ETA: This review got lost in my drafts folder, so it's late- this is not where we are anymore.. but the campground was too good, I HAVE to highlight it.
I've been excited to do this review all week. It was a pretty good place to camp, especially in the windy spring.
The canyon was historically used as a place to get some shelter during seasons of bad weather. It's relatively less windy down here, although we still were rocked to sleep by the wind each night. And once or twice we really were worried we were gonna get blown over. But, we didn't, and only us newbies were worried. There were lots of other local, regular campers here and none of them were bothered by the wind in the slightest.
The setting is beautiful. Oklahoma red rock everywhere, beautiful hikes and climbs. All three of my kids loved climbing up and down the rock face across from us, which is a gentle enough slope that they could do it safely, and steep enough that for them it was adventurous. There was much more park here than we were able to explore in a week, lots of day use areas, a natural sort of lake (not sure if swimming is allowed, I didn't check it out), a couple of parks and they are building a swimming pool. At the top of the main climb to the top of the canyon, there are wagon tracks, and museums dedicated to wagons All. Over. The. Place. in the towns surrounding.
There are different little areas where you can park your camper, so minimal traffic coming by your own little street area. We happened to be here during spring break, so it was packed all week with tons of kids camping with their grandparents. There were children of all ages riding bikes and running around up and down the canyon and to the park.
This is a place we would come to often, if we lived in the area. The only downsides were minimal. (1) For some reason we kept getting power surges, but as soon as we figured out that's what was going on, we just made sure everything was charged at night and again at lunch time, so no issues after that. (2) The road coming into the canyon scared me silly... STEEP and lots of switchbacks. This seems obvious when you are talking about a canyon, but I'm really quite worried about getting out of here in the morning. Once going out, I almost got hit head on in the middle of the hill because a car was coming down on the wrong side of the road, and it's a blind turn. I rounded the corner, with all the power my truck could muster, because my three year old was yelling from the back seat "DADDY SAYS DON'T STOP ON THE HILL MOMMY DON'T STOP YOU'LL ROLL BACKWARD!"... and BAM there's Miss Daisy driving some white front wheel drive little car that I was about to roll right on over. I had to dead stop on my way UP this monster hill. If we'd done that with the camper attached, I'm honestly not sure we'd have gotten rolling again. The right way, anyway. And... (3) Showers again. Honestly, camp showers shouldn't be this much of an issue. but this one was touted as being state of the art, totally new and really nice. It was a little room the size of a changing room in a department store, then split in half. One half for changing, the other for showering. The shower costs .50 for 3 minutes... so to shower myself and two little girls I spent about 3.00. Which isn't much, but honestly, it should be free. Or at least not be a painted, cinder block room measuring 3 feet by 5 feet. If you are gonna make me pay for my shower, make it a good shower.
But, those issues are not bad ones, and this place is a good place. The kids got to run around with other kids, dig in dirt, chalk on the paved RV pads, ride their bikes in safety. There are a ton of bugs, but no one got bit up very much. We are 2 minutes from a dollar store and a Thriftway, but I had to drive 20 minutes to get to a laundry mat. Still, I rate it... A Very Good Place.
Showing posts with label campgrounds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label campgrounds. Show all posts
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Friday, March 15, 2013
Campground review
We have spent the past week at Central State Park, in Edmond, OK. We picked this campground because it's a city- run camp ground. Normally, the smaller the governing body that runs a campground, the better kept it is- county is better than state, which is better than national. So city aught to be pretty good! Plus, you have to pay to get in it, period. Even if you are just coming in to jog the trail. Which makes it pretty exclusive to campers or boaters, and should give the campground plenty of money to upkeep their stuff. Plus good reviews, lots of trails, and nearly all the campsites are lakeside.
We chose to stay in the Cottonwood area, so that's what I'm reviewing.
The good:
The scenery is really great. The sun rises AND sets over the lake, and every night the sun set has been fantastic... I haven't been up early enough to catch a sunrise. People do actually observe the quiet time hours, you don't get anyone driving around shining headlights into your camper while you are sleeping. The camp areas are pretty big- I feel like we have as much "yard" as we could possibly want, and I haven't had to worry about my kids wandering into someone else's territory. And, this is a kid- friendly place. At least, there are lots of kids here, even though it's early in the year. If my kids were prone to running from me, I would worry about them running into the lake- we're very close to it, and it's just a jump off of a rock away. And you can't see 2 inches into the water, so I have NO idea how deep it is. But if that was a problem, we could have camped farther away, or in a different area. So easy access to the water is a plus for me. Very relaxing. Oh, and the older two think the park is super neat. And they think everything else here is pretty neat too.
The bad:
This list is short, but a big deal for me. The shower house. We don't have full hook-up, so we use the showers at the shower house everywhere we go. I've been to some shady ones. I've been to some nice ones. These were terrible. Two showers is pretty standard, and that's what we have here. On one side, there is a handle that adjusts the spray (I did appreciate that), something else that shot water out that I don't even know what it was for, and a button you push to turn the water on. No temp control. And it was slightly too hot for my girls. It was gross enough in there that I put extra towels down for them to stand on while they showered. And that's extreme for me, who never wears shoes in the summer... anywhere. Then.. the water stayed on for about 30 seconds, maybe a minute, and I had to push the button for more water. I had to soap up and shampoo two girls this way, while supervising a baby. Then I had to shower while I hoped they wouldn't run away (normally they safely play in the neighbor shower stall while I shower and it works out great). In my stall, there was an on button... and that's it. This time the shower stayed on, for some reason. i couldn't turn it off again. It was really the weirdest thing.
Also, the tap water. There are three or four spigots for the whole campground. There is a Y connector on them, and everyone just hooks up to the same spigots. There is a very long hose that runs through camp for outlying people to connect up to, if they didn't happen to bring a 2,000 foot hose with them.
This should be somewhat fine, although very, very strange. but in practice, no one knows what they are doing. Nick was going out there to fix someone's connection daily. We had to constantly go out and fiddle with it because something got turned off or switched up and we'd run out of water. When someone has their water across the street, and a car runs over the hose, the water for everyone attached to that spigot turns off. Which is half the camp. It's really very bizarre.
in the end, it's a wash out... I give it a solid "Meh". The price on the weekend was somewhat steep, however for closeness to the city (and Target), we probably made that up by spending less in gas money going in for food and laundry. The awesomeness of the lake and the rocks and playing in red dirt really equal the not awesomeness of the water situation. There are people here who obviously live here, moving from one site to another, and have rather moved in.. it's pretty red- neck-y here. But that means no one has a cow if I leave a blanket on the ground overnight, or leave the kids' toys laying around most of the day. And really, what kind of price can you put on the ability to use the outdoors as your living room AND not have to have it show- ready all the time? priceless. (okay, $20 a night, really.)
We chose to stay in the Cottonwood area, so that's what I'm reviewing.
The good:
The scenery is really great. The sun rises AND sets over the lake, and every night the sun set has been fantastic... I haven't been up early enough to catch a sunrise. People do actually observe the quiet time hours, you don't get anyone driving around shining headlights into your camper while you are sleeping. The camp areas are pretty big- I feel like we have as much "yard" as we could possibly want, and I haven't had to worry about my kids wandering into someone else's territory. And, this is a kid- friendly place. At least, there are lots of kids here, even though it's early in the year. If my kids were prone to running from me, I would worry about them running into the lake- we're very close to it, and it's just a jump off of a rock away. And you can't see 2 inches into the water, so I have NO idea how deep it is. But if that was a problem, we could have camped farther away, or in a different area. So easy access to the water is a plus for me. Very relaxing. Oh, and the older two think the park is super neat. And they think everything else here is pretty neat too.
The bad:
This list is short, but a big deal for me. The shower house. We don't have full hook-up, so we use the showers at the shower house everywhere we go. I've been to some shady ones. I've been to some nice ones. These were terrible. Two showers is pretty standard, and that's what we have here. On one side, there is a handle that adjusts the spray (I did appreciate that), something else that shot water out that I don't even know what it was for, and a button you push to turn the water on. No temp control. And it was slightly too hot for my girls. It was gross enough in there that I put extra towels down for them to stand on while they showered. And that's extreme for me, who never wears shoes in the summer... anywhere. Then.. the water stayed on for about 30 seconds, maybe a minute, and I had to push the button for more water. I had to soap up and shampoo two girls this way, while supervising a baby. Then I had to shower while I hoped they wouldn't run away (normally they safely play in the neighbor shower stall while I shower and it works out great). In my stall, there was an on button... and that's it. This time the shower stayed on, for some reason. i couldn't turn it off again. It was really the weirdest thing.
Also, the tap water. There are three or four spigots for the whole campground. There is a Y connector on them, and everyone just hooks up to the same spigots. There is a very long hose that runs through camp for outlying people to connect up to, if they didn't happen to bring a 2,000 foot hose with them.
This should be somewhat fine, although very, very strange. but in practice, no one knows what they are doing. Nick was going out there to fix someone's connection daily. We had to constantly go out and fiddle with it because something got turned off or switched up and we'd run out of water. When someone has their water across the street, and a car runs over the hose, the water for everyone attached to that spigot turns off. Which is half the camp. It's really very bizarre.
in the end, it's a wash out... I give it a solid "Meh". The price on the weekend was somewhat steep, however for closeness to the city (and Target), we probably made that up by spending less in gas money going in for food and laundry. The awesomeness of the lake and the rocks and playing in red dirt really equal the not awesomeness of the water situation. There are people here who obviously live here, moving from one site to another, and have rather moved in.. it's pretty red- neck-y here. But that means no one has a cow if I leave a blanket on the ground overnight, or leave the kids' toys laying around most of the day. And really, what kind of price can you put on the ability to use the outdoors as your living room AND not have to have it show- ready all the time? priceless. (okay, $20 a night, really.)
Monday, March 11, 2013
Settling in
Well, we've settled into a routine, that will probably change as we drive farther west, but for now... it's good. The kids generally wake up with enough time for all five of us to pile on the big bed for a while. Daylight savings has messed with that a bit- not that I am complaining- but I'm sure they'll be waking up early again soon. Nick makes breakfast for everyone but me (I'm picky about my breakfast), we both get ready for the day while the kids eat, and then Nick heads off to work... in the kids' bunk room. That's working rather well, most of the time.
from then, it's like home. breakfast chores, school, then run errands or go for a walk. Then lunch (elevensies, we now call it), nap time/ screen time, quiet time, play time, dinner, and the best change of all- Nick takes the kids outside to explore until the sun goes down, while I sit around in the camper and do lots of nothing. GRAND!
The sunsets here are terrific, right on the lake. And the sunrises on the lake, too, somehow. We're also parked right next to what I think would be a butterfly garden, and there are several bird houses out there. There are a million paths through little groups of trees that are super fun to explore, too.
I joined an online group for families who are traveling, and they've already given me lots of advise and encouragement. It's so great to be able to ask questions of people who have been at this for years, and not have to fumble about on my own so much. They remind me of what I already knew- it takes time to adjust to any lifestyle change. Use the outdoors to your advantage, that should be you REAL living space. the clock is your tool out here, not your slave driver. And, other children WILL come... it's still early. And there is always church for socialization.
We're adjusting. It's getting better. I can do dishes in 1/4 gallon of water. The kids played today in the "grass" for 3 hours without ANY toys. The cat only tries to shred up the camper after mealtimes. Anna is back to her normal napping schedule. Bedtimes are actually better than they were at home, and so is nighttime in general. It's quieter here in the camper than it was at home. We get edgy and claustrophobic if we're in here too long, and angry fast if people don't move when we'd like them to, but once we get outside it's all okay again. The kids are no longer eating all. day. long. like they did at home, for some reason.
We're still trying to get organized. Storage areas will soon be moved around. More plastic boxes will be purchased. Clothes will be given away. I'd really, really like to paint the interiors and do something more... us... with the furniture. But without all that, even now, this is definitely home. I was just looking through pictures from the house and thinking "wow! look at all that empty space! That house was too big!". So, that's good, I'm getting used to this.
Up this week... a big laundry adventure with approximately 10 loads of laundry, and Wednesday is farmer's market day (I am as excited for that as I was for church). And we really gotta find some firewood for a bonfire one of these nights... if the wind ever stops.
from then, it's like home. breakfast chores, school, then run errands or go for a walk. Then lunch (elevensies, we now call it), nap time/ screen time, quiet time, play time, dinner, and the best change of all- Nick takes the kids outside to explore until the sun goes down, while I sit around in the camper and do lots of nothing. GRAND!
The sunsets here are terrific, right on the lake. And the sunrises on the lake, too, somehow. We're also parked right next to what I think would be a butterfly garden, and there are several bird houses out there. There are a million paths through little groups of trees that are super fun to explore, too.
I joined an online group for families who are traveling, and they've already given me lots of advise and encouragement. It's so great to be able to ask questions of people who have been at this for years, and not have to fumble about on my own so much. They remind me of what I already knew- it takes time to adjust to any lifestyle change. Use the outdoors to your advantage, that should be you REAL living space. the clock is your tool out here, not your slave driver. And, other children WILL come... it's still early. And there is always church for socialization.
We're adjusting. It's getting better. I can do dishes in 1/4 gallon of water. The kids played today in the "grass" for 3 hours without ANY toys. The cat only tries to shred up the camper after mealtimes. Anna is back to her normal napping schedule. Bedtimes are actually better than they were at home, and so is nighttime in general. It's quieter here in the camper than it was at home. We get edgy and claustrophobic if we're in here too long, and angry fast if people don't move when we'd like them to, but once we get outside it's all okay again. The kids are no longer eating all. day. long. like they did at home, for some reason.
We're still trying to get organized. Storage areas will soon be moved around. More plastic boxes will be purchased. Clothes will be given away. I'd really, really like to paint the interiors and do something more... us... with the furniture. But without all that, even now, this is definitely home. I was just looking through pictures from the house and thinking "wow! look at all that empty space! That house was too big!". So, that's good, I'm getting used to this.
Up this week... a big laundry adventure with approximately 10 loads of laundry, and Wednesday is farmer's market day (I am as excited for that as I was for church). And we really gotta find some firewood for a bonfire one of these nights... if the wind ever stops.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
A week on the road
Wow, what a crazy week!
So the "what we did":
We took off from the Des Moines area Monday morning, thinking we'd just drive as long as we could. We knew we'd have to stop around 4:00 in order to get the camper all set up before dark, and warmed up before bed. So, after we drove through Kansas City we started looking for a place to camp. Which involved me on the "smart" phone, trying to find RV parks that accept kids without an extra charge, and were open at that time of year, and didn't cost too much, and most importantly, were right on the roads were traveling. This was not too hard, once Nick jumped in to help me figure out what to look for and how to look for it. I don't think I could do that again, but we did find a decent place.
I wish I'd taken pictures. It was obviously normally a terrific place to stay. It was your typical RV park- about 5 feet between RV pads, just rows of places to park. Which was just what we wanted for a one- night stay. already level, no- brainer. There was a pool (closed) and mini golf (closed) and a swingset (under water- not that that stopped us), and laundry facilities... and free internet! I was very impressed. But, we were just there for the one night, and then off again as soon as possible in the morning.
We found out that night, the electric heater we brought is PLENTY of heat for this camper. It was about 17 degrees that night, but we never turned on the gas heat. in fact, I think it gets too hot in here. Which is saying a lot!
The next day, we were only a couple hours from Tulsa, so we had to decide- drive to Tulsa as planned, or push through to Oklahoma City? We decided to jump in the car and drive, and see how it goes.
As you can guess, not as well as the first day. The kids were REALLY sick of being in the car. Who can blame them? So, we took it easy, had fun, and made it to our campground in Tulsa with time to cook dinner and enjoy the sunset. We were very close to a lake and two playgrounds. I thought it was great!
However, the next day we spent the entire day picking tiny, sharp burs out of our pants and socks and feet. The city came in and tore down one of the playgrounds (the one with baby swings and anything Mary could play on). And it got windy.
We had fun anyway. We learned quickly to wear mud boots everywhere, and coats with hoods, and layers. We went on a super super long walk and found an awesome playground to hang out at. We went to the zoo. We learned how to share this space without killing each other. It was grand.
This morning (Saturday) we woke up, planning to have some time with daddy, but he decided to check the radar before going on a walk in the morning, and then discovered that tomorrow would be probably too windy to drive. So within an hour we were on the road again. That was a hoot! I can't wait to be better organized so that when we need to take off quick like that, I can find what I need when we get set up again. I'm finding things in the weirdest places because we had to just shove stuff wherever we could secure it.
So, now we're in OKC, for a week or two- we're not sure yet. Again, we're next to a lake, this time one that takes much better pictures (which I will post if I ever find a laundry mat with WiFi- in the mean time, I will post pictures to facebook. If that doesn't suit you, I can mail them to you from the phone if you ask nicely). Tomorrow, a church we are very excited to visit.
So the "what we did":
We took off from the Des Moines area Monday morning, thinking we'd just drive as long as we could. We knew we'd have to stop around 4:00 in order to get the camper all set up before dark, and warmed up before bed. So, after we drove through Kansas City we started looking for a place to camp. Which involved me on the "smart" phone, trying to find RV parks that accept kids without an extra charge, and were open at that time of year, and didn't cost too much, and most importantly, were right on the roads were traveling. This was not too hard, once Nick jumped in to help me figure out what to look for and how to look for it. I don't think I could do that again, but we did find a decent place.
I wish I'd taken pictures. It was obviously normally a terrific place to stay. It was your typical RV park- about 5 feet between RV pads, just rows of places to park. Which was just what we wanted for a one- night stay. already level, no- brainer. There was a pool (closed) and mini golf (closed) and a swingset (under water- not that that stopped us), and laundry facilities... and free internet! I was very impressed. But, we were just there for the one night, and then off again as soon as possible in the morning.
We found out that night, the electric heater we brought is PLENTY of heat for this camper. It was about 17 degrees that night, but we never turned on the gas heat. in fact, I think it gets too hot in here. Which is saying a lot!
The next day, we were only a couple hours from Tulsa, so we had to decide- drive to Tulsa as planned, or push through to Oklahoma City? We decided to jump in the car and drive, and see how it goes.
As you can guess, not as well as the first day. The kids were REALLY sick of being in the car. Who can blame them? So, we took it easy, had fun, and made it to our campground in Tulsa with time to cook dinner and enjoy the sunset. We were very close to a lake and two playgrounds. I thought it was great!
However, the next day we spent the entire day picking tiny, sharp burs out of our pants and socks and feet. The city came in and tore down one of the playgrounds (the one with baby swings and anything Mary could play on). And it got windy.
We had fun anyway. We learned quickly to wear mud boots everywhere, and coats with hoods, and layers. We went on a super super long walk and found an awesome playground to hang out at. We went to the zoo. We learned how to share this space without killing each other. It was grand.
This morning (Saturday) we woke up, planning to have some time with daddy, but he decided to check the radar before going on a walk in the morning, and then discovered that tomorrow would be probably too windy to drive. So within an hour we were on the road again. That was a hoot! I can't wait to be better organized so that when we need to take off quick like that, I can find what I need when we get set up again. I'm finding things in the weirdest places because we had to just shove stuff wherever we could secure it.
So, now we're in OKC, for a week or two- we're not sure yet. Again, we're next to a lake, this time one that takes much better pictures (which I will post if I ever find a laundry mat with WiFi- in the mean time, I will post pictures to facebook. If that doesn't suit you, I can mail them to you from the phone if you ask nicely). Tomorrow, a church we are very excited to visit.
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