Camping plans for 2008

[robpoe]

First I would like to say Happy Holidays to all. I hope the New Year will find all of you happy, healthy and ready to camp.

Group Trips:

April: The food trip.  Everyone has a cooking challenge .. probably 4 families, 3 campers..

Memorial Day:  Lake Perry, me, DS, best friend and his family in my PUP, friends in their hardside biggy, whoever else shows..
(hopefully) July 4th: Lake Perry (probably)
Labor Day:  LAKE PERRY .. (ABATE M/C Rally -- reserve EARLY for this one ..)

Other trips:  
Maybe something in March: Nothing concrete...
Other trips /w just me and the DS:  Just the two of us..
Trip with friend, my DS and his DS to the river in June:  Niangua River
If weather is nice, maybe a colder trip in Feb ... (if it's not 14 like it is right now):  Dunno.  

A few one nighters, probably ..


And we gotta do a guys weekend out (me, my best friend, his DS, my DS)..

[Dray]

I have been busy for the last week or so making plans for the upcoming camping season.  It turns out to be quite a chore.  Where do people want to go, check the weather, check the school calendars for breaks and another calendar for when the holidays are.  Then I spend quite a bit of time researching on Reserve America for good spots and so on.  I think it's worth the effort though.  In California making reservations for State Parks can be done 7 months in advance.  So, since Jan 1 reservations can be made for July.  And yes, the good spots fill up fast.  

So far I am excited about the spots I've reserved at:

DL Bliss at Lake Tahoe
New Brighton Beach near Santa Cruz
Pfeifer Big Sur State Park
MacKerricher State Beach on the Mendocino Coast

[Bugbee]

This is our first year having a pop up, we bought a used Bayside and have five young children.

We just returned from tent camping thru Europe for four weeks (and just parked and crashed in our rented Volkswagen van) so our trips this year are only camping in our new (to us) pop up.

Going to Hunting Island and camping on the Ocean for 10 days in SC.
Camping Dreher Island SC (never been) for 9 days in SC.
Attending a wonderful weekend music festival in VA mountains called Floyd Fest.
Deep Creek Camping (and tubing and never been) in NC for 10 days
Vogel in Georgia (never been) for 9 days
Disney possibly in early December
Fort McAllister celebrating St Patty's in Savanah

I really hope we enjoy them...this is all new to us and I really planned these vacations taking the huge leap to get us involved in the pop up way.

[Bugbee]

This is our first year having a pop up, we bought a used Bayside and have five young children.

We just returned from tent camping thru Europe for four weeks (and just parked and crashed in our rented Volkswagen van) so our trips this year are only camping in our new (to us) pop up.

Going to Hunting Island and camping on the Ocean for 10 days in SC.
Camping Dreher Island SC (never been) for 9 days in SC.
Attending a wonderful weekend music festival in VA mountains called Floyd Fest.
Deep Creek Camping (and tubing and never been) in NC for 10 days
Vogel in Georgia (never been) for 9 days
Disney possibly in early December
Fort McAllister celebrating St Patty's in Savanah

I really hope we enjoy them...this is all new to us and I really planned these vacations taking the huge leap to get us involved in the pop up way.

[Mysterest]

We have quite a few already planned for 2008. One of the places I camp, Hither Hills, has to be booked 6 months in advance!  
My wife and I start the year off with a cruise in February (not camping/her idea).
Middle of May we camp Smith Point Park on Long Island.
Beginning of June it will be Hither Hills in Montauk, L.I.
End of June its Watkins Glen State Park upstate for a Rally
Middle of July we're going to Lake George RV Park (I hear it real nice!)
September is back to Montauk (end the summer at the beach!)
October is two trips Upstate N.Y., one is Yogi Bear in Gardner N.Y. (it has a heated Pool),
The other is in The Woodstock/Saugerties  NY area   either Woodstook KOA; Rip Van Winkle or Brook and Wood.  Any advice would be appreciated!!!!!

Much of this planning has to do with scheduling vacation time from work!(5 wks )
Some of these trips I plan to bring our two dogs. Others, we want the freedom of not staying at the camp ground the whole time.

[sandykayak]

I'm sure we will also take the opportunity to spend time in Florida camping as well as spending a few long weekends in some of our local state parks over the summer and next fall.

CajunCamper

I'd love to meet you - let us/me know (sandykayak@yahoo.com) when you are in FL.  I live in Miami and my husband of two years lives in Metairie.  (Plus my ex is Scots Irish!)

[pricerj]

This year is the "Big One".  The old-fashioned Griswold family cross country loop from SoCal to Smokies, to Williamsburg, to DC & Gettysburg, Chicago, Wall Drug, Mt Rushmore, Salt Lake and home.

This forum has helped me identify Little River in the Smokies, Newport News Park near Williamsburg and Pohick Bay near DC.

I am still searching for some must see (or must camp) sites along the 40 in New Mexico & Arkansas. Ditto for sites along I-90 on our return.

(Funny how I kept the California "the 40" wording for Eastbound but switched to the the east coast "I-90" phrasing for the return. Must be actually travelling in my mind)

I cant wait!!

[jeezy]

This year is the "Big One".  The old-fashioned Griswold family cross country loop from SoCal to Smokies, to Williamsburg, to DC & Gettysburg, Chicago, Wall Drug, Mt Rushmore, Salt Lake and home.

This forum has helped me identify Little River in the Smokies, Newport News Park near Williamsburg and Pohick Bay near DC.

I am still searching for some must see (or must camp) sites along the 40 in New Mexico & Arkansas. Ditto for sites along I-90 on our return.

(Funny how I kept the California "the 40" wording for Eastbound but switched to the the east coast "I-90" phrasing for the return. Must be actually travelling in my mind)

I cant wait!!

 :yikes:

Wow!  I'd love to hear reports about that trip.   What an adventure and range of locations.  Literally cross country and back with a PUP.  Have a great time.  And wave to all of us as you drive by, will ya?

[TroutBum]

My wife is ready to haul it down to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge as that has been a popular vacation spot for us for years.

Where will you be staying in Gat/PF?  Inside the park or out?

[jeezy]

Where will you be staying in Gat/PF?  Inside the park or out?

I don't know yet.  We are just starting to do some research.  Any input would be greatly appreciated as I'm sure there is some experience there on this board.

[AZsix]

This year is the "Big One".  The old-fashioned Griswold family cross country loop from SoCal to Smokies, to Williamsburg, to DC & Gettysburg, Chicago, Wall Drug, Mt Rushmore, Salt Lake and home.

I cant wait!!

Sounds like a great trip though I do have one question. Why Wall Drug? Not exactly what I would call a "must see". Just curious.

Don't know how much time you will spend in DC but the Air/Space portion of the Smithsonian is fantastic and you need to make a trip to the Vietnam Memorial. I don't know anyone personally that died in Vietnam but the times that I have been there it was a moving experience. Not just because of all the names but the cards, letters and gifts that people leave there and seeing people search for names they know and seeing how they react. If a visit there doesn't get a person emotional, they have no feelings.

Enjoy the trip and I think I can speak for most of us when I say we will be looking forward to the pictures from that trip!

[TroutBum]

Why Wall Drug? Not exactly what I would call a "must see".

Don't knock Wall Drug    When DW and I moved to Idaho from OH, we couldn't wait to get to Wall Drug.  We had a picture of her dad as a kid on the stuffed bucking bronco from a family vacation to Yellowstone in the 50's and couldn't wait to get to the picture of her on it to send him.  We started seeing signs for Wall Drug outside of Rochester, Minnesota (Kinda like "The Thing" in AZ).  We also got caught in a "prairie boomer" - a wicked thunder and hail storms that moved in in minutes and was gone about as fast.  I have never seen anything like it in my life. Plus Wall Drug has free Ice Water.

While you are on your trip, make sure you stop at the Corn Palace.  It is about as cheesy Americana as it gets and not far from Wall (by cross country standards).

[vjm1639]

Wow....I envy those of you who are so organized that you have so many plans in effect for the year. We're much the spur of the moment type...especially now that my mom travels with us after a massive stroke...but to Pricerj...we're close to Pohick and are there quite often for weekend trips.....let us know if there is anything you need help with when you are in the area..... It's a really nice campground and I have lots of pics on my webshots page!

Our camper has been in for a bit of warranty work and we should get it back in the next couple of days. I can't wait to just have it in the back yard for my "escape time". LOL I love to just go out and pretend to be "away".


Happy New Year to all...............a bit late but a great camping season hoped for all!!!

[AZsix]

Don't knock Wall Drug    When DW and I moved to Idaho from OH, we couldn't wait to get to Wall Drug.  We had a picture of her dad as a kid on the stuffed bucking bronco from a family vacation to Yellowstone in the 50's and couldn't wait to get to the picture of her on it to send him.  We started seeing signs for Wall Drug outside of Rochester, Minnesota (Kinda like "The Thing" in AZ).  We also got caught in a "prairie boomer" - a wicked thunder and hail storms that moved in in minutes and was gone about as fast.  I have never seen anything like it in my life. Plus Wall Drug has free Ice Water.

I can understand wanting to get a picture to carry on the tradition. It's just that Wall Drug to me wouldn't warrant a stop unless I was going by. I know what you mean by the signs though. I have driven through there many times in my previous life driving truck over the road. I don't know if anyone can beat the number of signs that "Pedro's South of the Border" has though. I believe it's in SC.

[A2SuperCrew]

We are considering Yellowstone in June, but after reading this thread there are SO MANY cool places to see it's tough to make a decision!