summer trip. Tough Mudder/ upstate NY/ New England

[dolbsss]

Hi all. First off, I always come here to talk trips but do a ton of research before posting. Let's start with my setup. 2015 2500 HD 6.0L pulling a 2017 Jayco Jay Flight 284BHSW. And my dad's setup is 2018 Tahoe 5.3L with upgraded trailer package pulling a 2018 Grand Design Imagine 2500RL. So we will be convoying. I'll have 2 dogs and a 6 year old girl and 2.5 year old boy, my wife, and my parents. These kids have been everywhere with us in the last few years including 12,000 plus feet in Colorado and on 6-7hour hikes with us. They are high energy, and do well in a car for 8 hours if needed(we have a bag of tricks). Short version, don't worry about my kids, they're fine, and this isn't a parenting forum.

Now to the trip... My wife and I are avid Tough Mudder runners (10-12 mile obstacle course races). We plan on running 2 event locations for a total of 4 days on this trip. I've located 2 campgrounds near the event sites I think will work fine for the kids while they stay with grandparents on 2 event days and they will probably spectate the other 2 days. The rest of the trip is up for tweaking other than the wife said we are going to Maine, and she wants to go to Bar Harbor but here is a rough draft. Our hometown is Columbus Ohio so that will be the start(august 3rd) and finish (aug 20th or 21st).

stop 1. Campground near Andover, NY(tough mudder#1 Aug 4,5) I've located a campground called Hickory Hill in Bath NY that looks promising for the 3rd-6th(3 nights).

stop 2. Kind of up in the air on this one. I like the lake George area Jellystone in NY and like the Jellystone in White Mountain NH area as well. Things I'd like to do are see lake Champlain, Burlington Vt, and possibly hike Mt Washington. If you have a campground suggestion and logistical insight here, I'm all ears.

stop 3. Bar Harbor ME. This is the coveted stop for the wife and I. Ocean kayaking, whale watching possibly and definitely a sunrise hike of Cadillac Mountain. I want to be on the island, and I'm willing to pay. You tell me where if you have a primo campground. I also want to stuff my face with lobster. A lot of lobster.

stop 4. I'm kind of thinking Boston cape Cod KOA. I've never been to either Boston or Cape Cod. Can I do enough in 3 days to be worth it? Should I ditch this idea and spend more nights at other stops?

stop 5 Tough Mudder location #2. The event itself is located in Saugerties NY on Aug 18th and 19th. I found a Jellystone in Gardiner NY that looks like a water park in pictures. The kids would love it so other than it being booked up I can't see switching up. The nights here would be 17th, 18th, 19th and leave out on the 20th.

stop 6. Possible. If we are running late or just wore out the night of the 20th we will hit a KOA in western PA to break up the long drive home from Gardiner.

Guys, I know it was a long post. Hopefully it was enough info. I'd appreciate any feedback on my question marks,routes to avoid, places to fuel, places to see, places to eat...You get the idea. As always, thanks in advance, and happy camping!

[Flintstones]

The Yogi on the River in Gardiner NY will be perfect for your young family. We have been there, its a beautiful setting in the Catskills with plenty of amenities including a nice waterpark/pool complex.

In New Hampshire, Gunstock Mountain Resort has a tough mudder event and you can camp right there at Gunstock Campground. While there you can enjoy zip lines, tree top adventure, chair lift rides to the summit and more.

[dolbsss]

so I officially booked. Here is the itinerary.

first night is August 3.

Stop 1. Bath, NY, Hickory Hill camping resort 3 nights
Stop 2. Ashland, NH, Jellystone 3 nights
stop 3. Bar Harbor, ME Narrows too campground 4 nights
stop 4. North Hudson, NY Jellystone 4 nights
stop 5. Gardiner, NY Jellystone 3 nights

Thanks for all the insight everyone. Any more ideas on things to do based upon my final decisions would be great! Happy Camping!

[buta4]

As far as driving in Boston - DON'T !!! :E

Take the MBTA ("T"). Visit the visitor's building for literature on things to do.

If you visit the Old Granary Burial -- a fun factoid the the tour guides neglect to explain follows...

Around 1900 it was decided to gussy up the appearance of the site by pressure washing the grave stones. They stacked the stones against the buildings abutting the cemetery and pressure washed them.

When it came time to place them where they belong.........oh oh. Forgot that one minor detail, you guessed it. :R Forgot to log the location of each stone's original placement within the cemetery before they started moving them for washing.

Soooo -- only the larger permanent monuments are placed where the deceased person is buried because they were never moved.!

[Crabbypatty]

"generally speaking I make sure to have full hook ups on the annual big trip. I don't like wasting time, I'd rather spend the money. I state park camp a ton of weekends locally so its something I'm just not in the mood to do on vacation."

I agree but Salisberry was ok for just the two of us. When we traveled with our daughter and friend that was a non starter. As you can see we traveled New England and had fun. Lots to do lots of fun.

[blownstang01]

Stop 1, Hickory Hill in Bath is a nice quiet campground, clean and pretty well taken care of. They have a splash pad that your kids may enjoy and a nice pool.
Stop 2, Another option around Lake George is Moosehillock, huge sites, 2 or 3 year old park so it's very nice, and they have a "Waterpark" of sorts with slides etc into the huge pool.
Can't help with the rest of your trip, but good luck !

[dolbsss]

RedRollingRoadblock wrote:
I had no idea that the Tough Mudder was such a large scale event. Good friend started doing it a few years ago on the invite of his Navy nephew. He survived his first one, he still isn't sure how, but now trains for it religiously. Says it about the most fun he ever has.

Good Luck on your trip and run.

Tough Mudder has events in North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania currently. They now have bootcamp gyms in select cities as well. 5 years ago it changed my life. I've always been an active person but I ran my first at age 35 and it gave me a reason to want to be better. Not just better athletically, but a better person all around. You see they aren't about finishing as an individual, they are about finishing as a community. You become best friends with someone you've never met while "embracing the suck" right next to them. So many people tell me "I could never do that". I laugh hysterically because I've seen severely overweight people finish them, amputees finish them, blind people finish them and too many other variables of difficulty to mention all. I have a season pass to do as many in North America that I can, and owning a camper was a strategic investment with Tough Mudder in mind. This year I am running world's toughest mudder in Atlanta in mid November. Its 24 hours around a 5 mile loop. You do as many laps as you can. My goal is 50 miles(with penalties could be 65 miles in reality) so I'm hitting all the events I can in training for the big event. Yes I'm 40, yes I'm an idiot, but 5 years ago I could never have imagined this, and I like how it makes me feel. I highly recommend trying one regardless of fitness level(assuming you're in shape to walk 5-10 miles). Even if you only finish one, you'll never forget the experience. And on a side note, I let my kids get as muddy as the want at the events! They love it and everybody knows them. LOL

[RedRollingRoadb]

I had no idea that the Tough Mudder was such a large scale event. Good friend started doing it a few years ago on the invite of his Navy nephew. He survived his first one, he still isn't sure how, but now trains for it religiously. Says it about the most fun he ever has.

Good Luck on your trip and run.

[dolbsss]

Crowe wrote:
y dad isn't really keen on driving the rigs through beantown

1. Don't call it "Beantown" when you are there. They'll pick you for a tourist instantaneously! :B
2. You can't drive through the city on I93. You must circumvent either on 128/95 or 495.

Plus it sounds like Bar harbor might be better with a few more days.

Absolutely!

haha, I don't mind being a tourist. I'm probably ditching the stop, it just seems like too much to attempt in 3 days. I'll make a trip next year for a destination Tough Mudder as they have an annual event west of town in June.

[dolbsss]

mkc wrote:

dolbsss wrote:


stop 3. Bar Harbor ME.

Do be sure to compare your Bar Harbor planned dates with the cruise ship schedule

https://www.barharbormaine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/922/2018-Cruise-Ship-Schedule?bidId=

Some of those ships unload thousands of passengers into the area and it crowds things significantly.

something I would have never thought about but I can't really change the time window of us being there due to logistics and our vacation schedule. With it being the furthest point from home it has to be the halfway point in the trip.

[dolbsss]

Crabbypatty wrote:
Yes we did:
Lake George, Plymouth, Lake Ossipee, Bar Harbor, Cape Cod were all one week each. We used them as base camp then drove around doing things. Boston Minutman we use for long weekends as our daughter lives in Boston and Boston hotels are big $$$.

That said if you want to loop through you can just as easily do a couple three days then move on. However there is lots to do. We went to Cape Cod 3x's. We want to Cape Cod then Danforth Bay Lake Ossippee for a two week vaca. All were fun and certainly we will go back again. Last Labor Day we found a great Masachusetts State park on the ocean Saulsberry but they only have electric and water hook ups. So you need to dump, bring a tote or pay to be sucked out.

We also spent a week in Brattleboro Vermont at the KOA then drove around the state from there.

Happy Trails

Happy Trails

generally speaking I make sure to have full hook ups on the annual big trip. I don't like wasting time, I'd rather spend the money. I state park camp a ton of weekends locally so its something I'm just not in the mood to do on vacation.

[Crabbypatty]

Yes we did:
Lake George, Plymouth, Lake Ossipee, Bar Harbor, Cape Cod were all one week each. We used them as base camp then drove around doing things. Boston Minutman we use for long weekends as our daughter lives in Boston and Boston hotels are big $$$.

That said if you want to loop through you can just as easily do a couple three days then move on. However there is lots to do. We went to Cape Cod 3x's. We want to Cape Cod then Danforth Bay Lake Ossippee for a two week vaca. All were fun and certainly we will go back again. Last Labor Day we found a great Masachusetts State park on the ocean Saulsberry but they only have electric and water hook ups. So you need to dump, bring a tote or pay to be sucked out.

We also spent a week in Brattleboro Vermont at the KOA then drove around the state from there.

Happy Trails

Happy Trails

[mkc]

dolbsss wrote:


stop 3. Bar Harbor ME.

Do be sure to compare your Bar Harbor planned dates with the cruise ship schedule

https://www.barharbormaine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/922/2018-Cruise-Ship-Schedule?bidId=

Some of those ships unload thousands of passengers into the area and it crowds things significantly.

[Crowe]

y dad isn't really keen on driving the rigs through beantown

1. Don't call it "Beantown" when you are there. They'll pick you for a tourist instantaneously! :B
2. You can't drive through the city on I93. You must circumvent either on 128/95 or 495.

Plus it sounds like Bar harbor might be better with a few more days.

Absolutely!

[jplante4]

For Cape Cod Boston, decide on one for a 3 days stop. If Cape Cod, the KOA in Moddleboro is fine, or even Maple Park in Wareham. On Cape Cod is Cape Cod Camp and Resort in Falmouth.

If Boston, Minuteman or Normandy Farms are both close to rail stops with easy access to Boston. Do not try to drive into Boston. Terrible traffic, rudest drivers and propane restrictions in the tunnels.

Saugerties has a nice KOA and Rip Van Winkle park. We've stayed at the KOA but not Rip. I looked at Rip and it looked like it would be fun for kids.