So on with the show!
We went for the long memorial day weekend. Now, we go out to the Jersey Shore all the time. Rob's parents have a small place down in Sea Isle City - about 15 min from the campground. But we just must have hit the worse possible time. Despite the fact that we left about 2pm - we didn't get to the camground until about 8:00! It should have taken us 2 1/2 - 3 hours tops. In all the years we have been heading down, that was the worse traffic either of us has ever seen. With today's economy, it may be that more are staying local, so maybe that was it. Who knows, just be advised, if you are not used to "shore traffic" it can have the potential for being brutal.
So we finally get to the campground about 8:00 as I said. Unfortunately, there is only one long drive to get into the campground, so while we were finally there, we did have to wait an additional 25 minutes to check in. There is a side drive that you can use a code to enter, but the driveway is single lane until about half way in. So even if you are already checked in, you still might wait 15 min or so to get in if it's a busy check in night.
Once we got to the gate, they asked for our membership card. We explained that we made reservations as non members as they simply asked for ID instead. The Park ranger helping out said to just go pick a spot and come back and tell us where you are. (note, the farther in you go, the longer it takes you to report back...It took Rob a good 35 minutes to walk there and back)
We knew we wanted to stay away from cabins and seasonal rentals, given our experiences at Little Red Barn. But we didn't want to be too far from the comfort stations. We did find a fairly secluded quiet spot to fit our needs:
Of course this is the next morning when it was bright and sunny. But Rob, on only our second trip out had to back the camper into a very very dark spot - yikes! But he is already improving and getting better and better and maneuvering.
We had hoped to be set up before dark but the long traffic really messed with our plans. I was glad that I had precooked a lot of our meals for this trip and all I had to do was warm something up. We were tired, it was hours after our normal dinner time and it was approaching bed time - and we still needed to set up - in the dark! I highly recommend pre-cooking things like chicken breasts or ground beef. Having access to quick meals really helps.
It went fairly smoothly. We opted to leave the awning til morning. It was really dark so we had no way of knowing we chose a spot without a fire ring or picnic table. So we just set up the bunks, bedding, kitchen etc warmed dinner on the stove and called it a night.
Review part - the restrooms were fairly clean. There were plenty of stalls and showers. Showers were big which was nice because I was able to bring Katelyn (6) in with me and could have brought Noah (3) if I needed to. Downside? They got REALLY hot when the toilets flushed. I taught Katelyn to quick jump out of the water stream (yes the showers were that big) when she a flush go off. The women's room was really clean all the time, but Rob said the men's room got nasty.
Other downside? When they cleaned the stations, it took a solid hour and no one was allowed in. There was only one other comfort station all the way at the entrance which was a bit of a hike. Not a problem for adults, but little three year old bladders? Let's just say I was glad I brought the little potty chair! I have to say, it was weird taking the little bucket part to the staitons to empty and clean. I was a little self conscious. oh well, such is the life of a mom, right? We wipe snotty noses and clean up poop!
Next morning, we were off to explore the grounds. I found them quite lovely and more like real camping. No open fields, no pavilions, just trees and other pop up, tents and RV's:
There seemed to be plenty of amenities. I thought I had taken more pictures, but this is all I have. They had pretty large laundry facilities, a bar/cub for adults only and of course a pool. Pool was decent sized but pretty crowded. I found it almost unusable because of the many very rowdy tween boys and their water guns. I wish I had realized there was a lake then, because we would have headed over there, and the kids would have enjoyed it more.
Of course there was a camp store, but for the size of the camground, I was surprised at how little groceries they had. This was about it. No worries on our part - we brought most of what we needed and planned a trip to Walmart for the rest. But attached to the store they had several entertainment nooks for equipment rentals, games, tv, books etc That was nice although we really didn't need it being there for just three days. But for those staying a week, there were things like ping pong, shuffle board, a small minature gold course and activities. On our way out Monday, they had organized a bike parade for the holiday!
One of the reasons we picked this campground was it's close proximity to the family beach house in Sea Isle City. Every Memorial Day weekend, Rob's side of the family meets up for a big family picnic. We always have a lot of fun and are disappointed to have to leave. But it's a small house - there is just no room at the inn so to speak.
So this year, we were excited to be able to stay for the nice long weekend. For Sat dinner, we invited Rob's parents to come have dinner at "our new place." Upon waking Sat morning, we realized we were missing a key element - no picnic table! Hard to have people over to eat without anywhere to sit, right?!
It was simply too dark to see the night before but we realized that only about 60 or 70% of the spots had picnic tables, and as I said someone had "borrowed" our fire ring. fire ring was easy - there were only two other campers on our whole street so we got a fire ring from another site, but no tables were nearby, and really who wants to drag a picnic table across a camground?
We found we needed a few more things anyway, so off to the local Walmart to get some supplies. We bought a portable camp table - I suspected this issue would probably occur from time to time, so it seemed logical to have our own. Our camp chairs were starting to show their age, so we bought two more of those. And while we were there - we found the perfect compliment to my flamingo lights.... palm trees with more flamingoes - we loved them!
You can see the camp table in the background there - so helpful when preparing food, and of course I added a little carpet. Makes it homier and helps keep the camper cleaner. I have to say in general, setting up an outdoor galley is extremely helpful. Purchasing that table was a good decision. After this trip, we decided to get a real refrigerator and it has already made all the difference, too (I will post more about that on our Knoebels trip from June - coming soon).
Dinner was yum. Kept it simple with hamburgers on our reversible camp griddle (love that thing - got it at Walmart in the grills section for $11), chips, fruit salad and corn cooked in the fire pit ashes.
Saturday night, another down side to this campground - ticks. Rob pulled about 4 ticks off himself throughout the day, and both Josh and Katelyn had a a couple upon inspection that night. Noah and I escaped somehow. But because the ground is very woody - sandy dirt to be precise, the ticks were plentiful. So be prepared with tick repelling spray and check everyone in your family carefully every night.
Sunday we did not spend at the campground as we were at the family picnic all day. As usual, it was lots of fun; yummy picnic and seafood, beach time and a magic show put on by Josh and cousin Angus.
And as you can see, we spent the evening at the amusement pier in Sea Isle City. Ocean City is about 1/2 hour north Rt 9 and has two more amusement piers, beach, and a giant boardwalk. It is well worth a visit. And just south of the campground is a plethera of things to do as well, Cape May has a lovely shopping district and of course the light house - you can climb all the way to the top. And within minutes of Sea Pines is the Cape May County Zoo. It's a national park so they just ask for a donation as your drive in - just give what you can. There's a huge playground, a handful of rides as well as a really lovely and quite good zoo - feeding the animals is always a favorite. Our family always enjoys our visits there.
Saturday when we got back, although it was late, the kids still talked us into lighting the fire for some more s'mores. Tell me, will they ever get bored with eating s'mores? I'm thinking no....
Monday was a lazy day. Check out time was noon, so obviously there wasn't time for much. It was at this time that we unfortunately discovered the lake. Darn! Oh well, we'll catch it next year, right? But it was lovely and we couldn't help but at least stick our toes in!
Packing up was a little longer this time because we had bought the additional gear, but already we are in a groove. I don't know if this is a considered a long time or not, but we can pack up everything - food, linens, toys, children, dog, awning, drop the camper and hitch it - in about 1 hour 15min. Maybe if given the chance, we could do it quicker, but we're doing alright. To say we already love camping would be an understatement. The kids ask on a regular basis, "Can we go camping this weekend?"
Final grade: B
The downsides was the lack of picnic tables, awful check in process and the ticks. But what made up for it was the atmosphere. It was true camping, the staff was nice and the other campers were fantastic. I just felt at ease there which in my book makes up for the negatives. Rob absolutely hated all the ticks, but had we been better prepared with the right bug repellent, this would not have been as big an issue.
(as you can see, our "street" was deserted - and this on a 3 day holiday weekend. Obviously spaces closer to the comfort station were much more crowded)
So we definitely plan on returning for next year's picnic. Hope this helps someone. Please feel free to ask questions in the comments and I will do my best to answer.
Happy camping!!!
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