My motorhome, my family, my adventures, my life.
Copyright 2003-5 Randy Charles Morin
My son playing on this year's 960 sq ft backyard icerink. The most I ever did before was 768 sq ft. Mother Nature hasn't been very co-operative, so the ice still hasn't settled and it's January 19th. SMH! Let's hope for more freezing weather in the next 2 months.
Sunday night, my son and I stayed at the Jellystone campground in Amhertsburg, Ontario which is located just south of Windsor near the border with Detroit, Michigan. We were returning from the Michigan International Speedway and it was getting late; 10pm or later.
I had major trouble finding the campground. It was dark and I never been there before, so I decide to trust the GPS. I shoulda just followed the signs directing me from the Hwy 401 and Hwy 3, but I like to be stupid sometimes. After numerous turns onto sketchy roads, the GPS announced that we were arriving at our destination. I looked around. Nothing. No campground. I drove up and down the street for 15-20 minutes before I realized what was wrong. I was on on county road 20, not 18 where the campground was located. The GPS was showing we were on road 18. Arggg! Drove north a couple miles and there was road 18 and the campground.
Now I'm arriving at the campground after 11pm and guess what? There's nobody there. There's no late check-in. I was furious. No late check-in at a highend campground like a Jellystone? Don't worry, my luck turned as a worker of the campground walked out of the Ranger Station just as my temperature was about to boil. He told me they don't do late check-ins. Boiling again. But then he said I could park in spot 600 for the night and pay in the morning. He was even nice enough to guide me into the spot. The spot itself was large, but looked like shit. The pad was all broken up and there was very little room between the pad and a near by tree. I had to squeeze in very tight to the tree and to the camper behind me to make it fit. In front of the lot was a gigantic mud puddle, which prevent me from backing straight in. Last thing I need was getting stuck in mud at 11:30p. After a few attempts, I was in my spot. But where I was positioned didn't give me reasonable access to the sewage hookup. Oh well. I give up. Hook up the power and let's get to bed.
I found there hours of business quite weird. Quite often, I'll pull into a campground after 8:30pm and leave before 9am. This campground surely did not make itself available for transient campers. I asked the staff and they said they don't really do late check-ins, but there's usually someone walking around who can help me between business close and midnight.
The sewage hookup was a nightmare. Where I was forced to park, give or take a few inches, there was no reasonable access to the sewage. In the morning, I pulled the RV forward and dumped. But in order to haave access to the sewage, I need the RV on a slant and I couldn't open the cab door without hitting a tree. Connecting the sewage at this point, still wasn't easy as they had this weird loose Y joint on the end.
Up to now, I've been all negative, but wait, this really is a great campground. It just isn't for me, the transient guy. This looked like a great campground for families. At 10am, they had a wagon ride with Yogi.
They have an amazing waterpark, kids pook and large adult pool. This area was supervised by a lifeguard at 10am.
They had a very nice park with lots of swings.
All the campground buildings were very cute and well kept.
The store had a large menu. We had $4 fries. They were great.
I'm sure the kids have great activities at this pavillion.
Overall, this campground is perfect for the family with young kids. Well, as long as you don't need WiFi. That's another requirement for me that means I'll likely never go back. But, if you want a week away from the Internet, with the kids camping, then this is your best bet in southern Ontario.
Sunday night, my son and I went to Montana's in Windsor, Ontario on our return trip from the Michigan International Speedway. A little concerned when we entered at about 9-10pm, as there was more staff than customers. Thought they may be closing. There was no hostest on duty. Eventually, the one staffer who was working greeted us as the other 3-4 waiters sat at the bar. I assume their shifts were over. The one girl served us all night.
I had the suicide buffalo chicken fingers with a side salad. These guys know suicide. I wasn't that hungry and was full after 3 of the 5 fingers. Not to mention, my mouth was on fire and I downed two pints of Rickards Red.
My son had the kid's ribs meal. It came with the cutest truck/container. My son loves their mashed potatoes.
There was a deck of cards at every table. I asked if we could use them and the waitress said not only could we use them, we could take them home. We did. I taught my son how to play crazy 8s while we waited for our food.
Overall, the restaurant was superb.
Today, I took the fam for lunch at Chili's in Niagara Falls, NY. It's a block from the Niagara Falls Fashion Outlets. I wanted to go to Buffalo Wild Wings next door, but got out voted by the kids (3 to 1). There's an Olive Garden opening up on the other side. When it opens, we'll have a unanomous vote in favor the OG.
Chili's always has the 2 for 1 draft specials. Sounds good? Not really. Those are half pints, so your actually just getting one beer in two glasses. LOL. At $3.79, that's not really a great deal. I decided on the 2 for 1 Coors Light, cause the Sam Adams was the regular Boston Lager. Had it been the Oktobest, then I would've decided otherwise. Actually, I lie. I had the 4 for 2 or rather, I had two 2 for 1s.
We normally don't eat at Chili's for lunch, so we decided to order off the lunch menu. I wanted the Chili. It's $4 alone. For $6, you get a half sandwich and fries with it. I had the ham and cheese. The bread was hard, but the fixins inside were amazing. Fries are always great here. Add some chips and salsa to start and I didn't have room to stuff that chili in.
The wife had some California sandwich with the chowder. She didn't like the cream chowder and switch to the chili. I didn't mind the chowder.
The eldest daughter got the soup and salad. Only $7. I ate the caesar salad. Another reason I didn't have room to finish the chili. The daughter didn't like the soup. She said it had too much onion. They made her another with less onion, which she liked.
Son had the mini burgers and mashed. He loves potates. They actually didn't have the mini-burgers, so he got a regular burger that was cut in half.
The youngest daugther had a corn dog and corn. Interesting combo.
Three out of four meals didn't hit the spot. That's pretty typical of Chili's. But they made up with it thru good service. Why do we go back? Don't know. The kids say they love it. I think it's because the youngest's nickname is Chili.
Last week Friday, I took the kids for an overnighter at Splash Canyon, Barrie, Ontario. This is an average sized water park with an attached campground. If you pay for the night, then you get 4 free passes to the water park. Extra passes at $15. We paid $100 for the night, but Monday to Thursday are only $85. We stayed in site #110.
This was the RV spot after we had finished packing the following Saturday morning. All the campsites are identical. Not much character in the sites.
Me relaxing by the wave pool as the kids splashed it up.
They had free face painting. I asked the Leafs logo. The person put the logo on in layers. This is the bottom layer.
After the first layer, the painter did another kid, then returned to me to finish. Took at least 20 minutes to complete.
Then I asked if they do body art. She said yes. I decided to get a body painting of what my future tattoo would look like. This painting took more than a half hour. She layered the saw blade, then waited for the paint to dry while doing 2 other kids. Then the hockey sticks. Another kid. Then finally the blades writing. Looks pretty awesome. My tattoo will look even better.
Both tattoos in one photo.
When our two younger niece and nephew arrived, we spent the remainder of the day at the kids pool.
Then it was supper and campfire time. The campground didn't deliver the wood, so I had to return to the store to get them to deliver it.
Later that night, we saw Ice Age the movie on a bigscreen. It was suppose to start at 8:30pm, but when we got there it had already started. The staff was a little too eager to leave.
Overall, a great experience. An unkown treasure just north of Barrie.
When youre going camping with the kids, you need to make sure you go prepared, and youve packed all the essential items youre going to need. It can be hard to remember everything, when you are trying to organize your whole brood. Believe me, I understand. Heres a list of some essential camping items that are important to remember for your trip.
Storing all these items in a storage unit during the winter, like StorageMart, will make them easier to organize and pack for summer trips, and also protect the equipment from damage.
Flashlight & Camping Lantern- When it gets dark and you cant see what youre doing, a flashlight is crucial to find place to use the bathroom, items around your tent, or navigate low-lighting sites. A camping lantern will also provide some light when youre relaxing in the evening, and unlike a flashlight, you can hang it up or set it on the ground for hands-free use. In case of emergency, its also useful to carry a wind-up flashlight.
Sleeping bags- Sleeping bags come with different temperature ratings for various climates and conditions. Make sure you choose the right sleeping bag for the place youre going. If youre going into the mountains, youre going to need something that provides a lot more warmth, due to cool temperatures at night. Sleeping bags vary in size, shape, thickness and material, so research before you buy. I would also suggest you think about sleeping bag liners and taking an extra pillow, because the built-in pillow isnt always that comfortable.
Folding Chairs- You must have folding chairs with you because youll want somewhere to sit outside around the campfire. You can choose chairs that have cup holders to hold your drinks or even chairs with a foldout side table.
Cooler for your Food- Make sure you take a cooler with you, if you plan to camp for a few days. The better the insulation and the quality, the longer your food will last. Stock up on food at the store beforehand and bring items, like condiments, napkins, plates and cutlery, with you. Make sure there is a locking systems to cut the risk of invasion by raccoons or other animals.
Grill stove- Although making your own campfire is fun and great for toasting marshmallows, think about taking an outdoor grill. Keeping a fire burning can be difficult due to the wind direction, damp, and general weather conditions. Take a propane grill with you for the convenience of cooking breakfast in the morning and dinner at night. Portable stoves have legs that fold away for easy storage.
Tents- Tents with adequate space are a necessity, if you dont have an RV or a cabin rental. Tents are a fun and easily portable way to camp. Choose a tent that has durable quality, rain guards, and ventilation. Consider taking an inflatable air mattress or sleeping pad to avoid lying directly on the ground.
Emergency Kit - This kit should include all necessities in case of emergency, such as bandages, ointments, finger splints, bug spray, etc. Some areas have low phone reception, and you don't want there to be an emergency without proper preparation. If you pre-pack this item now, you can store it for future use.
Camping is a great way to bond with your family, while also working together to create an outdoor experience. Let the kids help in the organization process to give them a better understanding of the necessities.
Day 1, 2 and 3 of Winter Vacation
We spent the 1st three day of our winter vacation driving thru a blizzard. Started the trip with 103,201 miles on the odometer.
The worst of the weather was driving from Toronto to Detroit. Check out this near white-out.
Crossing the Ambassodor bridge from Windsor to Detroit.
Michigan was slightly better driving, but not much.
We pulled over in Toledo, Ohio. We had planned on staying at a Flying J, but it was too cold. Ate at Chilis and did a little shopping at Walmart in Perrysburg. Too cold, we checked into the Econolodge just off the I-75 in Perrysburg.
We only drove 299 miles the 1st day. Not much for me, but the blizzard condition caused me to drive slower and pull off sooner.
Day 2, we drove thru Ohio into Kentucky. The weather was better, but it was still snowing and extremely cold.
Same day, we made it to Tennessee.
Driving thru the mountains in Tennesee was spectacular.
Still snowing a big, but check out these gorgeous pics.
And extremely cold.
Icycles were forming on the front of the RV, visible thru the windshield. Check out this 6 incher.
When the sun got low, driving conditions worsened. Visibility was less than desirable.
We stopped the 2nd day in Calhoun, Georgia. Ate at Ruby Tuesday. The Buffalo Shrimp were amazing.
We camped the 2nd night at the Cartersville KOA in Georgia. It was still well below freezing. Had the electric and propane heat running all night and it was still too cold.
The 3rd day of driving was better and we made it all the way to Disney's Fort Wilderness. Arrived arounnd 5PM. The kids watched Monster Inc. in very cold weather at their outdoor cinema. Bed. Tomorrow is Disney.
On September 3rd, we visited Canada's Largest Ribfest in Burlington, Ontario. Part of the reason we went was that we were going to the Mountain Equipment Coop just up the street from the ribfest. We needed to buy some gear from my teen daughter who was going on a school portaging trip.
Ribfest means an opportunity to drink beer. Right?
Got myself a tattoo. It was temporary. I'm still looking to get a permanent one (or two).
We arrived early, but by supper time, the place was filling up.
Ribs anyone?
They had two music stages.
On the way out, I played this Roll-in-one game.
And won this cute kitty.
Here are pics of the various rib vendors. These are all full-time ribfest crews. Awesome setups.
Summer Vacation, Day 42, August 31st 2010.
Can you believe we RVed for 42 days in July and August? I love my life. But today was the last day before that crazy school thing gets in the way of our fun.
Last morning at the Lewiston KOA. Their coffee was less than spectacular. But the WiFi worked.
I was suprised how empty the campground was during the week. Friday and Saturday, it was packed.
Time to dump.
Bye summer vacation.
Summer Vacation, Day 41, August 30th 2010.
We had planned on moving around from one KOA to another in north western New York during this back to school shopping RV trip, but in the end we stayed every night at the Lewiston KOA, north of Niagara Falls.
On the 4th shopping day, we dropped the wife and teen daughter off at the outlet. Me and the little ones returned to the campground to enjoy some relaxation and the swimming pool.
We returned to the outlet mall later that night to pick up the wife and daughter and eat at Applebees. We love Applebees.
Summer Vacation, Day 40, August 29th 2010.
We visited the falls for the umteenth time, but the first time from the American side of the border. We started by visited the whirlpool.
From the American side, there's a great view of Great Wolf Lodge.
We then went downtown Niagara Falls. Found some cheap parking. $10 for the day. It was just around the corner from the only Starbucks downtown. Got my coffee fix, then we hit a bar next door called Old Falls Sports Bar & Grill. The bar looked amazing with a very large projection screen. The service was horrible. There was waiters everywhere standing around doing nothing, but nobody would serve me and my waiter was no where to be found.
The Starbucks and sports bar were across the street from the casino.
The view on the American side is nearly as spectacular. Nearly.
I would've like to gone down below, but they closed the elevators before we got there. That's one thing very different on the American side. A lot of things were closed very early. The place was practically deserted by 6PM on Sunday.
We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe. We got immediate seating. That doesn't happen on the Canadian side. I shared an awesome sampler platter with the wife.
Summer Vacation, Day 39, August 28th 2010.
More shopping. Didn't bother taking pics. It's just shopping. Boring! Wife and teen daughter are in heaven.
Summer Vacation, Day 38, August 27th 2010.
Back shopping at the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls. Check out this awesome kids NASCAR similator they have at the outlet.
And what's RV shopping without a campfire to finish the day.
Summer Vacation, Day 37, August 26th 2010.
After a short break, we headed back out RVing. We would stay at the Lewiston KOA and shop at the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls. Day 1, the girls shopped at Walmart next to the outlet.
I had a couple beers at Chilis and otherwise just veged out in the motorhome.
Summer Vacation, Day 36, August 22nd 2010.
Time for a break. We're heading home after two days at Carol's Campsite in Sudbury. I found the only Starbucks in Sudbury and had myself a Venti bold for breakfast.
http://www.carolscampsite.com/
We had a laugh passing this car on the way home.
It was home for a few days, then continue the RVin in North Western New York state.
Summer Vacation, Day 35, August 21st 2010.
Wedding day. A childhood friend of mine was getting married. We don't get many weddings anymore as most of my friends are already married.
I wanted to start the day off with Starbucks, but there was a Timmys on the way to the wedding and I decided to compromise instead of searching for the one Starbucks in town. I must've had the shits. Nice face!
My daughter accidentally took a video when she first shot this.
The bride and groom. The wedding was at Cambrian College and presided over a judge. The judge was a relative and she brought her wife. I thought that was very progressive.
The cake topper. Ya, he likes Spiderman.
The table centerpieces were nice. My wife got it.
The RV parked at Cambrian.
Summer Vacation, Day 34, August 20th 2010.
Day 34 of our vacation was a travel day. We drove from Frankenmuth, Michigan to Sudbury, Ontario. That's 8-9 hours and two Starbuck stops (Gaylord, Michigan and Sault Ste Marie, Ontario). I had to really hunt for those two Starbucks. No big arrows from the highways. Both were located inside grocery stores.
The best part of this trip is crossing the Mackinac Bridge. I believe it's the longest suspension bridge from shoreline to shoreline at 5 miles. When on the bridge, you can see both Lake Michigan to the west and Lake Huron to the east.
It's also the most expensive toll bridge I've been on ($4.50 per axle for motorhomes).
Once on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the roads stretch in a straight line for miles at a time.
It started raining and I remembered that I hadn't taken a picture of the Michigan Speedway sticked on my RV, nor the markings I got when I parked at Pocono.
When we got to Sudbury, we hit up the local East Side Marios for supper. The service was less than usual, but that's typical of smaller northern towns in Ontario.
We finished the day off with a campfire at our site at Carol's Campsite, just south of Sudbury. They had WiFi.
Summer Vacation, Day 33, August 19th 2010.
The night of the 18th and 19th, we stayed at the Frankenmuth Jellystone Park. This is a great campground, with lots of activities everyday for the kids.
We stayed in site 40.
http://www.frankenmuthjellystone.com/
The best part of the campground is that there's a free shuttle from the campground to downtown Frankenmuth. Or you walk it in 5-10 minutes. We always go to either Zehnders or the Bavarian Inn restaurant, sometimes both. They are my two fav restaurants. We went to Zehnders. You have to get the Family Chicken dinner. The chickens really good, but that's not why the dinner is great.
It's all the fixins. Like the potatoes. My kids love the potatoes.
And some gravy on top please.
Vegetables are vegetables.
The stuffin is awesome!
The butter noodles are to die for.
And you get a lot more. Shoulda taken more pics.
Summer Vacation, Day 32, August 18th 2010.
We left south Michigan for one of our fav places to visit; Birch Run and Frankenmuth. Of course, we had to stop at the Starbucks in Ann Arbor, conveniently located on street that parallels the highway. Hot chocolate and frappacinos for the kids. Coffee for me.
The wife and kids shopped the day away at the Birch Run Prime Outlet, while had a Coffee Frappacino at the Starbucks.
http://www.primeoutlets.com/locations/birch-run.aspx
When they finished the shopping, we met at Chicao Unos. The kids love to make their own pizzas.
We stopped into Kern's Sausages that day when in Frankenmuth and guess what they had? My fav beer in bottles. I've only had this beer at the Epcot German pavillion in DisneyWorld. They only had one 6 pack, but the owner said he had a half keg earlier in the week. I drank 5 of them and saved one as a sourvenir.
Summer Vacation, Day 31, August 17th 2010.
One of our favorite campgrounds to stay at is the Monroe-North Toledo KOA in southern Michigan.
We stayed there (site 40) the two nights following the Michigan race.
Site after we left.
This campground has lots of stuff to do. A one-acre swimming pond and a second one-acre fishing-canoeing pond. Fifty foot slide. Bike rentals. Outdoor movies. Mini-golf. Stocked store. Snackbar. Etc.
We did some major BBQing. Corn. Potatoes. Beans. Burgers.
I always overcook the corn, but it still tastes so great.
The kids love my fire roasted potates.
Baked beans.
Burger.
Check out the mad hatter hair clips they were selling at the campground store.
There's nothing like surfing the net on your Blackberry by the campfire. I love campgrounds with good WiFi.
This was at one of our favorite KOAs is the Monroe-North Toledo KOA in southern Michigan.
Added pics and vids from our August Michigan Speedway weekend on the Talk-Sports blog. See link below.
http://www.talk-sports.net/game/default.aspx?search=summer+vacation