core/heading

It may seem weird to admit that we are doing our end of year review 6 weeks before the year is actually over, but we are parked in our final camping spot for the year, so it works for me! This year began and ended in this campground, isn't that funny? Especially when you consider all the things that have changed since January 1st, 2022.

core/paragraph

Some quick stats on our year, before we dive into the fun stuff, because it's good to note the details.

medium

thumbnail

core/image

We covered 6,267 miles this year! We averaged about $33 per day for the year in terms of our camping expenses, which is more than last year, but we had barely any opportunities to boon dock this year because of Alex's new job. The year prior he had a bit more flexibility with meetings and the times of day when he could do work or push it off until a little later if we wanted to do some driving. So this year we tried to mostly stick to a schedule of driving on Sundays, of course we weren't able to do that religiously, and sometimes we would drive a couple of times within a week. Generally speaking our goal was to have 2 week stays whenever possible so that we could get enough time to really do stuff in the areas we visited. In 52 weeks we had 44 different stays. So, we moved a lot more often than once every two weeks - so much for that goal!

We saw 2 National Parks, several State Parks, drove into Canada, and added 13 new states to our USA map. We touched the Gulf Coast, crossed the Mississippi twice, saw two Great Lakes, Niagara Falls, and touched the highest peak in the northeastern US, Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.

So let's review a little closer and talk about the where's, what's, and how good the places were.

We began the year in Hill County, Texas with our 26 foot travel trailer and Toyota Tacoma. Our beginner rig!

Pedernales State Park was where we began our travels for the year. We had a great time camping there and might make a point of going back again. The lots were a great size, the fire pits were awesome and the bathhouses were really nice. WiFi was spotty, but we have Starlink now!

medium_large

Somerville Lake (we saw a lot of lakes this year... let's count how many! Lake #1) and it was an enormous lake. Huge waves and wakes with a ton of high wind. We enjoyed ended up driving to College Station to buy new bikes so we could enjoy biking and hiking around the property while we were there.

Jetstream Resort at NASA was an AWESOME stay for us and they have excellent monthly winter rates. It was a large RV park/resort that was entirely paved, had an awesome beer garden, pool, pet run, outdoor kitchen, laundry room, arcade, and club house with a pool table, shuffle board, and a TV for guests to use. All of the facilities were great, we were close to Houston and very close to NASA, which was a fun place to visit with the kids.

Maxie's Campground was a bare bones stop for us. I don't think we would stay longer than a couple of days there, but the local food in the area is absolutely worth coming through.

core/gallery

Fairview Riverside State Park had pretty much everything we needed. We had easy access to NOLA, lots of nearby shopping and food, and a good lot to park in, laundry and shower house. It was a fairly small park though, without much to do "in" the park, so we might check out another nearby state park if passing through the area again.

Little Black Creek Campground was really nice. We went for the disc golf courses in the campground and were delighted with our spot overlooking the lake (#2). While we were there they began building a new playground too. We enjoyed the stay, but the park was really sprawling and there were big hills, so our out-of-shape selves had a time huffing around on our bikes to get to the disc golf courses.

Alabama was a drive-by for us on our way to...

Big Lagoon State Park was where we accidentally stumbled onto a National Park- Gulf Shores! It was unexpected and enjoyable to get some time on the white sand and in the waves, even if it was still cold outside! The kids couldn't have cared less.

Hurricane Lake (#3) North Campground was a quiet, forgetful kind of stay. Nice lot, lovely views, and it had the amenities we needed, but there wasn't much else around. By this point I was really growing frustrated that we hadn't bought any kayaks yet, because the lake was the activity here. But, if you want a nice quiet fishing hole, this is a great choice.

Coe Landing was probably the smallest RV park we have stayed in this year. I don't know how many spaces there were but it was intimate for sure. We were on another lake (#4) with a boat launch next door and a private dock, but the most memorable part of the stay was the chickens that were roaming about. It made for a really funny stay - keep in mind, chickens have no boundaries and they like cheese and crackers. The rooster was eating off of my plate!

Laura S. Walker State Park was one of my favorite stays of the year and one I would like to revisit again. On lake (#5), with a small beach, hiking trails, two playgrounds, laundry, shower house, outdoor exercise equipment, really good local food, and access to some fun gator activities for the kids, there was really a lot to love about it. The lots were nice and big and there was plenty for us to do.

Wildwood Park - one of the biggest disappointments of our year. We went for the disc golf, knowing it was where PDGA was located and had high hopes for our stay, but we found it difficult to park, the views of the lake (#6) were very limited and without access to the water, the bathroom facilities were drafty and mediocre, and the disc golf was really out of reach from the campground. We ended up leaving early from this stop and headed straight to Ohio from there... a long and arduous drive. I do not recommend this.

Once we arrived in Ohio we had a ton to do. First off, we got our new camper and started renovating the inside to suit our needs on the road, got our new truck, and did a lot of things with family and friends- including a wedding! While we were in Ohio we stayed at our local fairgrounds, which was an excellent choice for us because it was central to the community and made it easy to access everyone and everything we needed while we were there- and it was cheap, $100 a week. Can't beat that! Especially when we were so busy the whole time and not at the "camping spot" much throughout the days.

Lampe Marina Campground turned out to be an unexpected gem for us. The campground itself wasn't spectacular in any way, but it was in good shape and had nice laundry and shower facilities for guests. What made the stay so fun was the proximity to Lake Erie (#7) and the totally awesome Presque Isle Sate Park! We really enjoyed exploring this area and learning about it's important history. We would definitely visit again, and if not this particular campground, something closer to the state park or in it because there were a lot of bike trails and beaches worth giving your time.

Woodstream Campsite is one of my favorite places we stayed this year too! It was a very non-assuming place, at first glance. It was HUGE. There was a whole corner of seasonal permanent lots with many many other spaces for non-seasonal people. We barely tapped all there was to do here. It was resort-like in that it had laundry, putt putt, playground, a fishing pond, a pool, hiking trails etc, but it wasn't overdone or overpriced for what was there. We were parked next to a wonderful creek and the kids had a blast playing on the playground and in the sandbox. It was also our gateway to Letchworth State Park, which is AWESOME.

Amsdell Ice cream was a phenomenal Harvest Host stay for us. Delicious ice cream and a nice big lot to park in at the back of their business. The owner was so sweet he even gave us some complimentary ice cream sandwiches for the kids and let Alex plug in the Jackery battery pack and work from his laptop up at the shop.

Palatine Hills Estate Winery in Ontario was a really lovely stay. We were a little worried about driving up into the grassy field area between the grapes with our new huge fifth wheel, but we got parked pretty easily and enjoyed our visit to the Canadian side of Niagara.

Lakeside Beach State Park (lake #8) was our nice long visit to Lake Ontario, Rochester New York and the Museum of Play, a truly excellent roadside farmer's market with awesome local ice cream, and the site of our first big issue with the new camper- a flat tire! But, the park was lovely, we did a lot of bike riding and playground playing, and laundering in their large laundry room. No complaints at all about this one.

Junius Ponds Cabin and Campground was a really cool campground that we could have spent more time with as it had a lot of things to do on property and also had a large group of permanent lots that were really decked out by people who clearly liked to have a good time out there. For us, it was an access point to visit Seneca Lake (#9) in the Finger Lakes Region. We were in the seat of women's suffrage, near to a gorgeous lake, and we really enjoyed the visit.

Hazlit 1852 Vineyards was a really exceptional Harvest Host stay for us. The wine was excellent and the property was gorgeous. It was a huge bonus that we also had concrete to park on. Only note we would add is that there isn't a lot of dining options in the area, but we went up the road to Scale House brewery and had some awesome pizza and beer.

Sunset View Creamery was a super memorable Harvest Host stop for us. We had a blast visiting the calves and giving them some love and affection. Ben absolutely fell in love with the sweet little ones and Alex enjoyed their store- cheese, steaks, ice cream, raw milk, all the good things. Bring money and call ahead to get parking directions! It's also pretty close to Watkins Glen State Park which we delighted in and highly recommend for waterfall enthusiasts.

Natural Bridge Watertown KOA is a new member of the KOA family. It is small but mighty. Great owners, lovely property and amenities, if a little on the small side. Our only complaint was the constant sound of military artillery from the nearby base. But, it was a pretty good gateway into Adirondack Park which we took some time to drive and explore.

Magic Pines Campground was a heavily shaded and quaint family campground. We didn't do much here, so there's not much for me to reflect on. All I remember was it was pretty difficult to park our camper here. The site was just, not easy to back into with our large camper. But, the owners were able to give us some much needed assistance when we realized our bumper weld had broken and we needed a welder to come out to us and repair it. It was taken care of without much fuss and we felt like we really dodged a major bullet.

Lake Bomoseen (#10) was an awesome KOA. It was laid out in a very organic way on a hillside looking down over a very inviting lake where you could rent boats and kayaks. There was a pool and playground in the middle of the park, an arcade, putt putt (indoor... which was weird) and there were cool features we didn't get to enjoy like a small movie theater on property. I will definitely revisit this park for a longer stay in the future if possible.

Greenwood Lodge and Campsites was a really off-the beaten path gem. They have camping sites, a large open grassy area, a small fishing pond and a large pond for kayaking or canoeing, as well as a game room, and a kind of a hostel for guests to stay in. It was pretty cool. I don't think we had great signal for cell and WiFi there, but it was pretty and relaxing.

Our new seasonal campground in Western Vermont. I would love to share the name, but knowing it is going to be our full time spot for next summer, I would rather not disclose publicly what the name of this particular campground is, sorry. Suffice it to say, it's nice, but not over the top. It's on the shores of Lake Champlain (#11), it has laundry, a small pond, a pool, a small playground, lake access, and a nice grassy field. There's nothing exceptional about the rv park itself, but this area of Vermont is our new favorite place to be. Nearby to Vergennes, Middlebury, and overlooking the high peaks of the Adirondack mountains, it is our happy place.

Lone Pine Campsite was another bust for us. After the nice quiet stay we had just had, we were not feeling the crowded, bustling, and noisy campground near Burlington. We did however have a good visit to the area and a nice drive up to the Alburgh Dunes State Park. Burlington is never a bad choice to explore, but this was not our type of RV Park... too much party for us full timers.

Foothills Family Campground was a delight for us - the polar opposite of the last stay we had. It was tricky to navigate in and around the RV spots, but the sites were pretty stinking nice once you got in and the owners were really helpful in guiding us into the spot. I guess it used to be a logging area, so the "roads" weren't really cleared for RVs in mind, and it was later converted into a park. We loved it. Lots of trees, a pool, disc golf baskets, corn hole, a tiny pond with some kayaks, lots of sports equipment to borrow and play with, and it was also right around the corner from White Lake, one of the coolest lakes (#12) that I've ever visited- and swam in! The water was clear and warm and there were gorgeous mountains in the backdrop. The drive here was also memorable, going right through the White Mountains and all of its beauty. It's a region to spend a lot of time in, and we will be visiting again. It's also where we saw the highest peak in the Northeast in honor of Devin's birthday!

Newfound RV Park was unremarkable but sufficient for a brief stay. It was across from Newfound Lake (#13), which was lovely. We weren't super impressed with local dining options and the RV Park was tight-packed. Probably wouldn't stay there again unless it was like a quick overnight en-route somewhere else.

[I don't even have a picture, haha... that says it all.]

From there we went back to our soon-to-be summer seasonal spot to relax a bit more. As mentioned, it was a travel-dense year and we were feeling pretty burnt out at this point. So we parked for about a month to just rest and recover a bit.

Northhampton/Springfield KOA was a really unpleasant stop for us. We have learned KOAs can be really hit or miss and this one was a miss for us. We got parked way in the back of the park, which felt like miles from all of the actual amenities they offered. Thankfully we were only there for a couple of days and we chose this location because we have a history with visiting Northampton, so we didn't intend to hang around the campground much.

Newburgh KOA Holiday was a pretty nice place. Our lot was not super easy to back into, but it was sufficient. They had a wine tasting bar on site, laundry, arcade, pool, fishing pond, basketball, putt putt, a jumping pillow, peddle carts... plenty to do. But we were a little underwhelmed with management as we had an issue with the next camper over's hose spraying all over our picnic table and the garden spaces between the campers were horrendously overgrown with weeds and not well kept at all. In general these are not huge issues, but they do reflect a degree of carelessness on the part of the management.

Williamsport South/ Nittany Mountain KOA Holiday was one of our favorite KOAs to visit. They had a nice laundry room, a huge rec hall, a large fishing pond, an excellent playground, jump pillow, putt putt, and a freaking petting zoo. Goats and chickens are my jam, so I was loving it and so were the kids. We wished we could have stayed for longer.

2022 in Rearview

Ending the Year in Style

The Stats

January

Texas

On to Louisiana!

February

Mississippi!

Florida

March

Georgia!

Ohio

April

May

Pennsylvania

New York

Canada!

New York

June

Vermont

July

August

New Hampshire

Vermont

September

Massachusetts

New York

Pennsylvania

October

Ohio

Indiana

Illinois/ Missouri

November

Kansas

Oklahoma - Texas