Apple Island RV Resort, North Hero, VT

This resort RV Park is located on Hero Island. It’s surrounded by the waters of Lake Champlain and just off the popular US highway #2. Located south of Hero Island is Burlington, VT, the home of the university of Vermont.

We found the island area to be an antique store, thrift store, and yard sale mega market place. Battery Park, a downtown Burlington city park is a must see.

https://www.appleislandresort.com/

RV Parking Places #15

 

 

 

Fort Bliss, El Paso, TX

We have stayed in Texas a lot and their will be more posts on some of the other places we have stayed while in the great state of Texas.

I start Texas off with this excellent military RV Park. It's located off base but users still have to be authorized patrons to stay there.

Reservations are not taken by this RV Park. It’s strictly first come first serve. Even though you may call from a few miles away they will not pencil you in. When traveling in the El Paso area we always plan on being in the area by noon. We call to see if there is any space or expected space before we drive out there. Once there you can normally stay for a month. Those attending the Sergeant Majors Academy can stay until they finish the course.

The RV Park is modern, clean and well kept. The facilities are all new with CATV, WiFi and complete hook-ups. There is a small store, a community kitchen, lounge area and a fully furnished work-out building. There is an 18 hole golf course in the off base housing area across the main highway. Another two miles down the road there are all sorts of eating places, movie theaters and a super Wallmart. All-in-all it’s a super place to spend some time.

RV Parking Places #14



 

Natchez Trace State Park, Wildersville, TN

If you’re ever out on I40 East of Memphis and see signs to this State Park or the town of Wildersville, take the plunge and turn-off and visit this huge Park with all of it’s attractions.

We spent a couple of springtime weeks here once. The RV parking sites where we parked were all FHU sites and huge. Right across the street we had access to one of the large lakes and the fishing there was excellent. When we paid the ranger for our site he informed us that our lot receipt also acted as our fishing license in all park waters while at the park.

This link will explain about the amenities and all the things to do while at the park.

The fish in the picture is one of many I caught and released in the lake across the street. My shoe is 12” to give a size reference.

http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/natchez-trace

 

 

RV Parking Places #13

Remember, the link is active and all bolg pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Ellsworth AFB Family Campground, Rapid City, SD

We stay at military campgrounds/RV Parks all around the country whenever there is space available and it’s in out traveling area of interest. This one offers outstanding RV sites. And, the recreational department manages numerous discounted van tours to the surrounding attractions. All tours start and end at the campground office.

There is a very large aviation museum at the main gate entrance area. They also offer base tours including the flight lines.

http://www.militarycampgrounds.us/south-dakota/ellsworth-afb-famcamp

RV Parking Places #12

Springwood RV park, Greenville, SC

During our full time RVing years this was our regular stopping place whenever heading north in the spring or returning south for the winter. Greenville is Linda’s home town and most of her family still live here.

Springwood is very close to the Donaldson Industrial complex and a lot of the aircraft contractors stay in this RV Park long term.

We always asked for this site in our pictures below. It’s up under the large trees and provides nice shade and comfortable outside lounging.

http://www.springwoodrvpark.com/page/accomodations

RV Parking Places #11

Jonestown KOA, Jonestown, PA

Once upon a time we spent a couple of weeks at the Johnstown, PA KOA Campground. It was early spring before schools got out for the summer and as you can see in the picture we had the place pretty much to ourselves.

It was a nice place to park while doing side trips in the Amish country. And we did a lot of them.

http://koa.com/campgrounds/jonestown/

 

 

RV Parking Places #10

Roughrider Campground, Minot, ND

This was our first experience with side-by-side parking. Two rigs using utilities from the same position. So one drives in and the other backs in.

We were meeting up with our friends. They had spent the spring in CA and we had been meandering around in the northwest territories. Their Pride trailer had burned to the ground while parked at Lemoore, CA and they were in their new Montana. We were going to spend the 4^th of July holidays at Roughrider before moving on - slowly - south. Our friends were going to IL then on to winter with us in St. Petersburg, FL.

https://plus.google.com/103064840941497081217/about?gl=us&hl=en

 

RV Parking #9

Cole’s Creek State Park, Waddington, NY

This park’s camping area is right on the St. Lawrence River, just off NY-37. Our camp site was a spacious parallel parking site right on the river bank.

We had 30 amps with portable water just across the street and restrooms with hot showers just a short walk away. Stayed a couple of days and just enjoyed the park. Did a little riverbank fishing, sit around the fire ring in the early evening and watched the beautiful sunsets while roasting marshmallows over the open fire.

http://nysparks.com/parks/72/details.aspx

 

 

RV Parking #8

The link is active and you can click on the pictures to make them larger.

Whit’s End Campground, West Ossipee, NH

This Campground is owned by one of my many 1^st cousins from up in that part of the country, Jan & her husband Dan.

When we called them and asked for a parking site for us and our traveling companions they didn’t have sites large enough for our 38’ fiver or our friends 35 footer, nor did they have 50 amp service. When we arrived a couple of weeks later we found that they had carved us out a couple of sites near an old cabin in a cul-de-sac like setting.

We were very comfortable in those sites. We were going to Nova Scotia but a family emergency back south required us to leave NH and head south. Our friends stayed on there.

You will see that blue Chevrolet in a lot of our pictures. They are long time Navy friends and traveled with us at least 65% of the time. Later in our travels their Pride was destroyed in a fire and they then got a Montana.

http://www.whitsendcampground.com/

 

 

RV Parking #7

The link is alive and the pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them.

New Boston Military Recreation Area, NH

Some time ago when the New Boston RV park was open we spent a week there. It’s a rural U.S. Air Force tracking station. It has a history of people finding very old (WWII) live explosives. For awhile their was no fishing or boating allowed in the ponds there. Now days it’s been reduced to a unimproved camping area and requires all users to pass a test on explosive weapons recognition.

When we stayed there we were just resting from our trip north into New England and took advantage of being authorized to use military campgrounds. There is a super Walmart some 10-15 minutes away, as they say up north. The only sounds heard at the campground were mostly generated there, so it was very quiet and peaceful. We were well rested when we left and ready for the New England tourist extravaganza.

 

Arizona Sands RV Park, Yuma, AZ

We have wintered at this park a couple of times. It’s a senior park (55+) with good rates, a great staff and discount tour tickets with pick-up and return to the park office. There is bingo once a week and low stakes poker whenever you can round up some players.

There is a large canal running across the back of the park that provides some fun fishing when it’s full (half of the time). Sometimes stripers, other times large mouth bass but most times an even mix with some catfish mixed in. They love cut anchovies.

Parking is close but comfortable. Every Wednesday the park is flooded with canal water. Each site has an outlet and is saturated with the water. You can wash your trailer RV with it but it’s not advisable because the water spotting is terrible. We got the Mexicans to wash our RV. They tow in fresh water and their rates are lower than any kids allowance.

There are a lot of bus tours out of the Yuma area RV parks. The most popular is an overnighter to Laughlin, NV and back down along the Colorado River. Another is out to Martinez Lake for a paddle wheel boat ride on the Colorado.

There are two large, paved, flea markets in Yuma where the gray hair is supreme.

There are numerous golf courses in the area and the rates are the same all seven days of the week and holidays.

Parking in parking lots like Walmart is not allowed within the city limits. The VFW has lots of land around it’s club out on US-95 and dry camping there is free.

You don’t get wet very often during the winter months in Yuma but it sure will get dusty at times. One year we left a month early because the wind would not quit blowing.

Of course when you’re that close to Quartzsite, AZ you’re just going to have to go up to the annual RV show. You’ve never seen such a thing as the thousands of dry campers parked zig zag all across the desert leading into Quartzsite from any direction. Water wagons and honey wagons are constantly stirring up the dust as far as you can see. It’s a who’s who of thermal electric rooftop contraptions.

Indian Casinos? Yep, they are there, in any direction. One has a state line right down the middle including a time change when crossing from one to the other. Another south of town has outstanding (paved) dry camping.

That’s a little longer post than I had planned to make in this blog. It’s hard not to mention some things once I get started.

　
http://arizonasandsrvpark.com/

 

 

 

RV Parking #5

 

Click on the pictures to make them larger.

April Valley RV Park, Pickens, SC

During a summer trip north, destination, Nova Scotia, we got as far as West Ossipee, NH. Then we got the news that my wife’s mother had got a wrong prescription from a pharmacy and was in critical condition. We contacted my brother-in-law and asked him to find us a long term RV Park/CG within reasonable driving distance to my mother-in-laws. He found one that was new construction and  ready  to open. We would be their very first customers. I was a little concerned about the infrastructure but he insured me they had full hook-ups with 50 amps and all of it was new and they would offer us a great discount as their first customers.

When we got there I wasn’t impressed at all but we took it anyway. The owners lived on the property so we weren’t entirely all by ourselves at night. It was way out in the boonies but an easy drive to our daily destination.

I chose a site that backed-up to a fully stocked catfish pond. It was in the middle of the summer and I had a tree close by that I could park the truck under to provide it with a bit of shade. We were there for more than three months and were still the only ones to have parked there when we left.

The upper pond is fed from a fresh water stream and had trout in it and the pond. The catfish in the pond behind our fiver averaged about three pounds, very good eating size.

Today the place has evolved into a nice country campground far away from the town and city noises. A good place to chill, I’m sure.
http://www.aprilvalleyrvcampground.com/

 

 

 

 

RV Parking #4

Just click on the picture to enlarge it.

Alabama Parking

Sometimes when we were just meandering around the country we would just forget to do the normal things. I always made it a habit to gather the information about places we parked.

This beautiful little rural family owned RV park was found while going north on I65 about 65 miles out of Mobile. We saw an advertisement billboard and drove in to take a look. Very clean and large full hook-up sites. We just spent the one night and completely forgot to write anything down. Maybe someone reading this blog will remember it and let us know the name and location. We mostly pay cash for overnight stays so we have no record there either.

 

RV Parking #3

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KOA Fayetteville/Wade, NC

This was our very first stop after leaving Florida. I’m going to put in new links to these parking places but keep in mind we stayed at this one in 2003 in what would now be site 43.

Our site was a large grassy one with a full hook-up (50 amp elect).

My brothers live in Fayetteville. In the picture my brother Richard parked his little Ford Ranger fishing truck under our fiver’s hitch. Sure did get a lot of looks.

http://koa.com/content/campgrounds/fayetteville/sitemap/33123sitemap0df0c245-6798-423a-911f-91d3aab381d5.pdf

 

 

RV Parking #2

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NAS Jacksonville, FL

This is a picture of our very first parking place. It was at the Naval Air Station RV Park, at Jacksonville, FL.

Our first truck was a one ton 1999 silver Dodge, Club Cab with the Cummins diesel and auto trans. We had it for about a year before an igniter  failure stranded us for a week. Luckily the engine was still under it's 100,000 mile warranty and there were no maintenance or parts charges. A few months later we traded it for a new 2004 model with a crew cab and the Cummins with a .410 hooked up to the new auto trans.

When we parked in this spot we couldn't lower the landing gear to get off the truck. The people that hooked it up for us after final inspection bottomed out the motor and burned it out. So the next day I had to tow it to a  dealer to get a new motor installed. It only took about four hours and I was back in the parking spot.

 

RV Parking #1

You can click on the picture to make it larger.