Colonial Woods - Weekend One

First Weekend of Camping!!  Couldn't get here fast enough with the work weeks and things that have been happening here around the house.  It took a few days to get some time after work to get the camper ready and go over things from the winter.  Water lines sanitized and flushed, Battery Installed after a water level check and float charge, LP Tanks installed and connected, and a few other "Springerizing" items.

Becky and I loaded the camper with new supplies for this season and double checked we had the kids toys, blankets, sleeping bags, etc all ready to go.  During the day at work, my friend Jim texted me this photo as he flew his Cessna overhead of the campground.  He also would be camping with his family this weekend and had taken the day off work to enjoy some airtime.

Colonial Woods from the Air (Taken by Jim R. in his Cessna)

 By the time I got home from work and the kids off the bus, we only had to do a final walk around and we would be ready to go.  We added two zip lock bags of ice to the black tank to stir any leftovers up from our last trip, even though I had flushed the tanks the best I could at the end of the season.  We arrived to the campground a few minutes after 6 pm and circled through the campground to the dump station.  After the initial dump of the tanks, we headed to our assigned spot down by the stream.  It took me a little bit, but I was able to back in the spot easily and we were side-to-side level without using any blocks under the wheels.

We have Arrived!

All setup for our Weekend!

 Across from us there were 4 other Keystone Passport models, including a very nice couple that had the same model 217 as we have!  After some talking on Saturday with them and comparing models, seems that the 2016 models of the 217 have some variations depending on time of manufacturer.  They had some minor upgrades in lighting and we had a different interior finish.  Overall, both of us were very happy with the Passport quality.  This was there first outing and I hope we can cross paths again with them in the future.

Must be a Keystone Convention!!  Lots of Friendly neighbors this weekend.

 The kids were right at home so to speak with our site next to the stream and we tried to re-create some photos that we took 3 years ago when we first visited Colonial Woods.  Here are a few snapshots from these new and updated photos.

3 years ago they sat on the same bridge,.... much smaller then.

Trying to re-create a photo from a few years ago

 Bella was itching to challenge me at Chess since she learned to play a little at school.  Even in her Harry Potter books when they play Wizard Chess, she talked about playing me.  So, we pulled out the chess set and played a quick game.  Yes, ... Quick.  She didn't think ahead on some of her moves and left the door open to a Checkmate.  Sounds like I have a rematch coming up next weekend.

Bella, about to get Schooled in Chess

The remainder of the day the kids caught crayfish in the stream and played games.  They didn't have much interest in going fishing so maybe we will hold that till next weekend.  We enjoyed a good BBQ chicken dinner followed by a good hot campfire and s'mores!  YUM!!

On Sunday afternoon we decided to avoid the campground as people were packing up and doing the conga line to the dump station and took the new trail from the campground leading to Lake Warren State park.  We haven't been there before and it was a very nice lake.  I'm sure there are more trails and things to go around the lake but we were able to see a Beaver dam and also some new trees cut from the beavers!

Lake Warren

The Beavers have been busy

 So, after another great weekend at Colonial Woods, we began to clean up and get ready to head home.  It was about 2pm at this point and many of the people in the campground had left already.  That is another good part about doing the Spring Camping Special here, there isn't the time limits to checkin and check-out.  Lets see what next week brings!!

Locked and Secured till next weekend

Spring Mods - Part 1

As mentioned before in the previous post I had a few minor maintenance things I wanted to take care of and get a few modifications started.

First Add-on for this year, a Hatchlift gas strut to keep the back hatch in the open position.  This was the "Small" kit size and came with all the needed hardware and good instructions.  In fact, I think I only need a phillips screw driver/drill, measuring tape and pencil.  Everything else was in the box.  Install to the top door was simple and then it came time to play with the location of the door jamb attachment to get a good motion and fit for the compression of the strut.  Once fitted, the door has some resistance to opening at first by the strut compressing as you open it, and then it lifts the door slowly open.  This is nice as it is under the rear bunk when it is open and I didn't want to have it smack the finish of the camper.

Hatchlift is also available on Amazon.  This door uses the "Small" kit

Installed.  Works Great!

 For maintenance this spring, I really wanted to get the gas line piping prepped and painted.  I just didn't like the unfinished pipe and the rust it was developing, even though it wasn't a safety concern for the gas line.  Just a little prep, and a can of Rustoleum Gloss Black, and 10 minutes time crawling around made a huge difference.  I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

Gas line painted front to back

After our next trip, the black tank flush kit will be plumbed and installed.  Need to get some good rinses on the black tank at the dump station before I cut into it.  I ordered the kits from Camco online, so I just need to scope them out and plan the installation.

Now, Off to Camping!

2016 Is Here!

Well, another winter is trying to still hold on as the weekend forecast is rain and snow again and it is the beginning of April.  We go camping in a few weeks so I'm hoping that the warmer weather decides to return in time for that.

I managed to get the cover off the camper though this week with Becky's help and give it an overall inspection.  Looks like the howling winds we have had this winter loosened the rain gutter extensions and that they are just silicone glued on,.... wonder if there is a way I can fix them up a bit?

The spring schedule for modifications list includes:
1) Adding a Smart Tile Backsplash to the kitchen area
2) Finishing the wheel well lighting LEDs so I can see the wheel positions when backing in

Possible Added mods this year would be:
1) Adding a Black Tank flush system to rinse the black tanks after a dump
2) Changing out the open vent at the middle of the camper with a 12V Powered Fantastic Fan unit

Maintenance includes:
1) Fixing the gutter extensions
2) Painting the gas line under the camper frame

We have a good camping season planned so far and will have some meetings with friends.  Some of the places we are going include:

• Colonial Woods
• Lake In Wood
• Assateague State Park
• Knoebels
• Little Red Barn

Part 5 - Jamestown Settlement

As I mentioned in a prior post, we attended historic Jamestown Settlement for Thanksgiving with the kids.  All of us learned something new and we had an enjoyable time learning about history in this active environment.

Cafe

Museum & Exhibits

Indian Settlement

Tall Ships

Jamestown Settlement

Part 4 - Road Tripping Again

Part 4:  Back on the Road

Sunday:
Heading back up the eastern seaboard to South Carolina was a long day but an easy ride.  The truck is running well and the kids were all in good behavior.  We arrived at New Green Acres Campground late in the afternoon and were setting up in the dark again.  Luckily, this campground is all pull thru sites and has a really nice layout which made driving in and setting up in the dark easy.

Monday:
A mixed day of light shopping for some necessities and relaxing at the campground, it was all to fast that we had to think about packing up for another day on the road.  This did give us the chance to switch out the clothing for the colder weather and also to try and packup in some order, if you could call it that, from Disney.

The campground also had a laundry room, so we washed some towels and the kids played on an old-school playground.  Another cold night in the low 30's, and the propane furnace was keeping us comfortable.

Tuesday:
We departed at 8:15am from the campground in South Carolina and headed north for Williamsburg, Virginia.  Another long day cranking out the miles on the road we hit some minor traffic near Richmond that was setting us back a little.  Again, another arrival to the campground after dark.  We made it in, and the ranger walked us to a few sites to check them out and select the one we would like to setup on.  In the dark, it was hard to see, but I chose one that looked wider than the rest to give us some room for setup.

Wednesday:
The next morning, we awoke to see a campground full of trees.  Amazingly, we didn't sideswipe a tree on the narrow driveways as we circled the camp in the dark the night before to get onto the right driveway and our site.  Our site was a good choice, as we had good room front and back, but not much extra by any means, and room in front of our door side to have the kids enjoy some space.

We spent the day exploring the campground a little more, climbing about on the playground, playing mini-golf on the nice course that they have, swimming in the indoor pool, and relaxing around the campsite.  The kids were excited to have a night that we could have a small campfire and S'mores for the first time on this trip.  Camping is definitely something that they enjoy and we want to keep doing with them.

Thanksgiving Thursday
So, camping on the road over a holiday,... where to go?  A friend of ours suggested the Jamestown Settlement Historic Park.  We looked up the information and planned to attend there for the Thanksgiving meal they were preparing between 11am - 4pm.  As we arrived the kids were interested in the museum and going to the settlement.  Please read the separate post I'm making for that visit.

Friday:
Today was a bright and sunny day, with temps nearing 70* here!  Wow.  Felt like we could wear shorts again.  We spent some time packing up little things and then chatting with the neighbors that pulled in with the same camper we have!  First time we saw another one.  We talked tips and things that we found since each of us are new to this style of camper.  They are from about 1 hr north west of us, ironic.

Another R&R day using the facilities here at the camp ground and playing more golf.  With such nice weather, the camper was opened up and the screen door in place.  We had an early evening camp fire with S'mores again, before heading to the lodge for Candy Bar BINGO with the kids in the evening.

Saturday,... the final day of our Road trip, time to go home.

Part 3.3 - Magic Kingdom -- The Magical day!

Magic Kingdom - Saturday

Today was our busiest day of the week.  Lots of fun surprises planned for everyone and it needed to start right away as the gates opened.  This meant getting to the Ferry dock ahead of everyone to be sure to get the first ferry across the lake.  We managed to do this, and we had our game plan ready for our arrival at the entry.

Ally and I were off to the Pirates League to start off the day.  Here, we were both inducted into the secret society of the Pirates, after being made over into Kate Starcastle (Ally) and Ned Treasurehound (Rob).

While we were over getting our Pirate on, the other ladies were over at the Castle getting another makeover at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.  The Fairy godmothers were busy at work doing hair, makeup, and working over Madison and Bella into princesses!

After meeting, we headed down in front of the Castle to the main garden area for the Move It Shake It Dance Party!  This is a mini-parade of a few characters that get you out on the street dancing to the beat and having a good time!

Since we were down here and all dressed up, we made our way over to a PhotoPass photographer to get a family photo in front of the Castle,... and to make someone else feel special too!

Ok,... so it is Saturday and I'm running out of surprises, but I had one more up my sleeve,... Lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table.  Little miss Madie was in her glory as we entered the Castle and Cinderella was there to greet us!  Becky was pretty in awe as well as you can see from the look on her face.

The food was really good at the Royal Table, including dessert.  While enjoying our meal we also were greeted by a few other Princesses!

Luckily, we made it out of our lunch just in time to get good seats along the path for the Festival of Fantasy Parade.  This parade was great!  All types of characters were on floats, even those that we just saw moments ago!  Bella was dressed as TinkerBell and Capt'n Hook didn't like that!!  Cinderella even pointed out Madison!!  It teased us with a little drizzle, enough to get out the ponchos, but of course once we had them on the rain stopped.

After the parade, we were able to mix in some rides and some shows while we continued to watch the weather.  We were lucky all week but today was active on the radar and every once in a while we could feel a drizzle.  We decided to go back to Cosmic Rays for some dinner as the lines for a lot of the lines were getting long.  

Characters We Met in Person and spoke with, danced with, had S'mores with:

1. Mickey Mouse
2. Minnie Mouse
3. Donald Duck
4. Daisy Duck
5. Goofy
6. Chip
7. Dale
8. King Louie
9. Tarzan
10. Gaston
11. Belle
12. Ariel
13. Sleeping Beauty
14. Snow White
15. Princess Jasmine
16. Tinkerbell
17. Pocahontas
18. Cinderella
19. Fairy godmother
20. Lady Tremaine (step mother)
21. Anastasia (step sister)
22. Drizella (step sister)

Characters we saw up close, but didn't get a chance to meet:

1. Tigger and Pooh
2. Pluto
3. Merida (from Brave Movie)
4. Anna & Elsa
5. Raffiki
6. Peter Pan
7. Prince Charming