It’s hard to believe that we left Live Oak Ranch only four weeks ago. We have seen so many people and places, mostly through serendipity, that it feels as though our 2017 travels have been underway for much longer.
In our last entry, we were in Charleston, SC, starting our journey north on the east coast. In this one, I’m going to outline the rest of our plans for 2017 which involves lots of travel and, a rarity for us, a month-long stay between destinations.
Leaving Charleston we will travel to Morehead City/Beaufort, North Carolina. From there, we board the ferry at Cedar Island and travel to Ocracoke, NC in the Outer Banks (OBX). We cross the island (six whole miles!) and board yet another ferry that will take us to Hatteras, then drive to Avon for a few days stay. Neither of us has been in this area before and we are really looking forward to visiting lots of places on the OBX with Avon as our home base.
From there we’ll travel through Virginia Beach and take the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, which is a 23-mile fixed link crossing at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay from Virginia Beach to Cape Charles, VA. I have my fingers crossed for a gorgeous travel day, because here is the description: The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel allows you to see the mighty surge of the Atlantic Ocean, the beauty of the Chesapeake Bay, and the soaring grace of an engineering marvel. Pretty exciting! And it is possible to actually spend the night in Scoopy out on the bridge by the tunnel entrance. We’re still thinking about that one but it’s very, very tempting just to say we’ve done it.
Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Impressive, eh?
Our destination in Maryland is Assateague State Park, located on a barrier island bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Sinepuxent Bay on the west. Roaming on the beaches and among the dunes are the park’s famous wild horses. They are known to wander right through the campground so we have a good chance of seeing them out and about. As you can see, when we said we’re traveling the east coast, we meant it literally. We’re seeing a lot of beaches on this trip so, in preparation, we purchased two beach towels and lots of sunscreen. Wuhoo!
Wild Ponies on the Maryland shores.
To make sure we get our Delaware sticker, we’ll spend one night in Lewes, where the next day we’ll travel by ferry 17 miles across the Delaware Bay to Cape May, NJ. We’ll continue on to our destination, Country Oaks Campground in Dorothy, NJ. Our friends Bill and Kelly are workcamping there for the next few months so we’re going to stop by and see them! You may recall that last year we traveled to Alaska with Bill and Kelly and haven’t seen them since we said goodbye last August so we’re really looking forward to catching up with them.
From Dorothy we’re off to the Big Apple! Well, actually, we’ll still be in New Jersey, as the closest campground to NYC is across the bay in Jersey City. Still, we will be about 15 minutes from Manhattan and all the excitement of the big city. We’re still deciding on how long to stay here, as you might imagine, it’s not inexpensive to stay this close to the city, but most likely a week. We’ve got people to see and places to go and that’s about how much time we’ll need so that we don’t run ourselves ragged.
View of Manhattan from across the harbor.
After our time in NYC, we’re leaving the east coast but only for a few weeks. We’ll travel across Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan and make our way to Wild Cherry Resort in Lake Leelanau, MI where we will settle in for a full month. I know, this is not our usual M.O. but, to be honest, by the time we reach Michigan we will have covered a lot of ground and we both feel it will be time to slow down for a bit. There’s a ton of stuff to see and do in the area, so even though I wouldn’t normally be happy with a long stay, this time I am ready. Plus, there’s much more travels ahead!
We’ll spend a couple of months traveling around Michigan this summer before heading back east across upstate NY and ultimately making our way to Boston by mid-September. This time is set in stone because Steven’s parents will be flying over from Dublin to travel with us for a couple of weeks. After sightseeing in and around Boston, we’ll travel up the coast of Maine to Boothbay Harbor and Winter Harbor. We will stay in Scoopy, of course, but Paddy and Elizabeth will stay in AirBnBs at a couple of stops, and in a cabin right in our campground in Winter Harbor. We’re excited to be able to share with them a bit of our lifestyle and we’re really looking forward to their visit.
Scene from Boston. Can’t wait to get our own photos. 🙂
After we return Paddy & Elizabeth to Boston for their flight home, we’ll head to Connecticut and Rhode Island and then on to Washington, D.C. for a few days before making our way back to Campbellsville, KY for another stint at Amazon. Yep, we’re going back! Our start date should be around the same as last year, with a contract that runs through December 23rd. I’m guessing there will be no early release this year, so we’re in it for the long haul this time.
It’s going to be an exciting year, don’t you think? There are lots of places and even states I haven’t covered here, it’s still a bit early to nail down all the details of our travel agenda. As I’ve said before, all of our plans are subject to change, because there is always the possibility of the unexpected. So, as always, these plans are set in Jell-O! 🙂
NEXT UP: Savannah & Charleston
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What an awesome summer you have planned! So excited that Bill and I are on your list of stops – that makes me happy! Can't wait to show you around our former home! You guys are going to love the Asseteague and OBX! Safe travels!
There is so much history in the areas that you are going that I can't begin to list them all. A couple of the highlights of historical places that we loved to visit when we lived up in that area are Gettysburg National Battlefield in PA and Harper's Ferry, WV. There is so much to see and do that you will fill all of your time and wish for more. Happy Travels!!! Dave & Nancy
Doesn't look like you're going to make it to the true upstate NY, where I'm from :), which is waaaayyyyy up in the corner above the "VE" in the Vermont label. That's where you'll find the Adirondack Mountains, Lake Placid, and some great scenic views and hiking opportunities. Maybe sometime we can get our paths to cross up there and we can show you around.
I'm from the east coast, and you are hitting all the good spots! You will love Lewes (walk Bethany Beach for me…I spent every summer there). And just in case you felt inclined to see Plymouth Rock in Boston…DONT BOTHER! Huge disappointment! Glouschester is amazing and awesome seafood! Safe travels!
You're getting to all the areas we missed last year so I can't wait to see where you get to! Driving in Boston is crazy, but the city is very pretty. We had a must-do which was a lobster roll at Kelly's on the beach nearby. They are delicious (take a co-signer, they're pricey), and so worth the stop. How fun you're switching locations with Jim and Diana this summer :-)) I canNOT wait to get on the road again after a month in one spot!
Ok, so much to comment on. First, a stop on the southern end of Assateague to Wallops Island may be worthwhile. NASA flies to space there. At Chincoteague, be sure to visit Berlin, MD, a lovely town. Julia Roberts was filmed at a fun deli there.
You really don't have to stay on Jersey City. Campgrounds circle NYC, from Alaire St Park in Nj to parks on Long Island. Northwestern NJ and the Hudson Valley also. Look anywhere within 60 miles of the city. I know of several in Sussex County.
We loved Michigan. I will get you info on where to go later.
Thank you! We are looking forward to our time in the OBX! We've just made our reservations in Avon, so I'll message you with our arrival date. I can't believe we're so close, seems like we've been talking about this forever, 🙂
Thanks for the tips, Dave! I didn't mention Gettysburg in the post, but we are going there. We're looking forward to it. And Hershey. I've always wanted to go there. So, YAY!
The map, with all it's cute curvy lines, is more of a representation than absolute. Visiting your home area is very much in the cards. Of course I'll be messaging you for recommendations. 🙂
Susan I am so glad you chimed in about Lewes! It was originally just an overnight, but I think we'll stay a couple of days and check it out. Also happy to hear we're hitting the good spots, it's tough to plan when we're so unfamiliar with the area. We'll try to check out Glouschester, too! So good to hear from you!
I just went back to your blog entries from last year looking for ideas and "must-dos" and realized just how different our east coast itineraries are. Funny. 🙂 Guess that means we'll both have to come back, so much to do and see. There's never enough time, eh?
Michael, I always look forward to hearing from you because you and Liz have been just about everywhere and have such great suggestions. So thanks for chiming in! Look forward to your ideas about Michigan, too. As for camping near the city, we did check out a lot of other places, but in the end, we decided we want to be as close as possible and forgo the commute. So Liberty Harbor it is!
For what it's worth, for visiting NYC you might look at be a nice county park called Croton Point Park in Croton-on-Hudson, just north of NYC. Less than a mile from the train station where you can get a commuter train that takes you right into Grand Central Station. We stayed there and found it very convenient. I think it's quite a bit cheaper than the one in Jersey City too.
We LOVED Assateague State Park. I think you will too. Hope you see the horses. So cool.
Wow! A month in MI? If you like that you will love WI and MN.
Finger Lakes wine country in NY. City campground right on the lake in Watkins Glen. http://www.watkinsglen.us/clute-park-campground
And I have a friend who runs a wine tour bus service if you want me to hook you up. They pick you up at the campground.
Mary
Wisconsin and Minnesota will have to wait for another season, but we will definitely try to get up to the Finger Lakes area, thanks for the tip!
We have had our eye on that park, Jo, mainly because we knew you and Fred had stayed there. In the end, easy and quick access to Manhattan was our goal, so we decided to stay at Liberty Harbor. Spendy, but oh well.
I just re-read your blog, seems like we're following in your footsteps, including a stay at Country Oaks in Dorothy. That's where our friends are workcamping!
Looks like a fun plan! We've yet to travel the East Coast in our RV, so we're looking forward to following along with you.
Isn't it funny – you can be on the road for years and still have vast regions where you've yet to visit. We may be getting our stickers, but we are far from having seen it all.
Dorothy did not ring a bell so I went back and re-read our blog. I didn't have to read too far before it definitely jogged my memory. I had to laugh out loud at some of the stuff in that blog. Life in an RV sure is funny sometimes. Hope your visit to Country Oaks is more enjoyable than ours was, as I refreshed my memory with the next following blog post about the "yapping dogs and squealing kids". Your workamping friends might be in for an interesting summer.