Campground Review: Blackrock State Park – Thomaston, CT

Circumstances had it that my family was not able to solidify our Labor Day weekend plans until later in the summer. Therefore, we decided to keep things simple by staying close to home. Despite the false alarms associated with hurricane Earl, we left on Friday afternoon for Blackrock State Park in Thomaston. In past Labor Day weekends we had traveled some distances. This year we were happy to stay close, and satisfied with our selection of Blackrock State Park.


Blackrock features camping, picnicking, large fields, paved areas, fishing, swimming, and hiking. There were a variety of campsites, from open and grassy to forested and shady. All campsites were quite large. They come equipped with fire rings. There are no hookups, but water, bathrooms, showers, dishwashing sinks, and dumpsters are all near.
The ranger office sells bundles of wood, and provides trail maps. Several gas stations and convenience stores are available just a couple miles down the road from the park entrance. There are also restaurants, diners, a pharmacy, a hardware store and other services all within 5 minutes of the park.
The bathrooms are adequate and standard for state campgrounds. Nothing spectacular, but they get are generally clean. The showers have free hot water, so no need to stockpile quarters.
My 5 year-old son enjoyed riding his bike on the campground roads. We were also able to pull a small fish out of the pond.

The highlight of Blackrock for us was the hiking trails. A blue blazed trail leads from the beach area of the campground up to the rock cliff overlooking the park. This is a relatively short, but steep hike. Once to the top, you are treated with views of the valley, campground, and town.
The second hike we took is a little less known. It is actually not in the park proper. We hiked to a rock area known as the Leatherman’s Cave across the street from the park in the Mattatuck State Forest. Directions to the cave are available from the ranger office. The Leatherman’s cave is not really a cave. It’s more accurately a large rock formation about a mile or two from the road. The start of the trail is about .4 miles from the park entrance. There is a small parking area on the side of the road next to a blue sign marking the Mattatuck Trail. The start of the trail leading to the Leatherman’s Cave is on the opposite side of the road from the blue sign. The trail is blue blazed, hence easy to follow. It winds through some tight laurel and leads you to a huge rock overlook. The rocks under this overlook form the Leatherman’s Cave. The trail to the overlook on top of the rocks is blazed, but the trail to the actual cave underneath is not blazed. One must go down to the bottom of the huge rock to find the cave. The Leatherman was a local hobo circa 1862. The story goes that the Leatherman traveled around eastern New York state and western Connecticut in a 365 mile loop. He made the loop in 34 days, stopping in the same spots at the same time year after year. He was dubbed the Leatherman due to a strange patchwork leather suit he wore year round. The Leatherman has left several caves throughout the towns on his path. The cave in Watertown/Thomaston is the most well known.
We made both of these hikes in the same day. Our 5 year old had no problems making the hikes, although be aware that there are some steep sections with cliffs that require very careful supervision.

Some Tips:
· Even though it was late in the season, we were able to scavenge a fair amount of downed firewood from the adjacent woods.
· Check with the rangers before choosing your site. There are many different types of sites available, but it’s not obvious from looking just at the camp map. Blackrock has a type of site to suit nearly every preference.

Some Negatives:
· Although swimming is allowed at the park, Canada geese have come close to ruining the swimming. The pond is always on the borderline for swimming with respect to bacteria levels. It’s checked often by the state. We did not swim in the pond, but there were people swimming.
· Kayaking or canoeing is not allowed in the pond. We found this out the hard way. After we launched our boats, and got nearly to the end of the pond, a lifeguard decided to start whistling us in. Although kayaking is technically not allowed, I suspect the pond will be unsupervised for the remainder of the year. There is a lake nearby (Blackrock Lake) that allows non-motorized boats.
· The lights at the ranger station stay on all night. Due to the unfortunate set up of our campsite, one of the lights was shining right into our sleep area. We were able to shut our camper window and block the light. The campground has seemingly already taken steps to alleviate this situation. They have planted several spruces on the hill next to the ranger office. Once these trees grow, they will certainly block this light. Until then, it’s a small inconvenience.

Blackrock was a good facility, and we will be very likely to return.

Devil’s Hopyard State Park – East Haddam, CT

A Shared Landscape A Guide & History of Connecticut's State Parks & Forests


The primary attraction of Devil’s Hopyard State Park is Chapman Falls, which falls over 60 feet along a rocky trail. Chapman Falls is just off the road near the south entrance of Devil’s Hopyard State Park.

In addition to the falls, Devil’s Hopyard State Park features fishing holes, picnicking, camping, and several hiking trails. My family and I took the orange trail, which starts just after the covered bridge in the picnic area. The trail makes an approximately 2 mile loop with a scenic overlook at the halfway point. The overlook gives a nice vista view of the valley below. The trail goes through the woods. It is easy hiking. There are only a few hills and some medium boulders to negotiate. My 5-year old son made it with no problems.

One bonus: While driving around exploring the park we saw several deer. I don’t remember the exact count, but something like 4 or 5 sets of deer.

The state link to the park is below:
http://www.ct.gov/Dep/cwp/view.asp?A=2716&Q=325188

Weekend in New Hampshire: No Electricity, No Plumbing, No Problems

A pig is an occasion for a party. Cook a pig, and they will come.


Three generations of men (me, my father, my son) traveled to New Hampshire to camp out, and eat a pig. Ironically, we ate a pig, and also ate like pigs.

Food, beer, family, friends, nice weather and the great outdoors made for a fun weekend.

Some people like to spend their money on fancy gear for camping. You can do that, but it really does not take too much to do a simple, and fun camping trip. Below is a list of recommended items to get started:

Tent – I’ve had a Coleman dome tent that’s been in use for over 10 years. It rained all night one night we were there and not a drop of water made it into the tent.

Cooler – Necessary to keep perishable food and drinks cold.

Sleeping bag – There are expensive models available, but those are generally not necessary for summer camping.

Flashlight

Pocket knife

That’s really all that’s needed for the simplest of trips. One other useful camping tool is an automobile. Aside from the obvious transportation, a car can provide light, power, mirrors, emergency shelter, a counter top, and a storage area.

Other items to consider:

Air mattress

Air mattress pump

Folding chairs

Camp stove

Insect repellant

Sun block

From there, everything else is pretty much optional. We almost always end up bringing too much food, but most of it just comes back with us and we eat it at home.

Campground Review: Winter Island Park – Salem, Massachusetts

Where: Winter Island Park

50 Winter Island Road

Salem, MA 01970

phone 978-745-9430

winterisland@cove.com

www.salemweb.com/winterisland

Many people looking for a beach get-away in the Massachusetts area fight the hoards and travel to Cape Cod. The Cape Cod trip for a middle-New Englander is almost done by default. Although The Cape is nice, for my tastes it’s a bit overrated. Some of the other more popular spots include Rockport/Gloucester, Plymouth, or Newburyport. Others looking for a beach vacation may venture farther north to New Hampshire or the dramatic rocky shores of Maine. All along the North Shore (In local terms, the coast line above Boston is known as the North Shore, south of Boston is the South Shore.) are small spots that can be fun, but with less crowds (Keep in mind that this is a densely populated area. “Less crowds” does not mean zero crowds.). Salem, Massachusetts is one of those interesting North Shore spots. Rich in history (mostly infamous due to the 17th century witch trials), Salem is now a modern port town just north of Boston. Salem has embraced it’s infamous past and offers many activities exploring the sordid history of Puritanical New England. There are even two trolleys that take tourists to the different sites of Salem including the House of Seven Gables, the witch museum, and old graveyard among several others. Although rich in history, Salem is a modern town with shopping, hotels, and restaurants for every taste.
On the outskirts of Salem is a small public-owned camping area and recreation known as Winter Island Park. Winter Island has a rich history of it’s own. Before becoming a park, it was a military-owned island going as far back as the American Revolution. Signs of the military history of the island are still present today. Ammunition bunkers and an old fort can still be found on the island. Today, the primary feature of the island is a large public boat launch. The island also features a lighthouse, a public beach, a picnic pavilion, and a large playscape.
Winter Island Park is not a large park. One could likely walk across the entire park in 30 minutes. It’s not a place to go for a long hike or bike ride. However, take a leisurely stroll along the rocky shore at sunset and you can catch a nice sunset behind the lighthouse.
Camping at Winter Island Park is low maintenance. This is not a park that features tons of organized programs for the kids, or theme weekends. The attraction of Winter Island Park is the beach, rock shore, and open space to enjoy the outdoors. Many of the campers are also boaters, but there are large RV, pop-up, and tent sites available. My family and I spend Labor Day weekend (Thursday through Monday) camping with our pop-up camper at Winter Island Park. We planned on spending at least one day exploring the town of Salem. However, we were having so much fun at the campground that we ended up not venturing outside of the campground for the entire weekend. My 4-year old son spent a lot of time at the large playscape. The whole family enjoyed exploring the rocky shores looking for crabs and shells. We spent one day at the beach. We also used our kayaks to do some exploring. We even flew a kite on one particularly windy morning. We were having so much fun on the island that we never even got a chance to go fishing, although there were several fishermen on the shores near the lighthouse.
My family and I really enjoyed our weekend on Winter Island Park.

Tips:
When camping at Winter Island Park one needs to be aware of the type of camping you plan on doing. The sites right near the shore are not really campsites. They are basically parking spots on the blacktop parking lot near the boat-launch. I suppose these sites would be ok with an RV for boat owners that want to be near to their boats. However, for most campers, you’ll prefer the grass sites away from the boat launch. If you have a large RV, sites 42 to 54 are adequate. However, pop up campers would probably be best served to consider other sites. Sites 54 and 55 give the most room for campers without large RVs. I recommend site 55 for a pop up. This site has water and electricity hook-ups, and is away from the other campers. This site features an entire field in front of your site for recreation. If you have a pop-up and need to consider a site between 42 and 53, go for the corner or end sites. For tent campers, I recommend sites 57 and 36. Be careful of tent site 58 as it is close to the road and has a steep slant.
Don’t plan on relying on the small store at the park. The store mostly just sells candy and t-shirts. However, near the front gate the park sells ices at a reasonable price. It’s nice to be able to buy ice without having to leave the park.
One small negative to the park is the very large power plant that is quite visible across the bay. It visually detracts from the natural setting of the park, but other than that, it’s easily ignorable and did not impact our stay.

Wolf’s Den Family Campground, East Haddam CT – Summer 2009

2009 marked a rare return trip to a campground location for my family. Up until now, we have tended to rarely visit the samp spot twice, typically opting instead for the prospect of new adventures at different locations. However, after making the rounds at campgrounds throughout Connecticut and surrounding states, we can finally say we have some idea of what we like. For that reason, we made our second annual trip to Wolf’s Den Family Campground.

You can check my previous post from 2008 to get the full detailed review of Wolf’s Den Family campground.

I’m not going to repeat all the details here, except to say that as far as private campgrounds around Connecticut go, Wolf’s Den is a good choice, especially for the kids. The campsites are reasonably size, and most with shade. There is a wide selection of site choices ranging from the grassy sites close to the activities, to more private sites in the woods. They have enough activities to keep the kids excited without interfering with the relaxed attitude that makes camping appealing to most of the adults.

Keep in mind that Wolf’s Den is a private campground. It’s not a state park, so it’s not situated on some large lake or huge mountain or acres of hiking forest. For the glories of nature you’ll have to find another spot. However, for a quick weekend trip, Wolf’s Den is convenient and fun.

This year we happened to attend during their “Christmas in August” celebration. Santa visited the campground on a fully accessorized Harley Davidson motorcycle. The children enjoyed the “sleigh” rides (a trailer pulled by a pick up), and receiving a wrapped gift from Santa.
The entire family had fun playing in the pool and enjoying the outdoors.

Some tips:

1) There’s a stand of raspberry bushes at the edge of the property behind the pond unknown to most campers. Depending on the time of year, if you venture back there you can indulge in some tasty berries.
2) The people here are serious about their horseshoes. My brother-in-law and I are decent back yard picnic players, but we were out-classed by these players. Many are seasonal campers that play all the time, and also participate in leagues. You had better be on your game if you challenge any of them. You may have heard the expression “never play pool at a bar with a guy that brings his own stick.” I would expand that expression to advise to never challenge people who bring their own horseshoes to a game! Most of the players have their own set. That’s the level of seriousness you’ll be dealing with here. And don’t be fooled into thinking that a woman or old man is a weak player! Most of the women are just as skilled as the men. Needless to say, I did not go very far in the double elimination tournament, losing my first game to an old man, and my second game to an impressive young woman.

Camping -- New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, New Hampshire

Nearly every year for the past few years I've spent a weekend camping with friends at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This is not your normal camping experience with woods, birds chirping, and relaxation. This is race weekend camping. It's not about the campground. Generally, it's not even about the race. It's about having a good time. After a couple of sub-par years, Loudon came through this year. Several improvements have been made to the track experience.

First off, let me explain racetrack camping. If you're looking for a pristine campground, this is not your place. If you camp in the track owned lots, you are faced with camping in a dirt parking lot. You are tightly packed in. There are no facilities. The advantage is that you are close to the racetrack, and if you’re looking for a party, you are close to other race fans also looking for a party. It’s more about that party and the race than it is about the camping. In order to camp at the track-owned lots you need to have a self-contained camper, and have tickets to the Sunday race.

There are several private spots to camp at different lots surrounding the track. These are mostly private landowners that allow campers for a fee for race weekend. These are not campgrounds. They are fields. The owner usually will bring in a porta-potty, and maybe provide some water. Again, the conditions are not pristine. However, you have more freedom (i.e. tents etc. are ok), and more space.

My group has a unique approach to race weekend. We camp at a private lot across from the track. We get there Friday night, eat, and have some beers. We make a big breakfast Saturday, then pack our coolers for a day at the track. We catch the modified and the Nationwide race. The modified race is usually the best race of the weekend. After the race, we head back to the campsite for some food, then head back to the track camping lots for the party night. Saturday night at X-lot is usually the big party night. Redneck Mardi Gras. This year they had a concert just outside of X-lot. There were tens of thousands of people having a good time at the concert. The band was not a name act, but they were good. They did a lot of covers. It was a great addition to race weekend. Typically, there’s no entertainment for people, so things can sometimes get out of control. The concert gave everyone something relatively peaceful to do.
On Sunday, while everyone else is heading in for the Sprint Cup race, we’re packed up and heading out. We pass thousands of cars waiting in line for miles for the race. We’re heading in the opposite direction. It’s a great feeling. Most people can’t understand why we leave instead of staying for the main race. There are several reasons. First, in all honesty, the racing at NHMS is not the most exciting. There is not a lot of passing or action. Many times it’s like watching a toy train go around and around. Additionally, unlike the Saturday racing, you’re packed into those stands like sardines. The third reason is that we all have to be at work on Monday. After 2 days of partying at the track, we all could use the day Sunday to recover. The last reason is the money. While tickets for all the Saturday races run ~$40, the Sunday race is significantly more expensive. However, this year prices were lowered to a more reasonable level.Our approach is unorthodox, but it has been honed from several years of track visits. The concert was a big improvement to the race weekend experience, and a good time was had by all in 2009.

Camping -- Grafton, New Hampshire

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer, and of the camping season in the Northeast.

What's in Grafton, New Hampshire? Not much, and that's the beauty of it.

Camping is a paradox. It takes some work, yet it's relaxing. It's devoid of modern luxuries, yet it's comfortable.

Camping simplifies life to the essential elements: food, drink, family, and oneness with nature.

A good campfire is perhaps the oldest form of prime time entertainment.

A weekend get away for the whole family for $100, and a good time was had by all.

Campground Review: Wolf's Den Family Campground -- East Hampton, CT

The Facts:

Where: 256 Town Street, East Haddam, CT

Contact: 860-873-9681

Website: http://www.wolfsdencampground.com/

What: A long weekend of camping

Features: Pool, large wooded sites, full hook-ups, playground, camp store, mini golf, ice cream, right down the road from Gillette Castle State Park, 3 PM check-in/check-out

Cost: $78 for camper site for 3-day weekend

Wolf's Den Family Campground has struck a balance. They have managed to be kid friendly, and adult friendly, while still retaining the feeling of being in the outdoors. It's an excellent family campground. Wolf's Den has all the amenities that kids enjoy like a large pool, playground, game room, mini-golf, and a camp store. Wolf's Den also had several organized activities like arts-and-crafts, horse shoe tournaments, and softball. The weekend we attended was a theme weekend. The theme was safety. The campground had a fire truck, ambulance, police boat, police cruiser, and police dog all on display for the kids. The kids were able to climb, touch, and explore all the equipment in a laid back atmosphere. The equipment was so hands on that my son managed to blow the extremely loud horn of the fire truck right in the ear of his uncle! The highlight of the day was a state police helicopter landing. It's not every day that you get to watch a helicopter make a landing. The theme weekend concluded with a fun, family-oriented DJ dance on the basketball court. The kids loved it, and it held the interest of the adults as well.

The sites at Wolf's Den are large for a private campground. You can choose from wooded sites or more open sites. The open sites are closer to the activities (pool, etc.), but the wooded sites are more peaceful. We chose a wooded site. All the sites I observed were flat and well kept. Just a single site was plenty large enough for our camper, a large tent, and a screen tent. 7 people camped comfortably at the site. The only disadvantage to the site was that it was at the bottom of a steep hill, so we had to trek up this hill to got to the attractions. This was a minor inconvenience.

The campground was well run. The pool was extra large and there were plenty of chairs around.

There were few negatives about Wolf's Den Family Campground. If I have to list a couple negatives, I would say that one is that they tend to "nickel-and-dime" you a bit. For example, they charge $.50 for the mini-golf which could easily be free. There is also a charge for the arts-and-crafts programs. Although a bit annoying, these charges were not a big issue. The only other minor negative I could think of was the attitude of the guy in charge of the pool. He gave us trouble for having a morning coffee in the pool area, and was a little gruff at times with the kids. I hesitate to even mention it because it was definitely not an issue. I just feel I should come up with at least a couple areas for improvement just on the off-chance the staff happens to read this!

On the way out of the campground, we stopped at Gillette Castle, which is literally the next turn just down the road from the Campground. The campground is also within a 5 minute drive from the Connecticut River boat launch, and the Goodspeed Opera House. We enjoyed a nice picnic lunch at Gillette Castle (see previous post).

In summary, we all had a fun, active, and relaxing weekend at Wolf's Den Family Campground. The kids are already asking to go back. I guess the highest praise I could give is to become a repeat customer, and plans are already in the works for my family to return to Wolf's Den Family Campground.

--

Equipment Review: Schwinn Airdriver 1100 Bicycle Pump -- Piece of S*^t

A bike pump is an essential piece of equipment to bring along on any camping trip that includes bikes. It's quite frustrating to hop on your bike in anticipation of a nice ride around the campgrounds and find out that the tire is flat. Regardless of how diligent I am about pumping up the tires before the trip, somehow at some point during the camping trip we almost always end up re-filling with the pump for one reason or another. My previous two bike pumps broke. The Schwinn Airdriver 1100 is the third bike pump I have purchased in the recent past. My first two pumps were cheap no-name pumps. This time, I decided to spend a little money and upgrade to the Schwinn name-brand pump. I bought this pump at Target, and I recall the price being around $30. This pump has the standard bike connection, and also includes a built-in needle that's intending for pumping up balls and the like.

This pump has been a big disappointment. I do not recommend buying it. If I had inspected the product closer before my purchase, I would have noticed that the valve area is 100% plastic. The plastic connection valve is not able to make a strong connection to the valve stem of the bike tire. As a result, the connection leaks and you can not get enough air in the tire to get it up to the pressure required. Although this pump has a fancy design and the Schwinn name brand, it is your typical made-in-China-use-the-cheapest-plastic-possible piece of junk. Not unusual for many hard-line products available at Target stores. If you need a pump, spend your money elsewhere.

Campground Review: Independence Day Weekend at Lone Oak Campground in East Canaan, CT

Let me start off by saying this was one of the most difficult camping trips I have ever done, and it was little fault of Lone Oak campground. Overall we managed to have a good time, but the trip was one incident after another. On Thursday I packed up the kids (ages 3 and 15) and towed my pop-up camper north to Lone Oak Campground. As I was registering in the office, the rain started. By the time I got to my wooded site it was pouring rain. I set up everything in the rain while trying to keep a precocious 3-year old from getting soaked. After getting set up, it was time to eat. Luckily I had planned ahead and pre-cooked some ribs. All I had to do was heat them on the grill. As I started getting everything set up I noticed that our site had no picnic table. Ugh! We survived with the little table from the pop-up. After dinner the rain stopped. We were able to walk around the grounds and check out the playground. I stopped into the office and they took care of the missing picnic table. That night we were able to enjoy a nice campfire. In my haste to get into our site I somehow inadvertently ran over something that bent the frame to the camper stairs. My wife was joining the next day, so luckily I was able to call her and have her bring the tools I would need to repair the damage. We had a good night's sleep (although it rained hard during the night), but for some unknown reason, upon awaking the next morning the 15-year old decided to jump up in his bed. The impact shook the whole camper. This dislodged our propane stove, a secondary stove I had resting on the main stove, as well as a Coleman lantern I also had on the stove. All 3 pieces of equipment were broken. I was able to repair the lantern, but the damage to the two cooking devices left us only with a grill for cooking the rest of the weekend. Aaargh! There went our plans for a big breakfast on Saturday morning! Later that day the misfortune continued when I got my keys locked in my car. Needless to say, this trip was quickly turning into something out of a Chevy Chase Vacation movie. On Saturday we awoke to more rain. By this time our site had a significant patch of mud, but it was far enough out of the way that we could mostly avoid it. We took a trip to the movies to see Wall-e while it was raining. Fortunately, when the movie ended, so did the rain. We returned to Lone Oak and had a good time playing in their swimming pools and playground. The day's activities concluded with a ride in the Lone Oak fire truck. My 3-year old loved it.

So, the trip was a little rough. But what about the campground? Lone Oak was well run, clean, and well managed. With all that being said, it was not really the campground for me. Typically when I go camping I look for some natural resources like a lake or hiking trails or a river, etc. Lone Oak does not have any of those features. Therefore, they must make up for it in activities. To their credit, they do a good job organizing softball games, DJs, water balloons, volleyball, etc. All that stuff is great for the kids. It's just not the kind of stuff I look to do on a camping trip. Generally I like to explore and enjoy the outdoors. Maybe do some hiking, or bike riding, or fishing. If that's what you're looking for, Lone Oak is definitely not the place for you. However, if you want a place that can keep the kids busy, definitely check out Lone Oak.

On the plus side, Lone Oak offered all the services any camper could want. They had a full deli, store, ice cream shop, rec hall, 2 pools, a large playground, a small outdoor movie screen, and a full bar. My son especially enjoyed the pool and the playground.

On the negative side, the sites themselves leave a little to be desired. They are close together with many seasonal campers. I was especially unhappy with my site since it featured several roots, and more mud than most sites. Also, since it is so geared towards kids, you can expect a lot of teenagers to be prowling around. I had forgotten how moronic a group of hormonal teenagers get when in groups, but I was quickly reminded. Although sometimes annoying, they were generally harmless. One final negative I need to mention is the price. I paid $236 for a electricity and water site (no sewer) on a holiday weekend (3 nights). I understand those are holiday rates, but I could almost have stayed in a hotel for that price.

I stayed at Lone Oak because I had to attend a birthday party at a home very close to the campground. However, I don't think I will be going back. It's not due really to anything Lone Oak did or did not do. It's just not my kind of campground. If you are looking for an activity-based campground that caters to the children, I would recommend considering Lone Oak due to how well it is managed. However, be sure to consider the high price in your decision. If you are looking for a true experience in nature, look elsewhere.