Upstate New York

We left Kenisee Lake Thousand Trails traveled along lake Erie to upstate New York and stopped in a KOA in Medina, New York.  

This was unusual for us.  We very seldom stay in KOAs since they seem to be vacation resorts that have and do a lot of things we don't necessarily want.  KOA are also mucho dinero.   This one was no exception.  It was very nice and we enjoyed the park, but it really was setup for families with kids on vacation.  

While exploring the area, we discovered Golden Hill State Park on the shores of Lake Ontario.  In the future when we travel to this area, we will stay there rather than the KOA.

This is near the Eire Canal and we spent a fascinating day exploring the locks and canal museum in Lockport N.Y.  and took a ride along the canal in a paddle wheeler.

The primary reason to stay in this particular area was to hook up with family in nearby Rochester NY.  We did so and had a very pleasant evening with them.  Thank you Wyatt and Jess.

We stayed a couple of days and then headed out along Lake Ontario towards Niagara Falls.

We stayed a little bit out of Niagara Falls in a little town of Grand Isle at the Cinderella Motel and RV park.  This worthwhile institution is a small, family run semi-residential motel with a full hookup RV park in the back.

Niagara Falls has two sides:  American and Canadian.  We elected not to enter Canada due to Covid Restrictions (it was possible, just a hassle) and visited the Niagara Falls State Park.  Unfortunately a restaurant where we wanted to eat at the Falls was closed due to "Lack of Inventory" (supply chain issues?), but the rest of the falls was open.  We did both Cave of the Winds and the Maid of the Mist tour.

Cave of the Winds doesn't exactly exist anymore.  Originally it was a cave behind the falls and you could go behind the falls and experience the power of Niagara that way.  

The cave collapsed in the 1930s.   So what the state did was build an elevator and a set of platforms near the base of the falls (on rather rickety looking 2x4s) for tourists to get close to and sprayed by the falls.  Sprayed to the extent that they give you a poncho and a set of flip-flops to wear on the excursion.

We thought the money spent on the experience was well worth it.

We also took the Maid of the Mist boat trip to the foot of the falls.  This is also a traditional Niagara Falls thing.  The boat also issues ponchos.

 We thought this was also worth the money.

One thing they do not really advertise is the free Niagara at Night light show.  Probably because they don't have to.

We only spent a couple of days in Niagara, but it was certainly eventful.  We are planning to go back someday.

 Name:  Thousand Trails Hershey Pennsylvania

Location:  492 S. Mt Pleasant Rd, Lebanon, PA
Sewer:  All
Water:  Yes
Power:  30A/50A In all spots
Cable:  None
WIFI:  Available at extra charge. 
Cellular:  T-Mobile:  
Comments:  Very beautiful RV Resort

September 2021

This is a high end RV resort located outside of Hershey PA.  It is somewhat rolling, but the sites were spacious and level.

There are large green areas surrounding a small catch and release lake with immaculate pool, spa and tennis (pickle ball) area.  

When we were there, they were preparing for the winter and had covered the pool.  The indoor spa however was open and warm.

The park is within an easy driving distance of the Hershey Park area and Lancaster with its Ahmish population is nearby.

The staff was extremely friendly and accomadating.

We highly recommend this park and the nearby attractions of Hershey and Lancaster.

 Name:  Gettysburg Round Top (Trails Collection)

Location:   180 Knight Road, Gettysburg, PA 17325
Sewer:  Mixed.  Most site appear to have some sewer.  On-site holding tanks on some.
Water:  Yes
Power:  30A/50A (we had 30 only)
Cable:  Some
WIFI:  Available at extra charge.  Fast enough to stream.  Free at the lodge
Cellular:  T-Mobile:  Pretty Good
Comments:  Very close to the battleground.

August  2021

First off, this is a trails collection campground.  This means that they are primarily a public (rvonthego.com) campground that reserves some spots for Thousand Trails members.  It is on a hill side - not the famous civil war round tops - but nearby.  If you are a civil war buf, this place, with is close proximity to the National Museum, can't be beat.

It is fortunate it is on the hillside.  We arrived in the midst of the Hurricane Ida aftermath and some of the other local Thousand Trails were closed due to flooding.

The close proximity to I-15 made for more noise than usual.

It appears that most of the spots are occupied by seasonals.  The place kind of fills up on the weekend empties during the week.

The pools and grassy play areas are very well maintained are are quite inviting.  The sites, by and large, were quite nice, but there were some - possibly retired and no longer used - that fell into the category of "you expect me to park in that?".   In our site for example, we believe it was a vacated annual site, the sewer connection was quite strange and required a trip to a hardware store to purchase some rubber sewer adapters.

Thousand Trails Kenisee Lakes

 Name:  Thousand Trails Kenisee Lakes

Location:  2021 Mill Creek Rd, Jefferson, OH 44047
Sewer:  All
Water:  Yes
Power:  50A
Cable:  None
WIFI:  Available at extra charge.  Fast enough to stream.  Free at the lodge
Cellular:  T-Mobile:  Marginal is some parts. 
Comments:  Very beautiful RV Resort

August  2021

Note:  This is a seasonal park, closed in Winter.

This is a very beautiful RV Resort outside of Jefferson Ohio.  Unlike many Thousand Trails the upkeep here is perfect.  It has on site fishing lakes, boats available for fishing and massive green areas for walking, playing etc.  The playgrounds are modern.

This park has a majority of seasonal sites, so getting in can be difficult during peak periods.  

The sheer beauty of this RV resort can't be beat.  We were so struck by it, when we pulled in we instantly got on the computer and extended our stay.

If there is a problem with Kenisee Lakes it is that there is nothing really in the area.  The area has tried to up its tourist value by building modern covered bridges which are, well... ok.  There are a couple of state parks on the nearby Lake Erie, but they are dog hostile and therefore did not get a visit.

Cleveland, with the Rock and Roll hall of Fame is a bit of drive away, but was surprisingly worth a visit.

Michigan to New York

 We decided we were driving too much and took a 10 day stand-down in St Clare Michigan at a Thousand Trails just outside of the town.

We needed it.  The rig had racked up the need for a number of minor repairs and we were very tired.  The stop at the Thousand Trails gave us time to rest, get the rig repairs done (all DIY) and to do some local sightseeing.  We also used St. Clare as a general delivery address to get our mail forwarded to us.

Draw Bridge in St. Clare

We were close to Port Huron, so we went over there and took a lake/river tour on a boat out onto Lake Huron.  Walking around the beautiful town of St. Clare with it's river front boardwalk was also a very highly thought of activity.

We took a trip (quite a distance) to Frankenmuth, which we think is German for "Tourist Trap".   It was worth the trip just to see the the town and to enjoy their little river cruise on a stern wheeler.  They allowed our dog Ginger as a passenger - though boats are not Gingers favorite thing.

This is first place in Michigan we thought was over-priced.  I guess the Disneyland like experience is expensive.

Fully rested and repairs on the rig complete, we left St. Clare and proceeded along I-90 with a goal of getting to upstate New York.  We stopped at another Thousand Trails in Ohio, Kenisee Lakes.

This Thousand Trails is notably simply for beauty of park.  A lot of Thousand Trails are...ummm..rustic.  That is needing work to modernize or restore the amenities that are getting worn.  

That was not the case with this one.  Everthing was in pristine condition, with the grounds well maintained.  

We pulled in and did something we had never done before:  we extended our stay just as we checked in.

While at Kenisee Lakes we decided to back track a bit and drive the car to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. 

Long Live Rock!!

This was quite an interesting stop, with all the artifacts and history of the some great and some not so great musicians of the past.  It had a pretty liberal interpretation of the Rock and Roll since Johnny Cash's Tour Bus was parked out front as one of the exhibits.

Cleveland surprised us.  They apparently have done some serious urban renewal - particularly around the water front.  We were time limited (Dog are not allowed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Ginger was back at the Campground) and didn't get to explore much, but next time we are in the Cleveland area, we will.  This was a far cry from the "Mistake by the Lake" designation Cleveland used to have.

We we returned to Kenisee Lake we discovered that part of its charm is that there is nothing to do in the area.   There are some modern covered bridges in the area and some state parks by the water front, but the state parks are dog-hostile and therefore not visited by us.

We then continued our run along I-90 to upstate New York and Niagara Falls. 

Thousand Trails St. Clare Michigan

 Name:  ThousandTrails St. Clair

Location:  1299 Wadham Road, St. Clair, Michigan  48079
Sewer:  Some
Water:  Yes
Power:  20A/30A/50A
Cable:  None
WIFI:  Available only in the lodge
Cellular:  T-Mobile:  Fair. 
Comments:  Very pleasant TT near the Great Lakes

August  2021

This park is located just off of I-94 in St Clair Michigan and is home to a lot of seasonal RVs.  It is a very pleasant park, though section A is pretty close to the Interstate.

The park is older (like many of Thousand Trails offerings) but is apparently undergoing a lot of renovation.  There are signs throughout the park touting the "site upgrades" and the "exciting future amenities".

It is lush, with lots of lawn and very reasonable sized RV slots.  The lodge and pool are newer and well maintained.  A lot of the seasonals are there for the weekends only and the place has lots of kid running around.  On the weekdays it is very quite.

The staff is what makes this a notable ThousandTrails.  They seem to be very focused on providing a memorably stay for their quests.

While we were there, amongst many other things, was live music (two nights), a car show and most importantly, donuts on Sunday morning.  During the live music shows, a TT staff member dressed up a Big Foot and kept the kids amused while the parents enjoyed the music.

We were also surprised at the improvements that the seasonals did to their sites.  It is obvious that some of them had been there many years and were planning to be there many more.

Full hook up sites are a bit rare due to the large number of seasonals, but they are obtainable - particularly if one is willing to "get on the list" and move when a site becomes available.

The nearby towns of St Claer and Port Huron are both worth a visit.

We spent 10 days in the Park and we have marked it for a future return visit.

North Dakota and Northern Michigan - The High Culture Run

 We entered North Dakota and promptly turned west because of our proximity to Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  

The famed president once had a ranch and a hunting lodge in the park.  It is believed that Theodore became concerned about the demise of the American bison while hunting in this area and in addition to starting the national park system and started the efforts to save the American Bison from extinction.

He would be proud of the results.

While there are hiking and horse back riding opportunities in TRNP, for most folks, ourselves included, treat this as a driving park.  It is about a 30 mile loop.  While we were there the loop was partially closed due to a landslide.

The drive was well worth it.  There was a herd of bison along side the road, so we stopped-along with everyone else-to gawk at the awesome creatures.  Remembering the "Don't pet the fuzzy cows" campaign in South Dakota, we didn't exit the car.   

There were lots of Prairie dog towns along side the road, we stopped to view them as well.

One of the more interesting parts of the drive was really not intended.  There are sections of the road where you can see an exposed coal vein.  At one section, the coal vein had actually caught fire - apparently due to a grass fire earlier in the season.  The park service was letting it burn out and didn't really want to hear about it unless there were open flames visible.

At the entrance of TRNP is the tourist-trap town of Medora.  This charming little town is fashioned after a movie western town, complete with saloons.  The Cowboy Hall of Fame - unfortunately closed when we were there - is located in Medora.  There were a lot of kid venues including pizza parlors and one of the best western-themed playgrounds ever built.

We overnighted at Boots RV park just outside of Medora.  This was interesting in itself.  This is on a working ranch where they have carved off a few RV sites.  The whole thing was totally web driven - we booked, paid and checked in without ever talking to a human.  Ginger found the plastic deer around the equipment barn to be quite fascinating.

The next morning we headed out on I-90 eastward across North Dakota.  We discovered North Dakota is still pretty sparsely populated.  We weren't sure if we going to boondock overnight or what, but then we broke out the Passport America book (thanks Bill!) and found an RV park in Dawson North Dakota.  This RV park is noteworthy because you checked in with bar in front.

The RV park was ok with 50amp power, water and sewer so we disregarded the Trump Flags flying out front and checked into RV park behind the best (only) dive bar in Dawson ND.  We decided "What the heck?" and had dinner in the bar (food was good) and Jerald had his first Hamms beer since high school.  The locals were friendly and we had a great conversation with a couple of the local ranchers.

We ignored the Trump memorabilia they were selling next to the pool table.

The next day we were treated with a stop at New Salem North Dakota.  This is the home of Salem Sue - The worlds largest plastic Holstein Cow

Not to be outdone by the good folks in New Salem a little ways down the road in the home town of Cowboy writer Louis Lamour, is the worlds largest concrete buffalo.

We guess there must not much to do in the evening in North Dakota.  

We sadly left North Dakota, passed through Wisconsin and in the upper peninsula found a place that put them all to shame

We then spent two days in a KOA just north of the Mackinac bridge in Michigan and did a day trip to Mackinac island with the dog.

Unfortunately I forgot to take the camera and we didn't take any pictures but rest assured the island expedition was well worth the effort and Mackinaw island lived up to its reputation for both it's beauty and it willingness to separate a tourist from their dollars.

At this point in our travels, we were quite burned out and decided to spend 10 days in a Thousand Trails campground just outside of St Clare Michigan.  From there we will recharge, collect our mail and figure out our next move.