2013 - Winterizing Again :-(

Another great camping season has drawn to a close here in the Northeast United States.  Well, I'm sure there are people out there camping and there are some campgrounds still open, but the majority of the area closes November 1st for the winter and will reopen next April once the temps are back up above freezing.  This year we had a lot of great trips and especially perfect weather for all of them.  Most importantly, we spent a lot of time together as a family and enjoyed the outdoors, from here in PA to Assateague Island, MD, we were able to enjoy camping with each other and friends we made along the way.

Prior to our last camping trip at Little Red Barn, we decided to move the camper from our current storage/parking location up to my MIL home.  This property is large and had ample room to make a parking pad for the camper.  After scavenging some timber beams that were on the property, we called and had 4 yards of 3/4 Modified-minus stone mix delivered.  Wow, that stuff is dense and like raking/shoveling concrete, but it made a very nice pad.  All the kids helped too, which made it even better.

Spreading the pile of Modified mix for our new parking pad

Compacting the nearly level pad using the lawn tractor

Parked, awaiting the final cleaning

The weather was nice for a good cleaning so I pulled out the checklists I made last season and and began on the interior.  Compartments were emptied and wiped out, and the kids placed the items in the van for the trip home.  Everything was done quickly and neatly, and then it was time to RV antifreeze the lines, water pump, and tank.  Took a little while, and almost 2 full gallons of the pink stuff until the water pump was able to pick up the solution and pump it thru the lines.  Everything was now done inside, and I began to close the camper back up.  A walk around the outside, completing the list of items on the checklist as I went, and it was time to put the cover on nice and secure for the winter weather and cold winter winds.

Till April my friend,....

2013 - Trip 10 - Little Red Barn Campground - Halloween Weekend!

The weeks leading up to Halloween have been extremely busy between work, home, and planning for the weekend.  Finally the weather forecast began to show the camping weekend ahead, but not as a comfortable fall weekend that we have been having but with a cold front passing thru middle of the week dropping the nightly temps into the freezing mark and daily highs struggling to break 50 degrees.  The packing list now changed to include gloves, hats, and more blankets, we began to talk about driving two cars.  This would allow the costumes to be packed safely so they didn't get bent or damaged with everyone in the car, as they are quite large this year.  If you recall, Little Red Barn is where the Lego Family had their debut,... so this year we had to come up with another good family theme.

Over the past few weeks, we began gathering cardboard, paint, and the thoughts for this years costume theme,... and finally decided on Mr and Mrs Pac-man and ghosts!  Each of the girls are a different color ghost, with their backs being painted in the color scheme of after Pac-man eats the power pill, changing the ghosts and making them run away.  Becky and I would be the love struck Mrs and Mr Pac-man, chasing after the ghosts.  I even downloaded the theme music to the arcade game onto my iPhone so we could have that play as we walked.  The costumes are made from large cardboard sheets, primed with paint to help resist curling, and then finish painted on the outside with the colors each of the girls chose.  For ease, they just slip their heads thru the costume and it rests on their shoulders.

Front of the Costumes

Back of the Costumes!

Our Campsite for the weekend, spacious and Large!

All the kids playing Washers

Craft Time at the pavilion making Trick or Treat Bags

Fall Festive Group Photo!

End of Season Photo with Becky

As you can see from the photos, we had a great weekend of fall weather camping and meeting new friends, while also running into a few other campers that we have seen at previous campgrounds through out the season.  At the costume contest, the girls took SECOND place!!!  This year they didn't have individual categories, so taking second place was even a better accomplishment!

End of Season Already? BOO!

2013 - Trip 8 & 9 - Colonial Woods Campground

School is now in session and darkness creeps in earlier now, so our camping trips are just to local campgrounds for the quick weekend get-away.  Also, since it is now no longer peak camping season, the rates have dropped a few dollars and there are some good deals out there.  At Colonial Woods, if you book two weekends in a row, you can leave your camper on-site, just turn off or unplug the electric, and you get 10% off the second weekend!  So, that's what we have done this time.

Friday was the typical caos of getting everything loaded and the camper picked up before the kids got out of school.  We were able to pick them up and get on our way before long which made it nice for the setup.  Check in was a breeze as usual and we were off to our site.  While the site is long, if I place the popup all the way back I can't reach the power pole location, so it took a minute or five to get the placement right so our main plug could reach, and then we disconnected and let the kids out of the van.  The rest of the setup went smoothly.  Friday evening we enjoyed a small campfire and riding our pedal bike around the campground while others were moving in and setting up.  Saturday was going to be a full day of activities as it was Grandparents weekend, and both Nana and Momsie were going to be coming to visit!

Madie enjoying her Hot Dog!

Saturday Afternoons Swedish Fire Log Attempt,... worked pretty well.

Playing Mini-Golf, Crazy Kid Style

Riding the bikes and Scooters

Sunday arrived and we took our time packing up what we needed and securing our canopy and camper.  It felt weird loading so little stuff back into the car and leaving the camper there.  We double checked everything was off and secure, and then loaded into the van to head home.

All secure, time to head home.

On the way home, we stopped by the Lake Nockamixon dam overlook to show the kids and see how it was.  Quite a difference from the time we passed before when the full dam was overflowing at a pretty good rate, now just a little bit in the middle remained. 

Back to work for the week, with only having to get groceries and a few odds and ends for the second weekend of camping, it was an odd feeling knowing that we didn't have the camper packed up or at its usual storage spot.  Honestly, I almost felt like I should drive over sometime and check in on it just to feel more secure.

Second weekend came up quickly and it was made even better by having off work on Friday and already having a fully setup camper.  We dropped the older kids off at school and then headed up to Scott Powersports to drop off my motorcycle for some maintenance and tires.  Then a good breakfast with Madie, and we were to the campground still before 11:30am.  Just a few things to re-organize, turn things back on, and open up the awning, and we were back in camping mode in less than 30 minutes!  This weekend was more about relaxing and enjoying camping than anything else.  The kids did crafts again and we were able to get some fishing in too.  Hey,.. look what I found....

Rob the Turtleman,... Ayahaaya,.. Live Action!

Becky go the bullseye!,... at least I hope so,.. otherwise, not sure what she is doing....

Bella throwing for the bullseye again!  She was good!

As you can see in the photos, the weather was rather spectacular for a mid-september camping weekend.  Both weekends were great as a matter of fact.  Hard to believe that we will only have one more camping weekend left before it will be time to winterize and put away for the winter.

2013 - Trip 7 - Lake Glory Campground & Knoebels Amusement Park

It is time for our annual trek to Knoebels Amusement Park in Elysburg, PA.  Becky and I have been going there for all of our married life, and a few years prior as well.  This year the kids will get to go on a lot more as they have hit some serious growth spurts this past year! Just the weekend before, we also found out our neighbors were going to Knoebels and had a reservation at the main campground.  Soon after talking with us, they called back and said they changed their reservation and would be at Lake Glory too!  So, all of us began talking and planning, hoping to get some organized meals planned before we left.  Due to work, they couldn't get to the campground before dark on Friday, so we took their ground tarp and tent to get it setup for them.

Thursday I had off of work and since we had the camper packed already from our last trip, it was a steady packing up of the van after breakfast and then we began our journey.  The ride up the Turnpike was smooth and so was going out route 80.  Not a lot of traffic or construction, which for the State of Pennsylvania is rare.  We arrived at Lake Glory Campground and checked in at their new front office, wow, what a difference compared to the small shack like office they had before.  They have been doing a lot of great upgrades to the campground and this was a huge improvement that they needed.  Our site was very nice, shaded by the trees and tucked in with a nice spot of grass behind where the kids could play.  Setup went rather smoothly,.... then we found some nails.  Luckily, none in or at our camper tires or van, but there were quite a bit of rusty short nails found on our campsite. 

Just one of the many passes full of nails and screws!

Bella began picking them up and putting them into a cup, and before you knew it, the cup was full!  We walked a few times back and forth, picking them up, and after we thought we got them all we went to the camp office to let them know.  They were surprised to see them all and a bit taken back.  The woman at the counter offered to go home and get her own magnet on wheels, like the roofers use, and bring it back to our camp.  Sure enough, about an hour later after her shift, she came over and began running it back and forth.  To our amazement, she picked up at least twice as much as we found!!  Many just below the dust and dirt.  She was very apologetic and patient, and went all around the two sites we had making sure she got as much as she could.


Thursday night we were out for a walk around the campground, when the wind shifted and you knew rain was coming.  Before we got back to the site it started a steady drizzle, then increased to a downpour!  Luckily, with our site in the trees, we were protected from some of the wind and heavy rain but everything got a good washing!

A decent Bass caught at the Lake

Friday morning the kids were up and excited to go spend the day at the park.  During the week you can purchase All-Day ride passes instead of ticket books, which makes it nice that I don't have to count out three sets of tickets at each ride!  Before we left though, we setup the huge ass tent the neighbors have.  Wow, that thing is big and spacious!

Riding the Whip!!

Ally and Bella are getting to BIG!

The park wasn't very crowded once you got passed the line for the ride passes.  The kids were able to go on nearly all their favorites and a few new ones too.  We arrived at about 11:30 am, and rode all day till 7pm, when it was clear the kids were fading fast and it would be best to head back to the campground.  Here are a few shots from our fun today!

Sky Slide!

Hand Cars! Madie's Favorite

Getting some flying on!

Later that evening, just after 8pm, the Kennally's arrived in the dark and were glad we were able to setup their tent earlier in the day.  We had some short time around the fire before everyone turned in for the night.

Those silly neighbors!

Saturday morning we all had a large group breakfast.  Pancakes, Eggs, Sausage, Fruit, Juice and coffee, it was a nice spread.  We even managed to have all the kids sit together on the one table while the adults had a chance to sit at the other, that was nice.

Camp Breakfast before the park

Off to the park, Dan and I drove while the ladies and the kids rode the Shuttle Bus.  This way we could have the van to leave in the afternoon whenever we needed and the kids had fun riding the bus.  Since there are no ride bands on the weekend, we used tickets that we had left over and another new book, and once gone, that would be it and we could go back to the camp and go fishing.  All the kids had a good time riding together one the various rides and since there were now the 4 older ones and the 2 younger, it was a nice match up for going on the rides, no one was left to ride themselves.

Clowning Around

After the first pass, they weren't all smiling!

The Whip!

MmMmm.... Smores!

Sunday morning came to fast, but it was another very nice morning.  Clear skies and comfortable temps, we were able to pack up steadily while playing or doing something with the kids here and there.  We decided to make sandwiches and have everyone eat while I hitched up the camper, that way we could most likely make the run all the way home without a rest stop or food break.  Once on the road, we fueled up at a nearby station and then began the homeward trek, with only Ally and I staying awake for the ride and the rest of them sleeping away.

Summer is OVER...... Phew! That went fast!  Only three more weekends of camping scheduled this fall.

Unvieling, Project "X"--- the Camp Cruiser!!!

So back at our camping trip over Memorial Day weekend with other friends from church, we were sitting around the campfire watching the seasonal campers pass back and forth on their golf carts, mixed amongst the kids riding their bikes.  Got me thinking, wouldn't it be  ol to have a Surrey bike to ride at the campground?  Or maybe some other type of two person bike that we can each ride around to the main store and back or just for fun?

Got out my Nexus Tablet and started searching.  Nothing found within my price range, even a used Surrey can be $1400 bucks even if it is damaged and needs repair.  A few days later while surfing the web some more, I came across the American Speedster webpage.  Here is a guy that has got to have an engineering background and to much time on his hands, but I give him very much credit, as it is a cool project and he has put a lot of time and effort into the design.  (And, as I built it below, I became more impressed with the thought, planning, and execution of the design and parts.)  I went ahead and ordered the plan packet which arrived a few days later.

The Sidekick is a two person pedal bike made out of 1 1/4 Schedule 40 PVC pipe,.... Yes, PVC.  It is an engineers dream project.  So, after studying the plans a bit, I decided to build a topless model for easier storage and transport.  This way we don't have to take off the top and store in the van with all the other luggage.  So, enough quick background, lets show off the fun,.... Frustration,.... And creativeness we had!!

Frame, Glued and Assembled, being cleaned for Painting

Paint Complete!  Masking removed for Stripes!

Rally Stripes look

Almost done!  Needs final adjustment, Woodwork, and Lights!

After the first round of road tests, we had a problem.  The front sprocket and the pedal shaft would slip.  These are to be held tight using an allen key set screw into a dimple in the shaft, but under load, this was slipping out of the dimple and we would lose our drive power.  So, I had to Flintstone my way back to the house one night and come up with a solution.

Cleaned and Prep'd

I ended up removing the sprocket, and drilling out the dimple in the shaft to make it a deeper penetration into the peddle shaft.  While I had the sprocket removed I cleaned off the paint using my dremel tool and prepared it for welding.  Yes, no messing around now.

3/16" weld provides 2,400 lbs of shear force per inch, so we shouldn't lose our drive power now!  HAHA! 

Welded that sucker on!

We also have to adjust the brakes and shifting cables.  Since they are new, they will settle in and stretch a bit now that we have them installed and seated into the connections.  A few good pulls on the handles and a few zip ties to secure the lines to the frame so they don't move, and we'll be in better shape.  The shifter needed some adjustment on the upper and lower stop screws, as in first gear it sounded like it would want to skip off every once in a while.  The brakes and brake pads are always a pain to get aligned properly on a bike, and this one is being no different.  They needed to be aligned better for stronger braking action and better brake pad wear.

The final touches include the wood slats for the rear basket area and a wood bumper.  I chose red oak for all the wood on the bike because it is a nice durable hardwood that looks great with just a Urethane clear coat to bring out the natural color.  No staining needed.  Of course, a chrome 'Limited Edition' placard adds a nice touch.

2013 - Trip 6 - Assateague Island State Park, Maryland

So,.. Monday we drove back from Frontier Town Maryland, I crammed in 5 days of work into 3,.. and here we are loading the van and hitching the camper again to head to Assateague Island State Park on Friday!!  This is great!

One of the many Ponies we would encounter this weekend!

We arrived to the H-Loop, the only loop with electric hookup.  We were able to fill our on-board water tank so we could do dishes and have water in the camper by using our 12V water pump.  We were surrounded on this loop by larger travel trailers, 5th wheel campers, and motor homes, but everyone was very friendly and outgoing.  The girls quick made friends with the one girl across the drive and they were running around and riding their bikes / scooters all the time together.

The girls and their campground friends

This weekend was more about just relaxing and enjoying the beach.  Last weekend we had the hustle and bustle of going to Ocean City, doing activities at Frontier Town, and while that was all very fun, it is nice to just sit on the chair and relax.  So, this post will have a series of photos from the trip, and less chat.... at least till the exciting parts of the weekend!

Madie running on the open beach

Clean, Open, and Empty!

A spectacular sight!

The 'Busy' Beach on Saturday!

Girls being silly

One of my creations

This one was more useful!

Ally Cruising the Campground on her Scooter

Saturday evening was a nice, nearly perfect evening to be out relaxing in the chair watching the kids ride their scooters and bikes on the driveway.  There was a very light breeze and no bugs!  They rode around with their friends for a while as the sun set, and then we began to prepare to have a camp fire and smores.

Saturday Evening Sunset

Jeff and Maria came over to our site as well to enjoy the campfire and relax.  Jeff was playing the piano on his Ipad, keeping us entertained with his abilities.  All the girls were making smores by the fire and enjoying our last evening there.  In the photo below, you can see everyone having a good time, but take note of my empty chair, the smore sticks, and you can just see the corner of the Marshmallow bag sitting there.

Enjoying the campfire, Note Smore Sticks and Marshmallows next to Becky!

I was up taking photos, and then I went over to the left of the group to get something to drink out of the cooler.  Keep in mind, it is really dark our here at 10 pm, with just the glow of the fire lighting up the area and our small porch light giving a glow near the camper.  I was at the picnic table when I thought the light went out, so I looked to my right and Whoa!! A Horse!  This guy was right under our awnig and on our carpet,.... I think we kind of spooked one another as he turned and walked towards the group.  Becky, with Madie now sleeping in her arms, jumped out of her chair and ran around the other side of the fire, frightening Madie and sending her crying.  The horse didn't care, and he went right to the food and took our bag of Jet-Puffed Marshmallows!!!  The WHOLE BAG!!

That Horse took our Marshmallows!!!! (Click to view larger)

Within a few moments, he shredded the bag and ate everything!  Then he continued to walk over towards our chairs and the fire.  Becky and the kids were now inside the camper, while Jeff was clapping a folding chair together trying to shoosh the pony away.  Maria and I were just taking photos, as we couldn't believe it!  After a few minutes, he wandered away as we watched him till our flashlights couldn't see him anymore.

What Excitement!!  But he wasn't done.  About 2:30am, the camper started rocking!  Bella awoke and yelled 'HORSE!'.  We peeked out the screen to see that the horse was walking around our camper.  He must have had an itch and chose to scratch right on the end of the bunk end.  The sky was now clear, and the ground lit well by the bright moon,... so I was on Horse Patrol for about 30 minutes, keeping an eye on this character as he wondered about outside between our camper and the neighbors.

Horse Hair Evidence at the Bunk End

Sunday morning Sunrise over the beach

Sunday morning was a nice cool morning with the salty dew running off the camper and the van.  I packed up what I could while the girls walked the beach with Becky in their pajamas,.. yes, pajamas!  It was very early and we were able to enjoy the quiet surf rolling onto the sand.

It wasn't long till the Conga Line at the dump station was forming, so I gathered our porta-potti and gray-water tanks and headed off to do the dance.  Once back, it was now full on packing up while the kids rode their bikes.  By 10 am we were just about completed and ready to get on the road for the journey back home.

"Hey, I'm Mr. Ed,... Good Morning Mr Tent Camper!"

Our overall experience was fantastic!  And meeting new people that are friendly at these new campgrounds makes it all the more worth it.  The state is scheduled to shut down some of the campground loops this fall and into next spring in order to complete some renovations to the loops and renovate the bath houses.  We looked online and were able to reserve a site for next July, Sunday to Thursday!  We can still go to Ocean City, Frontier Town, and do many things, but most of all, we can be here on the clean and empty beaches of Assateague Island with friends!