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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Friday, 01 November 2024

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Sam Houston Jones State Park, Lake Charles, LA

Our Visit

      Sam Houston Jones State Park, was just a one night stay over, but after going there, I wish we would have stayed longer. The park is beautiful with swamps and a river, cabins, RV, and tent camping. The campground is wooded with mostly paved sites.

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Most are a bit tight for bigger rigs, but we managed to fit. Walking around the park we saw that the swamp directly across from the campground had been drained. (to restore some of the forests)  As we followed the road we found a large picnic area with plenty of tables along the river bank. There is a boat ramp and we saw someone out in a kayak paddling up and down the river. There is a boat ramp with a warning sign not to swim and a possibility of alligators. Further along, the road was several very nice cabins to rent. There was a second swamp, this one not drained with a large wooden bridge crossing it. In the middle of the bridge was an amphitheater. From the bridge looking down into the swamp, we saw dozens of turtles swimming about. (I took pictures, but you need to zoom in to see their heads poking out of the water and their bodies under the surface) As we passed the cabins along our walk around the park we discovered a full 18-hole disc golf course. Had we more time, we would have grabbed our discs and tried it out. Alongside the road, we could see that water had recently receded from there and discovered what we later found to be mounds of mud with holes in them made by crawfish digging into the ground as the water evaporated. Being from the Northwest, this was new. Later we searched You-tube and watched a video of someone pushing his arm (up to his shoulder) in a hole and pulling out a crawfish. A second video showed him using a trap in a creek using dry dog food as bait and catching them by the dozen.

     Overall, we really liked the park, we met some great people there and would recommend two nights if you’re using it as a stopover on your way down the road.

Campground number eighty-six. 

  • April 18, 2018 -  1 day
  1. Campground Information
  2. Their Description
  3. Amenities
  4. Policies .
Website:
  crt.state.la.us
Type: State Park
Address: Sam Houston Jones State Park, 
       107 Sutherland Rd,
        Lake Charles, LA 70611
Phone: (337) 855-2665

Originally named for the Texas folk hero who traveled extensively in the western reaches of Louisiana, Sam Houston Jones was given its current name in honor of the state's 46th governor, who was instrumental in setting aside this tract of land for the public to enjoy for both day-use and overnight visitors.
Because the caretakers of this 1,087-acre park have worked to keep the land in its natural state, abundant wildlife inhabits the area. Tree-filled lagoons and mixed pine and hardwood forest combine to create a unique natural environment. The park is located just north of the most productive birding region of Louisiana. The bird watching is always excellent, but at certain times of the year, nearly 200 species of birds can be seen at or within 30 miles of the site.

The Office of State Parks has partnered with Sasol in Lake Charles on the Longleaf Legacy Project,  to preserve the iconic tree's rich history, restore the splendor of local forests, and ensure the resiliency of such habitats for generations to come.  The project includes the restoration of over 70 acres of longleaf forest in the park and companion educational programs for local teachers and families.

Sam Houston Jones State Park is home to more than 70 acres of longleaf pines, the oldest living southern pine species. They were once one of the most abundant tree species in the United States, stretching across 90 million acres from Virginia to Texas. Over time, land-use practices such as logging, farming, development, urban encroachment, and fire exclusion have diminished the longleaf pine, leaving less than 4 million acres of longleaf forest and less than 10 percent of their original presence in Louisiana.

The numerous waterways in this area make water sports a natural highlight at the park. Two boat launches are conveniently located on the West Fork of the Calcasieu River, providing access to Calcasieu Lake, about 20 miles away. (No-Wake Zone Advisory )

The three hiking trails winding through this beautiful park make strolling or serious hiking, pleasurable. Particularly interesting is the old stagecoach road, which hikers may travel to explore the park and the banks of the various tributaries to the Calcasieu River.

 

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Hours of Operation:
Site is open daily.

Gate Opening Times:
Sunday through Thursday

  • open at 6 a.m.
  • close at 9 p.m.

Friday, Saturday and days preceding holidays.

  • open at 6 a.m.
  • close at 10 p.m.

Entrance Station Hours:
Sunday through Thursday

  • 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday, Saturday and days preceding holidays.

  • 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Entrance Fees

  • $3 per person
  • Free for seniors (62 & older)
  • Free for children (3 & under)

Camping
A $6 non-refundable fee will be assessed on each reservation transaction made online, via phone, or as a walk-in.
( map of sites 23-43)  ( map of sites 44-62)

9 Premium Campsites (pull-through sites with water and electrical hookups) $33/night plus tax, Fri-Sat
$30/night plus tax, Sun-Thurs, Apr-Sept
$25/night plus tax, Sun-Thurs, Oct-Mar
26 Improved Campsites (water and electrical hookup) $28/night plus tax, Fri-Sat
$25/night plus tax, Sun-Thurs, Apr-Sept
$20/night plus tax, Sun-Thurs, Oct-Mar
Backcountry campsites (maximum capacity of 6), 5 available on a first-come, first-served basis $9 per person/night, plus tax
Primitive camping area (maximum capacity of 20) $20/night plus tax
America the Beautiful Senior and Access Passes (formerly Golden Age & Golden Access Passports) (Available through the National Park Service. Click here for more information)
Holders of the Passes, whose state of residence also honors the America the Beautiful pass, are entitled to a 50% reduction on camping fees at Louisiana State Parks. (Passport holders are allowed one site per passport).

Additional Information About Overnight Facilities

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Tuesday, 21 May 2019 04:36

Williamsburg RV & Camping Resort

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Williamsburg RV & Camping Resort, Williamsburg, Virginia

      After a two and a half hour drive from Virginia Beach (70 miles), we were happy to finally get to Williamsburg.  There's an unmanned gate with a keypad to let you in.  Once the arm lifts, you follow the arrows on the road to the very center of the campground to the office.  The office gave us a choice of a couple of sites that didn't work out and then another couple.  On the second go-round, we decide on the least sloping site.  We still wound up with tires off the ground to level. The campground was fine, but felt crowded and could use work on some of its sites.  The office staff was extremely nice and very helpful.  The pool was nice and the lodge was fine, but the games all cost money to play.  Being there in June, the humidity was such that it wasn't comfortable to sit outside.  But with it being so close to Williamsburg, Yorktown Battlefields, & Jamestown, we really didn't spend much time in the campground.

 

      Williamsburg was very educational.  They offer 50% off on their annual passes for veterans, so it was cheaper to buy an annual pass than a three-day pass without the discount.  They also give 10% off on everything for veterans.  Colonial Williamsburg is separate from the town, there are no cars and everyone working there is playing a 1776 character.  Some of the actors were outstanding, especially the barber.  We did find that eating there was very expensive ($7 for a hotdog) and sit-down dining was even more expensive.  However at the end of the Colony is a William & Mary College store that has a coffee shop/cafe in it, which was very reasonably priced.  I visited Williamsburg in the early 70's and sent my sister a photo of me in a tri-cornered hat and she sent me a photo from that trip.

      We also visited the Yorktown battlefield.  It is a national park so with your park pass it's free.  I believe it was $14 per person without one.  We took the free one hour "Ranger Tour" in which a Park Ranger walked you outside the visitor's center and told you the story of the Battle of Yorktown.  This was very well done and interesting.  Then we took the driving tour of the park that shows the locations of earthworks, redoubts (outposts) the surrender field, the home where the surrender was signed and other interesting historic spots.  We also walked the town of Yorktown that has a nice beach waterfront area along the York River.  After Yorktown, we decided to drive over to the site where the Jamestown settlement was.  We checked out the glass blowing demonstration where the glassworks ruins were found, but when we got to the settlement, it was raining so we opted to skip it.  With your national parks pass it was only $5.  I guess we will have to come back.

 

Outdoor World RV Campground in Virginia
     Experience RV camping at its finest with a Williamsburg RV camping trip. Just minutes from the popular Colonial Williamsburg, historic Jamestown and Yorktown, outlet shopping and Busch Gardens, Williamsburg RV & Camping Resort is your headquarters for family fun. Additionally, camping at Williamsburg RV & Camping Resort positions you in the heart of Virginia’s historical center while enjoying the comforts of Williamsburg’s finest RV camping resort.
     After having fun visiting local attractions, our indoor and outdoor pools are the perfect places to relax and unwind. Nearby championship golf courses host another popular Williamsburg activity. But let's not forget what camping is all about -- just spending time reconnecting with family and friends. Our host of services and amenities make this campground a true gem. Daily, monthly and annual sites are available at this Outdoor World RV campground in Virginia, as well as fully equipped park model rentals ready to accommodate you for your next Williamsburg vacation.
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Monday, 20 May 2019 20:23

Indian Cove RV Resort

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Indian Cove RV Resort (The Cove), Virginia Beach, Virginia

      From our last campground in Newport, NC, the drive to Indian Cove was crazy.  I can't imagine how anyone could possibly make the trip without GPS.  The roads are narrow with no aprons on either side, but after hours of white-knuckle driving, we made it to the resort.  Other than the surprise of a $9 per night resort fee, we were very impressed with the park.  The sites had concrete pads to park on and lots of green grass to get out and enjoy.  Most every site backed-up to water and are spaced enough so that you aren't camping on top of your neighbor.  The pictures can far better describe the park than I can.  It has three pools, one is open every day and two are open just on the weekends until the middle of June and then they are open every day as well.  Our visit included a beautiful June weekend, so the park was filled with kids.  Saturday night they had a DJ and a big graduation party.  If you're a boat owner, you tie your boat up at night right at your site.  The park is very well laid-out and all the sites are very nice.  This is definitely a park for us to return to.

     While we were there, we made a couple of trips to the beach at Virginia Beach.  We had to try out my daughter's suggestion of Chick's Oyster Bar.  On the weekend we were there, there was a boardwalk art show/sell.  The boardwalk (paved) runs between the beach and the hotels, there is even a separate path for bicycles just a few feet away.  Virginia Beach is beautiful with lots to see, do, and eat.  When we visit here in the future we will plan on staying longer.

 

Type: Deluxe

Good Sam Rating: 9.5/9*/9

Address: 
1053 Sandbridge Rd
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
Phone: (757) 426-2601

Fax: (757) 721-6029

Reservations Phone: (757) 426-2601

Reservations Fax: (757) 721-6029

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

Resort Information: Two minutes from the Atlantic Ocean at Sandbridge Beach, 20 minutes from Virginia Beach. Wooded and open campsites border a freshwater channel leading to the wildlife refuge at Back Bay, with largemouth bass, speckled perch, and channel cat. Nearby: Festival Park, Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Directions: From I-64: I-264 E to Ex 17A, Independence Blvd S, bear R. L on Princess Anne Rd. L to 2nd light where road becomes Sandbridge Rd. Approx 3 mi to resort. Sandbridge Rd is a narrow, twisting rural road.

Reservation Requirements:

Web Site: indian-cove.com

EMail: jlivingston@indian_cove.com

Full Sites: 300

Check-In/Check-Out Times: 2:00 p.m./ 10:00 a.m.

RV Site Minimum Stay: 1 night

Open: Mar 2 to Dec 31

Maximum Electrical Service: 50 amp

WiFi Available: Yes

Maximum RV Length: 40 feet

Elevation: 0

Amenities: Recreation Hall, outdoor pool (3), adult lounge, shuffleboard, horseshoes, tennis, basketball, boating available, boat ramp with kayaks, canoes, paddle boats, general store, playground (2), tenting, firewood, handicap access, ice available, grocery, fire rings, ping pong, laundry, picnic tables, group activities, pool table, propane, hot showers, game room, beach, tourist attraction nearby, golf nearby, fishing nearby, boating nearby. Nearby: Festival Park, Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, beaches. Outer Banks of NC, a wildlife refuge.

RV Notes: Additional charges: Park fee $9/night collected in cash or credit card. No gas powered golf carts. No pull-through sites. Drive-ups not accepted.

Rental Notes: Rental units available. Trip Points not accepted. Contact the resort directly.

Restrictions:

Accepts Pets: Yes

Pet Restrictions: Not in rental units.

Visitor Mail Accepted: No

Visitor Mail Restrictions: Fed Ex or UPS allowed.

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Monday, 20 May 2019 20:04

Harbor View RV & Camping Resort

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Harbor View RV & Camping Resort, Colonial Beach, Virginia

     The trip to Harbor View is another fun-filled nightmare of no-shouldered backroads, but very doable.  The campground assigns you a site and escorts you to its location.  It probably wasn't the site I would have chosen, but the next day really great people moved in across the way which made the site perfect.  The campground is nice, but like a lot of the Thousand Trails parks, it could use some work.  It looks like projects that got started years ago never got finished and things like the tennis courts were just let go.  The very small game room was the only "Rec Center" available.  There was a larger room that was locked up for special events.  Repaving the main road and adding more gravel to the camping loops and sites would go a long way.  Sometimes I get too critical of these membership campgrounds, but they are what they are.  Overall the campground had a good camping feel, lots of trees, green grass, and friendly people.  We would certainly return there in the future. 

     We chose Harbor View because it was the closest campground in our network of membership campgrounds to Washington DC.  It was sixty-some miles to a Metro station and a quick train ride into the city.  On our visit to the capital, we spent four and a half hours of our day traveling to and from the city.  Once in the city we walked a little over six miles and took in as much of the city as we could during our short visit.  To see the city, you really need to stay in the city and take a week or two.  We did manage to visit several memorials, spend part of an hour in the American History Museum (Smithsonian), eat off a "roach-coach" with an albino squirrel (probably the most photographed squirel in the city) and join the poor people's march. (Fight Poverty, not the Poor) It's too bad the drive kept us from spending more than just the one day.  

     Just five miles down the road from the campground is Popes Creek, Washington's birthplace.  It's a 500 plus acre park with a nice visitor's center and offers an hour or so walking tour with a park ranger.  It is well worth the visit.  We learned quite a bit.  The one thing that stuck with me was that King George would give colonial farmers three free acres for every slave that they owned in hopes of controlling more land than Spain or France in the Americas.  We also visited Westmoreland State Park which has a nice campground, a beautiful pool and a beach along the Patomic River that was great for hunting shark teeth fossils.  Finally, on our last day, we checked out the town of Colonial Beach.  Along the beach road, were osprey nests every other block and we got to see about a dozen osprey in about a half-mile strip.

 

 

Explore historic towns from a Harbor View RV Campground
     Historic towns are at your fingertips when booking your stay at Harbor View RV resort. Quaint waterside towns, nearby wineries and an array of on-site amenities make staying at this Harbor View campground a memorable experience.

     Become one with nature and soak up the beauty of the Virginia countryside. Nearby colonial towns offer a look into American history while access to the nation's capital is well worth a visit. A pristine location combined with endless recreation make Harbor View Resort a vacation you won't want to pass up!

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