RV summer plans for 2013

We only came back from our 11th summer RV trip in October and I already have a draft plan for our 12th RV summer trip.

We purchased our first 5W and truck in 2002,since then we RV every summer for 4-5 months each time to different States/Provinces, at the end of the trip we store the rig for the winter and fly home till next spring when we pick up from the same place to discover new horizons,waterfalls,caves,natural hot springs,making new friends and enjoying life.

Planning a trip is a part of the trip itself and I enjoy doing it,I try to maximize doing things we like in the “short” time we have on the road.

First I have to find a secured storage place  near an International Airport in a logical distance from the start point (we try to travel no more that 3000M each trip not taking into consideration side trips with the truck).

After completing this task I mark on the map places I want to see and camp combining all the spots with scenic byways.

I post my route although the trip is still far away just to receive from you all suggestions on what not to miss along the route.

Thank you and see you down the road.

A day trip to Statford Ontario

The days are warm ,the nights are cold it means only one thing Autumn is already here.

I already winterized the trailer,covered the wheels and the A/C on the roof,put back in the garage all the tools and cleaned the kitchen from all the food-then during the weekend ,I take a look through the window of my warm room and sew clear blue skies ,I check the weather on line and it was  going to be around the 17C at noon with no wind factor ,I started to get the ICH…for another “last” RV trip.

From the moment of my decision till I pulled out from my drive way it took me …..and then I woke up in my son’s apartment in Toronto  waiting for my flight in a few days and after storing last week the rig one and a half hour away,so taking it on the road was not an option,but taking advantage of this beautiful weather sure is.

In no time we grabbed a lite coat,took some fruits and on the way we were to the small beautiful town of Stratford.

Small garden along the river full of ducks and swans,beautiful shops,coffee places,restaurants, musicians on every corner and all this  in a walking distance.

 

The Autumn colors are already here ,it was so relaxing to sit across the river have some fruit and let the warm sun beams hit the back.

 

The swans and the ducks were playing like they had a field day,I wish I could understand what they were talking about.

I had to insert 25 cent coins in the meter but my smallest bill was 20C$,so I get into a bar/restaurant not far from the parking area and ask if it is possible to get some quarters showing the bill I have,the owner hands me   4X25 Cents and sends me on my way…..(I think I found a new startup…) –this is what I call “welcoming the tourist”.

After we get over this fantastic experience we stroll down a small alley to find the most beautiful small shop with Chinese figures, dolls ,vases among many other oriental things,one thing that caught our eye was a metal bowl with  2 handles  filled with water and a rose floating in it-the sign said “Dragon Jumping water”,so we go in the shop and find a very nice Chinese lady that was glad to show us the Magic,she rubbed her hands against the handles and the water started to jump up like a small fountain,if I did not have to take it on the plane I would buy it and show magic to my grand kids…                              

The town has many nice corners and as we walked the streets we enjoyed the colors,scenery and the smells from many different restaurant's.

 

I am happy that I woke up and took this day trip ,it was fun and I believe that we will be back to this Welcoming town in the future.

From Elkins WV to Philippi WV

Some times good strange things happen by fate or pure luck.

A week ago  while Camping in Canaan Valley Resort S.P we meet Perry and Jean that were camping in a site next to us,we spent some time together and shared a drink,before they left the C.G they gave us there telephone number , pointed on the map where they lived and said “if you ever come this way give us a call we would love to talk to you again”,we said good byes and promised to do so.

Planning the next stop I saw on the map that we are actually passing through their town,so I called them and surly they invited us to camp on their property for as long as we wish.

We meet in a central location and followed them to there house parking next to their camper with electrical and water connection with a fantastic view,we all were happy to meet again and share some stories.

They live in a wooded hilly country area where every one has a huge lot,vegetable gardens and deer all over the place,I can easily get used to that…

After having early dinner on their porch they took us for a ride in the area stopping for deer to cross the road and for a great shot of a sunset.

                

The next day we spent a whole day in Valley Falls S.P WV  ,it was the first time for us and surprise also for them,although the water was low but it was a very nice scenery and a great hike on the rocks from one fall to another.

      

     

Shula is preparing a Cuscus dinner,egg plants and Thini hoping they will like it.

It is always great to meet nice people in the middle of the road.

2nd Day Elkins WV-Cookoff competition.

From time to time  we come to a place , meet people and want to stay longer than planed-well this happened in Pegasus C.G near Elkins.

After meeting for the first time with the couple that run the place and some campers it was already obvious that this is going to be a special stay.

For tonight the owners planed the fifth cook-off competition in the C.G barn that included besides the competition music by some guests and four musicians including the C.G owners.

The barn was decorated and the table was loaded with dishes prepared and tagged by the campers.

     

TAGGING THE DISHES                           THE BARN

 

The judges tasted each dish made notes and announced  the winners.

We, no ,actually Shula got the “THE BEST OF THE BEST OF THE BEST” for her delicious hot Cuscus that I thought will be too hot for the locals that are not used to have it so hot,but it seems that I was mistaken.

After everyone had seconds and thirds it was time for the entertainment,first came on stage a family from Holland and gave a nice performance,later we enjoyed listening to  the four musicians ,their professionalism and humor.

                        

People from all over the country and some from out of continent got together and just had a blast,it is so simple and so enjoyable ,we wished it to go on and on.

WE TOO GOT A PIN ON THE C.G MAP.

 

“Those who dream touch the stars….”   I Danny Oren confirm this motto.

From Canaan Valley Resort S.P to Elkins WV

It is only a 40 miles trip but traveling the curvy step roads (some times 9% ) while it was raining all the way  sometimes  pulling aside to let trucks and cars pass that is reason  that is the reason that this short trip took me an hour and a half to get to our destination.

If you like a small family campground,with huge sites,grass,3 miles out of town in a country side and a friendly host that allows you to pick vegetables from his garden-this is the place for you http://pegasusfarmcampground.com/

 

As we entered the C.G we ere greeted by the host that made us feel welcomed ,he helped us to the site and introduced us to some of the campers around,it all looked like a nice group of people from all over the country including one from Holland.

After getting settled we were invited  together with others to what they call “Happy Hour”,everyone brought chairs drinks ,cheese and vegetables.

We sat around the campfire talking and sharing stories ,even  rain did not chase anyone away and suddenly it was almost midnight…it was just a great evening  and we all felt like we know each other for decades,this is surly one of our pleasures as we RV along.

Tomorrow everyone is cooking a dish and we all will share the food in the C.G shed, the best dish will be chosen by the big “JUDGE” the host himself all this in the pastoral atmosphere with music and laughs…can’t wait.

3rd Day Canaan Valley Resort S.P WV-Seneca Rocks WV

“Seneca Rocks contemplates the surrounding valleys as an imposing reminder of prehistory a striking relic of the geological forces that shape the landscape as well as human history”- From the Seneca Brochure.

Today the Seneca Rocks offer Rock Climbers the opportunity to climb 375 mapped routes ,only trained climbers should attempt to scale Rocks.

As we are NOT trained rock climbers so we took the 1.5 Mile hike to the top of the Left Peak just   close to   the “finger” on the left.

It is a moderate switchback climb and not a very difficult one it took us an hour and ten minutes to get to the “official” top (the end of the trail) and another 15 minutes to the top of the top.

THE ROCKS FROM FAR.

 

     

SWITHCHBACKS AND MUSHROOM ALONG THE HIKE.

 

    

THE OFFICIAL TOP AND THE END OF THE TRAIL.

 

   

CLIMBING TO THE TOP OF THE TOP AND  A REWARDING VIEW……

Going down took us 35 minutes and without any pressure on the knees.

As we sat at the picnic area facing the Rocks ,it was hard to imagine that only a short while ago we were UP there,it sure was a good feeling.

           

We got back “home” just before the rain started and still had time to grill some chicken.

                                                     

Sorry no waterfalls today…

Thanks for visiting.

From Watoga WV to Canaan Valley S.P Resort WV

The Mountain Highlands of West Virginia have a lot to offer starting from Old Railway Trains that takes passengers through the mountains, Ski Resorts,State Parks ,hiking trails,cabins and SCENIC drives.

There is no road that is NOT scenic and it was hard for me to keep my eyes on the road with all the beauty around.

Canaan Valley S.P Resort as many West Virginia State parks is free ,many have a Lodge with a view,swimming pool,tennis courts,golf,campground with full/partly hookups ,cabins,hiking trails,picnic areas and playground for kids-we found them very accommodating and not expensive to camp in starting from $23-$27 , some give seniors 10% off and 50% reduction  if you are WV resident senior citizen.

       

VIEW FROM LODGE IN CANAAN VALLEY RESORT S.P

The distance from Watoga to Canaan Valley Resort S.P is only 100 miles but because of the steep curved beautiful roads it took me 3 hours to complete the trip when sometimes I was driving 30-40MPH ,I would not do this trip pulling a 30’ trailer without Tow/Haul mode…or Exhaust breaks.

We took the rest of the day exploring the huge park and resting .

On the next day 17 July we visited the beautiful Blackwater Falls S.P and as Canaan Valley Resort has the same facilities and offers a small heaven for families.

We hiked to the bottom of the  Falls (220 steps) ,it is relatively an easy hike and very rewarding,the current was strong although it was in the middle of the summer.I wonder what it would look in the Spring….the falls can be seen from different lookouts all very impressive.

 

         

        

After our traditional picnic we drove through two beautiful small towns Davis and Thomas,both have a very nice colorful atmosphere,small shops,pubs,coffee shops and old buildings,we stopped to have cool one and meet some local people from them we learned that there is live music every evening in the local coffee/pub place,we might do that tomorrow.

       

Thanks for visiting.

 

 

 

3rd Day Watoga S.P WV-Cass Scenic Railroad S.P

There is a lot of history around the railway that served as the main transportation between isolated villages carrying coal ,lumber  or other sorts of freight.

60 years ago the lumber in the area was cut and used to built railways and housing ,when there were no more trees to cut the trains and other equipment was useless and almost was used as scrap metal,but was saved by the State and old coal locomotives are used today for tourist trips to different locations.

     

As we have never took a such a trip back in time we decided to play “tourists” and drove to Cass Railway station for a short 2 hour trip to Whittaker Station and back through nice scenery speeding around 14 mile per hour  when it is on a level stretch,some parts of the tracks were up hill and then we could see the black smoke coming out of the engine as it burns coal .

           

All the operation was done as it used to be done years ago,filling water to the tank,holding the breaks going down hill and crossing rails was done manually when a crew member jumped from the train and pushed a handle on the tracks to divert the train to another rail.

 

On the way when the smoke hit the trees , the light beams made a beautiful picture and we felt like slipping back in time.

At the Cass station the “porters” where on a day off so Shula took control…

                                   

Coming back to our campground the skies were clear and we were greeted by a family of deer that were just roaming around our camper,it looks like they are used to people and may even be second or third generation in the park.

                  

Those were the days…

From Summersville WV to Watoga S.P WV

We could not get Watoga S.P on the phone to make a reservation so we decided to hit the road early and take the advantage of “first come first served” sites (It is good Idea to put aside sites that can not be reserved).

We drove the scenic HWY 39/55 from Summersville to Mill Point ,it took us two and a half hours to get there because the road is curvy and some times steep –but what a treat.

Surly we got a nice spot close to the creek with electrical hook ups,the sites are large and spacy,they also did a good job cutting the trees ,so we were in the shade but no branches were “sitting” on our trailer.

Afternoon we did some traveling around the park and drove to the closest library for the WiFi, on the way back Mama Deer and Baby Deer were posing for us.

    

During the evening and through the night it was raining but on the next morning like a miracle the blue skies appeared , we immediately  took  advantage of the situation and took of for the days adventure,first to Beartown S.P that has some beautiful rock formations that are a result of nature doing ,it is a “Rock Garden”.

       

      

Not far from there is Drop Mountain Battlefield S.P WV,with a museum,observation tower and a lot of history.

     

The vistas are breath taking.

After our picnic we took a scenic drive on HWY 150 that took us through mountain tops of Monongahela National Forest with beautiful lookouts in Pocahontas County,during this relatively short drive we had weather changes from sunshine to heavy clouds,thunders,lightening and rain.

On one of our stops we saw how the moister lifts from the valley to the top of the mountains.

 

HWY 150

As we descended towards Marlinton WV we got in the middle of a Motorbike Rally that took place on the main drag with music,food and lots of motorbikes-nothing like good surprise ….