Tag Archives: koa

Branson KOA- Campground Review

July 24, 2015 suzy 1 Comment

Overall Rating: Nearly Perfect

We stayed for several days at the Branson, MO, KOA – Mar 2015, while we attended the KOA Boot Camp. This was the first time we had ever been to Missouri, and were very excited to not only learn more about KOA, but experience the city of Branson.

We were welcomed at the front entranceway by a miniature Elvis himself! Cute!

Branson was going to be lots of fun!

Setting: I have to say right off that I might have had a different impression at a different time of the year. We were put in a Premium Full Hook up Site near the campground’s Convention Center.

A large part of this particular campground is placed along the side of a steep hill, with each campsite terraced above the one below. The premium sites were separated by white picket fences and included picnic tables.

Those that do not get around well might have issues exploring this campground due to the terrain.

It worked well for us as we were only there for a few days, and didn’t spend a ton of time outside, however, for those that are there to enjoy the camping experience, the lots were pretty small.

This photo of Branson KOA & Convention Center is courtesy of TripAdvisor

I do have to say that there was a large variety of spots, many of which were plenty big enough for larger rigs, and plenty of room for maneuvering.

This photo of Branson KOA & Convention Center is courtesy of TripAdvisor

And along with the variety of spots, there were several Deluxe spots that included grills and patios. These were particularly nice.

Amenities

Bathrooms were in great shape and very clean.

WIFI- The park offers it for free and while it might be different during peak times, I never had an issue getting on line.

Laundry- They have a nice laundry room available 24 hours a day.

Activities- this park includes a swimming pool, a huge convention facility, fitness center, golf cart rental, horseshoes, a hot tub, playground and pontoon boat rentals. Lots to do on site!

This photo of Branson KOA & Convention Center is courtesy of TripAdvisor

In season, they also offer free breakfast, and food service including pizza, hot wings, fudge and ice cream brought to your campsite.

This is one of the fun perks of KOA!

Staff was friendly and available to help out if needed. They made a great first impression by meeting us at the front gate and directing us inside. They were quite knowledgable about the area. The office can even get you discount tickets at some of the shows and attractions in Branson!

Dog Friendly– This campground had a very nice fenced in area for the dogs. Walking the dogs was enjoyable and there were plenty of areas in the campground to take them to.

The positives? Great park! Very near downtown Branson and all it has to offer. In my opinion, it is a great place to stay if you are in town to enjoy Branson. In season, there is plenty to offer in the park to keep the kids entertained.

Any negatives? Well, I really hesitate to say this because it truly isn’t the fault of the campground, but this area of the country can be quite volatile in the spring and summer. While we were there, we were holed up in the RV each evening while thunderstorms, hail and potential tornados made their way through.

We ate dinner the first night looking out the window as hail the size of marbles came down on our VW bug and motorhome. (No damage- unless you want to count the indigestion…)

For the record, Branson KOA does not offer a tornado shelter.

In the area and looking for something to do? We recommend the fun and campy town of Branson. Lots to see and do!

For more information on Branson KOA, be sure to check out their website!

Camping Life

Sunrise on Cadillac Mountain and a visit with family!

July 13, 2015 suzy 2 Comments

One of the hardest part of our life transition was leaving our family behind. Talking to them regularly on the phone is great, but we do miss seeing them in person. They were curious about our adventure and wanted to come visit. So this past week, we were delighted to host my daughter, mother, sister, sister-in-law and sister’s mother-in-law.

It was so much fun to see them again! Of course, we had to show them around! Our first stop was the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. Cadillac Mountain at 1,530 feet, it is the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard. A perfect place to show them some of the beautiful sights of the coast of Maine!

My daughter will be getting married in November, and we had lots of catching up to do. I will be creating some of her wedding decor, so be sure to stay tuned to my other website, Suzy’s Sitcom for the latest wedding craft project!

Of course, she shares my sense of humor. There are many reasons why we call this the Sitcom!

We then took them to Hadley Point where we went mussel fishing at low tide. The Georgia brigade purchased boots just for this! Mussels can be found attached to the rocks under the seaweed when the tide goes out. This particular area has thousands of them.

We let them sit in cold water and corn meal overnight to get most of the sand out of them, and then boiled them in wine, chicken stock and garlic. Yumm!

Of course, you cannot go to Maine without a taste of lobster! The campground that we work at, Bar Harbor Oceanside KOA, has their very own lobster man! He serves fresh lobster dinners every evening from his tent in the middle of the campground.

I was able to teach them my method for eating a whole lobster. (A bit of trial and error on my part). You can read the story about my ridiculous first attempt at lobster eating here.

My sister caught on pretty darn quickly!

We then sat around a campfire and enjoyed another beautiful sunset. (Note the bottle of bug spray near my feet). My boss likes to say that there isn’t a single mosquito in Maine. They are all married with large families…

Proper s’more techniques were taught.

…and her last night there, we decided to go with my daughter to see the sunrise from the top of Cadillac Mountain.

As I mentioned in an earlier post about checking out the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain, you definitely need to dress warm. We brought winter coats, hats and a blanket.

As you can see, the hubby isn’t very good about sharing blankets. And I have a very scary looking face at 4:00 AM.

It was freezing! In July!

But very much worth it! What a beautiful sight! The sun begins to rise in Bar Harbor about 4:00 AM. And as you can see, we weren’t the only crazy people there checking out the view.

We had so much fun with the family here and were able to show them just a bit of the sights and experiences of this beautiful part of the country.

Our new lifestyle is exciting and we very much love our decision to take a chance and start traveling, but seeing the family again will be one of the highlights of our summer.

Places to Go

Cadillac Mountain, Work Camping, and more!

June 11, 2015 suzy 10 Comments

We have been in Bar Harbor for two months now, working on the campgrounds. The weather has been very different from what we are used to, with many blustery, windy days. At one point, I wondered when it would actually green up!

And then suddenly the trees grew leaves and summer happened. Well, at least Maine’s version of summer. It is still chilly at night, but we now are having beautiful days in the 70’s . Apparently the trees need to work fast because they only have a few months to be green!

With a few nice days of warm sun, we emerged from our work schedule and RV to create a nice front yard to enjoy. It is truly beautiful here and we wanted a nice place to sit and enjoy it!

This is work camper row. We all have designated spots behind the cabins. They aren’t as green and scenic as the rest of the park, but we made do with what we had to work with and really do like our neighbors.

The work camping thing? Well, it has definitely gotten more intense. We are now working close to 40 hours a week and have gotten to the point where we definitely look forward to our days off.

We’ve had a few coworkers quit and move on already. Seems that work camping is not for everyone. Dealing with customer service and often physical labor can be difficult at times. We have our bad days too, but fortunately for us, the good days outweigh the bad. We have met lots of fun campers in the past few weeks- many from Georgia!

And now that the weather seems to be cooperating, we are spending more time outside in the evening, enjoying our newly decorated front yard and the beautiful park.

I put together a fun project last week. This one involves a wooden plaque, sharpie pens and chalkboard paint! Inspired by the area, I drew up of the local sea life and created a fun chalkboard. You can find the free pattern here!

Cadillac Mountain

On the tourist level, we’ve been to Cadillac Mountain several times now. Cadillac Mountain is located in the nearby Acadia National Park and at 1,530 feet, it is the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard.

You can travel to the top of Cadillac Mountain several different ways. You can drive to the top in your vehicle, take several different hiking trails, or enjoy a trolley tour of the mountain.

Oli’s Trolley

We checked out Oli’s Trolley simply because they not only take you around the area, but offer a fully narrated tour about the area’s history, historic sites, mansions, and the summit of Cadillac Mountain.

This area has an interesting history behind it, and we definitely recommend a ride on the trolley to learn more about it. Amongst many other things, we learned about the great fire of 1947 that nearly destroyed all of Bar Harbor. You can still see stone foundations of mansions that used to be amongst the trees on the hillsides of the town.

The area is also the home of the Rockefellers and Martha Stewart! We are told that you can take boat tours into the harbor where you can see their homes.

As for Cadillac Mountain, there are various hiking trails to the summit, some more challenging than others. There is also a paved road to the top.

From the summit, you can see most of Mount Desert Island. On a clear day, it is a beautiful site to see! The photo above shows the town of Bar Harbor in the distance below.

Bar Island

In this photo you can see Bar Island. When this photo was taken, the tide was out and you can see a sand bar that goes from the island to the town of Bar Harbor. Folks like to hike or even drive their cars across that bar of sand during low tide to explore the island.

Timing is crucial as it is not unusual for folks to find themselves stranded on the island during high tide. For a tidy sum, boaters will rescue those that do not want to wait another 8 hours for low tide.

Oh, and the little guy in the photo? That is a very ingenious seagull. He figured out that if he stands there looking all sweet, folks will feed him snack food. He waited patiently for us to find something in the car for him, and then went to the car behind us to see what they had.

An interesting fact about Cadillac Mountain is that it is the first place to view the sunrise in the United States from October 7 through March 6.

Want to view a sunrise from Cadillac Mountain?

You have to get up mighty early. The sun is up by 4:00 AM right now! Check the time for sunrise and give yourself plenty of time to get up the mountain. It takes about 20 minutes from the village of Bar Harbor or 30 minutes from the KOA campground.
Dress warm! It is always windy on top of Cadillac and particularly chilly even in the middle of summer.
For more comfort, consider bringing blankets and chairs.
Bring some coffee or tea in a thermos to keep warm. Or plan for a nice breakfast in downtown Bar Harbor afterwards.

Us? Well we do not do mornings well. We may decide before the summer is out to check out a sunrise. I mean, we need to try everything, right? But in the meantime, we did drive up to the top last week to see a sunset. The sun sets about 8:00 PM right now and that worked out well for us.

My camera doesn’t do it justice, but here is a brief look at that beautiful sunset.

Sunsets are beautiful here both on Cadillac Mountain and at the campgrounds. I think that they will be one of the many things I will look back on fondly when we do eventually move on.

Places to Go

A look at Southwest Harbor and Bass Harbor Lighthouse

May 27, 2015 suzy 2 Comments

Spring has finally come to our part of Maine! The grass suddenly greened up, the weather has warmed up a bit, and the dandelions are in full bloom!

Back in Georgia, the schools have let out for summer and I’m sure it is very hot and humid there. While we are totally not missing that, it is a bit strange to be celebrating spring weather when it is nearly June.

The park is starting to fill up. We had a big crowd over the Memorial Day weekend and our first taste of how busy it will get as the weather warms up here.

When Dave and I lived and worked in Atlanta, we carpooled every day- an hour and a half each way in heavy traffic.

We still carpool, but this is our new ride! Cute, right? Takes us about 5 whole minutes to get to work and the traffic? Other than an occasional seagull or goose, it is nonexistent!

We get two days off a week and plan to use them to explore the area. The Bar Harbor Oceanside KOA is located on Mount Desert Island. It is a huge island with lots of areas to explore including a Acadia National Park, tons of hiking trails, lots of coastal towns, lobster fishing, beautiful mountains, and even a lighthouse or two!

This past weekend, we took a trip down to Southwest Harbor, Bass Harbor, and the Bass Harbor Lighthouse. Southwest Harbor is the largest town on the southwestern “quiet side” of the island. The town has some great shops, galleries and restaurants worth checking out more thoroughly in the near future.

As we entered Southwest Harbor, we stopped to admire the amazing views. You can see the open ocean here, dotted with various small islands. And just check out the rocks! I had immediate plans of gathering a bunch and creating a whole new batch of Painted Paisley Stones!

…and apparently they knew I was coming. It appears that I may not be the only one who loves a pretty rock.

Our next stop was the lighthouse. My ultimate goal on this trip is to visit every lighthouse in the area, and with nearly 60 lighthouses on the Maine coast, I have my work cut out for me!

Built in 1858, Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse is the only lighthouse located on Mount Desert Island. There are not currently tours available for this lighthouse as it is maintained by a private family, but you can take the walkway right up next to the tower and lighthouse viewing area where you can see a panoramic view of the harbor and the islands in the distance.

To the left side of the lighthouse is a path that leads to the rocks below where you can capture some amazing photos of the cliff and lighthouse. Here I am in my KOA yellow parka checking out the view before I carefully picked my way down.

We sat here for quite some time enjoying the view and keeping an eye out for seals along the shore. I hope to come back here soon around sunset and get some more beautiful photos.

The little town of Bass Harbor is not only picturesque, but is known as one of the most lucrative lobster-producing ports in the state. The town also has terminals for two different ferries which can take you to more of the surrounding islands.

We plan on taking some of the ferries in the near future and will let you know more about them then.

But for now, we have work to do back at the Oceanside KOA. And a few beautiful sunsets to enjoy there!

Places to Go

The rolling green hills of Staunton, VA!

April 17, 2015 suzy 6 Comments

After leaving Statesville, NC, we headed up to the KOA in Staunton, VA. Staunton is located in Northern Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley in between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains. I grew up in Northern VA, near Washington DC, so I really wasn’t expecting much more than city and crowds. I was pleasantly surprised.

We were met by beautiful rolling hills of fresh green grass. Honestly, the hills went on for miles! Dotted with barns and silos, and covered with beautiful grass. My first thought was, “who the heck keeps all that grass mowed?”

Turns out that cows do! Who knew?

Well, apparently Dave did, but you see I am a city mouse trying to blend in with all those cool country mice.

And the RV park even had it’s share of wildlife. Geese, ducks and I even happened upon a bunch of deer on an early morning walk with the dogs. They stood so still that the dogs didn’t even notice them.

And while I may be a city mouse, my dogs are apparently southern born and bred. The minute the temperature dropped into the 50’s, both dogs disappeared into quilt cocoons on my couch.

Quick quiz- can you find the dogs in the photo above?

We took a drive out to downtown Staunton. If you are in the area and want to blend, we discovered that the correct pronunciation of the town name is STAN-ton.

I love the old architecture! The city is known for beautiful buildings. Staunton is also the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson, the 28th US President and the home of Mary Baldwin College, and the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind.

We bank with SunTrust, so we were particularly intrigued that this beautiful building actually houses our bank! We suddenly felt the need to visit our accounts.

The inside is just as spectacular as the outside.

Also in Staunton is The Cheese Shop! It is a local family owned Amish-style bulk foods store. They offer a huge selection of cheeses from the Amish Country in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin along with baking items, and bulk package food.

We highly recommend the Amish Farmers Cheese. It is amazing. Also if you haven’t ever had it, you need to try Lebanon Bologna. It is similar to Salami, but with a tangier, smokey flavor.

Ralph highly recommends it too!

Dave took advantage of the nice weather and built several campfires while we were there. Like most KOA’s, you can purchase wood at the office and they will deliver it for you.

Do you love authentic German food? When in Staunton, be sure to check out the Edelweiss German Restaurant. The food is amazing! They also have a huge selection of German beer and wine.

I ordered Knackwurst with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Dave was feeling daring and ordered the Schweineroulade. It is a tender pork cutlet stuffed with pickles, herbs and spices, covered with a tasty sour cream sauce and Bavarian dumplings. We both agreed that both meals were delicious, but his was the best!

The meal came with lots of sides including green beans, cooked cabbage, pickled red cabbage (yumm!), and dumplings. Oh, and be sure to check the German Wine Menu.

We definitely will be coming back next time we are in the area!

After a wonderful three day stay, we left Staunton and headed out toward Hershey, PA. We both decided that if we ever have the opportunity, we would be back for a longer stay. Staunton was a beautiful place and is definitely one of our favorite stops on this trip.

Places to Go

A look at Statesville, NC

April 12, 2015 suzy 4 Comments

Our first stop out of Atlanta was Statesville, NC. Dave had previously mapped out our route to Maine and randomly chose four KOA’s to stop at on the way up. Strategically, he wanted them to be no more than 300 miles apart, as driving a huge RV in traffic can be extremely tiring. And I am currently not approved by either one of us to take on that task…

Our plan is to stay a few days if we love it, or leave the next day if we don’t. Arriving in early April to Statesville KOA was a treat with beautiful spring flowers to greet us. We were quite happy with this location!

Statesville is located in Iredell County, in north western NC, east of Asheville. It was named an All-American City in 2009. The city itself was founded by Scots-Irish Presbyterians and German Lutherans, who originally settled in Pennsylvania, and then moved down to Statesville to plant crops in the fertile soil where game and water were plentiful.

One of the big draws of the area is Lake Norman. It is a man made lake created between 1959 and 1964. The dam was constructed by Duke Power and is reputed to be the largest manmade body of fresh water in NC.

Seems we always end up at dams, doesn’t it? We love the big beautiful lakes. Oh and there is the fact that you can say dam in just about every sentence.

A stress reliever, right?

If you love to fish, then Lake Norman is for you. There are yellow perch, crappie, bluegill, and striped, largemouth and white bass. Lake Norman State Park features 33 campsites with tent pads, picnic tables and grills. The park is open year round for campers.

While perusing the lake and saying dam a lot, we ran across Eddie’s Seafood and Raw Bar. Since it seems to be named after my brother, naturally I was interested in stopping. But I have to admit that the main draw was the fact that it sits right on Lake Norman.

There was plenty of seating inside and the atmosphere was awesome. However, we chose like everyone else that day to eat out on the back porch.

Dave doing his manly-man pose.

We sat back and enjoyed the view. There were folks already out on the lake water skiing, and a few children playing on the shore. A very pretty spot.

And if you are wondering about the food, we can say that it was delicious. We both ordered the Blackened Fish Sandwich. Dave suggests that you add the slaw to the sandwich before eating it.

Excellent.

If you are in the Statesville area and looking for a nice place with great atmosphere for lunch or dinner, be sure to check out Eddie’s Seafood and Raw Bar.

That evening, I needed to do a post for Suzy’s Sitcom on Easy Tangy Barbequed Pork Chops. Believe me, this is a simple recipe. It is easy to make and delicious.

See, even Ralph thinks it looks good. Something tells me that I shouldn’t turn my back on him…

I put my handy-dandy grill cook to work, and sat back to enjoy the atmosphere.

We are really enjoying this journey so far. Our next stop is Staunton, VA. We will be staying in another KOA there. With a beautiful weather forecast of sunny and in the 70’s, we should have a great time.

Camping Life

A look inside our RV!

April 12, 2015 suzy 9 Comments

One of the questions we get asked the most is “What does it look like inside?” Well, I certainly could share some pristine photos of what it looked like before we moved in. But what fun is that? Here is an unedited, slightly messy tour of our inside!

We own a 2013 Itasca Meridian made by Winnebago. It is 37 feet long and has three slides; one in the bedroom, one on the driver’s side living room, and a full slide on the passenger side.

For those guys out there that have the need to know, it has Cummins Diesel 6.7 ISB, 360 HP Engine on a Freightliner Custom Chassis.

For the girls: You are the dishwasher! LOL!

So welcome aboard! Be sure to wipe your feet. I’ve spent the last few days trying to get all that red Georgia mud out of my motorhome. Now I’m in Virginia and I’m tracking black mud in. I guess that is what I get for having a white interior!

This is a look from the driver’s seat back. I haven’t done a ton of decorating yet, as we haven’t been in it too long, but I have included some pops of color. Not that I really have any wall space for pictures. The cool thing about a motorhome is that nearly every square inch is storage.

Faith is busy guarding her couch. There is an envelope dog bed that I made them behind the driver’s seat, which Ralph tends to take over.

Faith and I share the little footstool that you see. I’m too short to get in half my cabinets, and she is too old to get on the couch without help. Both of us were getting tired of asking for assistance, so the stool came to be.

This is the passenger side. Both couches fold out into beds. You will find that most everything in a motorhome has dual purposes. The drivers seat and passenger seat actually will turn around and become recliners as part of the living room. (When we aren’t driving, of course)!

This is my little kitchen. I have a gas stove, microwave/convection oven and a full size refrigerator. Oh, and I have a husband who loves to cook outside on his charcoal grill. It is the best of both worlds!

One thing I learned quickly was to pull my hair back when cooking. I leaned over the stove to reach something in the microwave and singed my hair. Dave wanted to know if I burnt dinner again.

Ha. Ha.

The kitchen includes everything I need with the exception of a dishwasher. Well, since I am apparently the dishwasher, I take that back…

Across from the kitchen is our eating area. This photo shows the table with the leaf in. Not huge, but adequate. We were told the table would be large enough to seat four. They neglected to mention that they would be four incredibly small people.

If I need to do any crafting, I can do it here or work outside on the picnic table on a nice day. As you can see, I also use area as my office.

Behind the table are tons of cabinets. I use them as a pantry and also as storage for my craft supplies.

One thing that we insisted on when we were purchasing the RV was that we have a washer and dryer. While they are small, they do a great job. Dave is in charge of laundry, since I may or may not have colored an entire load of his white underwear and t-shirts pink.

Mistakes sometime come in the form of red undies.

Just saying.

Anyway, it worked out well for me. I haven’t had to wash clothes since!

This is our little bathroom. There is a shower to the left. I have to tell you that the toilet takes a little getting used to. The trap in the toilet opens directly to the tank below.

The trick is to not have the vent fan going when you open the trap. Believe me, you don’t want to have the fan on when you open the trap.

Take my word for it.

One of my biggest worries was that my bathroom would smell like a port-a-potty. It actually does not. I was pleasantly surprised. Well, unless you accidentally do the vent/trap thing above…

The bedroom has a queen sized bed. The mirrors to the left are actually a nice sized closet. And tons of tons of storage space!

When we are on the road, this is what the inside looks like when the sliders are in. Big difference!

To travel, I have to put everything away that might slide around. And be extremely careful when I open the fridge once we are at a campground. Things shift around and I may or may not have had to clean up a dozen eggs off that white tile.

Live and learn.

Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed your tour! Be careful going down the steps on your way out. And try to avoid that black Virginia mud. It gets everywhere!

Camping Life

The KOA Work Kamper Boot Camp in Branson, MO

March 29, 2015 suzy 2 Comments

Part of our plan when we became full timers in our RV was to spend at least the first couple seasons working at campgrounds. We felt that this would give us a better transition from full time jobs to full retirement. And at the same time give us a little security money-wise until we feel that we can do it on our own. KOA was our first choice. We put our resumes out last August on the KOA site and were hired within just a few days. We will be working in Bar Harbor, Maine this summer. I will be working front desk, and Dave will be working in maintenance.

KOA offered a Work Kamper “Boot Camp” in Branson, MO that would give us a taste of what to expect when we arrive in Maine in just a few weeks.

The Work Kamper program is simple enough. You work for the campground as a couple, putting in between 25 and 40 hours a week depending on the season. In exchange, you could be offered a campsite free of charge, utilities and other perks, along with an hourly salary. (The benefits vary from campground to campground as most are individually owned).

We were excited to meet KOA’s Chairman and CEO, Jim Rogers. The show, Undercover Boss featured him a few years ago.

Boot camp was a lot of fun. We met nearly 100 other couples who are doing the same thing we are. Most did not have jobs lined up yet, and took advantage of the virtual job interviews offered at the end of the class.

The folks at the Branson KOA were wonderful and made us feel like part of the team.

And while we were in Missouri, we got a good taste of midwest weather. We ate dinner the first night looking out the window as hail the size of marbles came down on our VW bug and motorhome. (No damage- unless you want to count the indigestion…) The second night, we had major thunderstorms all night.

All night. The dogs literally had their legs crossed by morning.

Really. We made the decision pretty quickly that we didn’t want to spend too much time in tornado alley during spring and summer.

The third day was beautiful, sunny and cold. Since classes were over, we decided to check out Branson.

Stay tuned for part two where I don’t get to meet Barry Williams (AKA Greg from the Brady Bunch), but I do end up seeing some pretty famous folks that nearly made up for it!