We bought our 2018 212QB in October 2018 with future plans in mind. Small local trips were the order of the day, and we moved from the Explorer to the F150 in preparation of larger, longer trips. My DW finally retired last summer, and those of you married to teachers, the opportunity to travel "off season" is huge! No longer bound to winter, summer and spring vacations, we did a preparatory trip here in Ontario (not more than 6-7 hours from home) last fall to see how things would work for this big trip this year.
I started planning this in the spring of 2022, and JOF was instrumental as I worked through the planning, finally settling on a week at Huntington Beach State Park in South Carolina. I leveraged RV Trip Wizard which was really helpful once all of the parameters are set (fuel consumption, trailer dimensions, desired travel ranges for a day, etc.). It also helped with campground decisions as reviews are built into the application. So as April began along with prep, we had some repairs that needed to be done with the trailer:
Once all that was done, we loaded up, and hit the road. Our list of campgrounds was as follows:
The drive was pretty typical coming from Eastern Ontario - crossed the border with no issues and headed south on I81. Lots of wind that first day, and it was the longest driving day of the trip (about 6 hours). Truck and trailer handled it nicely, although it was tiring as the day went on. Stopped once for gas and a break, and another at Whitney Point in southern NY where the blossoms were out (we were chasing spring/summer to some degree). We got into the campground with no issue; however, the site was pretty level at the back; however, there was a good slope down from the road. I had a little trouble getting the WDH bars off, and we decided to install them on the road when we were leaving the next day. Campground was quiet on a Saturday in late April, and we had electrical only. Setting up for the night, some weather blew in and it started raining, so no campfire, and we stayed in the trailer for the night. The campground is nice, big tall trees, good bathhouse and very peaceful. We were in the Fox Run loop which is pet friendly, but smaller, with only 13 sites and most suitable for smaller trailers.
Day 2 was the start of several days of great weather. We got back on the road after using the dump station, and had an uneventful drive to Hagerstown. The LOA there was really nice, we had a pull through with a view of the river. The staff was very friendly and they are working on the campground, installing a new bathhouse and covered wagons in the past year (instead of cottages). The campground was well away from any major roads and was very quiet.
Day 3 found us pulling into Williamsburg. Having never been there, we had two days to explore and we took in the historic areas which was very interesting. We have something similar close to us (Upper Canada Village0; however, this was much more expansive with some archeological digs in process. The campground used to be a KOA, and rebranded in the past year. It was well appointed, the staff was excellent and our pull through site was pretty level and easy to access in and out. The bathhouse was a good size, and very clean.
After 2 days in Williamsburg, it was off to the Outer Banks. I had been before; however, my DW had not and it was on her list of sights to see (especially after watching the movie Nights in Rodanthe). A quiet drive down from Williamsburg, the propane check at the tunnel at Newport News was simple, and we were settled in at the back of the campground with just a sand dune separating us from the ocean. We had three nights there, and spent some time on the beach, toured down to the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, up to Kitty Hawk and Duck, and just relaxed. It did rain hard our last day with some flooding in the campground; however, we were nice and dry (and prepared as we walked around in our rubber boots). The wind was steady, and a rip current warning for the water kept us on dry land, it was really nice to be at the ocean again. The campground was well appointed with good bathhouses and a well stocked camp store. You do pay for the location though! And we found the house form the movie (my DW was very excited as was the other 2 vehicles that also pulled in to take pictures). I did get a bit nervous packing up as Mark Polk from RV Education 101 (YouTube channel) had set up camp next to us on our last day and I felt like I was taking a final exam breaking camp!
A little side trip overnight to Selma, NC (by Raleigh) to visit friends on our way to South Carolina. North Pointe RV Resort is nicely situated close to the I95 (some may say too close), and we heard some traffic; however, after listening to the surf boom and the wind blow all night long, it wasn't too much different. The campground is good, with a nice pool and bathhouse. We had a pull through closer to the highway and it was fine (of course we were pretty tired after visiting all evening after the drive).
Then onto the Myrtle Beach area. We were using Weather On The Way app, and it had been really helpful in planning, there was little relief for this leg. Thunderstorms were forecasted as we were getting into SC, so we were prepared. As we pulled off the I95, the first of the storms hit not far from Florence, SC. We slowed down and put on the 4-ways. This happened a couple of other times, and then when the hail hit, i pulled off to the right and just waited a couple of minutes. We took it slow, and as we got to the coast, it started to clear up. We set up camp (back in with full hookups) in nice weather and we didn't see rain again the rest of the trip. Huntington Beach State Park is a great campground, and I see why I needed to book it 13 months out. Birds everywhere, great beach and tons of things to do (bike riding, Brookgreen Gardens, Atalaya Castle, etc.). Great restaurants in Murrels Inlet and shops to pick up things that might be missing/broken. The only thing I had to do to the trailer the entire trip was to change the thermofuse on the water heater (I thought it might have been the board, but turned out to be the fuse).
After HBSP, it was a pretty easy drive back home. We liked the pattern of getting on the road about 10am, driving a couple of hours, stopping for lunch, and then driving a couple more hours to the campground. Everything set up by 3-3:30 and then relaxing for the day. Enfield/Rocky Mount was a typical KOA Journey. Fairly level gravel pad, full hookups and not much else. The campground is a bit out of the way, so we headed up to Roanoke Rapids to grab a few things and a drink. Next stop was Candy Hill Campground in Winchester Virginia. This is a nice campground, a little close to the highway, and we had lots of traffic noise. Great staff and facilities, the camp store had the best inventory of any camp store that I have seen. Also, a good size crate of firewood for $6, and the picked up and filled our propane tanks. We had a different site in Lackawanna (still in the Fox Run loop) which was better, and then the 100 Islands/Mallory town KOA was a nice break where we did some prep cleaning before we got home (1.5 hour drive the next day). Good facilities and friendly staff. Not may trees, but very convenient off of highway 401.
All told, a great and successful trip. We came with 12 miles of the 2401 miles that RVTW had laid out.
I started planning this in the spring of 2022, and JOF was instrumental as I worked through the planning, finally settling on a week at Huntington Beach State Park in South Carolina. I leveraged RV Trip Wizard which was really helpful once all of the parameters are set (fuel consumption, trailer dimensions, desired travel ranges for a day, etc.). It also helped with campground decisions as reviews are built into the application. So as April began along with prep, we had some repairs that needed to be done with the trailer:
- New Tires - Planned
- Suspension bushings (unplanned as they weren't installed at the factory it seems)
- Bearings - planned
- New water heater and pump (unplanned)
Once all that was done, we loaded up, and hit the road. Our list of campgrounds was as follows:
- Lackawanna State Park, PA
- Hagerstwon / Antietam Battlefield KOA Holiday, MD
- Williamsgurg Campground, VA
- Cape Hatteras / Outer Banks KOA Resort, NC
- North Pointe RV Resort, NC
- Huntington Beach State Park, SC
- Enfield / Rocky Mount KOA Journey, NC
- Candy Hill Campground, VA
- Lackawanna State Park, PA
- 1000 Islands / Mallorytown KOA Holiday, ON
The drive was pretty typical coming from Eastern Ontario - crossed the border with no issues and headed south on I81. Lots of wind that first day, and it was the longest driving day of the trip (about 6 hours). Truck and trailer handled it nicely, although it was tiring as the day went on. Stopped once for gas and a break, and another at Whitney Point in southern NY where the blossoms were out (we were chasing spring/summer to some degree). We got into the campground with no issue; however, the site was pretty level at the back; however, there was a good slope down from the road. I had a little trouble getting the WDH bars off, and we decided to install them on the road when we were leaving the next day. Campground was quiet on a Saturday in late April, and we had electrical only. Setting up for the night, some weather blew in and it started raining, so no campfire, and we stayed in the trailer for the night. The campground is nice, big tall trees, good bathhouse and very peaceful. We were in the Fox Run loop which is pet friendly, but smaller, with only 13 sites and most suitable for smaller trailers.
Day 2 was the start of several days of great weather. We got back on the road after using the dump station, and had an uneventful drive to Hagerstown. The LOA there was really nice, we had a pull through with a view of the river. The staff was very friendly and they are working on the campground, installing a new bathhouse and covered wagons in the past year (instead of cottages). The campground was well away from any major roads and was very quiet.
Day 3 found us pulling into Williamsburg. Having never been there, we had two days to explore and we took in the historic areas which was very interesting. We have something similar close to us (Upper Canada Village0; however, this was much more expansive with some archeological digs in process. The campground used to be a KOA, and rebranded in the past year. It was well appointed, the staff was excellent and our pull through site was pretty level and easy to access in and out. The bathhouse was a good size, and very clean.
After 2 days in Williamsburg, it was off to the Outer Banks. I had been before; however, my DW had not and it was on her list of sights to see (especially after watching the movie Nights in Rodanthe). A quiet drive down from Williamsburg, the propane check at the tunnel at Newport News was simple, and we were settled in at the back of the campground with just a sand dune separating us from the ocean. We had three nights there, and spent some time on the beach, toured down to the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, up to Kitty Hawk and Duck, and just relaxed. It did rain hard our last day with some flooding in the campground; however, we were nice and dry (and prepared as we walked around in our rubber boots). The wind was steady, and a rip current warning for the water kept us on dry land, it was really nice to be at the ocean again. The campground was well appointed with good bathhouses and a well stocked camp store. You do pay for the location though! And we found the house form the movie (my DW was very excited as was the other 2 vehicles that also pulled in to take pictures). I did get a bit nervous packing up as Mark Polk from RV Education 101 (YouTube channel) had set up camp next to us on our last day and I felt like I was taking a final exam breaking camp!
A little side trip overnight to Selma, NC (by Raleigh) to visit friends on our way to South Carolina. North Pointe RV Resort is nicely situated close to the I95 (some may say too close), and we heard some traffic; however, after listening to the surf boom and the wind blow all night long, it wasn't too much different. The campground is good, with a nice pool and bathhouse. We had a pull through closer to the highway and it was fine (of course we were pretty tired after visiting all evening after the drive).
Then onto the Myrtle Beach area. We were using Weather On The Way app, and it had been really helpful in planning, there was little relief for this leg. Thunderstorms were forecasted as we were getting into SC, so we were prepared. As we pulled off the I95, the first of the storms hit not far from Florence, SC. We slowed down and put on the 4-ways. This happened a couple of other times, and then when the hail hit, i pulled off to the right and just waited a couple of minutes. We took it slow, and as we got to the coast, it started to clear up. We set up camp (back in with full hookups) in nice weather and we didn't see rain again the rest of the trip. Huntington Beach State Park is a great campground, and I see why I needed to book it 13 months out. Birds everywhere, great beach and tons of things to do (bike riding, Brookgreen Gardens, Atalaya Castle, etc.). Great restaurants in Murrels Inlet and shops to pick up things that might be missing/broken. The only thing I had to do to the trailer the entire trip was to change the thermofuse on the water heater (I thought it might have been the board, but turned out to be the fuse).
After HBSP, it was a pretty easy drive back home. We liked the pattern of getting on the road about 10am, driving a couple of hours, stopping for lunch, and then driving a couple more hours to the campground. Everything set up by 3-3:30 and then relaxing for the day. Enfield/Rocky Mount was a typical KOA Journey. Fairly level gravel pad, full hookups and not much else. The campground is a bit out of the way, so we headed up to Roanoke Rapids to grab a few things and a drink. Next stop was Candy Hill Campground in Winchester Virginia. This is a nice campground, a little close to the highway, and we had lots of traffic noise. Great staff and facilities, the camp store had the best inventory of any camp store that I have seen. Also, a good size crate of firewood for $6, and the picked up and filled our propane tanks. We had a different site in Lackawanna (still in the Fox Run loop) which was better, and then the 100 Islands/Mallory town KOA was a nice break where we did some prep cleaning before we got home (1.5 hour drive the next day). Good facilities and friendly staff. Not may trees, but very convenient off of highway 401.
All told, a great and successful trip. We came with 12 miles of the 2401 miles that RVTW had laid out.
