an extended stay.

#3 - Fallen Rock Parke Campground
Location: Brazil, IN
Reasons: We would probably never have stayed at this park except it was the closest place we could find to Terre Haute, IN that wasn't outrageously expensive. (My youngest daughter, Jennifer, and her husband, Trent, live in Terre Haute.)

Our stay was not without drawbacks and resulted in damage to several roof vents on the RV. The park owners are nice and the grounds includes a small restaurant, but to get to the location your drive is over five miles through cornfields along very narrow roads. The grounds was filled with mature walnut trees and several strong winds caused the nuts and shells to drop on the roof like small bombs. As a result, a few cracks developed in the front roof seams and a major hits were taken by overhead vents. The shower facilities were poorly maintained and included those infernal water-flow regulators that you have to push every thirty seconds to maintain pressure. There was no cell phone reception, no television signals and weak wifi. Not a place we would recommend unless you absolutely need to be in the area.

#2 - Atlanta Marietta RV Resort Park
Location: Marietta, GA
Reasons: We stayed at this park for only one night, but would not return for two reasons; costly rates and location.

The major problem was location. The park is in the middle of a residential area that is not easily accessible from I-75. There were several times we became lost trying to locate the entrance due to poorly marked streets and busy intersections. Once we did find the place, the view from our site included a used car lot and a very busy highway. We're just glad we didn't book for an extended stay.

#1 - Frosty Acres
Location: Schenectady, NY
Reasons: As those who have read previous posts know, I now refer to this place as Frost-My-A$$ and will continue to denigrate them as often as possible. They earned it.

We came across Frosty Acres through our membership in Passport America. The place looked great on paper - free wifi, ample electric hookups, weekend activities and a great nightly rate. However, what we experienced was a lack of wifi, inadequate electrical currents, spaces too small to comfortably park any unit over thirty feet in length, a dump station at the top of a very steep hill, a smelly drainage lagoon within thirty feet of our site and questionable long-term residents. To top it all off, their total apathy towards short-term guests made the overall experience uncomfortable.

The other drawback was location. This park is in the middle of nowhere. To shop for supplies required a thirty minute drive into Amsterdam along narrow, winding and hilly roads.

The bottom line is we were deceived. After managing a resort for three years it was not hard for us to quickly understand the place is badly run. They could care less about delivering what they advertise and, I'm sure, repeat their "no refunds for early departure" policy if anyone complains or wishes to leave early. Our advise is to avoid this campground at all costs.

The Best Places We Have Stayed (So Far):

#5 - Indian Rock Campground
Location: York, PA
Reasons: First a disclaimer. If you are looking for a four-star campground, this one is not that kind of place. It is a small, private grounds with 30 RV sites and open areas for primitive camping. The sites are unpaved and access is along narrow country roads.

Aside from a great camp host, the major reason Indian Rock is on our list is all about location. The park sits about 3 miles South of York amid beautiful farms. Within short walking distance there were two places for local produce and meats. One is Miller Farms where we found fresh field corn, tomatoes and other produce. The other is Miller's Meat Market which offers not only the best meats anywhere (both fresh and smoked), but also a wide variety of homemade soups, salads, slaws, original sauces and gourmet spices. To this day we still talk about the quality of that meat. Another perk was close access to the York Heritage Rail Trail. This trail runs along sides of train tracks that were originally part of the North Central R.R. system. The entire trail is 21.3 miles in length, starting at the Pennsylvania/Maryland border and ending in downtown York. It's a beautiful area which is why we extended our stay by an additional week after arriving.

This park is basic, but recommended if you're low maintenance and enjoy superb food in a country setting.

#4 - Bonny Rigg Camping Club
Location: Becket, MA
Reasons: Again, this is a no-frills park with basic amenities. The reason it is on our list is entirely about location.

I can't say it more plainly - we are in love with the Berkshires! There is a gentle serenity to the area that captured our souls. Bonnie Rigg is actually a private "camping club" open year-round and one of the few RV parks available in the Berkshire Mountains of MA. We enjoyed a peaceful brook flowing within ten feet of our site while parked under sprawling pine tree. Beyond the park proper, the entire area is stunningly beautiful with breath-taking views at every turn. We shopped at a small market in Chester that was surprisingly well-stocked and in the middle of a very beautiful neighborhood; old Victorian homes, a gas station that looked unchanged since the fifties and a town center reminiscent of a Frank Capra movie. It is an area we will return to as soon as possible.

#3 - Promised Land State Park
Location: Greentown, PA
Reasons: We generally stay in private RV parks because they offer lower rates for extended stays. State parks and private campgrounds each have their niche and are equally comfortable in their own ways. But no matter how much research we do, we just never know if the places we choose will equal their promotional information; they all promise to the the Promised Land of RV campsites. At this park we found a place that exceeded all expectations in unexpected ways and lived up to its name.

Although it is very remote and deep into bear country, Promised Land State Park is well worth the visit. What set this stop apart from others was the near perfection of its campground and facilities. We drove along roads and parked in a site paved with new, smooth asphalt. The grounds were exceptionally clean and the bathroom facilities were like something out of Star Trek; ultra-modern lighting triggered by motion sensors, spacious showers with slanted drains, low-flow plumbing fixtures and ample hot water. The landscape is ruggedly wild and the staff, as opposed to many state parks, knows the meaning of customer service.

#2 - Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park
Location: White Springs, FL
Reasons: This was our very first stop on this journey and a place we fell in love with immediately. The park is centered around the historical influence of Stephen Foster and is defined by a plantation-era designed visitors center and lush woods filled with massive oaks draped in Spanish moss. The place just screams antebellum Old South. The centerpiece of the park is the world's largest carillon tower comprised of 97 tubular bells. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., it chimes the hour including notes on every quarter hour. At 10, 12, 2 & 4 it also fills the park with renditions of Stephen Foster tunes. They are some of his lesser known works, but still beautifully melodic. The sounds of the bells became a very relaxing part of our days. It sits directly on the Suwanee River and hosts an open-mike coffee house the first Saturday of every month.

Most sites are on gravel, but level and close to modern, well-maintained bathrooms. The staff is exceptionally friendly, the grounds immaculate and the historical displays fascinating. As with most state parks, stays are limited to only fourteen days, but a stay at this place for even overnight is worth the trip. Between the people, the daily carillon bells and the setting it felt almost ethereal at times. Our stay at Stephen Foster is the primary reason we chose to return to the White Springs, FL area.

#1 - Kelly's RV Park
Location: White Springs, FL
Reasons: This place is not at the top of our list because we are currently staying here. It is at the top because it deserves to be in every way possible.

Aside from being well maintained and providing excellent amenities like an open library filled with hundreds of books, this place is special because of the people. From the day we arrived we were welcomed with open arms and made to feel as if we had come back home. Most of the permanent residents started the way we did. They arrived initially for a short visit and now have been here for years. It's that kind of place. Everyone is friendly, concerned about one another and works hard to make this area feel like a true neighborhood. The owners, Mary & Richard, define the meaning of gracious hosts and the rural setting is wonderfully peaceful.

I could go on for paragraphs about the joys of staying at Kelly's, but most of what I would say can be found in recent posts. Deb and I agree, it's without a doubt, the best place we have stayed so far.

Until next time, Happy Trails.

copyright 2009-2010 Lane A Geyer
photos by Deb

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The Neighborhood

It's been a hot, humid and generally quiet few weeks here at Kelly's RV Park in White Springs, FL. Except for the hassles of a ripped awning I wrote about in the previous post, most of our time has been spent inside with the A/C. The park is not seeing much business right now and everyone is moving slower as the summer doldrums set in. The Suwannee River is flowing at a high level due to almost daily thunderstorms, now looking like strongly brewed coffee due to an increase of tannins in the water. It's Summertime in the Old South. Crank up the Stephen Foster tunes.

There was a nice pot-luck gathering on the 4th where the owners, Mary and Richard, provided hamburgers and sausages and everyone else brought side dishes. We enjoyed a selection of salads, baked beans, chips, dips and an excellent mango coleslaw made by Deb that proved to be very popular. Numerous people asked her for the recipe; which you can find on her blog. About two dozen people attended, mostly permanent residents, and it was a very nice time. We were able to meet a few new people and catch up on the latest news on the area. The men mainly talked fishing or NASCAR while the ladies asked about the latest updates on who wasn't there. It was a pleasant way to spend the holiday.

We have stayed at over 15 RV parks (both public & private) over the past year and found a real gem here at Kelly's. Aside from being well maintained and providing excellent amenities like an open library filled with hundreds of books, this place is special because of the people. From the day we arrived we were welcomed with open arms and made to feel as if we had come back home. Most of the permanent residents started the way we did. They arrived initially for a short visit and now have been here for years. It's that kind of place. Everyone is friendly, concerned about one another and works hard to make this area feel like a true neighborhood. That has been the exception to the rule in many places we have stayed.

There are very distinct differences between public and private RV parks. In most State parks your stay is limited to two weeks because of vagrancy concerns. Some will allow you to leave for a few days and return for another two week stay, but the overall atmosphere is filled with people coming and going on a daily basis. They are nice, natural settings, but people tend to stay to themselves.

The private parks are much different in that in almost all of them there are distinct layers to the residents. There are the permanent residents who stay year-round (or as long as they can in Northern areas where parks close for the Winter season), the permanent part-timers who have a site for weekend stays or vacations, those who stay for several months or weeks at a time and the overnighters. In many private parks we have stayed, some permanent sites have been occupied by the same families for generations. We have come to prefer staying in private parks because they allow longer visits with more amenities (usually at better rates), but have also found glaring differences in how the permanent population treat newcomers to the territory.

Last August we were travelling our way towards Boston and stayed at two private parks in Upstate New York. One was the Beaver Springs Lake Park and the other was Frosty Acres Park; which I have since referred to as Frost-My-A$$. Both were for two week periods and both proved to be like something out of a Stephen King story. They had the same levels of residents as mentioned above, but the permanent residents treated us as if we had just landed in their space with the intention of overthrowing their empire. It was weird. They didn't wave a friendly hello, they never spoke to us, they glared our way while speaking among themselves in whispered tones and, I'm sure, kept asking management when we were going to leave.

I'll have to give credit to the owners of Beaver Springs Lake Park for being some of the nicest people we have met along our journey. They truly cared about our feeling comfortable, but seemed to be caught in the middle of dealing with the permanent residents they inherited when they bought the property. A prime example is when the husband rode his bike up to our spot and invited us to the weekly bingo game at the pavilion. Part of his comment was (and I'm not making this up), "At least you can get away from the Hound Of The Baskervilles for awhile." Huh??

As far as the experience at Frosty Acres, they can still kiss my a$$. I wrote enough about that in previous posts. Let's just say the people there were equally not as welcoming.

So it is now a great joy to be among people who see and treat us as one of there own. We didn't arrive here expecting that, but it's happened and we are the better for it. Deb makes regular morning visits to the office where people gather like it's Floyd's Barber Shop. We enjoy monthly pot-luck meals with the neighbors, catch a ride to town once in a while and know everyone by name. It's a good neighborhood with good people. Who could ask for more.

Until next time, Happy Trails.

copyright 2009-2010 Lane A Geyer
photos by Deb

Last Thing I Needed (First Thing This Morning)

I'm borrowing the title of a great Willie Nelson song as the theme for this posting because it fits: The last thing I needed (first thing this morning) was spending time in torpid humidity repairing a ripped awning as sweat dripped into my eyes and red ants chewed at my ankles like kids going after candy. It's not the best way to start a day.

The awning on our old RV Howie (House On Wheels Is Excellent) is the original from when Howie was built 25 years ago. I'm amazed it has lasted this long. There were a few minor holes, but overall it has served us well over the past year. It's been battered around by winds in Upstate New York and Southern Indiana, survived the snows in Taylors, SC last winter and has been exposed to the blistering sun here in Florida. It's been a lot of places in its life and times, but its days, woefully, are now numbered.

I went to bed early last night with no worries about heavy rains because I had (as usual) checked the radar constantly throughout the day. We had a few scattered showers around the area, but nothing of serious concern and every prediction was for clear skies overnight. The awning was not slanted as much as it is during heavy rains, but there was no reason to think it should be. Wrong! Once again, those professional prognosticators of weather patterns got it wrong, wrong, wrong. I really can't blame them down here. After all, it is the sub-tropics and heavy downpours develop as swiftly as flies descend on molasses. But an undisturbed sleep would have been nice.

At about 10 P.M. I half-awakened to hear heavy rain pelting the roof. I slightly remember thinking about how much the awning was slanted, but quickly fell back into a deep sleep. Then, sure enough, I was fully jolted out of sleep by a loud, crashing sound outside and knew something big was amiss. Just then Deb came running into the bedroom, shook my leg and said, "Lane, get up. The awning just came down."

When the awning has taken on heavy rains before, one of the sliding support arms has simply collapsed and expelled the runoff. Not this time. I got to the door to find it blocked by the awning and the roller-bar tilted completely to the ground. After pushing our way outside, Deb and I stepped into driving rain and heavy winds. (Cue theme song from Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom.) Both support arms were slated about twenty degrees off-center and there was a rip across the front of the vinyl canvass causing it to flap in the wind. We quickly grabbed each side and rolled the awning up until I could get one side secured enough for the night. It took us about ten minutes to complete the task and by the time we were done we were both soaked to the bone.

Needless to say, first thing this morning, we stepped outside into 95 percent humidity to assess the damage. Surprisingly it was not as bad as it could have been. The roller-bar still works and all of the other hardware is still intact. The rip in the canvass was the worst of the damage. It was a clean tear along one of the stitch-lines at the roller-bar area that extended half-way across. Bad, but fixable until another canvass can be found.

The one thing I'm good at is executing a McGuyver; which by definition is any person who handily uses everyday objects to find a way out of an unusual situation. (Reference TV show.) So, having large safety-pins on hand, I slowly reattached the tear to the remaining pleat while Deb supported the roll-bar as she also got chewed on by those cursed ants. A fun times was not had by all, yet it worked well enough. We can no longer extended the awning to its full length, but at least we'll have shade for now.

Ah, well. Another reality of the full-time RV lifestyle.

Other than that, it's been quiet around here at Kelly's RV Park in White Springs, FL since my last posting. The weather has been hot and everyone seems to be already into the summer doldrums. There's just not much going on, so we basically concentrate on staying cool. We had a nice gathering on the 4th when the owners provided hamburgers and sausages, while everyone else brought a side dish. It was good food and good conversations. What more can you ask for on a day of celebration.

copyright 2009-2010 Lane A Geyer
photos by Deb

Some Things Just Don't Make Sense

Miller Family Farm - York, PA

An interesting aspect of our journeys over the past year has been the opportunity to see, first hand, the effects of current economic conditions on local communities in many parts of the country. Communities everywhere are experiencing the common problems of unemployment, decreased property values, large drops in local and state tax bases and disappearing small businesses. This is especially true in rural communities. There have been small towns we have driven through that, although a few years ago housed a few businesses and residents, are nothing more today than literal ghost towns. Some areas have been affected harder than others, but no matter where we have been, everyone hears the same news topics over and over; no jobs, cutbacks in local services, disappearing businesses and ballooning national expenditures.

While many people in all parts of this country are complaining about new federal programs and their impacts on the average citizen and local communities, they are oblivious to older federal programs that waste billions of dollars per year. While the debate raged on and on about how to pay for the health care bill, our government is paying subsides to the tune of $3 billion dollars per year to less then 20,000 cotton farmers. The program encourages American planters to grow cotton even when supplies are high, and this overproduction keeps prices low on the world market.

Given that we have children in this country going to bed hungry every night and that the official number of unemployed people today is 15,089,451 the cotton subsidy sounds really dumb right? Well, it gets dumber. At the same time we are paying American planters subsidies to grow cotton nobody needs, we are also paying Brazilian cotton farmers over $147 million dollars a year of our tax dollars to compensate them for the unfair advantage we pay our farmers! Time magazine summed up this mess by saying, "If you're perplexed, here's the short explanation: We're shoveling our taxpayer dollars to Brazilian farmers to make sure we can keep shoveling our taxpayer dollars to American farmers... Basically, we're paying off farmers to maintain our ludicrous status quo."

Now, before you think this money is going to the small, independent farmer who busts his or her butt every day to provide a quality farm life for their family, think again. Most of this cotton subsidy - our money - is going to big corporations who bought out the small family farms who could not compete with them and their government subsidies.

This topic is personal to me because I spent my formative years growing up on a family farm in northern Indiana. It was a great way to spend my youth and I am grateful each and every day for the lessons learned about life on that land. There's something very special about working alongside relatives on land that your great-grandfather homesteaded. It was often a difficult and hard way to make a living, but one that was filled with rich blessings and the support of a very large extended family. Unfortunately, the days of the independent family farm are quickly becoming a thing of the past in this country.

Farm subsidies have always been an important part of our national economy and security. They were first put in place to both safeguard the family farmer from the vagaries of weather and to protect our nation's food supply. This not only stabilized rural economies, it also helped make our nation the largest food producer in the world. Then, slowly, multinational corporations began to buy out family farms and expand their dominance in all areas of food production. Not surprisingly they built, and continue to expand, this dominance through the the very subsidies that were established to help the small farmer.

For example, did you know in America: 80 percent of all soybean production and processing is controlled by one corporation, Monsanto; that between 1995 and 2005, 73 percent of farmers and ranchers in New York state did not collect one cent of the $1.11 billion in Federal farm subsidies for that state - instead, most of that money went to just 10% of subsidy recipients including over 1,300 businesses in New York City (most large multinational corporations); that wealthy men like Ted Turner and David Rockefeller are taking in large sums of money each year in the form of farm subsidies; that most of the poultry you purchase at major chain grocery stores is controlled by multinational corporations who cornered the market in the 1960s; that most of the pork you purchase in major chain grocery stores is controlled by multinational corporations who cornered the market in the late 1990s; that the same is true for beef and corn products purchased through major chains; that multinational food-based corporations annually maintain one of the largest lobbyist influences in Washington, D.C.?

Today the inequity of how the federal government allocates farm subsidies - our money - is playing out in the dairy industry. It was given daily coverage on local news channels while we were in the Northeastern states last summer. Yet for the impact this crisis will ultimately have on independent family farms and our nations milk supply, it has received woefully little attention by national news chains.

Each day, our nation is seeing hundreds of independent milk producers going out of business due to a lack of adequate federal price supports. Right now dairy farmers are losing $200 per cow each month due to the gap between current bulk milk prices and production costs. If trends continue, we may immediately lose 20,000 of our nation's 60,000 family dairies and billions of dollars from rural communities, which are already hurting more than large communities during this economic downturn.

This dairy crisis is just not the result of overproduction or a sudden decline in demand spurred by the global recession. Instead, it is a disastrous combination of factors beyond the independent farmer's control. The price of milk paid to farmers collapsed a record 30% in January 2009 alone, the result of a volatile pricing system manipulated by a few corporate players. In addition, our country is allowing an unregulated flow of milk substitute imports from China. Most of the milk-based fillers used in processed cheeses and many other products now come from overseas, not from American farmers.

All our nation's independent milk producers are asking for is a fair price support from the government. They are not asking to get rich overnight or ripoff the taxpayer. They simply want a fair chance to maintain their businesses and keep ownership of their family farms. While this crisis drags on, our federal government has yet to pledge any increased support; they instead have established a committee to research the problem and present recommendations.

While some may argue that the expansion of multinational corporate farming is simply the result of economic trends that lead to lower prices for the consumer, I would have to say that I find that view short-sighted. We have seen the impact of lowered farm incomes on many rural towns and the outcomes are sad. With the loss of every dollar from small family farmers many jobs, local businesses and personal lives are placed into distress. It's not comfortable to stay in or drive through rural towns that are obviously dying due to a collapsed local economy. Ghost towns are once again becoming a part of our rural landscape.

I also find it short-sighted to not think about our food base being at the total control of multinational corporations. There's just too much at risk. As a family farmer from Iowa said, "If the government thinks they have problems with our nation's reliance on oil imports or the collapse of the banking industry, what will they do if we are dependent upon foreign entities for our food supplies?".

It just seems to me that if this nation can shell out our money to Brazilian farmers so that we can continue to overproduce cotton, or pay millions to wealthy landowners in subsidies, or pay multinational corporations a huge share of subsidies that were meant for the small, independent farmer they could, instead, spend our money in ways that better support independent dairy farmers and rural communities. That money, right now, could be going to the those who daily work to maintain the beautiful family farms we have seen in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and other parts of this great land. It could be going to those small towns who are currently dying a slow death. It could be going to us instead of another country.

There's a lot I don't understand but, like the title says, some things just don't make sense.

copyright 2009-2010 Lane A Geyer

photo by Deb

RV Life

August 28, 2009

We arrived midday for a three night stop at Bonnie Rigg Campground in Becket, MA. The short drive along I-90 out of NY and into the Berkshires of MA was beautiful. After a very boring two week stay at Frosty Acres Campground outside of Schenectady we couldn't get here fast enough.

The focus in this posting is to share some of the realities of RV living. It was one of the original reasons for beginning this blog and we have found plenty of new reasons to pass along our experiences after staying at what I now call the Frost-My-A$$ Campground. It was not a good experience.

We came across Frosty Acres through our membership in Passport America, a very good resource for discount stays at private campgrounds throughout North America & Mexico. The place looked great on paper - free wifi, ample electric hookups, weekend activities and a great nightly rate. Sadly what we experienced was a lack of wifi, inadequate electrical currents, spaces too small to comfortably park any unit over thirty feet in length, a dump station at the top of a very steep hill, a smelly drainage lagoon within thirty feet of our area and questionable long-term residents. We can give them credit for having a well-stocked store and clean facilities, but their total apathy towards short-term guests made the overall experience uncomfortable. The bottom line is we were deceived. After managing a resort for three years it was not hard for us to quickly understand the place is badly run. Our advise is to avoid this campground if at all possible.

With that being said, we plan to relax and enjoy a comfortable evening in a lush, more accommodating forest campground setting. I will post again tomorrow and expand further upon more realities of a full-time RV lifestyle.

copyright 2009 Lane A. Geyer

Photo by Deb

New York

August 11, 2009

Davenport, NY

It has been a beautiful time for us at Beaver Spring Lake Campground in Davenport, NY.

We left our last stop early morning of July 31 and headed further North; first on I-83 to I-81 then onto I-88. Once again we experienced RAIN! The trip was smooth until we ran into construction on I-81 North of Scranton, PA. This was during some of the heaviest downpours and it was a very rough ride. There is major resurfacing underway in both directions. If you are planning a trip along this route anytime soon I would advise finding an alternative route. The backups are horrible and the ride is rough enough to dislodge molars.

We eventually arrived in Oneonta, NY late afternoon and, after a stop for food supplies, headed East on S.R. 23 to the campground.

Beaver Spring Lake Campground is located just outside of Davenport, NY in a very scenic area of the foothills of the Catskill Mountains. The grounds and facilities are immaculately kept, the scenery is beautiful, there is a well-stocked camp store and wifi access by the office. They offer 120 campsites, have an in-ground swimming pool and regular weekend events. Many of the sites are occupied by long-term seasonal guests and there is a very family-friendly atmosphere throughout the entire grounds. The weather has been warm during the days and cool during nights; sometimes very cool for us South Floridians.

Our first weekend here was a very festive occasion. On Saturday there was a huge party to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the campground being in continual operation and the 10th anniversary for current owners Bob & Betty. Hundreds of people of all ages, both those staying here and others from outside the grounds, enjoyed a glorious day of food, live music and raffle drawings. It was a nice way to settle into the area.

Will update you later on our journey from somewhere down the road.

Copyright 2009 Lane A. Geyer

Photos by Deb