Where We Are Now

We landed this afternoon at Ely KOA Journey, pretty much right in the middle of Nevada, elevation, 6500 ft. This is just a stop-over for a night, but it really is a nice campground. We plan to drive around this after and check out the town.

   Ely KOA our site

Where We Are on the Map

Where to Next

From here we're heading north to Idaho. Our first stop is a place called Anderson Camp. We plan to spend a couple of days there so we can check out Shoshone Falls and what's left of Twin Falls

 Anderson Camp Stock Photo

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Monday, 20 May 2019 15:19

Cactus Gardens RV Resort

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Cactus Gardens RV Resort

     Cactus Gardens is an Encore RV park and our first “Trails Collection” resort. It is also our first 55+ resort. The first thing we noticed and liked about the park was that the roads were paved and all the RV’s and park-models were all neatly lined-up. The park rates run around $300 a week, but with the Trails Collection added to our Thousand Trails membership, the park was free and we stayed for two weeks.
The RV sites are very tight, but they all have full hookups with 50 amps including cable. It’s a really great community with lots of things going on from water-volleyball to cards, to dancing, breakfasts, lunches, dinner, darts, shuffleboard, horseshoes, and many others. They are lacking pickleball courts though. We walked the park and their sister park next door (Desert Paradise) every day, meeting people at every turn. Both parks are Encore parks and are very similar. We floated back and forth between them daily. We met one couple using their Trails Collection membership to jump between the two parks every four days so that they would never have a timeout week. One two sides of the park were alleys not being used by cars but by dog walkers. With both sides having concrete walls they were designed for water run-off. They are wide and long so that dogs could get off leash and run. Overall, we loved the park and the people made us feel very welcome. We are looking forward to returning there in the future.
     While in Yuma, we took advantage of the inexpensive dental work in Los Algodones. The campground had a 5% off coupon for Baja Dental. We called around and found that their prices were better than most so we decided to use them for a cleaning and possibly a bridge for me. The office was very clean and modern. The staff was very professional and the doctors seemed to very experienced. I was sold and decided to have the bridge work done there. They went from cleaning mode to x-ray mode, to prepping the side two teeth for the bridge without the doctor every leaving my side. In very short time I was out of there with two new temporary caps and an appointment to return in a couple of days for a bridge. On the second trip, the bridge was fit and refit and polished so that my bite was perfect. That took less than twenty minutes in the chair. I have had the bridge for a week now and can’t tell that it’s not my real teeth. All my fears of going to Mexico to have dental work done are gone. The cost of everything was just over $600, about ¼ of what my dentist in Portland quoted me after insurance. Plus the process would have required two or three visits to Portland and over a month’s time to get all the work done.

A fun Yuma RV resort near the mighty Colorado River

     With over 300 days of sunshine in Yuma, Arizona, Cactus Gardens RV Resort is a perfect destination for a trip away from it all. Enjoy 14 acres and 428 sites at this Yuma RV Resort. Fishing and boating on the nearby Colorado River and Imperial Dam are popular activities for residents and guests.
Back at the resort, our Activity Director keeps things interesting with numerous activities including: weekly jam sessions, Saturday breakfast, Sunday church service, Tuesday and Thursday homemade doughnuts, Wednesday biscuits and gravy, bingo, live entertainment, shuffleboard, horseshoes, darts, daily pool exercise, line dancing, and assorted card games.
Book your trip to Cactus Gardens RV Resort today! 158 of our sites are available for reservations. Our staff is eager to make your retreat the best it can possibly be!

Monday, 20 May 2019 15:04

Burns Park

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Burns Park RV Park & Campground, North Little Rock, Arkansas

      Burns Park is a huge park right off the 40 in North Little Rock.  It features sports venues which include baseball, softball, tennis, golf, disc golf, and soccer.  There are bike and hiking trails and even a BMX track.  Then, of course, there is a campground.  The campground is very nice, with large paved sites.  Some with full hookups some without.  Site 15 is the only pull-through.  We pulled in without a reservation and the camp host helped pick out a site that would work best for us.  He figured that we needed a 50 amp full hookup site and he had the perfect site for us.  Only it shared a 50/30 service with a 5th-wheel that was there full time.  He was going to have her plug into the 30 so that we could have the 50, but we opted for a 50 amp site without septic as we were only there for one night and didn't need to dump.  The owner of the 5th-wheel came out and insisted that it was no problem for her to switch.  You meet the nicest people while camping.  Overall the campground was really nice, heavily treed and felt like a campground.  It's a great $30 a night campground right off the freeway, but not so close that you could hear it. 

      We did run into town and did some shopping and had dinner.  It was nice to be back in civilization after spending the previous two weeks in the middle of nowhere.  I would love to go back and visit the Maritime Museum there, but we didn't have enough time.  Maybe next time through we will stay longer.

Monday, 20 May 2019 15:02

Burlingame State Park

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Burlingame State Park, Charlestown, Rhode Island

      Trying to camp in every state that we drive through, we had to find a place in Rhode Island.  Burlingame wasn't our first choice because of the lack of utilities.  With our fresh water pump out of commission, it was even less attractive.  But we were very wrong.  The park is beautiful and we're very glad we stopped.  We only stayed the one night, but we should have stayed longer.  The park is quite large with hundreds of large campsites.  There are also cabins as well, all without utilities.  However, there are a few nice shower/bathrooms in the park and lots of clean portable toilets between them.  The roads are paved and the campsites are mostly level.  They are more set up for tent camping than big motorhome camping, but I wasn't moved to break out a tent.  With a working water pump, I would love to return here and camp longer.

 

     The campground is 3,100 acres of rocky woodland that surrounds Watchaug Pond in Charlestown. This spacious campground features over 700 rustic campsites and 20 cabins with conveniently located restrooms with shower facilities, a playground, arcade, freshwater beach, canoe rentals and hiking trails.

      The entrance to the park headquarters and camping area is off US Route 1 in Charlestown, RI.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO!
UTILITIES: Not available at this campground.
CABINS: Rustic, with no utilities. Two bunk beds available in each. Mattresses and bedding are not provided. Air mattresses are strongly recommended.
FIREWOOD NOTICE: If you are planning to camp during an upcoming trip to Burlingame State Campground, please help protect our public lands by purchasing your firewood at the Burlingame Camp Store. The Camp Store offers for sale quality firewood at a reasonable price for our visitor's convenience and to prevent the spread of pests, which could decimate our forests.
AREA-SPECIFIC: For further information concerning this campground, please read the Area Specific information listed in the RI State Parks Camping Policies. It is the camper's responsibility to read and follow the campground rules and policies. Refunds will not be granted for misunderstanding of the terms.

Burlingame State Park & Campground (1934)
      For nearly two centuries, 1702 to 1902, there was only one main road along the Atlantic coast of Rhode Island, the Boston Post Road, familiar to modern Rhode Islanders as Scenic 1A. Begun as a postal route to connect New York and Boston, the Post Road ran by way of ferry connections through Newport or took the mainland road up the west side of Narragansett Bay through Wickford, East Greenwich, Apponaug, Pawtuxet to Providence. The coastal road not only connected Westerly to Narragansett, but it separated the flat meadowlands and salt ponds of Charlestown and South Kingstown from the woody, rock-strewn uplands that led towards the river systems of the Pawcatuck and Wood.

      In the 18th century, the broad strip of meadowlands stretching from Point Judith to Westerly was the home of the Narragansett Planters, the large farms of the Robinson, Hazard, Helmes, Champlin, Babcock, Burdick, and Stanton families. These were mostly livestock farms: sheep herds, cattle, and the famous Narragansett Pacer horses. The shoreline crescent of sandy barrier beaches backed by a necklace of salt ponds went largely unappreciated for its recreational qualities until late into the 19th century when people from out of state began to rent summer homes and set up tent communities to enjoy the pleasures of the sea. At either end of this strand were the formal resort hotel destinations of Westerly’s Watch Hill and Narragansett Pier. When the state park system for Rhode Island was created in1904, the Atlantic coast was beyond the scope of the Metropolitan Park Commission. The Commission at first sought to bring recreational relief to the Providence urban core and nearby population centers.

      Some twenty-five years later, however, the original concept of a ring of parks around Providence, connected by scenic parkways, was expanded to the shores and woods of Rhode Island’s South County. The expansion, however, focused not initially on the barrier coastal beaches, but on the woody, rocky northern fringe of Route 1. Following the lead of the Audubon Society’s creation of the Kimball Wildlife Sanctuary in 1927, the Metropolitan Park Commission began acquiring woodland around Watchaug Pond, leading to the establishment of Burlingame Reservation, and, ultimately, Burlingame State Park and Campground. The making of the state park resulted from assembling adjacent parcels, either by direct purchase or through condemnation. One of the purchases was that of a private club lodge and 498 acres of land. Under the terms of the purchase of Chomowauke Lodge, full ownership of the property was not transferred to the state until 1960. United States Senator, Theodore Francis Green, was the last private member to join in September of 1930 and the last to pass away. At first, in 1930, the land was just a wildlife preserve. By 1934, it was opened as Burlingame State Reservation or state park. The 3100 acres evolved into the state’s first camping ground. It was named after the Commission’s long-standing chair, Edwin A. Burlingame.

      During the 1930s, taking advantage of the public works programs offered by the Depression-era New Deal, Burlingame became home to the 141st Company of the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was the first, the state headquarters, and one of five such camps in Rhode Island. Beginning in 1933, out of work young men, in their late teens and early twenties were put to work making roads and trails.

      In addition, they built fireplaces, campsites, and picnic areas, while making recreational improvements to the beaches of Watchaug Pond. Forest management activities went on throughout Rhode Island, particularly in the aftermath of the Hurricane of ’38 which downed thousands of trees and disrupted roads and public improvements. The CCC was disbanded in 1942 because of the overwhelming need to draft manpower for WW II.

      In the course of the War, because of its proximity to the Charlestown Naval Air Station, Burlingame was used to house Naval personnel. At other times, it was an army camp, a rest stop for British Navy personnel. It even did duty as a prisoner of war camp. Following the war, a portion of the park served the American Legion as a youth summer camp. “Legion Town” re-used facilities employed by the CCC from 1946 until 1961. For a long time, all the Christmas trees used at the State House holiday season came from Burlingame.

    Beginning in 1991 a four-phase upgrade of the camping sites, sanitary infrastructure and maintenance amenities was undertaken. Using a combination of National Park Service grants and the state’s Recreation Area Development Funds much needed improvements to facilities, some dating back to 1930, commenced. Other public funds from the Federal Environmental Protection Agency and DEM have been used to study the yearly cycle of Watchaug Pond so that the cleanliness of the pond can be observed and maintained.

     Activities at the park include 755 campsites, fishing, swimming, picnicking, boating and hiking. The area north of Buckeye Brook Road, abutting the Pawcatuck River, is primarily a hunting area.

     Animals at Burlingame include white-tailed deer, eastern cottontail, gray squirrel, eastern chipmunk, muskrat, mink, raccoon, red fox, white-footed mouse, short-tailed shrew, river otter, and short-tailed weasel. There are probably as many as 80 species of birds that nest in Burlingame, and many more species can also be seen there during the migration periods and in the winter. For example, Watchaug Pond has been notable in recent years as a place to look for wintering bald eagles. A representative sampling of species that nest in Burlingame includes Canada Goose, wood duck, broad-winged hawk, great horned owl, downy woodpecker, great nested flycatcher, blue jay, white-breasted nuthatch, house wren, hermit thrush, cedar waxwing, red-eyed vireo, ovenbird, scarlet tanager, rufous-sided towhee, and chipping sparrow.

     A representative sample of amphibians and reptiles include a wood frog, spring peeper, green frog, redback salamander, spotted salamander, eastern box turtle, northern water snake and eastern garter snake.

Monday, 20 May 2019 15:01

Briarcliffe RV Resort Inc.

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Briarcliffe RV Resort, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

     From the get-go, we liked this place.  (after the swamp that we had just left anything would be better)  Briarcliffe turned out to be much better than expected.  As a Coast to Coast member, there was a $3 resort fee and $5 for 50amps per night.  It's open to the public for $72 a night.  All the sites are paved, back-in and we didn't see any bad sites.  The pool was really nice and it has a small restaurant.  The park is divided between full-time residents and RV'ers which is nice to have them separate.  It is one of those parks where you can sit outside every night and enjoy the evenings.  People are out walking, but mostly driving golf carts and are very friendly.  It was easy to meet new friends.  Great atmosphere with the exception of a couple of campers flying their flags, but it is South Carolina and I guess it's to be expected.  There are places to express your politics, family campgrounds shouldn't be one of them.  (sorry for the rant) Briarcliffe will definitely be a campground that we will return to.  It is truly one of the better RV resorts out there and we've seen a few.

     Myrtle Beach is a really fun town with lots to do and even more to eat.  The beaches are great!  We spent several days just walking the beach and doing a little swimming in the waves.  The water is a perfect temperature to hang out in for hours.  One day when we were out there, a school of small skates (I counted eight) swam by between us and the shore.  We also spent an afternoon on a casino cruise ship.  It takes you out to "International Waters" then opens its casino for a few hours and brings you back.  The whole trip was five and a half hours and set us back $33 and included a decent buffet.  With Jackie winning $550 on a slot machine, it was a good day.

    The best part of the visit to Myrtle Beach was finally getting to meet Brandon and his girlfriend Kate.  I met Brandon on Facebook (he share the same name as my nephew).  We've been friends for a couple of years and meeting him and Kate in person was great.

 

 

Type: Deluxe

Good Sam Rating: 10/9*/9

Address: 
10495 North Kings Hwy
Myrtle Beach, SC 29572

Phone: (843) 272-2730

Fax: (843) 272-5188

Reservations Phone: (843) 272-2730

Reservations Fax: (843) 272-5188

Resort Information: On the Intracoastal Waterway in Myrtle Beach, known for its beaches, entertainment, shopping, and recreation. Over 100 golf courses in the area. The resort is in walking distance of Barefoot Landing Shops, Alabama Theater and House of Blues.

Directions: Hwy 17 between Myrtle Beach Mall and Barefoot Landing. From Hwy 501 S: Hwy 22 to Hwy 17/N Myrtle Beach. Ex to N Myrtle Beach. The resort is on L approx 1 mi N of Myrtle Beach Mall. Driving S on Hwy 17: Resort 2 blocks past Barefoot Landing on R.

Web Site: briarcliffervresort.com

EMail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Full Sites: 174

Check-In/Check-Out Times: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m./ Noon

Rental Unit Check-In/
Check-Out Times:

Rental Types:

RV Site Minimum Stay: 1 night

Rental Unit Minimum Stay:

Open: Jan 1 to Dec 31
Peak: Jun 1 to Sep 30

Maximum Electrical Service: 50 amps

WiFi Available: Yes

Maximum RV Length: 45 feet

Elevation: 0

Amenities: Recreation hall, large outdoor pool, mini golf, playground, basketball, shuffleboard, horseshoes, laundry, fitness, cable TV, group activities, church services, gift shop, hot showers, ping pong, ice available, RV supplies, golf nearby, shopping nearby, nearby beach. Wi-Fi access in the campground. Tourist attractions nearby: Barefoot Landing shops, Alabama Theater, House of Blues.

RV Notes: Additional charges: 50 amp $5/night, resort fee $3/night, tax 12%, golf cart $5/day licensed driver only with proof of insurance ($50,000), additional vehicles (after RV and tow) $2/day 18 ft or under, $2.50/day 18 to 30 ft. No tents, self-contained RVs only. Call resort for add'l details. Office hrs Sat-Sun: 9 a.m.- 5 p.m., Mon-Fri: 8:30 a.m.- 5 p.m.

Accepts Pets: Yes

Pet Restrictions: Unruly, misbehaving, obnoxious pets will be removed from the property. Not allowed in bldgs. Must be on leash max 10 ft.

Visitor Mail Accepted: No

Visitor Mail Restrictions: General Delivery, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29598

Monday, 20 May 2019 14:58

Birchbay RV Campground

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Birch Bay RV Campground

 

    We pulled into Birch Bay around eleven in the morning and fortunately I had looked at a satellite view of the campground and had a good idea of where I wanted to park. The campground is divided into two sections. The section on the entrance side is set up so that four campsites share the same utility post. So, to make everything work as designed, every other vehicle should pull forward into the site. This way the right side of each camper is open to an area with a picnic table and a fire pit, sharing the space with the people next to you. However, not everyone does this or can do this. If you had a trailer or a fifth-wheel, then you can’t pull forward into the site when there is another rig backed in front of you. So, this is problematic, some people wind up with no space to camp or they have to camp on the back side of their RV. In the other section of the campground, the pull-through sites are set up with just two campers on a utility pedestal and people do park every other vehicle facing the opposite way. The sites are long enough so that when I pulled into a site next to a 43-foot class A with my 40-foot coach, I couldn’t see the other RV out my left windows. The sites are also spaced so that there was more than 30’ between me and the RV sharing the common grassy area. The sites that were on the outside edge, where everyone backed in and spaced far enough that you could park two more RV between them. Finding a site in the second section was tough to do, I think most people settle for one in the first section and watch for people to leave so they can nab a better site in the second. We, fortunately, lucked into one of the pull-throughs (in the second section) between two nice couples. Because of the campsite and because of the people we made friends with, we would have loved to stay longer, however reserving sixty days in advance doesn’t allow much freedom in making changes.
      The campground is well maintained. There were the usual Thousand Trails amenities, pool, lodges, horseshoes, etc. On Saturday night, they had a live band play and they were pretty good. Our short stay here was just that, too short. We are looking forward to returning and keeping our fingers crossed to find a spot again in the second section when we do.

 

     Situated just a few miles south of the US/Canadian border, Birch Bay RV Resort offers convenience, fun, and a family friendly environment 365 days a year. For water-goers, a beautiful saltwater beach is located just a few miles away. There, visitors can enjoy swimming and splashing about, along with crabbing, clam digging, and oyster picking. For those seeking land activities, Birch Bay RV Resort has a bicycle and walking track perfect for soaking up the great outdoors.

     This Bellingham RV campground has much to offer. While there is plenty to do on site, guests are also encouraged to enjoy the bounty of activities off site. Shopping, dining, and entertainment options can be found in nearby Bellingham, while Blaine, Lynden, and Ferndale all offer small-town delights. Come and explore everything Birch Bay RV Resort has to offer. Book your trip today!
Monday, 20 May 2019 14:53

Beachwood RV Resort

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Beachwood RV Resort

     We arrived at Beachwood on a Thursday after being detained at the border coming back into the US from Canada.  This is our first visit to a Coast to Coast resort, and our first park not open to the public.  Like the Thousand Trails campgrounds, it has amenities like pools, spas, fitness rooms, tennis courts and so on, so it wasn’t all that different.  The park is divided up into sections, two sections for people who live there full-time and several for those who don’t.  This is nice because you don’t feel that are the better sites are taken by people who live there.  There is one row of back-in 50amp sites that are large and spaced well, but the bulk of the sites are very tight with little room to camp outside your RV.  We found a great site with plenty of room, which I assume was once in a section reserved for tents as it had no water.  Honestly, what makes a site great is the people you camp next to or nearby.  We had the good fortune to meet several great people, Jim & Helga, Joe & Dianne, and Tom.

      Like I said, the campground has lots of amenities.  There are three pools, kids, family, & adult.  There are three spa tubs, family, adult, and one adult in a sauna.  There is also a separate sauna, a fitness center, an adult center and a family center.  The resort is set up with enough activities to keep the family busy without ever leaving the park.  There is also a small store located on the edge of the property so that it accessible to both people inside the camp and to the public.

     Beachwood RV Resort is located in the town of Birch Bay.  It's a small town that does its best to draw tourists.  There is a large water park and plenty of beach access.  The bay is beautiful, but at low tide, the beach doesn't look that inviting, yet there were lots of people out enjoying it.  The weekend that we were there, there was a classic car show and live music.  (the songs were good, but the singing was pretty bad)  Nearby is the border town of Blaine, it's a bit more touristy (unless you're looking for a postcard)  The border crossing there is Peace Arch Park, which is a beautiful park with lots of history on the making of the US/Canadian border.

      Below is information from Coast to Coast:  

Good Sam Rating: 6.5/5/6.5

Address: 
5001 Bay Rd.
Birch Bay, WA 98230

Resort Information: Resort is located 40 miles from Vancouver and 20 miles from Bellingham, convenient to winter and summer activities in the Pacific Northwest. Designed for the whole family as well as retired couples, the resort is in a wooded setting on beautiful Birch Bay. Saltwater bay offers nonstop summer beach fun, as well as peaceful winter solitude.

Full Sites: 272

Pull-through Sites: 104

Maximum Electrical Service: 30 amps

WiFi Available: Yes, (not at the campsites, but some sites have cable)

Maximum RV Length: Unlimited

Elevation: 0

Amenities: Recreation hall, outdoor pool, Jacuzzi hot tub, spa, sauna, tennis courts, horseshoe, grocery, teen center, playground, volleyball, softball field, soccer field, basketball court, disc golf, fishing nearby. Nearby: Beach.

Monday, 20 May 2019 14:49

Bay View RV Resort

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Bay View RV Resort

      We arrived at Bay View RV Resort seven months after Hurricane Harvey had hit.  It is unfortunate that so much damage was done to the area.  The clean-up and rebuild efforts are amazing.  However, it looks like the park is slow to bounce back.  A lot more clean-up and rebuilding need to be done.  This is understandable, but we didn’t see any work going on in the park working toward that goal.  Some of the unsightliness could be cleaned up in a matter of days or even hours, but it’s still there months later.  The park charges members an additional $10 as a campground fee.  I hope that extra money is going toward fixing the park up.  We had the good fortune of camping next to some really nice people, so it made the campground a bit more welcoming.  From the pictures, you can see the devastation that took place, it is very sad.  I’m sure in time the campground will become a resort again.  I could see us staying there again in the future, but probably just for a night or two.  Driving around we saw a lot of RV parks in much better condition.
 
Type: Classic
Good Sam Rating: 7.5/8/8
Address: 
5451 Hwy. 35 North
Rockport, TX 78382
Phone: (361) 400-6000
Fax: (361) 729-0576
Reservations Phone: (361) 400-6000
Resort Information: North of Corpus Christi, come relax under the oak trees. The weather is beautiful year-round. Nearby are Fulton Mansion, Texas Maritime Museum, Rockport Center for the Arts, Arkansas Wildlife Refuge, deep sea fishing, boat tours for birding, whooping cranes and dolphins, the USS Lexington, Texas State Aquarium, Bay Education Center, public beaches, boating, fun shops and many fine restaurants.
Web Site: bayviewrockport.com
EMail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Full Sites: 340
Partial Sites: 100
Open: Jan 1 to Dec 31
Maximum Electrical Service: 50 amps
WiFi Available: Yes
Maximum RV Length: 45 feet
Elevation: 0
Amenities: Recreation hall (2, 1 adult only), outdoor pools (2, 1 adult only), basketball, billiards, bingo, cable TV, entertainment, fitness center, ice cream, game room, group activities, handicap access, horseshoes, hot showers, whirlpool hot tub, Wi-Fi, laundry, pavilion, shuffleboard, library, movie rentals, ping pong, playground, pool table, tennis, tenting, TV lounge, saltwater fishing nearby. Tourist attractions nearby: Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Tree of Lamar, Lady of the Star Sea Chapel, Fulton Mansion, Goose Island, TX State Aquarium, Great TX Birding Trail, USS Lexington, greyhound racing, Rockport beaches. Restaurants nearby, boating nearby.
RV Notes: Additional charges: Resort fee $10/night, cable $3/night. If arriving after 4 p.m. please call the resort.
Accepts Pets: Yes
Visitor Mail Accepted: Yes, 5451 Hwy 35N Rockport, TX 78382

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