Search results for 'driveway camping'

Situated about 2 hours by car from Los Angeles is the fun-filled desert town of Palm Springs, the former playground of the Rat Pack, Elvis Presley and currently, the majority of stars in Hollywood. Talk about a great place to spend a week, or if you are visiting L.A., a long weekend away from the City.

This town has it all – great restaurants, a lively night life, fantastic shopping, fabulous tours and some of the hippest hotels in the world. 

We return to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls time and again because the area has so much to offer. It’s all the stuff we like to do – outdoor, natural splendor, and touristy. We revisited several favorites and added some new experiences, too. The weather was perfection, and it’s a gorgeous ride cruising Niagara Parkway. The drive is dotted with islands of flowers and fountains, and the profusion of colors is simply wondrous. Walking paths alongside disappear invitingly into lush woods, and the air is clean and crisp.

Some of Susie’s Canadian friends brought an interesting place in Canada to our attention.  Dog Paddling Adventures is a group that offers adventures for dogs and their humans in Ontario province during every season of the year.

Remember the beach during the 60’s & 70’s?Simple and  unhurried, colorful snack shacks, and a day of family fun. It’s all still here in Canada!

Searching for the Heart of Dixie? Look to Alabama for some Southern surprises.

Its Memorial Day weekend and we’ve traveled a couple of notches south to vacation near Mammoth Cave National Park in Cave City, KY. The national park offers only primitive campsites (which means no electric service) so we are staying a few miles down the road at an RV resort. In this part of the country, the term “RV Resort” is loosely applied and commonly means a giant family playground with lots of places to plug in a trailer. 

Susie and Beau both want all of our followers to have a happy and safe Fourth of July with their pets. Many of the activities centered on the birthday of our nation are safe and enjoyable for both pets and their humans.

The station in Fort Bragg is crowded with excited families, couples, a Boy Scout troop, and gangs of friends. As we climb aboard the Skunk Train, I take a window seat in one of the restored passenger cars. We’re on our way up the Noyo River, and deep into the redwoods.

Our membership to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy was a great excuse for a road trip to Mill Run, Pennsylvania to see the famous Frank Lloyd Wright home, Fallingwater. 

There is one road-trip so remote and obscure only the truly committed to getting lost have made the pilgrimage.  Yellowstone National Park provides a detailed planner (details here) for a wholesome family road trip across the heart of America, beginning in the backyard of the Wild West. All you have to do is pack the car. Start off the trip in the stunning South Dakota Badlands and end six days later in the majestic Yellowstone National Park located on the rustic northern corner of Wyoming on the boarder of Montana. And we know what you’re thinking: where the hell is South Dakota? That is precisely the point. 

For the past 90 years the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC has been teaching the lost art of folk crafts in the picturesque mountains of western North Carolina. If you can make it by hand, you can make it here! 

Glamping is a great way for the whole family to enjoy the camaraderie of traditional outdoor camping with the glamour of hotel amenities. The offer below from Westgate River Ranch (located near Orlando, Fla.) is great to keep in mind with Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and several three-day holiday weekends right around the corner!

This is our summer for short regional trips. And we’ve found some delightful places quite close to home that are worthy of a visit.

Just when you have gotten over the Ebola scare (though you will hear about it again), here comes another viral infection though spread by mosquitoes.  Zika virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in monkeys and the first verified human infection occurred in 1968.  Since then it has smoldered in countries near the equator where 2 strains have evolved, one in Africa and one in Asia.  The first infections outside of Africa and Asia occurred in Micronesia in 2007.  Since then, the virus has spread throughout the southern Pacific islands and arrived in South America a few years ago.  Dense populations of both humans and the vector mosquito has caused Zika to explode in Central and South America.  At the time of this article, about 20 cases have been reported in the US, all from people who traveled to areas where the disease is present (such as Brazil).  

In southern India lying at an elevation of 2,623 metres is a little hill station nestled amidst eucalyptus trees and overlooking the blue mountains also known as The Nilgiris. This town is lovingly called Ooty but officially known as Udhagamandalum or sometimes even, Ootacamund (quite the tongue twister, eh?). Ooty has emerged as a popular honeymoon destination because of its alluring picturesque beauty that gets the romance brewing among newlyweds. So it isn’t just the ‘Queen of Hills’ but also the ‘Queen of Hearts!’

In 40 years, we’ve swapped Florida Keys for Cancun, but where’s next?

Looking for a pleasant drive, friendly folks, and an area steeped in history? Head to the Lake Erie region of Southwestern Ontario, Canada.

Recently we had the unfortunate need to travel to Beaumont, Texas for a family funeral.  Since this amounted to a journey of 950 miles each way, it was imperative for us to stop for the night along our route.  We were looking for somewhere to divide up the trip into a two day drive, and Grenada, Mississippi was a little more than half-way.

At some point in your travels you’re bound to traverse Missouri. And what a treat that will be! Smack in the middle of the country, Missouri is a major corridor between north-south destinations, and a gateway for east-west routes.

Occasionally there are risks worth taking. In early December we took a chance on some late-season camping in central Indiana. The forecast predicted light snow, but we didn't let that scare us off.

We’ve come to realize that bigger is not always better. Sometimes it’s the little places that offer the most charming experience. Greenbrier State Forest is one such gem, hidden deep in the West Virginia mountains. This is old-school camping at its finest. Small and slightly primitive, the campground offers only sixteen electric sites, tucked into lush and shady groves.

We had a wonderful camping experience at Campfire Lodgings, just north of downtown Asheville, NC. This privately owned campground is located at the top of Goldview Knob, and is worth the steep climb to get there. The owners have thoughtfully provided encouraging signs along the way to keep you moving, like “Just a little further” and “Ya made it!” But do take the time to unhook your towed vehicle before you ascend their gravel road.

Nestled in the woods of southern Indiana, Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial and Lincoln State Park are a surprising combination of great camping with a fascinating history lesson. These parks commemorate the area where Abraham Lincoln grew from boy to manhood, and where he earned his moniker as a Frontier Statesman.

Isn’t it funny how somebody’s peculiar hobby can introduce you to a whole new world? Such was the case when I attended a blacksmithing convention in Troy, Ohio with family members.