Anyone have any Spring Camping Trips scheduled?

[Dude]

Where is your first trip this Spring?

My first trip has become very interesting. My camping group goes around the first day of Spring every year to French Creek SP in PA. We had 22 sites/cabins booked and expecting 60+ people at the pot luck on Saturday March 21-23. We book this a year in advance. Pennsylvania decided to upgrade some of the State Campgrounds and add water and sewer (they only have electric). French Creek was one of the campgrounds chosen. Thankfully we have a good relationship with the campground and the guy in charge told us what the State decided to do and that the campground was closed. He said the reservation group would be calling us. They haven't and each one of us has had to call and explain and they keep trying to charge us $10 to cancel. The guy in charge of the campground is furious with the reservation system. He has had to make many calls on our behalf to get us a full refund.

We also had to find another campground to go to. PA only has a handful of SP that are open year round. French creek in the East, 1 central and 2 in the western part of the state. We had to find a private campground. We have found one that can accomodate us thankfully. Of course the rate has gone up from $30-$40 per night but they are giving us a pavillion for our pot luck. Usually we just gather so it will be nice to have tables for a change.

Now I need to start getting my RV ready. Here is a picture of it after the last snow storm. I have since cleared the snow around it and I tried to back it out.....nope, not going anywhere. I normally back it in but you can see it is nosed in. It is sitting on ice and in some muddy ruts that aren't the normal ruts. I talked with my neighbor who has a 4x4. Next week we'll put a chain on it and give it a tug out. Then I can start cleaning it and checking fluids, etc before the first trip.

I can't wait for the snow to melt and to get out camping!!! Where is your first trip?

[Ray]

I think mine might be to the rally in Brandson, Missouri

Thanks for the picture, I was feeling sorry for myself - But you have more snow on your's... God luck getting her out, Hope all goes well for you.

We did have some melt about a week and a half ago so I went out and inspected the whole inside of the RV... found a little leak in the front behind the passenger seat so I will be tracking that down as soon as it gets warmer.

Darn - its snowing again, when is spring going to be here?

[Virgil and Anne Dutton]

First trip??? That was at least fifty years ago. Haven't stopped since!

[Dude]

Yeah, we're supposed to get some more snow tonight and Monday I normally like snow, but enough is enough. I wanted to get it out yesterday and turned around normal and the drive wheels up on patio blocks where they normally are before we got more snow/ice. This may work out better having it nosed in with the trailer hitch accessible for the tow chain.

First trip.....of the season. But where was your first trip 50 years ago? Is it still there, have you been back?

[Dallas Baillio]

First trip memories. Mid 1970's. We had a pop-up and were driving from Illinois to Disney World. First overnight Chattanooga TN. Next morning got up and saw ominous black clouds approaching. Wife and children hurriedly dressed and scrambled into car. It takes time to close a pop-up. Too late. Heavy rain and sleet soaked the partially closed beds on each end. I finally made it travel ready but was drenched. In spite of that first camping experience we had a great trip and were ready to take another.

PS. Stayed at a campground that advertised a orange tree on every site. True. Newly planted 6 ft tall about 3 inches in diameter.

[jobrien]

Dude;

What campground did you finally decide on? We go out to PA frequently, maybe we'll run into you one day.

John

[Dude]

Jobrien, you or anyone is welcome to join us on one of our trips if you are ever in PA. We are a simple and friendly group open to everyone no matter what you camp in. For our Rallies you book your own site and the only event we have is a pot luck and campfire Saturday night.

Our Spring Rally we finally moved to SILLS CAMPGROUND in Lancaster Mar 21-23. It is only about 20 minutes away from French Creek SP.

The following weekend, Mar 28-30 I will be at Hibernia County Park for Opening day trout fishing with my son. $15 per night with no hook ups....but a beautiful campground.

April 11-13 we are gong to Blue Rocks Campground in Lenhartsville PA for the Lager Jogger in Pottstown sponsored by YeungLing. I won't be there, I'll be at the circus with my son that weekend.

May 16-18 we are going to Ricketts Glenn State Park in Benton PA. There is an awesome waterfall hike that a few people are doing. I have done it twice and this trip I plan on exploring other parts of the park and geocaching.

June 13-15 we are going to Killens Pond State Park in Felton DE. I'm excited to go there because I have heard the DE state parks are nice and only 1 1/2 hours from me. I have never been there in the 5 years I have been camping.

Those are my spring trips. July and August I usually don't camp because it is too darn hot. I have a pool in my backyard, I'll just sit in the pool with a cold beer.

My first ever trip.....I don't totally recall. It was in the early 80's and I was probably 5 or 6. We went as a family in the station wagon with another family to a private campground. I remember going to a barn on Saturday night for some sort of entertainment and it being hot and crowded and I couldn't see anything. We were in some old canvas tents we borrowed from the boy scout troop my brother and dad were in.

[Virgil and Anne Dutton]

Our first camping trip 50 years ago, as a family, was to Bootlegger Campground in Oak Creek Canyon in Arizona. That is a canyon just north of Sedona, in central Arizona. I was fresh out of the Army, had a fairly new Bride and a 5 month old Son. We had no camping gear whatsoever. We went with a neighbor family who had befriended us and with whom we had become good friends. Their family was made up of a Husband and a Wife and two small Children. They had a tent and some camping equipment, but they were about as poor as we were. It was late October and at an elevation of about 5200 feet the daytime temperature was perfect but it was quite cold at night. This was a beautiful spot and we had it almost to ourselves. For sleeping, the wives, the kids and the baby got the tent. My buddy slept in the back of his pickup truck and I slept in the back seat of our car. We spent two nights there. Yes, that campground is still there, but so busy, as are most organized campgrounds, that we do almost all of our camping in the boondocks.
Dallas, your mention of an orange tree reminded me of when I talked my Wife into coming to Arizona. She, being a city girl, Charlotte, NC, and used to being among lots of trees, told me that if she couldn’t see a tree at times, she was going back home. So, the house we found to rent had a single orange tree in the back yard. That orange tree was about half as big as the one you mentioned, although it did have one orange on it. I pointed out that tree to my Wife and said, “See, there is your tree”. She still talks about that but never has acknowledged the humor in it ':('. However, she has come to love Arizona and calls it home.
Virgil

[al1florida]

My first camping trip, Feb, 1951. Mom & Dad sold a business in Chicago and "retired" in their early to mid 30's! We drove in a newly purchased Suburban to Calif. where dad had a brother. We bought a 28' Airstream and started fulltime travel/living for about 2 years.

My first camping trip with my wife was in 1969, about 2 months after we married. We camped in the back of our station wagon at Big Bend National Park for a week. We have been camping or RV'ing ever since.

[Dallas Baillio]

It is fun hearing about first camping trips. Bill Hemme, mock turtle, shesonit, Charlotte and all you other "regulars" let's have yours

[Dude]

I finally got my RV to move. It sunk about 2 inches into the mud/ice. I gave it a tug with my toyota while spinning the duallies and it came out finally. I didn't see any rodents or mold inside. I just need to organize / vacuum / clean it and I'll be ready for next weekend.



This was the darn mud hole that had me spinning.

[richnwendy]

Manchester State Beach, California, 1966. We were in a borrowed "pop-tent." When we bought our first motorhome (a 2006 BFT) last July, our first trip was back to Manchester. Lots of beach topo changes as well as tent-to-motorhome lifestyle changes. We love RVing so much (who knew??) and are soon to be owners of a brand new 2014 BFT. Thanks for this forum's information and friendships.

[randallrae]

Good Sam Rally March 12-15 Pahrump NV .