Chesapeake Bay RV Resort

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We had stopped at Chesapeake Bay on our way down to Florida back in November. Then the leaves had fallen off most of the trees and the campground was wrapping up their season and most everything was closed.

This time around the landscape had changed to a colourful display of azaleas and irises, along with other flowers and grasses. The pools were not opened yet but were being prepared to be enjoyed soon as the staff cleaned them and treated the water. The adult pool looked ready to go but I don't think the water is heated.

Azeleas in full bloom

The activities were picking up especially on the weekends. There was a blind golf cart race planned for the Saturday but it rained all day so it was cancelled. A dog show is planned for next weekend along with a shelter bringing adoptable dogs that will be available for anyone not having a dog to show. The little store was opened from Thursday to Sunday and is really cute, offering souvenirs and camper related items. But the most popular is their fabulous ice cream! Glen got the Apple Pie which he said tasted just like having apple pie with ice cream and I had the Crunchy Cappucino which was scrumptious! Truly the best ice cream I ever had! And their portions are VERY generous!

We also saw crab for the first time in the water.

We had a tire blow-out on our way here and since there was no place to pull over we drove very slowly for the remaining 5 minutes to the campground where we parked at the first available site. Our roadside assistance could only send someone the next morning to change the tire so we got settled in with the possibility of moving to a better site after the tire change. After spending the night and the next morning we decided to just stay where we were since most of the work had been done. So we levelled the trailer, took out the rest of the "breakables" that were still put away in baskets and we were home for the next 10 days. The blow-out caused the trailer to jump and buck causing most of its contents to shift and move like never before. Opening the door after such an event is truly like going to your house after an earthquake.

Our view

Our site

A visitor to our site

We love Chesapeake Bay and I wish we could spend the summer here. Everyone is so nice and friendly! The laundry is cheap and the machines work well. The firepits are made of pavers which look good and keep everything neat.

The pond as you come into the park

The ranger's station at the entrance

After four days of rain, the weather changed and it got very, very hot. So we decided to go visit Virginia Beach which was apparently about one and half hour from the campground. Well, it took us two hours to get there as our GPS was taking us to the city, not the beach. Coming back we hit traffic even though we left at three thirty, because of an accident at the entrance of the long tunnel that goes underwater for quite a distance. It took us over three hours to come back! Our poor pets must have thought we had left them forever! They were very happy to see us and demanded lots of attention after they were fed.

Virginia Beach is very nice. There is a three-mile long boardwalk that separates the walkers from the bikers and the skateboarders. You can rent a four-seater bike that is more like a pedal-powered car and many were using them. The beach is wide and very long. The sand is golden brown and on that day was extremely hot. Walking on the boardwalk we got all sweaty but as soon as we got closer to the water the breeze was cooler and it was comfortable. There is a long fishing pier but there is a charge of $2.00 to go on it or $8 to fish. You don't need a fishing license as it is paid by the city. There weren't many people on this Thursday in April but I'm sure the beach is very popular during the summer. We found parking on one of the side streets from Atlantic Avenue - they offer metered parking for $1/hour which is cheap and convenient. There are public washrooms off the boardwalk and they are relatively clean and well stocked. I did test the ocean to see how it was and it was very, very cold even though young kids were playing in it and a few brave souls were swimming. There are numerous souvenir shops on Atlantic Avenue and many fun restaurants and bars. There is a restaurant right on the beach where the pier is.

  

SipSip

The water is freezing cold!

You can also rent a horse and go for a ride on the beach. Pretty neat to see them riding amongst the sunbathers. It's a great place to fly a kite as there are no obstructions. The only problem is that the beach is located close to an army base and fighter jets were flying above all day making a lot of noise. Sometimes they would be fairly low and the noise was almost unbearable. So don't go there for a quiet time. It's worth a visit but next time we would go earlier in the morning so we can come back shortly after lunch and avoid the traffic jams.

We decided to take Cheeka for a walk at Beaverdam Park which we had enjoyed last Fall. Even though the temperature was a bit lower, it was very humid and we were very hot within a short time. We cut our walk a bit short and opted to drive to the main entrance which we had never seen. It's a really nice spot for a picnic, renting a boat or canoe/kayak or docking your own boat. There were three Muscovy ducks on the property and at one point, as I was photographing them, they all started to waddle towards me. Obviously, they are pretty tame. We also saw a tiny baby turtle that was on a roadway so Glen got it to move into the grass so it wouldn't be such an easy prey for raptors. There were quite a few Canada geese and some coots. The flowers were beautiful and the whole atmosphere was one of peace and quiet with only the birds singing and of course, the geese honking.

The beautiful trail

Riders coming back from a trail ride

These ducks were marching right to me

We were glad we went to see that other entrance to the park as it gives us another area to go to next time we're camping here.

Green Mountain Park

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The road to Green Mountain isn't very big rig friendly but oddly enough, there are a lot of big rigs at Green Mountain campground. By not friendly I mean, a VERY narrow road with a deep gulley on one side and a mountain side on the other - nowhere to go if something should happen. Funny enough there is an advertisement for a mobile RV repair as you meander through this narrow, twisting road. I bet, a few have needed major repairs getting here. As you get used to this road, it doesn't seem as dangerous but the first impression is: where the hell are we going?

The campground itself sits on the side of a mountain. It's very unique in that way. The staff is super friendly and extra nice (maybe to make up for the narrow roads and the uphill battle to get anywhere here. The office building is very cute with a little bridge to get to it and a lily pond beside it. Because of the layout of this campground, the staff takes you around to show you possible sites via a golf cart. We were only shown 2 sites that were on the lower level. I chose the site that had the forested mountain behind it. It was a harder site to get into as the site was not only a narrow cemented pad but also uphill. I also had an audience that waited to see how I was going to maneuver this. To their amazement, I backed up the trailer into the site on the first try, only correcting the trailer's position to the lovely wooden deck provided. The audience was shocked! I was thanking the Lord for a flawless back-up when it was most needed. God knows there are other times that weren't as pretty!

Lily pond beside the office

White azaleas

Gorgeous azaleas planted here and there on the property

Our home with the beautiful deck and the forest at the back

We are very close to both our neighbours but neither are very friendly. A lot of annual and seasonal campers here. Because of the hilly terrain, everything is a bit scattered. The main lodge, which was closed when we were here, is large and seems to have a large stone fireplace. That area also has the activity center where you can get the various equipment to play the few games available. There is a fairly new mini-putt but it seems very simple and easy. There is also a tennis court that needs repair and also has baskets for basketball playing. But the nice surprise is a small general store that also sells ice cream! There is also a kid friendly pool right by the lodge and we later discovered the adult pool on another level across the street. The pools were not open at this time of the year (April).
The campground also has some hiking trails of various levels of difficulty. We tried to find one and couldn't really see where it started so we instead went to a nearby park that ended up having a lovely trail through the woods. It was so relaxing and beautiful to see all the new growth on trees and the many wildflowers scattered around.  It was a true "forest bath". Cheeka enjoyed running from Glen to me and then back to Glen at warp speed. She hadn't had the chance to run that fast for a while.
Cabins are also seen here and there, some of them with a lovely view of the small lake that sits behind the main lodge, but they are privately owned and not for rent.

An idea of what the sites look like and how close everyone is.

From our deck out the front. The white truck on the right is our neighbour's

The little general store

The lodge.

The playground is right by the lake

The small lake with some of the cabins on the far side

The kiddie pool that looks really nice - no water at this time

Part of the simple mini-putt.

The nearby trail we found just down the road from the campground.

Wild wisteria flowers

Everything was growing and showing new shoots.

Dogwood flowers

Part of the trail - very nice.

So nice to see nature waking up and new plants growing - fern fronds

There is no internet here at the moment and we couldn't get a signal on our phone but we were told that they had gotten the approval for fibre internet and cell phone booster which should be coming very soon. We did miss having access to the internet at our trailer and had to drive 10 minutes to the nearby McDonalds and buy something so we could use their internet. Our phone also worked in town.

We got one propane tank filled at the TSC which is much cheaper than what you get at the campgrounds. We were also able to shop at the nearby Walmart (less than 10 minutes away) for groceries and other needs (like a pair of shorts for Glen who had been slowly running out of any to wear due to rips, stains, etc. We also discovered the store Big Lots. It has a bit of everything at reasonable prices.

Everywhere through the forest there were dogwoods in flower. We also saw an old growth of wisteria that had taken over some trees - absolutely beautiful! There were a lot of wild rhododendrons around that grow very tall but don't have as many flowers as our cultivated varieties but the azaleas that are part of the landscaped areas were bursting with colour.

This wisteria was draped all over the trees. Just spectacular!

Dogwood in flower everywhere

If you are looking for a quiet, peaceful retreat, this is not it. Lots of families with young children who scream at the top of their lungs just to be heard and bicycles everywhere. But the birds do sing every morning and there is a creek that runs from the top of the mountain all the way down. Some sites have the pleasure of hearing the babbling brook right from their deck that sits by it.

The creek that runs through the entire campground.

Would we come back? Most probably as a stop-over on our way down or back up like we did now (4 days). I don't think I would want to stay here for two weeks unless I had a golf cart to get to the various locations (bikes are pretty useless because of the very steep hills).

One of the beautiful totem poles on the campground.