The RV Atlas Blog

Thoughts on camping, parenting, and travel.

01 Jul
Dip Your Camping Cup into a Kettle Pond: Nickerson State Park, Cape Cod

Dip Your Camping Cup into a Kettle Pond: Nickerson State Park, Cape Cod

It would be easy to spend a week on Cape Cod, as we have done, and miss Nickerson State Park entirely.  Why not just return to the golden beaches of the National Seashore, or spend another warm afternoon exploring the kid-friendly tide pools of Cape Cod Bay? Because then you wouldn’t get to take a deeply relaxing swim in one of Nickerson’s eight crystal clear, Zen-like Kettle Ponds. Where the ocean and the bay beaches of Cape Cod are constantly in a state of dramatic transition, the Kettle Ponds are soothing and still.  They are... Read More

Dear Janine (Lovely, Long-Suffering Waitress at Marconi Beach Restaurant)

Dear Janine, You probably don’t remember us. The minute we pulled out of your restaurant, when calm and quiet was once again restored to the Marconi Beach Restaurant in particular and the entire Wellfleet area in general, I’m guessing you willed yourself to forget that staggeringly awful 45 minutes of your life that you simply would never get back at any price. I bet you looked at the long shift ahead and thought, let me just block that particular family out of my mind so I don’t wind up rocking back and forth in the corner... Read More
27 Jun
A Perfect Day on Cape Cod Bay (First Encounter Beach, Eastham)

A Perfect Day on Cape Cod Bay (First Encounter Beach, Eastham)

Cape Cod, where have you been all of our lives?  It’s hard to believe that we have never had the pleasure of walking your windswept beaches, bicycling along your wooded paths, and swimming in your sparkling bay.  But it’s our fault Cape Cod.  The Siren Song of the South has called us away for too many summers.  So it’s time to make up for lost time.  The Lively Little Campers apologize for neglecting you for so long.  Will you still welcome us into your sunburnt arms? Today we headed over to First Encounter Beach in... Read More

RV Organization: We Are Calling In An Expert

We spend so much time in our RV, you might think we had the whole organization thing down. Actually, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Let me explain how this works. The whole time we are on vacation I take note of all of the things that are out of order and driving me crazy. I swear that I will find solutions and get things under control…as soon as we get home. Then we get home and I start worrying about work and regular old life with three kids. The camper sits in the driveway, dreadfully neglected until we are ready to hit the... Read More
18 Jun
How to Camp Happy: Lessons from Four Years of RVing

How to Camp Happy: Lessons from Four Years of RVing

Isn’t it great when you can look back and laugh at an epic camping fail? We have all had those trips that did not go exactly as planned, and ours was four years ago on a chilly weekend at Camp Taylor in the Skylands Region of New Jersey. Our family was still new to RVing, and we had only been on three trips with our pop up camper. Let’s just say our lack of experience was embarrassingly obvious that weekend. From running out of propane in the middle of a 35-degree night, to an epic toddlers’ meltdown during a wolf preserve tour, we had our... Read More
16 Jun
Celebrating Mom and Supporting KOA’s Care Camps

Celebrating Mom and Supporting KOA’s Care Camps

This article originally appeared in the Jayco Journal. When you own an RV, planning your next family adventure is always part of the fun.  But should you go somewhere new or return to a place that you love? Our family has camped in eight different states, and we hope to travel to all fifty.  So whenever we hit the road with our White Hawk, we usually prefer exploring new destinations. However, there are certain campgrounds that call us back again and again.  The Philadelphia/West Chester KOA is one of those special places.  It is the home of... Read More
14 Jun
Hey Dad, Thanks for Making Our Lives Super-Duper Special!

Hey Dad, Thanks for Making Our Lives Super-Duper Special!

Dear Dad, Five years into this gig and your evaluations are looking pretty stellar. We thought about giving you a raise, but decided instead to take you camping next week. We are sure you will approve of the unanimous decision. We really wanted to insert some inappropriate potty humor, but Mom kept deleting it. We will tell you the jokes when she isn’t around. Thanks for deciding that our lives should be really, really fun. And thanks for all the ice cream. Oh, and lobbying for that family dog. She really will cave one day, so keep up... Read More

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