Here and There

Scott and Jackie's Travels – Thousand Trails Reviews, Campground Reviews, Fulltime RVing, European Travel

Tag: weather

Campground Review: Lake Tawakoni Thousand Trails, Point, TX

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We’ll have good memories of Lake Tawakoni Thousand Trails, just east of Dallas, because it was during our stay here that the horrible storms of the memorable Texas spring of 2015 finally came to an end. We had some threatening weather early in our stay, mostly buckets of rain with some hail, but then things settled down to a more typical weather pattern that we hope lasts for weeks to come.

Our campsite the past week has been a good one, backed by the the lake just a few steps behind the camper. The lake front spots in this section (section C) are very popular with those with annual sites and I think our spot is the only full hookup site available to travelers like us. All the rest have campers parked on them and some people have fixed their sites up with landscaping, etc. I will mention that there are a few lakeside sites for those who are okay with water/electric only sites.

There are plenty of nice shady FHU sites available to travelers in other sections of the campground. I think “section H,” in particular, has some nice sites (just not along the lake). When we arrived we were told that there were repairs being made to the sewer line in that section so we didn’t even look there. Also, because of all the high water “section I” was closed to new arrivals. At that point there was some concern about Lake Tawakoni flooding that section of the campground. And there was some water in that area. The lake, within just a couple of weeks went from being down a third to being filled and slightly over full with water running over the dam for the first time in years.

The campground boasts both a nice Family Activity Center with it’s own pool, small basketball court, and mini-golf and an Adult Activity Center with it’s own pool. There’s also a small marina for those with their own boats.

Our Verizon had a couple of usable bars of 4G and I was able to get 2 of the 3 Dish Network satellites which gave us most of our TV channels, although not all in HD. There are no 50 amp electrical sites in the facility but there are plenty of FHU sites. Thousand Trails is notorious for bad roads and this place is no exception. In this case, it starts before you arrive as County Road 1470 into the campground is just as bad as any of the roads in it.

GWe especially enjoyed the beautiful sunsets over the lake. This Thousand Trails is a reasonably short drive from both I30 and I20 – about an hour east of Dallas.

Campground Review: Lake Whitney, TX Thousand Trails

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On Mother’s Day, 2015, Lake Whitney Thousand Trails was hit by a tornado that damaged some buildings and did considerable tree damage throughout the park. Because of that storm the park had to be closed for several days, and, as a result we had to adjust our travel plans. When we arrived a tree trimming crew was hard at work clearing campsites so the park could be open over Memorial Day weekend.

Since we arrived a day before the primary influx of campers for the holiday we were able to find a 50 amp site that suited us just fine. That wasn’t before we tried another site that was simply too unlevel side to side for us to use. After 20 minutes or so of trying to get level we gave up and moved across the way to the other available 50 amp site. It wasn’t perfect but it we much better and we settled in with no further problems.

The campground boasts two nice pools and two activity centers. The main pool and activity center is near the check-in booth. The adult pool is at the far western end of the campground, quite a ways from check in. There is also a nice workout room, library, and spa at the adult activity center.

It’s more common than not for Thousand Trails to have roads in poor repair and that’s true at Lake Whitney too. In fact, getting to Loops A & B which are closest to the adult sections of the park entails a drive of a few minutes over some of the worst roads in the place. Something I found interesting is that in spite of the place being called “Lake Whitney” there’s no real access to the lake from the campground aside from parking in a parking lot at the western end of the road and then hiking a trail onto Corps of Engineers land to a finger of the lake. If a person came here expecting pleasant lake-side views or a place to launch a boat they would be disappointed.

We found the staff to be very friendly and helpful. Usually, they told us, there is very good WiFi in Loop D where we stayed. However, the tornado had taken all that out and it will have to be repaired. Our Verizon, though, worked pretty good and worked excellently when I used the Wilson Sleek booster. Also, there was what looked to be a nice mini-golf course. Sorry to say it was close to tornado ground zero and was buried underneath downed trees and limbs.

More on the trees: the campground is in a forest of cedar. If you have a problems with cedar you might want to think twice before coming during the time of the year when the trees are pollinating. This shouldn’t have been a problem for us this late into the spring but I think the storms stirred things up and both of us began having sinus problems after a few days.

The nice town of Whitney is just down the road and there are plenty of fast food places, a grocery store, and an old downtown that is showing some life.

In addition to the tornado of Mother’s Day this area has been pounded by big storms for several weeks now. We happily missed the tornado, but had two severe thunderstorm warnings during our one week stay. We understand that is not the fault of the campground but the potential of more severe weather pretty much deflated the camping experience here for us.

I was told by management that the tornado has spurred several big projects for the campground. In addition to insurance money, more money is coming in to upgrade much of the campground. I hope that some of that goes into leveling the campsites, fixing the roads, and upgrading the electric so there are more 50 amp sites. I’ll look forward to making a return visit and seeing all that has been done – and, I certainly hope, enjoying the campground without having to keep such a close eye on the weather.

2015: Campground review: Lake Conroe Thousand Trails, TX

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You might say that Lake Conroe Thousand Trails, near Willis, TX is our “home” Thousand Trails. So far each of our travel “adventures” has started and ended here. We’ve been here often enough that we head straight for the section we like the best when looking for a camp site. We find it kind of funny that we’ve found the exact same site open for three different stays now and are calling it “our site.”

Since I have written about this particular place a couple of times prior to this I’ll just focus on a few things. First, Thousand Trails has poured a great deal of money into Lake Conroe, making it one of their primer properties. The pool is the primary focus of the place. It has been completely redone with lots of places to sit, including several cabanas that each has its own refrigerator and even a TV. I’m kind of wondering about how well the electronics will survive in the open air environment, but for now it’s pretty impressive. The other really big effort has been the enlarging of the cove that includes a new swimming beach. There’s more to come at the cove, including a community of residences and the development of the “island” in the middle of the cove as a recreation focal point. Also, several of the campsites have been freshly graveled and leveled and the electric service in most sites is now both 30 and 50 amp. The restrooms/showers are all being updated as well.

I’ll mention that there is a new electric policy in place. Since so many sites are now both 30 and 50 amp, and since there’s a $3 surcharge for using 50 amps, the campground charges the extra charge based on how the RV is wired. If the RV has a 50 amp plug on it, the extra $3 is charged up front, no matter where you park. If the RV has a 30 amp plug, there is no surcharge unless you park in a 50 amp only site. Most people with 50 amp rigs prefer 50 amp sites, so the policy works fine for them. A few, though, want to use an adapter and save the $3 – so there’s been some controversy. The staff says it’s a pilot program from the company, but I’m guessing this is how it’s going to be and, as other Thousand Trails add 30/50 amp service to each site the policy will be standard everywhere.

Aside from all the construction and upgrades the other major story for us has been the weather. One storm in particular was quite threatening with high winds and a torrential downpour. Surprisingly, there was no real damage in the campground. I think we were seriously close to seeing a lot of damage. The weather here, though, wasn’t as bad as it has been in the middle and north of Texas. A tornado hit Lake Whitney Thousand Trails, which was to be our next stop. With that campground temporarily closed, we extended our stay here for a few days and then added a short stop at a Waco campground. We’ll see what happens next and the Lake Whitney campground is still in play if they can get it open again before we move on north and east.

Let me share what I think is an important Lake Conroe tip: just know that the pull through sites are the worst in the campground. Not only are they generally rough and unlevel, they are “back to back” sites in which your neighbor’s slide will practically touch your camper. Listen, the back in sites here are big and there aren’t any tree problems – you’ll like this place a lot more if you find one of them and stay away from the pull throughs. (BTW, I’ve seen 40+ foot 5vers being pulled by HDT’s on those sites – you’ll fit!)

While we think of Lake Conroe Thousand Trails as our “home” preserve, we’re more than ready to get on with our 2015 Adventure!

Shortstop: La Mesa RV Park, Cortez, CO

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The drive north from Albuquerque to Cortez, CO takes one through many miles of open, scenic country. We enjoyed the drive – at least until we got into some road construction between Bloomfield and Farmington that slowed us down considerably. In Farmington we made the mistake of deciding to take a break from the road and take advantage of the large Walmart there to do some grocery shopping. The reason it was a mistake is that as we moved into the afternoon the wind picked up speed and by the time we turned due north from Shiprock to Cortez we were headed directly into a 30-35 mph headwind. That portion of road is rough and mostly uphill. Adding significant wind wasn’t much fun. I really wished I had that hour we spent at Farmington back!

As you can guess, then, we were happy to arrive at La Mesa R.V. Park in Cortez, CO. The lady who checked us in was friendly and efficient and we were soon happy to be parked in a nice wide and level pull through gravel spot for a couple of nights.

We pretty much took shelter for the evening as the winds continued to blow and the temperatures continued to drop. Both nights of our stay in Cortez saw temperatures drop below freezing – not unheard off, but unseasonably cold.

You might say that this park is “handy.” The Walmart we should have bought our groceries in is a couple of minutes down the street. There are many restaurants and other businesses quite nearby. There are lots of scenic and historical places nearby but the biggie is Mesa Verde National Park – the entrance is just nine miles to the east.

Shortstop: Sumner Lake State Park, NM

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We did a couple of 300+ mile days getting out of Texas. The reason we pushed so hard was that Lubbock and vicinity was supposed to have winds with gusts of 40 mph the next day. You really don’t want to tow a RV this big in winds like that. So we pushed hard and then settled in for a couple of nights at Lake Sumner State Park near Fort Sumner, NM.

Out here on the high plains a lake is an unusual and welcome sight. The park is about 6 miles east of highway 84. You travel over some hills and then, as you approach the park there are some twists and turns that take you up and over the dam and spillway to the entrance of the park. The route in had my attention but it was doable and I wouldn’t let it keep me from returning. Pecos Campground is the campground with water and 30 amp electric hookups. Just about every site has a view of the lake. There’s good Verizon cell service in the park, yielding a good 4G data flow.

So, we’ve had a couple of days at a very quiet state park. A small but intense thunderstorm got our attention for awhile last night, but we didn’t even get any rain from it as it brushed just past us to the north. Also, the wind has made itself known (but at least it’s not up in the 40’s). Tomorrow we head for Albuquerque.

RV Park Review – Green Caye – Dickinson, TX

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Green Caye is an interesting place. The property is huge with not only a big RV Park, but a lighted par-3 golf course, a mobile home/apartment/condo/townhouse section, and a self-storage. These all exist on the same property but operate totally separate from one another (in other words, no free golf).

The RV Park is a mixture of travelers and permanent residents and everything in between. There are many pull through sites and just as many back ins. The pull-throughs are close together, narrow and long. The back-ins are wide enough for two vehicles to park side to side and deep. The sites and roads are all good concrete.

This place is just a place to be. There are no activities, no pool, and the RV park offers no playground for the kids. Of course, nearby is NASA, Galveston, Kemah boardwalk, and all Houston has to offer.

There is only one bathhouse/laundry and, the way the place is laid out, there are many sites a long way from it. Some of the permanent sites are filled with “stuff,” but generally are reasonably kept. At the same time, there are several high dollar rigs here. Again, Green Caye is an interesting place.

If you plan on coming to Green Caye you probably need to know that our interactions with the office left a lot to be desired. When we arrived the young lady at the counter told me we had canceled our reservations and there was no place for us. Her attitude was that that was all there was to it. We insisted that we had not canceled and that we wanted our reservation to be honored. After some angst, low and behold, there was a place for us after all. Then after two months we left for a month, this time being sure we had written confirmation of our reservation. We arrived on the appointed day and a different person behind the counter reported that while he showed we had a reservation that someone else was already in the site. After 20 minutes or so, he found that someone had changed our site number. Then, when we prepared to leave, I attempted to turn in the gate remote controls on which I had made a $70 deposit. Alas, there was no record of my having the remotes. After 30 minutes or so and a phone call the decision was made to return my deposit to me. The moral to this story is: confirm your reservations, then confirm them again. Keep your paperwork handy and keep your fingers crossed.

I don’t think this area qualifies as a draw for Winter Texans.  During January the weather was especially cold with ice storms and school closings.  At the same time, people visiting the Galveston side of Houston but not wanting to pay Galveston RV Park prices might want to keep Green Caye in mind.

And if you happen to have two precious grandchildren in the area, well, then this is a terrific place to spend a few winter months.

Other reviews are here.

Campground Review – Wilderness Oaks Resort – Rockport, TX

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It’s our first winter as fulltime RVers and we’re still learning as we go. We spent three months at a more residential park near family and friends and now we’re just finishing our first experience in a genuine Winter Texan resort here in Rockport, TX. The really big area for Winter Texans is still another 160 miles south of us, but this area, just north of Corpus Christi is probably the second most popular destination. Many of the people come south to escape the hard winters in the Midwestern states and central Canada. They come for the entire winter, staying from three to five months; and many have been making the trip for years, migrating south, landing in the same RV parks with the same neighbors year after year.

Obviously, being in a place like this is a new experience for us. We’ve been staying in campgrounds for a week or two and then moving on. Our stop here is for a month and we’re surrounded by people who are here for the entire winter. It’s a different experience for us and, while we’re looking forward to our next big adventure, I’d say it’s a positive one.

We picked this particular resort because of a combination of it having pretty good reviews on the internet and competitive prices. In general, we’ve been satisfied. Wilderness Oaks RV Resort has a nice community feel. There are plenty of activities: exercise classes, a ladies’ Bible study group, pot luck dinners, special events, music nights, and table games most every night. People are welcoming and friendly.

The campground itself is older and because of that the sites are smaller than we’d like. I was really challenged to get our 5th wheel situated in our site (although had our across-the-street neighbor been home and available to move his car from the front of his site it would have been much easier!). The back-in sites are shallow and the pull through sites are narrow. There are a couple of rows of pull throughs out by the highway and when they are full folks pay for the convenience of having a pull through by barely having room open their slide outs. Those sites wouldn’t be bad for overnight travelers but I’d hate to spend a month in one of them.

The campground has a heated pool and during the winter there’s an inflatable dome over it. Unfortunately for us, there was a problem with the dome that forced management to close the pool for most of our stay. There’s also a hot tub that we never tried out.

Probably the biggest negative here is the county airport that adjoins the property to the south. It’s not a busy airport but at times, especially when an area Navy base uses it to practice “touch and goes” the noise can get irritating. There’s also a helicopter service that makes a lot of racket when they fly. I will say that most of the noise is daytime only, and then, not all the time.

All in all, our feelings about this campground are much more positive than negative. The area is interesting, the facilities are acceptable, the people are friendly, there are lots of activities, and our campsite (although a bit cramped) is okay. As our future unfolds I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up spending more time here.

Campground Review: Lynchburg Thousand Trails, Gladys, VA

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We’ve enjoyed checking out the mini-golf course here, although the “fairways” are pretty littered from the trees.  The biggest feature for me has been the wonderful trail around the pretty lake.  I’ve walked it everyday and I think its the nicest feature of this campground.  The adult lodge has a deck overlooking the lake and Jackie and I have taken our coffee down to the deck a few times.  We’ve also sat out and enjoyed the sky at night.  The sparsely populated park, the distance from the lights of town, some clear skies, and some cool lights have made for terrific star gazing.  We’ve been able to see the Milky Way, lots of satellites, and even a few shooting stars.

There are several interesting places to visit in the area.  Jackie will do a post on Appomattox, Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, and the like.  These places are all within 45 minutes of the campground.

We’ve enjoyed the full hookup site (30 amp electric) and excellent 4G cell data.  We are on C-Loop, apparently preferred by the seasonal residents.  However, the other side of the park looks just as nice and is closer to the pool and main activity center.

I can’t tell you what this park is like during the summer.  My guess is that its busy with lots of stuff going on.  I can tell you that here in the first week of “off season” that it’s been quiet and beautiful — a good peaceful, relaxing week.

Campground Review: Kenisee Lake Thousand Trails, Jefferson, OH

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Kenisee Lake, itself is a beautiful lake.  There are a couple of other ponds on the property.  Just about all the Thousand Trails campgrounds have miniature golf, but the course here is better than any we have seen.  I think it’s nice enough to be a commercial course.  There’s also a heated pool and other amenities.  The WiFi here isn’t worth much.  You have to be right in the Activity Center to use it, and then it’s fair at best.  I had somewhat better luck with my 4G.  It wasn’t the best cellular connect I’ve had but it did the job.

There were some nice activities over the weekend: ice cream, a chocolate fountain (along with the showing of “Willie Wonka”), and a few other children’s activities.  One afternoon we enjoyed listening to a rehearsal session of a family bluegrass group that just happens to be staying here.  They are “Amber Waves Band” and we hope to hear them in concert somewhere down the line.

The area has some interesting attractions.  There are covered bridges, some nice beach and waterfront parks at Lake Erie, and other historical sites and events.  Nearby Jefferson has a scenic railroad but it doesn’t start operations till late in the summer and into the fall.

We like Kenisee Lake Thousand Trails and will likely return here as part of a future swing through the Great Lakes states.

Campground Review: Wilmington, OH Thousand Trails

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Wilmington, OH Thousand Trails is located about 50 miles from Cincinnati and 25 miles from Dayton. Our stay here is for 13 days which is long enough to look around but also to have some down days. We’ve done plenty of both.

As is the case with all the Thousand Trails, many sites have been sold to seasonals. That means that available full hook up sites are limited. When we arrived we were told that on that Tuesday afternoon there was only one FH site available. We headed straight for it and were pleased to find that it was a nice, shady spot that suited us just fine. Some folks we met previously came in right behind us and had to pick a temporary spot and then move the next day when someone left. I take it that this kind of stuff is standard for Thousand Trails. It feels a bit unfair that people who paid a lot for their memberships in years gone by are being trumped by locals who park an RV on a desirable site and only use it on occasion.

Anyway, we were able to get a nice spot on the first try and we were happy about that. Having not had a sewer hookup the week before, we had lots of laundry to do. I think we used or little Spendide washer/dryer non-stop the first few days were were here.

Our weather has been wet but cool. A couple of days brought us hour after hour of drippy, drizzly conditions. It was more rain than anyone in a campground wants but it has kept the temperatures down in the 70′s. We’ve had the awning out and spent a lot of time sitting outside enjoying the coolness if not the rain.

Our stay here started off in an unexpected way when the camp host came to tell us that our friends who arrived right after we did were trying to reach us. He had a health issue and had to be taken by ambulance to a big hospital in Cincinnati. We ended up spending the better part of a day with them as he underwent a procedure. The end result was good and we were thankful for not only that but for the opportunity to provide support for some nice folks in their hour of need.

We made some trips to the Dayton area. One was to attend church and hear our friend Pete Vecchi minister. It was a big Sunday for him and his congregation as he presented to them the details of some big changes coming to that church. Pete brought a very good sermon and I was glad I was there to support him as a friend on that particular Sunday. Then, we returned to visit the National Museum of the Air Force. We were joined by another friend, Mary Oberer, for that visit. We enjoyed her company and we loved the museum. I can see myself returning there someday. Jackie blogged about it with lots of photos in the post prior to this one.

Independence Day was a wet one here in this part of Ohio. It pretty much grounded us through the day. Then the rain let up for a few of the evening hours. When we heard that the Wilmington fireworks display was going to happen as scheduled we decided to go. They were really good. We sat on our lawn chairs in the bed of the pickup, parked in the Kroger parking lot with hundreds of others and watched the show. The rain held off just long enough for the display to nearly finish before it started coming down again and then continued through the night.

The Thousand Trails here has three loops. I think Loop C is probably the nicest. We’ve been in Loop A and it’s pretty good. Loop B is the original campground. It’s not as desirable, specifically because it has no sewer hookups or even shower house.

I’ve had weak park WiFi here using my external WiFiRanger. It really isn’t good enough for heavy use but would do in a pinch for checking email and the like. The connect is better, of course, if you go the the park activity center and use it there.

We have a few more days here. Tomorrow we’ll go back to Wilmington to check out the start of the Clinton County Fair. We may stop off for some ice cream at J&D’s Market. It’s near the campground and they serve terrific soft serve chocolate ice cream. On Sunday we’ll attend church and then come back to the TT for a pot luck dinner and gospel singing.

While this Thousand Trails isn’t especially close to either Dayton or Cincinnati it’s close enough to serve as a base of operations for visiting those cities. If you can get a site in Loop’s A or C with full hookups you’ll enjoy the place.