Amish Country PA - Leg 4

7/6/14 Sunday We departed at 10AM and arrived at Promised Land State Park in the Pennsylvania Pocono Mountains app. 2PM. We checked in but our site (111) was not vacant yet as checkout time is 3PM. By the time we unhooked the car and got a light snack the site was vacant so we drove over to the Pickerel Point Campground and setup. I had to put double boards under the passenger side wheels to get it level. The ground in the area is kind of hilly and they did not get the gravel parking pads totally level. We have 50AMP electric hook but no water or sewage but we came with a full fresh water tank so that is not an issue. There were three fairly young (late 30’s) couples camped across the street in pop-ups and a tent. They came over after we got backed in (on the first try) and complimented us on how easy we had got parked without any arguing or backing up and repositioning. We told them we use walkie-talkies and it makes the process a lot easier. This campground has a few full hookups but they were all reserved plus they are an additional $13 per night, we paid $25 (with senior discount) for just an electric site which is not bad for FHU but higher than most state parks we have used. There are 5 more camping areas in the park. Some have no hookups and some have just electric. We really like the Beachwood Area CG as it has paved level pads and electricity but most of the sites would not accommodate a 40’ motor home. Probably 32’ would be about max for most of them.

Site 111

Pickerel Point CG is a peninsula out into Promised Land Lake. There is a sandy beach and swimming area at the end of the CG. This is a nice CG but in our opinion they need to do a better job of mowing the grounds around the campsites. Some places the grass and weeds are from knee high to waist high and make the CG look a little un-kept. The wife even took our ax and chopped down one plant that was covered in thorns as she was afraid a kid would get hurt if they brushed up against it. The bath houses are new and have 3 private shower rooms in the ladies and the men sides and there is a laundry room in the opposite end with two large deep sinks outside for washing cooking equipment. The streets in the CG are paved and in good shape but the 1+ mile road into the CG from the office has many bumpy places so you have to drive slow coming in. If the grounds were neater and the sites leveled a little better I would give it a 4 star rating but as it is a 3 would be my rating.

7/7/14 Monday We did our morning walk and had breakfast and drove around the area for awhile to check out a few things before returning to the CG to work on a problem with the lights on the Toad. After fixing the problem it was ice cream time. I built a campfire in the evening but a thunderstorm came roaring through and ran us inside and put the fire out.

7/8/14 Tuesday We did our normal morning routine of walking followed by breakfast and then relaxed and read for awhile before riding the bicycles to the museum in the campground. This Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) helped establish this park as they did many parks, etc. throughout the country. This museum had more information about the CCC than I have ever seen, The CCC camp was located right in front of the museum. Another thunderstorm came through about 8:30PM. Many years ago we camped in a tent so we knew what the campers here in tents we going through when these storms roll through. We have a tarp over our firewood and one of the many chipmunks here has started using it as a dry place to hang out. They are fun to watch as they scamper around.

7/9/14 Wednesday The air was crisp and clean this morning as we did our 1.5 mile morning walk before breakfast. Mid morning we hiked 2.5 miles on one of the trails near the CG and saw lots of rhododendrons in bloom along the trail. There are a lot more rocks here than we realized. Some very large boulders were along the trail. After returning to the CG I grilled steak for lunch. We relaxed and read and built a campfire later but again a shower of rain came up and put it out.

7/10/14 Thursday Again the air was crisp and cool this morning for our walk. We did not do much today except some walking, riding bicycles some, relaxing and reading. I grilled chicken for supper and we finally had a rain free evening with still winds and a nice campfire. We packed the outside stuff for our departure in the morning to begin the return trip home.

7/11/14 Friday Even though we only had to go a little over 200 miles today we decided to leave early, so we skipped our morning walk and had breakfast, took on some fresh water, dumped our holding tanks and departed at 8AM. We were glad we did. After we came down the mountain and passed through the first little town we came around a curve in the road to find the road was closed. They were replacing a bridge. So we had to unhook the toad and turn the MH around on a two lane country road. Luckily there was a area just large enough on the side of the road that I could back the MH in and with a little back and forth was able to get turned around and hook the toad up. If it had not been for this little spot I would have had to back up about a ¼ mile. We were not to pleased with the PA DOT. We went back through the same little village and made the turn that the GPS directed us to and we saw the detour signs for the road closure. But there was none visible from the road coming down the mountain. Later in the morning we had to detour again because I495 was closed for several miles and I95 was stop and go near Wilmington DE. We finally got to Tuckahoe State Park CG in Maryland at 3PM and set up on site 30. There is not a CG Host so each person checks themselves in on a clip board at the entrance to the CG loop. They also sell firewood on the honor system.

This is a nice CG with 35 sites in the electrical (30/20amp) section. No water/sewage hookups but there is potable water spigots scattered around the CG and a dump station on the way out. The street around the CG is paved and smooth. The ramp into the site is paved for about 20’ and the rest of the site is small gravel and the sites are level, with a fire ring and large picnic table. The space between the sites is rather large and the bath house has two showers with privacy for each men and women. Almost all the sites will accommodate a 40’ MH and some would accommodate a 45’. All the sites have a tall canopy of tall shade trees over them.

Site 30

7/10/14 Saturday We did our morning walk and had breakfast and later drove around the area and stopped at McDonalds to use their WiFi and get a Latte. After returning to the CG I grilled brats for lunch and then at 3:30PM we went to the Aviary at the Park Office to listen to one of the park Naturist do a talk on Owls, Hawks, and other birds. Then he did a feeding for some of the birds. His talk was very informative. The Bald Eagle they had was one that someone had shot and they had rehabilitated him but he was not able to be released into the wild. Then we relaxed and read and I built a campfire before we called it a night.

Red Tail Hawk

7/11/14 Sunday We did our walk, had breakfast and packed up to depart for our last night on this trip.

7/11/14 Sunday We arrived at Rocky Hock CG in Edenton NC app. 3:45 PM and checked in and was led to our pull thru site - site 3. I expected it to be level but it was not. The site was beside a small pond and the ground sloped some toward the lake. It seems to me that with a little effort the people that set up campgrounds could level the sites a little better. Oh well, we are only going to be here one night.

Site 3

7/12 14 Monday We had breakfast, dumped the holding tanks. The top of the dump pipe was higher then the bottom of our dump valve so that took more time than normal to dump, but we finally got departed app. 9AM and arrived home safe and sound app. 1:30PM, thankful for a safe and enjoyable trip. We drove the MH 1291 miles.