13 Sep
03 Sep
RV Organization: Restocking through the Season
About a year ago, I was working on a RV packing article and reached out to some well-traveled acquaintances for their best tips. One of the greatest pieces of advice came from a friend of mine who spends a ton of time on the road as a touring musician. Allie told me that she always restocks her toiletries kit right away when she gets home from a trip. This way she knows exactly what she is low on and isn’t scrambling around and forgetting things before she leaves on her next trip. Brilliant and simple, right? How many of us forget what... Read More
18 Aug
Catching the Spirit of Vermont at the Quechee/Pine Valley KOA
The Green Mountain State calls us back again and again in the summertime. The days are warm enough for swimming in lakes and rivers, and the nights are cool and comfortable. It’s perfect weather for curling up around the campfire with a blanket and book…and sleeping with all the windows open. But this heavenly New England weather doesn’t last long, and if you blink you will miss it. So where do we camp in Vermont when we want to escape the humidity of the Mid-Atlantic states? Two years ago we discovered a little gem of a... Read More
09 Jul
Great Smoky Mountains Shakedown (Part Two) With the Townsend KOA
After three full days of exploring the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains, we were in no rush to leave. I was getting used to putting the boys to bed each night then soaking in the indoor hot tub at the Cherokee KOA. But there was so much more to do and see. So it was onward to the Tennessee side of America’s most visited national park. We chose the Townsend/Great Smokies KOA because of its great online reviews, its proximity to Cades Cove and the Sugarlands Visitor Center, and its close (but not too close) proximity to... Read More
05 Jul
Great Smoky Mountains Shakedown (Part One) with the Cherokee KOA
We have wanted to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park for years, so after spending four relaxing days at the Fancy Gap KOA we were charged up and ready to go. So why did we spend our first full day on the North Carolina side of the Smokies at the Campground? Because the boys had been terrific sports during our Blue Ridge Parkway excursion, and they wanted a full day of crazy campground fun. The Cherokee KOA, packed with fun amenities, and surrounded on all sides by mountains, is a destination in its own right, so we were happy to... Read More
29 Jun
Summertime on the Blue Ridge Parkway with the Fancy Gap KOA
It’s been two years since we have travelled on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the National Park Services second most visited “park unit” after the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, but now we’ve finally made it back. It is easy to see why it is so popular. It is a magical drive. The Parkway is 469 miles long. It starts at the southern end of Shenandoah National Park’s Skyline Drive and it ends near the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The mountain towns that are nestled... Read More
12 Jun
