The Boy in Blue

Hi Guys,

This Autumn Jim and I are finally going to hit the East Coast for the fall colors and for something a little special. I think I may have already mentioned this, but a few years back I found the Civil War diary of a young Vermont boy. He was in the Vermont 10th Volunteers and fought in the Virginia campaign. Jim said we could follow his campaign trail from the Maryland Heights and Harpers Ferry, across the Rappahannock, over to Cold Harbor and finally Richmond. If anyone has advice on camping in that area, please chime in (so far that part of Virginia looks mighty built up). We are also stopping off in Vermont in hopes of tracking down my boy in blue, so places to see and stay in that fair state would be a plus (wonder if maple syrup is less expensive there at the source...)

Anyway, I know this group is the best source of info for camp sites and points of interest, so whadda ya say?

Thanks.

Camp On,

Sue

 

Sue,

Maybe I could help with the Vermont part of your trip. Having grown up in NH it was always easy to go to VT. You know how small the states are here.....
Perhaps we could meet at some campground, twould be nice to meet another Python fan.

Send me a PM if you wish,

J&B

 

Depends on where you get it from...if you get it from a tourist stop, no it won't be less expensive than what you might find in a grocery store in any part of the country. However, if you stop at a producer's shop (whether it's in New England, New York, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, etc.), you may find it quite a bit cheaper. As NH has no sales tax, you may find that helps, too. Also will depend on the grade of syrup you purchase & whether or not it is a blend. Being from a family that has a commercial sugar bush, I am speaking from experience.

Your trip sounds like a lot of fun! So many things to see, so little time...Oh the places you could go! I will always be a New England gal at heart...be sure to have some fried clams for me & spend some time at the ocean. (I'm still enjoying my "Beach in a Box" that Jenn sent me last fall...keeps me from getting homesick. )

 

Sue,

Although we're Yankees we currently live an hour and a half south of Richmond. I can't give you too much information on places to camp just yet as we're just getting started on our camping adventures. But I can promise you we'll have a few places for you to try by the time you head our way. As a matter of fact we'll be attending the Richmond RV show this weekend so we'll be getting lots of info on places to visit.

You're right, northern Virginia is built up particularly around the DC area, but there's still a lot of beautiful countryside that hasn't been ravished yet. Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Parkway are spectacular in the fall. There's a ton of State and National parks in Virginia. You might not be able to follow your boy in blue's exact route but you won't be far off and you won't be disappointed.

If you're interested, I'll put together a care package for you from the show this weekend, just PM us with an address and I'll get it out to you.

You can also try reaching out to McNugget. I haven't seen him on the board recently, but I recall him doing a lot of camping throughout Virginia. So happens we'll be in his neck of the woods over Valentines day... our first official adventure away from Camp Backyard.

 

Sue,

It's exciting to hear that you are planning a trip to the East coast in the Fall! I think that you will find that the state of Virginia is ripe with Civil War history and we are blessed to have an award winning State Park system. It is our personal goal to visit every one of them in the next three years. We have even enrolled in their incentive program, Trail Quest, that provides small awards for visiting the various parks. There are several parks that are within a two hour drive of downtown Richmond, Pocahontas being the closest. Holliday Lake State Park is very close to Appomattox, which is a good place for Civil War buffs! I will attach a link to a very informative website that is loaded with maps, photos, videos, etc. about each park.

If it's Fall colors that you want, then Skyline Drive is a must. Since it passes through Shenandoah National Park, there will be an entrance fee. Big Meadows Campground in SNP is a favorite camping site of ours (it is where we saw our very first teardrop camper!), but there are no electrical hook-ups, and you have to pay to use the showers, since water is at a premium on the mountain. The Blackberry Shakes at the Waysides and restaurants are a very special treat!! You can also find a nice KOA in the valley, near Harrisonburg, that is less than an hour's drive to the Swift Run Gap entrance station to Skyline.

I hope you find this little bit of info helpful. If we get to visit some more of the park campgrounds, as we have planned, we'll be sure to report back!

http://www.virginiaoutdoors.com/

Happy camping!
Jamie ( for mcnugit)

 

Jamie,

Thanks for the link and I'm sorry I butchered "mcnugit", I guess I was thinking about food.

We'll be in Norfolk Monday thru Wednesday next week, any campgrounds open out your way? Tried First Landing today but they're not open until March 1st. Have a call in to Virginia Beach KOA but I'm guessing they're not open either. All the hotels jacked up their rates because of Valentine's Day... much rather rough it.

Thanks,

aj

 

(/quote)
You can also try reaching out to McNugget. I haven't seen him on the board recently, but I recall him doing a lot of camping throughout Virginia. So happens we'll be in his neck of the woods over Valentines day... our first official adventure away from Camp Backyard.

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Thanks for the vote of confidence, AJ & Michelle!
We are originally Northerners too, but now we've been transplanted in Virginia for longer than our growing up years on Long Island.

Where will you be camping next week? Hopefully you'll get some more of the warm winter weather we've been experiencing lately!

And speaking of Lake Gaston, have you tried North Bend Park near Kerr Dam? It is a wonderful Army Corps of Engineers campground. You would be hard pressed to find a bad campsite in the entire campground, and a lot of the sites are lakeside.

Happy camping!
jamie

Just saw your last post. Chickahominy Riverfront Park is open, but they are an hour north from here, thru the bridge-tunnel in Williamsburg. You also might try Northwest River Park, in Chesapeake. Not sure if they are open. Our driveway is available too, in a pinch, but it ain't pretty! There is also Newport News Park, also thru the bridge tunnel, but closer than Chickahominy. Also, not sure if it's open.

 

Jamie,

We'll be in Norfolk for a seminar... not really a camping trip, but we have this brand new 550 that we're dying to use. Instead of paying $189 a night for a room we were hoping to to find an open camp ground. Virginia Beach KOA is only a half hour out, but I can't get anyone from their office to confirm that they are open. KOA's national reservation center says they are but I hate to take a chance and Michelle doesn't want to do Walmart's Black Lake.

Thanks for offering the drive way, it's nice to know we have options.

 

aj & michelle-
I can't blame you in the least for wanting to try out your shiny new 550!! It's too bad First Landing isn't open for the season. It's a pretty nice campground- very "beachy"!
You can also try Holiday Trav-L-Park on General Booth Blvd. in Virginia Beach. I believe they are open year round, but I don't have any experience with them.

http://www.campingvb.com/Default.aspx

 

Thanks, everybody, for responding. Wow!

Betsey:

Would love to be in Vermont at sugaring time. Don't know if September is too soon...probably is, rats. Anyway, would like your info on the best type of maple syrup to hunt down. Love fried clams. Saw a program about diners with crazy architecture and there was this fun little place somewhere in New England that was shaped like a food carton. It's supposed to have some of the best fried clams around. Know it?

aj & michelle, Cedar: Will PM you guys. Thanks

Jamie: Thanks so much for the info and link. The Shenandoah sounds wonderful. I always did love that song.... We'll try to hit as much as possible.

Oh, and aj & michelle,

Hope you find your camp site and have a great time. Hard to have that little trailer locked up. Jim and I are just dying to head out....and we will this President's Day weekend. Going up the coast of California and camp in the salty fog at Gualala. Yeeee Haaawwww!!!!

Sue and Jim

 

Hi Jim and Sue,
i just wanted to respond regarding maple syrup season. September is definitely too late if you wanted to stop at a sugarhouse in operation. The maple syrup season starts in about three weeks depending on the weather, and ends in early April usually. The maple syrup producers will always have it for sale through out the year. If you are going to be in Maine on your trip I can help you get some syrup. Good luck with your boy in blue search. Will you be stopping at Gettysburg?
Charlie

 

Sugaring is done in the early spring - anywhere from late February into early April, depending on the weather & location. Consistently freezing nights & thawing days are needed for the sap to run. It is not a very long period of time...can vary from a few days to 3-4 weeks but is usually somewhere in between. Syrup is graded differently in the U.S. as compared to Canada, & Vermont even has a slightly different, more stringent grading scale than the standard U.S. scale. As a rule of thumb, there are 3 grades: A, B & C (a Vermont grade). Grade A consists of Fancy or Light Amber, Medium Amber & Dark Amber. These have a light, mild flavor. Grade B is much darker with a stronger maple flavor. It is used mostly for cooking, where you want the flavor to be retained in the product. Grade C (a Vermont standard) is for commercial use only.

If you've had West coast fried clams, they will taste similar but distinctly different from New England fried clams, as they use different types of clams. When we went to the IRG, I had fried clams made from razors. Although they tasted like clams, the flavor wasn't the same. Ipswich belly clams, in my opinion, make the best fried clams. The place you mentioned is most likely the Clam Box in Ipswich, MA. It is famous for it's belly clams & they are really good. A little closer to home for me was Larry's Clam Bar in Plaistow, NH.

Now you've made me hungry for clams!

 

Right on Betsey,

Give me Clam Box clam chowder and grade B for pancakes anytime!

J&B

 

Hi Betsy,
Is your family still in the sugaring business?
Charlie

 

Sugaring in February, huh? Rats. But come to think of it, we never trim the maples until summer BECAUSE THE SAP IS RUNNING IN THE SPRING! Boy, you think I'd remember that. Menopause strikes again.

Clam Box!! That's it! Ipswich, MA, huh? Guess we'll have to see if we can fit it somewhere in the trip. But maybe Larry's place in New Hampshire would be a good second choice in case we run out of time. Love fried clams.....uuuummmmmmm.

Betsey, thanks for the info on maple syrup. Sounds like all we get over here is light, and I mean REALLY light. Gotta get some of that yummy grade B.

Industrial grade maple syrup??? Dang; does it dissolve stuff?

Sue

 

Hi Sue,
(Industrial grade maple syrup??? Dang; does it dissolve stuff?)
No, but it sure tastes good!
Charlie

 

Yes, but not in New Hampshire. My family relocated to northern Minnesota when I was in college (a very long time ago). My brother has had a sugarbush there for many years. It is currently being operated by some Amish friends, as my brother is living in New Mexico, where he has a small nut farm - pecans & pistachios.

 

Yep, many of us like the more robust flavor of Grade B. I do like the ambers but find them a little too intensely sweet. If you get a chance to purchase some maple cream, do it. It is food of the Gods! Well, next to fried clams, that is...

 

Hi Betsy,
You and Craig seem to have a very interesting family!( i.e.maple sugarer's, nut farmers, entrepeneur's, etc.)
Making maple syrup has been a hobby of mine for a long time. It seems to be more than a hobby lately. I will have to track down a method/recipe for maple cream this year.
Charlie

 

Interesting is a nice way to put it! But, yes, I would say our families have very diverse talents. Craig's sister has 2 sushi restaurants in Minneapolis, one of his brother's built custom kayaks & his other brother runs the family lefse business.