Eldo's a Travelin' Man--again!

We took off from Indiana and headed to Kenisee Lake in Ohio (Thousand Trails membership park) for the weekend. The trip was uneventful EXCEPT--that our Garmin RV GPS said to take a left turn when we got close to the campground...That sweet lady says "turn left on Mill Creek Road"....NO! DO NOT TURN LEFT ON MILL CREEK ROAD if you are coming off SR 45 after coming off interstate 90 eastbound. DO NOT PASS GO. DO NOT COLLECT 200.00. You MIGHT collect a towing fee because you will drive down a little country road right straight into the path of a VERY LOW BRIDGE which is 10 ft. 8 in. in the center and there is NO PLACE to turn around safely without barging in a resident's driveway to explain why a honkin' big rig failed to know that there was a low bridge and why that said honkin' big rig is now sitting in your driveway. 

To be fair, there is a small sign on the right at the left turn, but it's easy to miss and more than one person has failed to see it. More than one person has traveled down the road and then had to BACK UP all the way back to the main road OR tried to turn around in somebody's driveway. Judging by the number of cones and barriers people have placed at the end of their driveways on that lane, we think the wrong turn happens quite often. And we are sure people have actually tried to go under the bridge, letting air out of their tires, or just chancing it if the measurements are close. 

But not us....whew! Eldo, being the great researcher that he is, checked the campground website and on there, they caution you about the bridge. But here's the thing, the Garmin RV GPS is supposed to be RV and trucker friendly, taking into account how tall your rig is (We are 13 ft., 4 in.) because that data is entered into the GPS ahead of time, and that we are towing. The GPS should never lead any big rig down that road. So Sparky is going to try and report it to Garmin.

So we get to Kenissee Lake, a very nice but small Thousand Trails campground. There are only about 113 sites and many of them are seasonal. There are only a handful of pull thru sites ( or 10?), so those are hard to get. They have a laundry, a nice pool and lots of geese along a small lake that you can fish in. Kenissee Lake is beautiful, tons of green space. 

We wish they would expand and add more sites, they have that much room! It's in the little town of Jefferson, Ohio. Not much there, but there is a terrific covered bridge tour, which Sparky has covered in a previous blog and the Western Reserve Greenway Rails to Trails bike trail. 

The Western Reserve trail is about 47 miles long, and you can get a wonderful ride on a trail that is heavily forested if you head south for much of the way. Sparky saw deer several times while riding. A trailhead is within 2 miles of the park. So hop on, and ride to your heart's content. There are some nice benches on this trail......And, the trail is in excellent condition....level and paved...NICE! Also, this county is home to the great Underground Railroad and there are many placards along the trail that detail the history of this historical journey. Sparky really enjoyed reading and learning new things about this area and its importance in history to the abolitionist movement in the midwest. 

Site 147

After taking a little break, it was time to move on again, and head towards Pennsylvania, to another Thousand Trails membership park at Timothy Lake South. This campground is in the Pocono Mountains and the road leading up to the turn for the campground once you get to East Stroudsburg, is a hilly one. Watch out for deer, the area is thick with them. There is even a sign on highway 209, warning of the danger of wildlife collisions along that corridor. This area is home to the Delaware Water Gap and Bushkill Falls so lots to do with tubing and kayaking if you like.

Sparky loves Bushkill Falls. Yes, you have to pay admission (14.00 for a senior during the week) but it is well worth it. There are beautiful hiking trails in the privately owned park so Sparky hiked one of the days while we were there. There are EIGHT waterfalls scattered throughout the park and a bazillion stairs. If you want to get a good workout, any one of the trails will give you that because there are stairs, and more stairs, some VERY steep climbs up and down. Also, be cautioned that the color of the wooden stairs makes it very difficult with senior eyes to see that there are steps down, making an elevation change. They all look the same to these old eyes and just look like they all blend in together. Sparky saw an older gentleman miss one of those steps down and he took a hard fall and cut himself. They really need to mark where the steps drop down in a few areas as you walk around so that you are more aware of stepping down. Just paint a strip at the edge of the board where it drops to the next level, for Pete's sake! Sparky made that suggestion after seeing the man get hurt, but they just said they'd take it under consideration.

One of the falls at Bushkill

We love Timothy Lake South because the deer wander through the campground. We found a site at the back of the park that borders a meadow where the deer travel back and forth from the campground to the meadow. Sure enough, the first night we were there, a big doe came grazing through the area, right past Eldo! 

The second night, again, another doe came loping right past Sparky! She's heading right this way!

Timothy Lake South is an older campground. Lots of seasonal/annual campers sprinkled in the back in sites. It's heavily wooded in a lot of the park, so pulling in or backing in requires keeping a good eye out for low overhanging branches or sideswipers (low bushes). Nice pool, decent laundry room but not much shopping available in the area. The Pocono area--E. Stroudsburg, is definitely on the downswing. It used to be THE honeymoon destination many years ago. Buildings are looking tired and run down and former tourist attractions have shuttered their doors. But the greenery--the beautiful trees, the wildflowers this spring, it's gorgeous!

There is a bike trail in the area, called the McDade Recreational Trail. It is a rough gravel trail in many parts, with some steep elevation changes. Check it out on the All Trails app. Sparky didn't ride it this time, as we were only there for two nights.

Two days passed quickly by, and it was time to move on again, this time for a distance of about 335 miles, which is a six hour drive with fuel stops and many construction projects along the route. Diesel was running about 6.39 or more per gallon along the way--ouch! But it was available, and no signs of a shortage. Whew! And here we are, in Wells, Maine, a 30 minute walk to the ocean, and a beautiful area with another bike trail!  We will be here two weeks before moving on to two weeks in Bar Harbor, Maine, then back to Wells.

See you in a few days after we get settled.....bye for now.....