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  • The Meadows: Going somewhere since 2005.

    Travel:
    I guess it was planning our Bermuda wedding in 2005 that I fell in love with the "art" of traveling and photographing our adventures along the way.

    After a short year with a boat, and realizing that boating was just a more expensive way to camp, my husband, Dave and I bought our first RV, a 2007 Sandpiper Fifth Wheel pulled by a 2006 Ford F350 in 2007 when our oldest boy, Brett was just 18 months old.

    I actually took a template of the pack-n-play from dealership to dealership to make sure there was enough room for the crib. Grant, our youngest child began traveling in the RV the day after his 6 week old check-up. We loved traveling with babies and the RV was much easier than a hotel room.

    It was a trip from Maryland to Tennessee that Dave and I decided to upgrade to a class A motorhome. It is our hope that in the future, the travel portion of our trips will be much more comfy for the boys who spent 12 hours strapped into carseats and KICKING THE SEAT! during that trip. In February of 2011 Dave and I began researching and searching for the perfect motorhome. Finally, after the March 2011 purchase of a new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited to tow, (talk about putting the cart before the horse!) in March of 2012 our family took ownership of a 2009 Winnebago Adventurer 35z. It's perfect for our family and we are excited to be able to travel farther and stay longer with our boys (and no one can kick the seat.)

    I love researching and getting ready for a trip. Because RVing tends to be marketed towards older generations and those traveling with out children, I find it hard to get information on activities and campgrounds that are good for those with small children. So, I started this blog. Partly to review the campgrounds and help others planning just like us and partly to be a record for my boys of where we've been.

    We love new places and would like to visit and review your destination or campground. Please send us an e-mail through our contact form to suggest our next trip!

    Thanks for stopping by and I hope we see you on the road!

Yogi Bear Hagerstown, Willamsport Maryland Camping Review

Tuesday, May 15, 2012 Posted in Boy Themed Activities, Camping Review, Camping With Kids, Maryland, Maryland Day Trips with Kids, RV with Kids

Photos coming soon!

Dates Visited:  May 4, 5, 6 2012     Super Hero Weekend!  Visit their website here:  http://www.jellystonemaryland.com/

Overall Grade A 

Activities for Boys  A+

Cleanliness A

Size of campsites- B-  These were tight and I felt as if our talking at dinner was annoying the neighboring camper.

Price- 47.50 per night (I used a certifikid for the site fee)  Some campers had taken advantage of  a spring special at the campground which included leaving the camper on site for 5 weekends for a set fee. 

For our first trip out in the new to us motor home we chose the Yogi Bear in Hagerstown, MD.  Hagerstown is about 2 hours away from our home and since we were not towing the jeep this trip I wanted to make sure we camped in a spot that had a ton of stuff for the boys to do.  Yogi delivered:) 

We left on Friday night after I got off of work around 3:30 and we hit traffic as soon as we turned on rt. 70 and we were stop and go from rt. 29 through Fredrick.   But, traffic was different this time!  No steam came out of my husband’s ears when we saw the familiar red brake lights.  The boys didn’t even realize that we were in traffic since they were hanging in the booth playing with the i-pads.  While we were in traffic I made us all a snack in the kitchen and fixed juice boxes and iced tea.  The radio was on, we hung out and watched people watch us…traffic was fun!  In the fifth wheel I dreaded traffic knowing our boys were strapped in their car seats in the cab of our cramped pick-up and guessing at any minute someone (usually me) would have to go to the bathroom.

When we reached the campground around 6:15- we were greeted by sweet check-in clerks and handed the hourly itinerary of kid friendly activities for the whole weekend.  Without getting out of our motorhome we were escorted to our pull through site number 201.  The park is fairly easy to manevure and the site was level gravel.   The boys sighted Yogi immediately who we actually saw a lot of the whole weekend. 

On Friday evening after a quick set up with only one minor problem, the drain trap in the shower was not installed and while we were running all of the antifreeze out of the camper the shower leaked all over the ground.  Luckily there was no damage to the RV and because of  our 6 year old Brett’s fast thinking to notify us we were able to catch the problem quickly.  

After my five walking trips to the camp store for items we forgot or didn’t load to from the fifth wheel… the boys and I headed to the bears bungalow so they could choose their super hero names for the weekend.  The boys don’t have any idea who the real super hero’s are so this was fun.  They drew names out of a jar and decorated a badge that they wore all weekend.  We also met the sweet staff that worked enthusiatically with the kids all weekend.   Later Friday evening  we had the option to watch the movie ”The Incredibles” at Yogi’s Sunset theatre While we didn’t make it to the movie,  it looked like they were having technical difficulties with the projector system.

On Saturday, we woke and went to Yogi’s flag raising and pledge of allegiance and Yogicize.  Both Boo Boo and Yogi were at the flag raising and offered lots of hugs for the kids and photo opportunities to the parents.  There were hourly events going on for the kids throughout the day but we took a walk through the park and let the boys play on the very nice playground equipment until it was time for the super hero parade.  All three bears were at the parade, Brett was chosen as Captain America after a little boy said he didn’t want it and he was able to ride in the golf cart with the bears and throw out candy!  After a QUICK parade around the park we headed back to rest up for Cindy Bear’s Birthday Party. 

 My cousin Alyson brought her son down on Saturday evening and we took Ayden to play putt putt golf before Cindy’s party.  At the party they handed out cupcakes and all three bears were there again!  We hung out with Cindy and then went back to our campsite full of cupcakes to try to get the kids to eat dinner.  Alyson made us bannana, marshmallow and chocolate treats for dessert and they were goooood. 

 After dinner was the dance.  The boys LOVED dancing with the bears and had a great time.  Grant passed out in his bed at 9:30 and Brett was right behind him at 10:00.   Both boys proved once again that they were the dirtiest in the campground. 

On Sunday, we headed home and made it in half the time because of no traffic!  Our first trip out in the new motorhome was GREAT!  We are heading back to Yogi Bear Hagerstown in June for Alyson’s wedding and to play in Yogi’s waterzone. 

Brett has decided that he want’s to own a Yogi Bear Campground.  He is going to tear down our house and make campsites and the community pool will be the waterzone and he wants me to purchase a franchise so we can get the costumes.  My parent’s house will be the ranger’s house.  He has it all planned out.  If I get a chance I’ll upload the pictures of his plans.

 

Pine Grove Campground Chincoteague,VA Review

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 Posted in Boy Themed Activities, Camping Review, Camping With Kids, Coastal Camping, RV with Kids, Uncategorized, Virginia

Visited October 7, 8, and 9 2011 we hitched up and headed to Pine Grove Campground in Chincoteague, VA.  Our friends have a seasonal site there and we decided to join them for the Chincoteague Oyster Festival. 

We left home around 11:00 am and drive in was not bad and Chincoteague hosts 4 campgrounds on their small island, so thankfully they know how to keep the streets wide enough for the big rigs.  The left turn into Pine Grove Campground was on a completely blind turn, but that was only scary part of our drive in. It was fairly easy to navigate through Chincoteague and into the campground. I was worried about taking the fifth wheel through the town but we had no problems with width or height.

Pine Grove has many options to choose from when planning your stay…  RV sites both with 30 and 50 amp service, tent sites, motel, two bedroom rental units and adorable homes right on the water (not at the campground.)

When we checked in I was a little nervous at the disarray of the store and check in counter, but it was the end of the season and the people running the place left us alone for the most part and they were around to get fire wood from and were friendly for the most part.

Pine Grove it is a small campground and it is very quiet. However we were there in October when Chincoteague tends to be more quiet anyway. My boys… ages 3 and 5 loved the Chincoteague Pony named Daisy who lives on site and we made evening visits to visit her and the small ponies they had on the property. Also on the property was ponds and cages of all kinds of waterfowl. They have a few rows of seasonal sites which had people there and the pool looked really nice but was closed for the season.

We only had a few downfalls…The property is grass, pine needles and sand so it is hard to keep the dirt out of the motorhome. The birds wake up early! Because we were in a 40 ft fifth wheel they put us out near the pool and our friends in the seasonal site which also happens to be where the birds are. They were making all kinds of calls by 4:30 am so my small children were up at 4:30 am too.

No cable in the site we were in which we use to keep the boys occupied while we are making dinner or getting ready to go out. Dave did get on the roof to sweep off the pine needles that littered out of the trees. The RV needed a good scrubbing because of the pine sap and sea air.

The Oyster Festival was an awesome time! Our Grant has a fish allergy so I was really nervous about taking him to the festival. He did great! We were able to take in our own food and drink and there were options for the non-seafood lovers in the group. Parking was limited but we were able to get a spot fairly close to haul in our table, chairs and blankets to stake out our claim for the day. For the price I felt the amount we were able to eat was fantastic. The lines were long but if you wait or are able to split up your group everyone is able to be served fairly quickly.

The boys loved climbing all over the Chincoteague Fire Dept. apparatus and we visited the playground. Once the band began playing we stayed on the dance floor and danced the evening away. It was a blast and we had a great time.

The beach access is part of the national park system and since it was one of the free National Park weekends we were able to get on the beach for free and watch the spectacular sunset Chincoteague offers. Topped off with ice cream from Island Creamery we had a wonderful last trip of the 2011 season.

For Sale 2008 Forest River Sandpiper Fifth Wheel RV 39 ft 316BHT

Monday, February 21, 2011 Posted in Uncategorized

Our fifth wheel is for SOLD!! We traded our truck and fifth wheel in for a new to us Winnebago and we are over the moon about our new motorhome!

The perfect RV for a large family or two families camping together! This 5th wheel would make a great parked beach or mountain place! We are very motivated to sell and will take reasonable offers.
Triple slides. Master up front with queen bed, shower, sink in vanity and toilet. Bunk house with toilet(never used)and sink in vanity in back. Twin bed, double bed w/ double trundle in bunkhouse.
Purchased by us in September of 2007 but is a 2008 model. We are the original owners a family of 4, no pets and never any smoking. Used minimally for weekend camping close by. The furthest it has traveled has been MD to TN in 2010. It is in near perfect condition was kept under a cover until fall of 2010. No fading on any materials. This is a CLEAN RV! Aluminum wheels and ladder in back.

We are moving up to a Class A motorhome so everything is included! Included is an Ultra glide self sliding hitch which is always covered and is essential for short bed trucks (was $2000 new.)
Also included is an Olevia flat screen television, a new upgraded Panasonic surround sound system w/ DVD and CD changer and exterior speakers. We upgraded to a residential size queen mattress in master and it is included.
We upgraded to a residental kitchen faucet with sprayer and soap dispenser to make doing dishes easier.
All original linens were stored from day one and have never been slept on. Stove used twice and range has never been used.
Black tank has a built in internal rinsing system. All storage areas and closets are lit. Outside shower. Microwave, refrigerator & double sink. Double sized hide a bed is in couch and was never used.
Four fully movable chairs w/seat storage at dinette. Power outlet and cable added to exterior storage bay for easy television viewing outside. Large 22′ awning.
TONS OF AMPLE STORAGE EVERYWHERE! Huge underneath carpeted and heated pass-through storage across the width of entire 5th wheel. Additional large front non-carpeted storage up front underneath. Extra large closet in master, laundry chute and linen closet. Huge pantry cabinets.
Bunkroom is large enough to hold a standard size pack-n-play for babies and makes a great playroom when it’s raining.
We will deliver free of charge up to 250 miles from Pasadena, Maryland. Please contact us for other delivery options if further than 250 miles. Feel free to e-mail at any time with questions- meadowsmoments (at) verizon.net

Destination Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Twin Creek RV Resort (Camping Review)

Friday, August 20, 2010 Posted in Camping Review, Camping With Kids, Tennessee

Visited: June 15- June 24, 2010.  In June, we packed the boys and the fifth wheel and made the trip from Maryland to Gatlinburg, TN. We loved Gatlinburg and we took side trips to Pigeon Forge including go-carting on the Wild Woody at the Track, Dollywood and the Great Smoky Mountains. We stayed at Twin Creek RV Resort which is by far the cleanest RV park we had ever stayed in.   The park was so clean that I witnessed someone wiping out the washers and dryers and we had someone blow the leaves and standing water off of the campsites every day.  The park had a cute stream running through it and some of our neighbors saw a bear with cubs there the day before we arrived.  The campground also has a Jeep available to rent which we did for our ride through the Great Smoky mountains.  We went to Cades Cove and we did see a bear, and swam in a mountain stream after having a picnic lunch in the mountains.  The campground is the closest to Gatlinburg and doesn’t allow tents, actually our RV was on the less expensive end of the RV’s that were there- I fell in love with some of the rigs!  The one that was parked next to our 5th wheel I used to check my hair in the morning- the paint was that shiny!  We’ve decided to go back in a few years and I know we will stay at Twin Creek again.  Below are some of my favorite shots from the trip.  I’ll share my scenic photos once I choose my calendar photos for 2011:)

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