tepetravels

Animal Sightings, Exploring Pennsylvania, Hiking, National Park, National Parks, Sightseeing

Delaware Water Gap & The Appalachian Trail

Written by tepetravels May 12, 2021November 30, 2021

We’ve moved to Pennsylvania and although pretty, there were not many activities close to the campground except hiking.

For Mother’s Day, we headed to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area to go on a hike. The Delaware Water Gap is an elongated park, and we were hiking to Mount Minsi, which was towards the bottom of the park. The park had several hiking trails and a beach area.

I used our trail app and found the Mount Minsi via Appalachian Trail hike. It was supposed to be 5 miles, listed as moderate, and followed part of the Appalachian Trail. Ben has wanted to hike part of the Appalachian Trail for a while, so we wanted to take advantage of the fact that it was pretty close by (about a 30 minute drive). I looked at the pictures and thought it didn’t look too bad and it had great reviews. (Spoiler: I was wrong.)

The trail was a lot more crowded in on the way up than we expected. There was a small parking lot by the trailhead that was almost completely full. There was also a smaller lot a little up the hill, which was also full. I thought that on Mother’s Day, that it wouldn’t be that busy, but I was wrong. It still wasn’t super packed, but still had about 30 people pass us.

Now, I know I already gave the spoiler that I was wrong about the trail difficulty. Our hike ended up being 5.6 miles (Ben’s tracker said 5.8 miles and I did accidentally pause the recorder at one point on mine, so somewhere in that range) with an elevation gain of 1086 feet. My theory was that people were too busy trying not to trip and fall that they didn’t take pictures of the hard parts for their reviews. 😉 The trail was mostly a loop, which we always like in a hike. It started as an out and back, then splits to the right and left. We ended up taking the right side of the path, which probably is the only reason we finished the hike. The left side was a lot more narrow, rockier and had more climbing (at least for my shorter legs) over rocks. Either way, you are climbing uphill and coming downhill on the way back.

There are bears in the area, so we did bring our bear spray. We did not see any though. We heard birds, but the only wildlife we saw were several millipedes along the trail. We looked them up when we got home and discovered they were the ironworm/American Giant Millipede.

The top of the trail has two lookouts, and I would recommend seeing both since you are already there. The first overlooks a neat rocky hillside and has a nice space to sit and take a break. The second lookout also has a few nice large rocks to overlook the Delaware River.

I’m glad we did it, although we (especially the adults) were exhausted at the end. Ben and I were sore even the next day. Hikes like this one make me miss having a tub to soak our feet in!

DETAILS:*

TICKETS: Free, except for beach or river access. COVID Restrictions: Visitor Centers closed, masks required
HOURS: Most is open 24 hours, per website
PARKING: Yes, but some lots are small
BATHROOM: Not at trailhead. Visitor Centers are closed, although we did see a bathroom that was open on the other side of the Bushkill Meeting Center.
TIME RECOMMENDED: 1-4 hours
*Details correct at the time of posting, but please double check before you go.

Campground Review, Exploring New Jersey, Sightseeing

Lake & Shore RV Resort, Ocean View, New Jersey Campground Review

Written by tepetravels May 11, 2021November 30, 2021

For our stay in New Jersey, we stayed at Lake & Shore RV Resort. The campground was located close to an Acme (Safeway family) grocery store. It was pretty conveniently located: about 1.15 hours from Philadelphia, PA (with toll roads), 40 minutes to Atlantic City, NJ (with toll roads), and 30 minutes (depending on beach) to the Jersey Shore, but otherwise not a lot in the area.

The pool area looked neat, but was closed while we were there. They were cleaning it and getting it ready for summer. The arcade was also closed (COVID reasons). The laundry room, store (limited hours), beach, and putt putt were open. The campground also had a nice walking trail around the lake with a fishing pier off of it.

It seemed like the campground was mostly permanent sites/homes. Everything was well maintained though. The map of the campground was ok, but did not have a lot of details on it (what was open/closed, when store was open, etc.).

The laundry room had quarter run machines, although there were no change machines at the campground. Washers were $2.50 (or $2.75 for super wash) per load and dryers were also $2.50. I did have one washer break down in the middle of the cycle and had to fill out a form online to get my money back. Supposedly a check is in the mail from the maintenance company (not the campground).

The bathrooms looked nice and clean, although we did not use them.

Lanes were marked with street names at either end on white poles and sites were marked at the electric boxes. It was dark at night, as there were not a lot of lights, which would make it challenging to situated after dark. The campground was typical Thousand Trails when it came to sites: first come/first serve, find your own site and then let them know. I really wish that they would just tell you which ones are open since everyone is supposed to tell them their site number once they choose one. Sites were a little shaded as there were many trees in the campground. Sites also seemed like a decent size, which we have found to be a rarity in Thousand Trails. If you have a site in the front row near the lake, you can see the lake from your picnic table. The campground was gated and you received a key card after checking in to scan at the gate to get back in.

SUMMARY OF CAMPGROUND:

Our rating: 3 out of 5 hitches

Cell Phone Reception: AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile

Laundry: Yes

Bathrooms/Showers: Yes

RV Sites: Back-in (grass)

Pop Up Tents/Gazebos/Outdoor Rugs On-Site: Yes

Amenities: picnic table/fire pit at sites, playground, beach/lake, putt putt, basketball court, walking trail, shuffleboard, pool, arcade (closed), shelter with picnic tables

Cabins: Yes

Tent Camping: Yes

Full Hook-ups: Yes

Amps: 20/30/50

Pool: Yes (closed for season while we were there)

Food On-Site: No

Camp Store: Yes (limited hours)

WiFi: No free WiFi, only paid-for WiFi

Accepts Mail: No (“Emergency” situation only)

Fishing: Yes

Exploring Pennsylvania, Food, Museums & Tours, National Park, National Parks, School, Sightseeing

Exploring Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Written by tepetravels May 9, 2021November 30, 2021 2 Comments

Philly was about a 1 1/4 hours from our campground (with using the toll roads). Almost everywhere is paid parking in the downtown area, and it was hard to find parking where the truck would fit. Our first parking spot was close to the Liberty Bell area, but was limited to 2 hours, so we had to rush through the area.

LIBERTY BELL:

We stopped at the Liberty Visitor Center for the Independence National Historical Park first and the boys got a Junior Ranger Program booklet. The NPS booth also had passport stamps available in a really nice display.

The Independence National Park Service was limiting the number of visitors allowed in the buildings due to COVID restrictions. They were not selling entrance tickets/reservations while we were there, but they were limiting the amount of people in the buildings, so there were some long lines. (*NOTE: The website states starting 5/6/21, they will be doing timed entrance tickets to Independence Hall.) Due to our parking meter, we had a very limited time of 2 hours. The line to see the Liberty Bell was 90 minutes, and the line for Independence Hall was 60 minutes. Luckily, you can view the Liberty Bell from outside the building through glass windows. You cannot see the crack from the windows, but you can at least still see the bell.

We walked to Independence Hall and talked to one of the employees to see what was offered, as it was a 60 minute wait. He told us that it was a 20 minute guided tour, but you wait about 60 minutes outside, then inside can be another 60 minute wait. He said he did not recommend it if we were short on time (or during the pandemic in general). He recommended walking around the outside of Independence Hall to be able to see the buildings, going to Second Bank and Carpenter’s Hall as they had no real lines.

Top left: Independence Hall. Rest: Second Bank

Second Bank currently houses portraits. Carpenter’s Hall has the history of the Carpenter’s Company, a trade guild that was founded in 1724. There are still current members of the Company today!

We drove around and saw the Chinatown and Italian districts. It really is a big city.

CHEESE STEAKS:

We wanted to experience an authentic cheesesteak while in Philadelphia. There are a lot of options to choose from. We first stopped at Campo’s Deli and tried a cheesesteak with cheese, onions, and mushrooms. We got a second one with peppers as well. We then drove to Pat’s King Of Steaks to try theirs. We got it with the Cheese Whiz and an order of fries. I think next time, I would order sliced cheese as well, as it wasn’t as cheesy as I thought it would be.

ROCKY STAIRS:

The Independence Visitor Center had a Rocky Balboa statue to pose next to. However, there was another (metal…brass?) statue near the famous steps that he ran up during training in the movie. The parking over there was packed and expensive $15 for the closest lot, so we ended up only driving by.

We really enjoyed spending time in Philadelphia and would like to explore it even more.

Final note: It was funny to compare the recommendations on what to see on a 2 hour window. The city Visitor booth recommended a variety of city and historic based items. The National Park Service booth was all historic sites. Both had good recommendations.

DETAILS Independence NHP:*

TICKETS: Free (except for Benjamin Franklin Museum, which is currently closed for COVID. National Constitution Center also charges a fee.) COVID Restrictions: masks required, limited items open, limited attendance (The website states starting 5/6/21, they will be doing timed entrance tickets to Independence Hall.)
HOURS: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Second Bank 10:00 am -5:00 pm, Carpenter’s Hall 10-4 select days
PARKING: Pay parking on street or nearby lots
BATHROOM: Yes, Visitors Center
TIME RECOMMENDED: 2-5 hours
*Details correct at the time of posting, but please double check before you go.

Exploring New Jersey, Sightseeing, YouTube Video Link

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Written by tepetravels May 8, 2021November 30, 2021

After being set up in the new campground, we decided to take a short trip into Atlantic City. Ben had been there years ago, but the boys and I had never been.

We found some pretty close parking near the boardwalk. Ben informed us that Monopoly was based on Atlantic City (history of Monopoly Wiki link), which I didn’t know! We found Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana signs along the boardwalk.

The ride area was really crowded, so we didn’t go in.

The boardwalk had a motorized train type of car that would drive you down the boardwalk for a fee. There were also hand-pushed carts that you could ride in. The beach looked pretty wide, so I’m sure it gets really busy when it is warmer out!

Although New Jersey was supposed to be one of the tougher states on COVID restrictions, we didn’t see very many people wearing masks on the boardwalk. We kept ours on the whole time, and I didn’t feel comfortable eating there with the lax mask wearing (even with food employees) so we were there less than an hour. It felt a little like Myrtle Beach; a little rough, a little sketchy. There was a smell around parts of the boardwalk that was not pleasant. I guess they get a lot of tourists in for gambling and the large beach. It was good to see it and cross if off our list, but I would not want to go back.

VIDEO: Walking Down Atlantic City Boardwalk

Animal Sightings, Campground Review, Exploring Virginia, Sightseeing, YouTube Video Link

Cape Charles/Chesapeake Bay KOA

Written by tepetravels May 7, 2021November 30, 2021

We stayed at the Cape Charles/Chesapeake Bay KOA for our last stop in Virginia.

There are cabins, tent sites, RV sites, RV rentals, and a hotel on this property. There is a small pool and playground by the hotel, and another larger pool and a small playground by the water/back of the RV sites. There are a couple of bathrooms/showers on the property, which also house the laundry rooms. The laundry rooms were a mix of credit card and quarter machines. The first week we were there, the credit card machines were not working. The laundry room closest to the hotel had 2 quarter washers and dryers, and the one closest to the water/back of the property only had 1 quarter washer and dryer. Washers and dryers were $2/load and the laundry rooms were open 24/7. There was not change machine in the laundry rooms or the camp store. The camp store was located in the hotel and had a decent selection of snack foods, souvenir type items, and a few RV selections. The one thing we really loved, was that it is open 24/7. They also accept mail.

The pools were closed until May 21, so we did not get to enjoy them. The beach was just a short walk from our site, so we did go there a few times. The water was too cold to swim, but the boys had fun playing in the sand and wading to look for shells. The water goes out pretty far during low tide, so we were able to see some sandworms and clams as well. The campground had a stand of hammocks to enjoy that overlooked the water.

There is also a restaurant called Jackspot on-site, although they were only open Thursday-Saturday while we were there. Ben and I went there for a date night and had drinks and shared a burger and fries (really good!). It has amazing views overlooking the water. There were a few covered sections of the patio and some outdoor heaters as well.

Although there wasn’t as much to do here (unless you love fishing) as other spots we have stayed at, the location wasn’t too bad. The closest grocery store is a Food Lion, about 10 minutes away, although it is a smaller store and the prices are a little higher. There is a Walmart 40 minutes away as well. (Both on the campground’s side of the Bay Bridge, as paying $14 each way to cross would be crazy). There was a small hardware store (OBS) about 30 minutes away as well. There were a few walking trails about 10-15 minute drive away. The historic downtown of Cape Charles was about 18 minutes away. It was a cute area, with a beach area and some food and shopping options.

It was also great for bird watching. There were always gulls and pelicans in the Bay and we had a hawk fly overhead with a fish in its talons one day!

The campground was really good about maintaining the property. They were building new platforms for some of the newer cabins, cutting grass, painting, picking up garbage from sites (place garbage at end of your site, or there were also dumpsters). I did not see the hotel rooms, but it looked more motel-like in structure than hotel. There was ice for sale and golf carts for rent. Fires were allowed, but I did not see firewood at the store. We bought ours at the grocery store ($7.99/bundle). The campground also had a few activities planned each week (need to check with the office/camp store for the weekly pamphlet if you are staying longer than a week for the new events). The campground/hotel offered WiFi, which actually worked pretty well for us. We had some connection issues with our Sprint/T-Mobile, but were able to use the campground’s WiFi to stream and get to online classes.

VIDEO: Walk Through of Cape Charles/Chesapeake Bay Campground

SUMMARY OF CAMPGROUND:

Our rating: 3.5-4* out of 5 hitches

Cell Phone Reception: AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile/Sprint (very spotty)

Laundry: Yes

Bathrooms/Showers: Yes

RV Sites: Mostly back-in, only a few pull-throughs. Sites are grass/sand.

Pop Up Tents/Gazebos/Outdoor Rugs On-Site: Yes

Amenities: picnic table, cable and fire pit at sites, community grill, 2 playgrounds, dog area, 2 pools, beach, community picnic tables near beach area, restaurant, WiFi

Cabins: Yes

Tent Camping: Yes

Full Hook-ups: Yes

Amps: 20/30/50

Pool: Yes

Food On-Site: Yes, although only on certain days

Camp Store: Yes (open 24/7)

WiFi: Yes

Accepts Mail: Yes

Fishing: Yes

Exploring Virginia, Sightseeing

Cape Charles, Virginia

Written by tepetravels May 6, 2021November 30, 2021

This cute little town was about 18 minutes from our campground. It is set on the water, so there was a beach area to enjoy. There was also the main street (Mason St.) that was lined with shops and restaurants. We really enjoyed walking around the town. Parking was free when we were there, mostly on-street, although there was a parking lot by behind the main street and also over by the marina.

There were some really cute stores, where we picked up some gifts for people. There seemed to be an ice cream store almost every block. We tried Brown Dog Ice Cream and tried the turtle ice cream (this turtle had a chocolate ice cream base instead of vanilla). As we walked further along, we stopped at the bakery and picked up a Nutella loaf of bread and some shortbread cookies. Our final treat of the day was at Cowlick’s Creamery where we tried a peanut butter ice cream (custard). Both of the desserts were really nice.

The boys loved finding the little libraries scattered around town. There were 4 listed on the map, but we found an extra one near the beach. They didn’t have much luck finding a book, but were able to drop some of theirs off for others to enjoy.

We walked along the beach for a few minutes and saw a crab and a few shells. We also saw some small jellyfish on the beach, although I’m not sure what kind they were.

Animal Sightings, Exploring Virginia, Sightseeing

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Written by tepetravels May 5, 2021November 30, 2021 1 Comment

We paid our crazy toll to once again cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to visit Virginia Beach. It was too cold to go swimming, but we wanted to see it.

We walked along the beach, which had a very large section of sand before we got to the water. I’m not sure if it is always that wide, or if we hit low tide. The sand was like play sand, very smooth and fine. There was a cool Neptune statue by the beach, a playground, and on street parking (pay parking).

We saw plenty of sea birds flying around and little holes where crabs or clams might have dug into the sand. We did not see a lot of shells though. We did see a lot of horseshoe crab shells along the beach. I’m hoping that they were molts (found out that horseshoe crabs grow by molting their old shells) and not deceased crabs.

We saw a weird spinal cord looking thing, that we looked up and discovered it was a whelk egg case. Whelks look like conch shells, but like colder waters and are carnivores (conchs are herbivores). Who knew?

We didn’t stay too long, as the wind was strong and it was pretty chilly, but it was nice to see.

Animal Sightings, Exploring Virginia, Hiking

Magothy Bay Natural Area Preserve

Written by tepetravels May 4, 2021November 30, 2021 2 Comments

Our second hiking trail we took was at the Magothy Bay Natural Area Preserve.

This preserve is tucked back in among farms and private residences. hiking, saw a few farms/peacocks/sheep, nice view of the bay and lighthouse. We heard a few birds, but didn’t see that many. We did see a skull of some kind along the path and a few white tail deer rain in front of us.

DETAILS:*

TICKETS: Free. COVID Restrictions: masks required/social distancing
HOURS: Dawn to Dusk
PARKING: Small lot (only about 5 spots)
BATHROOM: NO
TIME RECOMMENDED: 1 hour
*Details correct at the time of posting, but please double check before you go.

Exploring Virginia, Food

The Island House Restaurant (Virginia)

Written by tepetravels May 3, 2021November 30, 2021 2 Comments

After exploring Assateague for a few hours, we decided to head back home. We kept seeing signs for The Island House restaurant, so we decided to stop for linner (lunch/dinner).

We asked to eat outside and sat on the back deck on the Bay. It was a great view and kind of peaceful with the water and birds. We saw a couple of fishing boats coming in and out.

The boys shared a Seafood Platter, so they got to try some new foods (flounder, crab cake, scallops). We started the meal with a garlic clams appetizer. They also brought out sweet potato biscuits. The clams were local and the boys seemed to enjoy them. Ben had a soft-shelled crab sandwich. He’s been wanting to try soft shell crab for a while, but we haven’t been in the right season at any of our stops so far, so he was excited to see it on the menu. I got a BBQ pork plate and a side salad. I am not a big fish/seafood fan, although I did try a clam.

The food was pretty good, although maybe a bit more on the expensive side. The boys got to try new things, which is always good. Will liked the flounder, Nick did not. Nick liked the crab cake, Will did not. They both seemed to like the scallops and the clams, which was a little surprising. They tried a bite of the crab sandwich too, which was a hit with all three of my guys.

It was a nice meal and had a nice location. There were lots of little gnats unfortunately, so we didn’t stay for dessert.

Animal Sightings, Exploring Virginia, Hiking, National Park, National Parks, Sightseeing

Assateague Island National Seashore

Written by tepetravels May 2, 2021November 30, 2021 1 Comment

We went to check out Assateague Island based on the recommendations from the Pearl Market. The park spans the border of Maryland and Virginia. We decided to go to the Virginia side, as it was closer. The Virginia part of the park is also the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.

We stopped first to see the beach (Atlantic Ocean) and the Visitors Center. The Center was closed, but they did have maps, passport stamps, and a Ranger there to ask questions. The park has hiking trails, the beach for swimming (does not always have a lifeguard), and allows fishing/crabbing.

Virginia fences the horses to keep them away from roads, which is good but also means that the horses are farther away. At times, it seemed like you were just looking at a farm/ranch’s fenced in horses. Maryland does not fence the horses, so they do wander into the road, etc.

We did a couple of hiking trails (the Woodlands and Lighthouse). Both trails were either nicely paved, a boardwalk, or pretty even dirt paths. The Woodlands trail wandered through the woods and had a few areas to view the horses if they were nearby. The Lighthouse trail had a vault toilet and a parking lot, and (surprisingly) led to the lighthouse. The lighthouse was closed, although you could walk around it. The one thing I wished they did was put the trail lengths on the maps. There was a map at each trail head sign, plus the ranger gave us a trail map at the Visitor Center; however, neither of the maps, nor the app, had the trail lengths listed. When I looked later, I did find the trail lengths on a separate website. We had a nice time walking around.

We did not get to the Wildlife Loop, as it is pretty long and we would have had to wait for a couple more hours to drive it. It is open only for walking or bicycles until 3:00 pm. After 3:00 pm, you can drive the Loop.

We had a pretty mild day, but in the summer I would bring lots of water, sunscreen, and bug spray. The Ranger told us the mosquitoes are horrible when it gets warmer.

DETAILS:*

TICKETS: Included with Interagency Pass (America The Beautiful annual), or $10/1 day, $25/7days. There is also a refuge annual pass option and a beach parking pass option. COVID Restrictions: masks required/social distancing. Visitor Centers closed, lighthouse closed.
HOURS: Park hours vary based on season. January-March 15th 6:00 am-6:00 pm, March 15th-April 6:00 am-8:00 pm. May-September 15th 5:00 am-10:00 pm, September 15-October 6:00 am to 8:00 pm, November-December 6:00 am to 8:00 pm. The Visitor Center also has different hours of operation.
PARKING: Yes
BATHROOM: Yes
TIME RECOMMENDED: 1-3 hours
*Details correct at the time of posting, but please double check before you go.

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