Summer entertainment

[Petescj]

I finally decided lets try the other tent at a spot with firmer ground. With both of us being familiar with that tent it went up rather quickly. Its lower profile definately helped. We ended up using all the tent stakes from both tents to hold this one down. We all stayed inside that tent Friday nite and it was kind of fun having the kids and us in the same tent for just that nite.

The next day the kids were off to Dorney Park here in Pa and the rest of the weekend was free for Vicki and I. Neither one of us was happy that we didnt set up the new tent so out it came again. We looked it over alot better since we had more daylight this time around. I didnt like this set up as much as our other one cause it has 3 main supports as compared to 5 for our old one. Wind gusts on Saturday had calmed down to 20 -25 mph. We talked to some other tenters there and thought we were going to end up using "guy ropes" but since the wind was a little calmer we didnt have to. We lucked out and the camp store had some longer stakes for us. At 68 cents a piece I was ready to wipe them out of supply but managed to leve 8 for the next guy.

We finally got the new tent squared away Saturday evening around 4:30.
Vicki and I have upgraded just about everything since we started tenting. The cooler , chairs , utensils , air mattresses have all been upgraded.




We even went as far this year as grabbing tent floor , and of course now some better tent spikes.

 

[Petescj]

By the time we finally got situated relaxation was the order of the next 2 days. Welcome to Casa Grande Pa. No there is no such place, ( we were in Lenhartsville) it just means big house in pa. Its a play of words off the town I used to live in Az.







I love the room in this tent. Being able to stand up is a major bonus. And if we do need to make room for someone else it wont be hard. I can see 3 queen size air mattresses in it if needed.

 

[Petescj]

Anyhow we had a nice site right on a catch and release lake to watch. I didnt get any good pics of the fish due to the release part of it , but I managed to get a little wildlife. The wind blew in this piece of plastic from someones garbage. Heres a descent size frog enjoying the warmth it reflects.





Im not sure how many of you have dealt with Geese before but there was one couple here at the campground. Geese can be pretty nasty , especially when protecting their goselings. I got pretty close to these without drawing to much anger.

 

[Petescj]

I really enjoyed sitting in our little screened of area and just relaxing. Theres alot of hustle and hurry in most peoples lives. When you get a chance relax. Take in a little camping I bet youll feel better.

 

[thiswontbetooexpensive]

My favorite summer entertainment is work day at the deer camp. This coming weekend is four days with the boys in Asherton, Texas. (That's pretty much Mexico if you are wondering where that might be. Closer to Laredo than San Antonio!) With running water and electricity, it's not exactly camping; but the eventings in front of the fire with cold beer in hand makes you appreciate nature.

Like Pete has said so well, take the time to watch a bird or fish eat bugs off of a pond. Take a kid with you too!

 

[hole]

My, that's a Big tent Pete. It's easy to see why the wind would give you problems with that one Glad to hear you and the fam had a good time

 

[Petescj]

My favorite summer entertainment is work day at the deer camp. This coming weekend is four days with the boys in Asherton, Texas. (That's pretty much Mexico if you are wondering where that might be. Closer to Laredo than San Antonio!) With running water and electricity, it's not exactly camping; but the eventings in front of the fire with cold beer in hand makes you appreciate nature.

Like Pete has said so well, take the time to watch a bird or fish eat bugs off of a pond. Take a kid with you too!

Alot of the campgrounds we go to now have electricity and water at the tent sites. Some are running cable to the sites now as well. I guess what we do isnt technically camping either. Need a shower and bathroom plumbing? Walk up to the bath house. Need to cool off ? Hit the pool. But nothing beats cooking out over an open fire. I usually take some pics of the cooking but didnt for some reason this time. NY Strip steaks marinated in Terayaki for 3 days , fingerling potatos along with traditional baked , burgers , hot dogs , sausage patties . jumbo shrimp and some hawiian chicken were all on the menu. It was awesome. :drool: Im glad the kids are starting to go once in awhile , even if its not for the whole trip.

My, that's a Big tent Pete. It's easy to see why the wind would give you problems with that one Glad to hear you and the fam had a good time

Vicki texted me one day at work about getting that tent. We had talked about getting a new one when our other one wore out. Now that we know its quirks I think we'll be ok under the same conditions. We were just caught off guard unfortunately. It did seem more like a hot air balloon than a tent that first nite. I love it though. Hopefully it serves us well for a few years like the last one did.

 

[Old Dog]

But nothing beats cooking out over an open fire. I usually take some pics of the cooking but didnt for some reason this time. NY Strip steaks marinated in Terayaki for 3 days , fingerling potatos along with traditional baked , burgers , hot dogs , sausage patties . jumbo shrimp and some hawiian chicken were all on the menu. It was awesome. :drool: .

Well now I know who's doing the cooking on our little ride.:drool:

 

[Petescj]

Hmmm , your hotel doesnt have room service?

Food and beverage are a must back at the campsite after the trails. Maybe some Orange Roughy on the campfire if you like fish. It has a Lobster like flavor / texture.

Well now I know who's doing the cooking on our little ride.:drool:

 

[Petescj]

Taking a vacation day on Friday and heading out to camp Thursday after work. The weather looks like itll be perfect. That will work in my favor so I can make sure I have everything ready for Natural Bridge KY. The Cj still needs some minor items and I just dont have the time to have it ready this trip. This has to be the last time I say that. The next Campsite is 615 miles away and the Jeep is required.

 

[Petescj]

Had a great time at Blue Rocks Campground in Lenhardtsville Pa. the last 3 days. One of the cool things this site has is a large glacier deposit running through it.

 

[Petescj]

Now that might not look like much but in the next two pics Vicki and I will put it into scale for you. It really is huge. Another nice thing is that the campground has intermediate hiking trails that meet up with the Appalachian Trail itself.

 

[Petescj]

The tent sites are pretty nice for the most part. If you want electric and water they are kinda commercial. We went primitive and got a nice large site with some great towering shade trees.



First agenda was some Delmonicos and Drumsticks on the fire. :drool:

 

[Petescj]

A couple really cool things that sets this Campground apart from others. There are two things that are going to bring us back later this year. We had to end our hike a little early cause Vicki wasnt feeling well so we couldnt get some of the pics we wanted. The other thing they offer are secluded tent sites that can only be accessed by 4x4. We hiked up to those sites and they dont dissapoint. I'll be booking one for sure later this Summer.

Another thing is this place is owned by an old motorhead. Hes a Ford fan but I cant hold that against him. If I wasnt in love with Cjs so much I could see myself in an Early Bronco. Here are two they use around the Campground.

 

[Petescj]

Right when you come in the entrance your greeted by two unique and antique flower beds. I dont know what the first one is but the small white one is a Metropolitan.

 

[Petescj]

When you get to the office to check in there is a awesome garage on your right full of some nice vintage steel. Want a Mustang Fastback? Got it.



How about a Ford Galaxy 500 convertible? This was my favorite so heres a couple.

 

[Petescj]

This Thuderbird was out front to greet us when we arrived as well.



I think this is a Caddy , unfortunately I couldnt get any other pics of it.



I believe this is an old Ford. They have a campsite restaraunt called Woodys Filling Station. On the menu is a pic of this car towing a old teardrop trailer. The trailer itself took off behind a Ford Falcon Wagon before I could grab a pic.

 

[Petescj]

Anyhow the whole purpose of this thread is to get people out and enjoy some good summer fun. I think that Blue Rocks Campground definately qualifies. Theres some wheeling area around there that I have to research also. I'll let this one go with a full width axle Explorer...



and this sexy crew cab F-250.

 

[Petescj]

Well I had this weekend off and we were supposed to go camping with the kids. Unfortunately thunderstorms were supposed to come through the area so we decided to just do a day trip. That lead us to Lake Nocamixon State Park.



This is one huge Lake. Its a pretty nice place with plenty of picnic tables and free standing charcoal grills for your use. There is Pontoon boat rentals or you can just bring your own kayak , canoe...



The lake itself is free but another highlight of the park is its pool. This bad boy is over a 1/2 acre long and we couldnt get it all in the photo.



These are the things that consume alot of my time off during the Summer. The kids loved it and from the look on her face Vicki may have enjoyed it as well.



There are also plenty of biking and hiking trails available as well. The thunderstorms held off till the evening and we had a beautiful day. Get yourself out there and enjoy some time away. It'll be Winter way too fast.

 

[hole]

Nice pics Pete You east coast guys have a lot to squeeze in your summers. Out here in the west temps in the 90's generally start in April and end in October-November, so summer fun can be stretched out a bit. For the group of friends I wheel with, November through April are all of our big desert camping trips.