Along Lakeshore Trail in Fairy Stone State Park, VA.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Our night’s sleep was interrupted by a BIG storm which soaked the outside rugs, firewood, and even the chairs which were under the awning.  Poor Ranger, afraid as he is of storms, spent time huddled in the tiny bathroom area, pressed up against the toilet.  This morning, the rain let up, but we have had a day of overcast skies and cool temperatures.

After sleeping late and having a big breakfast, we were able to get in a short hike, 2.5 or 3 miles, in between rain showers.  We headed down toward the lake and picked up a trail that led to the dam at the end of the lake.  The leaves are just starting to change color and there were lots of bright yellows, along with some red dogwood or sumac.  Ranger was full of energy and enthusiastic about finally getting out of the RV. 

We planned to meet up with a woman up the road who wanted to go to the 3:00 program at the visitor’s center; however, the rain picked up again and we have spent the past hours relaxing inside, reading.  So nice not to be tent camping when conditions are like this!  

Starting our trip

Friday, Sept. 28, 2012

Our annual fall camping trip began somewhat badly.  We left home in mid-morning for what should have been a fairly easy 4.5-5 hour drive to Fairy Stone State park.  On Route 360 in Chesterfield, all traffic stopped, and we were told that the road would be closed for about an hour.  An alternate route was suggested; that turned out to be a narrow road with overhanging limbs, one of which whacked the top of the RV hard, leaving scratches.  Back on our way, we watched the clouds gather and by Danville we were in pouring rain.  Fortunately, it did not last too long, and we arrived at the state park around 4:00.  A friendly campground host provided a hiking map and some suggestions of trails we might like. 

We had light rain showers throughout the evening, but with enough stops between that we were able to enjoy a campfire.  

Next trip:  The mountains! We'll be heading for the western parts of Virginia and North Carolina, starting on Sept. 28.  First stop is Fairy Stone State Park.

Starting to get the lists ready and packing done....and trying to get ahead on stuff at work in order to be gone for a week.

We left the Niagara Falls/Buffalo area on Friday morning and headed along Lake Erie on I-90 to Erie, PA, where we turned south toward Pittsburgh on I-79.  Crossing the West Virginia state line near Morgantown, we picked up I-68 through western Maryland.  By then we had travelled about 400 miles and were ready to stop, but there were no sites available at Rocky Gap State Park in MD or at the KOA in Hagerstown.  We ended up at Happy Hills Campground near Hancock.  It was a place primarily used by permanent residents with just a few sites for transients. Our site was basically a gravel pad, but it did have water and sewer hookups so we were able to empty tanks before heading home.  The park was noisy with golf carts and ATVs well into the evening, but it quieted down enough to allow a good night's sleep.

The last stretch of the trip was only about 5 hours of driving, so we arrived home after 2900+ miles at around 2:00.  The afternoon was spent emptying the RV and unpacking.  Much cleaning awaits tomorrow, but tonight it will be nice to sleep in our own (larger!) bed.

Our campsite at Four Mile Creek State Park, near Niagara Falls, NY was quite a change from the shores of Lake Huron.  No sand here---just lush grass!  The park has the feel of a city park: large expanses of lawn  with occasional trees for shade.  The campsites do not allow for much privacy but they are large so you are not right up against your neighbor.  And on weekdays (Wednesday and Thursday for us) there were many sites unused so we were at quite a distance from others.  One of the employees in the office told me that they had already had several weekends with every site (hundreds of them!) filled, and it's hard to imagine how different the campground would be when totally full.  It is apparently very popular with Canadians because it is so much less expensive than their provincial parks for camping, and it does get totally booked in July and August.

The lakeshore here was totally different from Lake Huron.  The beach is covered with smooth gray rocks and the trees and bushes run right up to the edge.  We hiked a short trail along the Four Mile Creek (4 miles from Fort Niagara, if I remember---the sight of a battle in the French and Indian Wars), but it was poorly marked and the vegetation made it tough to see where it went.  After lunch and a bit of relaxing, we tried another "trail" but this was even worse, just disappearing into brambles and tall grass---no blazes on trees and no clear path to follow.

From the state park, you can look across Lake Ontario to see Toronto in the distance.

Laundry done.  Two good campfires.  Lots of relaxing.  A good few days in New York State!

This is our last morning at Port Crescent State Park near Port Austin, Michigan.  We spent a quiet day yesterday, catching up on some cleaning and reading.  There's not much hiking to do here; the trails are in the other section ("day-use") of the park which one must drive to.  (Strange arrangement for a state park!)  The beach here has fine sand and it was a busy place yesterday afternoon, with kids digging and building, and of course, swimming and wading.  I took my Kindle down to the beach and enjoyed the sunshine.  I also took off my shoes and walked along the water's edge---warmer than I had expected---and it felt almost like being at an Atlantic beach, except for the lack of salt air.

The wind picked up in the evening and the temperatures dropped (43 on one indicator, 54 on another this morning, probably a difference between being along the lake or on higher ground where the wind is not so fierce).  There are good-sized waves on the lake, reinforcing that sense of being near the ocean.

Today we travel through Ontario and into New York state.