Twin Lakes Camping Resort and Yacht Basin Campground- Chocowinity, North Carolina (October 2019)

Our route to this campground included the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. That started me thinking of the time I traveled over the bridges and tunnels with my family when I was a little boy. My family had a 16 foot travel trailer that we pulled all over America.

The toll booth

I remembered that the toll collector left the booth and asked my father to switch off the propane gas tanks on the trailer. Things are different today in that the toll collector only asked for the $24 fee. I was the one who brought up the propane tanks. That was when she said the LP gas tanks need to be switched off, which I did while waiting in line to pay the toll. 

It was windy going over the 17 miles of bridges. We appreciated the aerodynamic design of Airstream trailers as we didn’t feel the wind pushing us around. 

Mixed in among the bridges are two one mile tunnels. We were able to pull Rosie, our Airstream trailer, through both of them.

Entering the tunnel

On the bridge

We were somewhat surprised when we arrived at the campground. Our expectations were low after reading the online reviews. Our first impression was that the campground appeared to be nice. We didn’t see any yachts as in the campground's name, but we did see some fishing and pontoon boats docked near some campers.

Foot bridge to another section of the campground

We were a little leery of our assigned campsite. It had a few muddy areas and we feared it may have some drainage problems during storms. This would come back to haunt us during our departure. 

We visited an estuary and learned about blue crabs while there. It turned out that harvesting crabs was a major industry in this region.

Tribute to a blue crab

We also visited a fossil museum and had fun looking for shark's teeth.

Becky looking for a shark's tooth

Our next excursion was to the Tryon Palace. This was the residence of the royal governor appointed by the King of England prior to the Revolutionary War.

Entrance to the Tryon Palace

Main stairs inside the Tryon Palace

The gardens

View of the palace

We ended the afternoon by having an ice cream at a restaurant about four blocks from the palace. That was a great way to end a day of adventures. 

We found the ice cream store

Dessert?

The remnants of Tropical Depression Nestor passed over our site during our last night in this park. There was several inches of standing water all around Rosie when we woke up the next morning. That made our departure more challenging. 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site was a pull-thru
• Our site was paved with dirt that turned into mud during the rain storm 
• Our site was not level and we had to use leveling tools to correct a right to left lean
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service
• Our site had a water connection 
• Our site had a sewer connection 
• The restroom and showers near our site were clean 
• We were able to watch ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and PBS using Rosie’s antenna. We also saw digital channels Bounce, Charge, CW, Escape, Get, ME-TV, MY-TV and Stadium 
• AT&T placed two bars of 4G service for voice and data over our site 
• The campground did not provide WiFi service

Mount Pleasant / Charleston KOA - Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (October 2019)

The seventh stop on the 2019 WBCCI Southeast Coast Caravan was in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. This was just across the bay from Charleston.

The KOA sign at Mount Pleasant

We arrived about an hour before our scheduled time to enter the campground. We found a Costco about half a mile away from the park, so we stopped there and ate lunch inside Rosie, our Airstream trailer. By the time we finished eating, our campsite was ready.

Airstream trailers in the campground

It was easy to see that this was a well-maintained KOA campground. The park had gone all out and decorated for Halloween.

Decorations at the campground

This campground appeared to go "all out" for Halloween

Many southern cities have their own unique charms and Charleston excels in charm. What better way to see the historical district than from a horse-drawn carriage. Our guide was interesting and he knew many local facts and legends.

Our guide on the horse-drawn carriage ride

A horse-drawn carriage in Charleston

Our carriage ride ended next to the open air market in the historic section of Charleston. It was interesting to watch local craftsmen and women weave sweet grass baskets, something that was famous in that part of South Carolina.

Entrance to the Open Market

Our boat ride to Fort Sumter was interesting. We would have disliked be a soldier there because the fort was very small and the only thing on that island.

Fort Sumter

The fort’s design was similar to Fort Pickens, which is at another campground we enjoy visiting in Florida. The difference was that Fort Pickens was larger and it wasn’t stuck alone on a small island.

Next, we visited Patriots Point and the Aircraft Carrier Yorktown. This ship entered service during World War II until the Vietnam War.

The Aircraft Carrier Yorktown as seen from the ferry boat that took us to Fort Sumter

The Yorktown in the shadow of the bridge 

Flight deck on the Yorktown

Costco was our final stop in the Charleston area. We noticed that a tire on our truck was losing about a pound of pressure a day.  Costco found and patched the problem. 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site was a pull thru
• Our site was paved with gravel 
• We had to use leveling tools to correct a left-to-right lean
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service
• Our site had a water connection 
• Our site had a sewer connection
• There was a dump station in the park 
• The bathhouse near our site was clean and well maintained 
• We were able to watch ABC, CBS,  FOX, NBC and PBS using Rosie’s TV antenna 
• We were able to watch TV digital channels Antenna, BUZZR, Decades, Get, Grit, ME-TV and MY-TV
• The campground provided basic cable TV service 
• AT&T placed one bar of service for voice and data over our site 
• The campground provided WiFi service that appeared to be overwhelmed

This campground was along a lake. It seemed that a sign was in front of every body of water in South Carolina warning that alligators may live there.

A hayride at the campground

The bridge connecting Mount Pleasant and Charleston

Selfie at Fort Sumter

Eating crabs in Charleston

Airstream trailers from our WBCCI Caravan in the campground

Kiptopeke State Park - Cape Charles, Virginia (October 2019)

The third stop on the 2019 Southeast Coast WBCCI Caravan was Kiptopeke State Park in Virginia. It was located across the bay from Norfolk.

Sign at Kiptopeke State Park

According to the online reviews, the camping fees were recently raised to more than $50. Several reviewers said they were upset over the higher prices and would no longer stay there. 

Price may have been a factor because there were more empty sites than ones filled with happy campers. Of course, the prime camping season at that park ended around Labor Day. 

Airstream trailers in the park

This was a short stop and it rained most of the time we were there. It seemed as if everyone was outside once the rain stopped. We found a great boardwalk that overlooked the Chesapeake Bay.

Walkway to the Bay

Rosie in the campground

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site was a back-in
• Our site was paved with grass and was nearly level
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service
• Our site had a water connection 
• Our site had a sewer connection 
• There was a dump station in the campground
• The restroom and showers near our site were dated but clean 
• We were able to watch ABC, CBS, FOX and PBS using Rosie’s antenna. We also saw digital channels Antenna, Court, Get, Grit and ME-TV
• AT&T placed three bars of 4G service for voice and data over our site 
• The campground did not provide WiFi service 

The Bay

Sunset over the Bay

It was chilly there

Tom’s Cove Park Campground - Chincoteague, Virginia (October 2019)

We hoped we were leaving the coastal flooding behind in Delaware. It turned out that flooding problems were widespread and an issue at our next campground while on the WBCCI Southeast Coast Caravan. We could see the signs of water over the road as we pulled Rosie, our 25 foot Airstream trailer, into Tom’s Cove Park Campground. 

Entrance to the campground

We watched the rising water creep into the lower sections of the campground as we walked around the park the first evening. Trucks entering the campground had to forge through standing water on the roads. 

We noticed something else while on our first walk. A large section of the campground was roped off with big tents inside the gated area. It appeared that some festival was about to take place there. 

When we asked a campground staff person what the tents were for, the look we were given made us feel like we were aliens from outer space. After all, everyone knew about the Oyster Festival. Well, I knew a few people who weren’t up-to-date on local festivals.

The Oyster Festival opened at 10 a.m. the next morning. We were amazed at how many people showed up as the gate opened and the number of people in some sort of a costume. This was a “big deal” local event.

Our first round of food at the Oyster Festival

A cupcake for desert

Really, its Root Beer!

We were also surprised at the length of the lines waiting to get food. Line length was a good judge of what foods were the current crowd favorites. 

Sometimes you had no idea as to the destination of the line you were standing in. I ended up getting oyster fritters. I thought I was in the shrimp line. It didn’t matter because everyone was festive and the conversation was good. 

For some unexplained reason, a surprising number of people were in costume. Did I mention that beer was the most popular drink among the participants? That became more evident as the day wore on.

Maybe this festival is world famous?

The festival shut down promptly at 4pm. It appeared that many people simply moved “the party” back to their campers. The residents around us abided by the 11 pm quiet hours rule. 

Speaking of campers, this is a huge campground with nearly 900 sites, most of which are seasonals.

Rosie and friends in the campground

One of the interesting things to see in this area are the ponies. There are wild horses on Assateague Island. It appeared that living on the island for 300 years has helped the horses get over any fear of people. We were able to get about 25 feet away before the horses started to walk away.

Wild horses on Assateague Island

More wild horses

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site was a back-in
• Our site was grass
• Our site was nearly level
• Our site had only 30 amp electrical service
• We had to use a 25 foot extension cord to reach the power box
• The power box was shared with four other trailers 
• Our site had a water connection 
• The water connection was shared with four other sites
• We had to use 50 feet of hose to reach the water connection 
• Our site had a sewer connection 
• There was a dump station in the campground 
• The restroom and showers near our site were clean
• The showers were functional and had ample hot water 
• We were able to watch ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS using Rosie’s antenna. We didn’t see any digital channels 
• The campground provided mediocre cable TV service. The connection point nearest our site had only two jacks to serve six trailers. We were able to connect after some of our neighbors left
• AT&T placed maybe one bar of 4G service for voice and data over our site. The Speedtest app on my iPhone said we had 1.6 MB download and 275 KB upload speeds 
• The campground provided WiFi service. We were unable to log on and it appeared that the password we were given was incorrect 
• There was a laundry facility in the park
• There was a camp store in the campground. 

By the way, I was confused about the park’s name. Half of the signs said  “Tom’s Cove Park” and the rest were “Toms Cove Park.”  The possessive form of “Tom” made more sense to me over the plural version. 

This campground shuts down during the winter and it was easy to see that the staff was winding things down. We understand that the park reopens in the spring with a big seafood festival. 

Lighthouse on Assateague Island

View from the top of the lighthouse

Delaware Seashore State Park - Rehoboth Beach, Delaware (October 2019)

The Delaware Seashore State Park is in the shadow of the Charles W. Cullen Bridge on State Highway One. I’m not sure who he was, but I think he would have been very proud of his bridge. It is visually stunning.

The bridge

The bridge backdrop tends to overpower everything else about the campground. Sites tend to be very close together? OK, but look at the bridge! Sites seem to be too short and rigs longer than 25 feet may struggle to fit within the allotted space? True, but that’s some bridge!

The bridge at night

There are two camping loops in this park. One is on the north side of the inlet and the other is on the south side. You have to cross the bridge if you want to see the other loop. I’m not sure if there are any differences between the two, but we were in the south camping loop.

Sign at the south side of the bridge

The weather tried to steal the show while we were in this campground. We saw sustained winds in the 20-25 mph range and gusts near 45 mph the entire time we were there. That made opening Rosie’s door challenging at times. (Rosie is our 25 foot Airstream trailer.)

Rosie near the bridge

Rain accompanied the wind. This was more of light showers than a driving rain. It didn't matter because the precipitation mixed with cool temperatures made going outside an adventure. 

The third weather factor was the flood. The flood?

A trip to the dumpster on our last evening was cut short when I noticed that water was flowing over the roads and under trailers only four sites away from Rosie. 

Several campers in the flooded area were outside and visibly concerned about the rising water. That was only the prelude to the flood on the morning we left the park. 

High tide is flood time

I noticed the salt water from the inlet was rapidly rising while walking Suzy, our Yorkie, that morning. We decided to quickly hook Rosie to our truck and to take down the utilities in case the salt water reached us.

High tides, a full moon and an offshore storm all combined to create the coastal flooding we experienced in that park.

The surf on the beach

This was the second time we had to pack up Rosie because of a flood. The first time was when a river we were camping next to in West Virginia flooded. That campground was under 10 feet of water a few hours after we hurriedly left. This flood wasn’t as severe as that, but we didn’t want to pull Rosie through six inches of salt water as we left the park. 

Our choice was to wait for the water from the inlet to recede. By the way, the water made it to the trailer parked two sites from us before it started retreating.

Rosie exiting the campground

But through the wind, rain and floods, we could always look at the bridge. Wow! What a bridge.

Driving over the bridge

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site was a pull-thru 
• Our site was paved with asphalt 
• Our site was level
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service
• Our site had a water connection 
• Our site had a sewer connection 
• There was a dump station in the campground 
• The restroom and showers near our site were clean
• The showers had annoying push buttons for service. That meant you had no control over temperatures and had to push the button about every 10 seconds for another stream of lukewarm water
• We were able to watch ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS using Rosie’s antenna. We also saw digital channels  Grit, Get and ME-TV
• AT&T placed two bars of 4G service for voice and data over our site (Our phone reported that we were on 5Ge. Nice try AT&T, but I know our phone is incapable of working on 5G)
• The campground did not provide WiFi service 
• There were laundry facilities at most restrooms in the park
• There was a camp store in the campground. It had a vending machine that sold live bait

Live bait from a vending machine?