Who's planning for 2014 vacations?

[michigansandzil]

Just booked our first camping trip for April 2014. We're going to stay at the Jellystone in Cosby in the Smoky Mountains. Kids have never been there and we're all really looking forward to it.

This summer we also plan on visiting Lake Superior in Brimley and Tahquamenon Falls. We'll visit Lake Huron at Tawas Point, and Lake Michigan at Silver Lake. We've stayed at all of these places before (aside from Tahquamenon) and have enjoyed them all.

It's still another 5 months before we can dewinterize, but I'm already looking forward to it. Seems like planning is half the fun!

Anyone else have vacations planned yet?

[noe-place]

Always wanted to see Quebec but never made it for one reason or another. We've been to Alberta twice and Toronto once but it's Quebec I really want to see.

[Racefan1]

We live in New Brunswick, Canada and will attend several weekend campouts with our Good Sams chapter. (We have a great time together)Will attend Nascar in New Hampshire twice and Delaware once. Have our family campout July 1st weekend. As well, will probably camp at local race track several times this summer. If you are planning for this summer, come up to eastern Canada. Friendly people, beautiful scenery, and Lobster galore. As well, the border crossing is hassle free. Don't believe the stories. We would love to have you visit.

[noe-place]

Looks like we're going to Lake George next summer. Lots of history in the area and that's one of my main interests plus gas is expected (hoped)to be lower than last summer. Let's keep fingers crossed.

[Veebyes]

Oh well, looks like Alaska is off for next year. The love lives of our 2 grown children are getting serious so there just might be festivities to plan & pay for.

If anything travels will be less ambitious. We are now thinking of something very loose & flexible doing bluegrass festivals, factory tours & hopefully some lawn mower racing between the Appalachans & the Mississippi. It is an area that we have crossed many times in the past 7 years but never spent any real time in.

[reubenray]

We will be heading to Sieverville, TN. for a Tiffin rally in late March. In late May we will be heading to Key West for about 2 weeks. I have not planned anything yet after that for now. If nothing else we will head to some COE parks for some 7 to 10 day stays.

[time2roll]

Yellowstone 2014 has been booked for a month now.
See ya there :B

[garmp]

We just returned from a two week jaunt through Texas, Louisiana into Arkansas and back home to Missouri and am now starting to plan our next trips. Have to agree that the planning is almost as much fun as the trip. Boards like this really help get a real perspective on the places & what is out there. Google maps, Google Earth, look out we're at it again.

See ya'll down the road.

[Opie431]

Planned and will make our first reservations in five days.

[ericsmith32]

The only planned trip is in May/June which we'll head down to Houston/Galveston to see the outlaws. I'll like to go back through San Antonio, love that area. I'm sure there will 10+ others but those will be random.

[wbwood]

samsphones wrote:

wbwood wrote:

samsphones wrote:
Jan and Feb in Florida, week in April in Boone,NC and week in early June at Lake Lure,NC, nothing else planned right now but we get out every 2 weeks or so.

Where at Lake Lure?

We are thinking about Tom Johnson's in Marion, its about 25 miles to Lake Lure but not many campgrounds near the lake.

That's what I was wondering.. Didn't know if there was a park I missed on the internet, lol. It's been years since we've been over by Lake Lure. Matter of fact my wife doesn't remember it..lol

[samsphones]

wbwood wrote:

samsphones wrote:
Jan and Feb in Florida, week in April in Boone,NC and week in early June at Lake Lure,NC, nothing else planned right now but we get out every 2 weeks or so.

Where at Lake Lure?

We are thinking about Tom Johnson's in Marion, its about 25 miles to Lake Lure but not many campgrounds near the lake.

[Matt_Colie]

michigansandzilla wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions Matt.

A couple of years ago we went to Mackinac Island and the fort, Pictured Rocks boat ride, White Fish Point and the shipwreck museum, the falls..............enjoyed it so much we're doing it again and taking extended family with us! We're using Tahquamenon Falls and Brimley SP as our central points to visit everything. Can't wait to go back. Looking back, I think that was my favorite family vacation of all time.

Someone mentioned renting a row boat to go to the island at the falls. Never heard of that and it sounds fun so I'm going to give it a go.
Our last trip, we went to the Locks and no boats were going through so we ended up having dinner out at 'Antlers', amazing but never got the full experience of the Locks. Have you ever done the boat tour through the Locks? Wondering if it's worth the expense. We do plan on simply packing a picnic lunch and just hanging out at the park there to watch the boats go through, but will consider the boat tour if it's worth it.

I can easily say that I have never paid for the boat ride though the locks. I've been though them a lot, but I was running the engine of the ship that was being locked through. It was different standing on the ground and watching the ship move. I don't have any clue what the excursion might cost.

Watching the locks from the the "Peanut Gallery" is best if you either can either use marinetraffic.com or drop into the visitor center at the locks as soon as you can. They have a board there that they keep to give citizens an idea when to expect the ships. Take the kids into Valley Camp if you can. I'm told by people that don't work on ships that this a good chance to get aboard and there is a lot of history and displays in the holds. I tend to stay away from the Fitzgerald stuff as it still hurts.

At the Lower Taquamenon you can rent a boat. We didn't but some did. I don't know if you are boondock capable, but if you are, there is a great hole in the road just west out of Paradise:
N47°37.870' W085° 2.900'
They call it the snowmobile park. You won't have any competition for space when you are there. Quiet and nice. There is water and dump available at the entrance to the lower falls campground. That campground has always been booked solid when we were there, but the dump was open.....

Antlers is a strange place. But most of the eateries at the locks are designed to have character.

You should walk the kids along Water Street between the locks and the powerplant. You want to read everything starting at Johnson street and work west. There are historic houses and then a monument that is a story all its own. You may just have a local stop and tell you. Typical government operation... But at least have the kids read the history.

If you give me an idea how far west you plan to go, I can probably fill in more things to see and do.

Matt - a ships engineer now living downriver

[Farm_Camp]

Before the kids get out of school in late April or early May we'll dewinterized and make a couple of weekend trips in Ohio (Alum Creek and/or Salt Fork State Park) or similar...

Then we have reservations for a week at Disney's Fort Wilderness in early June. Still planning the trip down - probably looking to make it a three day trip with sleepovers at CGs in VA and SC on the way. On the way back we're still trying to decide on a route. We've thought about stopping someplace in the Smokys for a day or two on the return leg. In all it's going to be two full weeks out and we're really looking forward to our first "big" trip.

After that we'll most likely stay in Ohio for the rest of the season getting out on weekends whenever we can.

[michigansandzil]

Matt_Colie wrote:

michigansandzilla wrote:

This summer we also plan on visiting Lake Superior in Brimley and Tahquamenon Falls. We'll visit Lake Huron at Tawas Point, and Lake Michigan at Silver Lake. We've stayed at all of these places before (aside from Tahquamenon) and have enjoyed them all.

You have a lot of planning still to do.
If you are going where you say are, you have other stops to make. If you don't make them now, when??

I almost forgot. . .
Stop at the memorial at Rogers City. They may get a grasp of the just how dangerous these fresh water seas can be.

Before you cross the straights, stop at Mill Creek and then you have to spend a day on Machinac Island. Get the book and get to the history of the fort and maybe the butterfly house. It was over twenty years ago and my kids still talk about that.

Once you cross the straight, head right for the locks. Drop the wife at the visitor center with a phone. Way west is RV parking, don't feed the meter unless there is a ship coming right then. There are two nice campgrounds right on the river east of the locks. Bicycles can get you to the locks if you don't want to unhitch. Then there is the Valley Camp and the River of History Museum (closed Sundays), the tower is OK, but don't bother with it unless you have the time.
When you are done at the Soo, go up to the museum at Whitefish Point. It is a great stop (not cheap, but great). Now go on to Upper and Lower Taquamenon. If you have the time, go west to Munisng Falls. If you are that far, you should take the kids on the boat ride to the Pictured Rocks, they really can't be seen from shore.

Want more? Come back... I can go on.

Matt

Thanks for the suggestions Matt.

A couple of years ago we went to Mackinac Island and the fort, Pictured Rocks boat ride, White Fish Point and the shipwreck museum, the falls..............enjoyed it so much we're doing it again and taking extended family with us! We're using Tahquamenon Falls and Brimley SP as our central points to visit everything. Can't wait to go back. Looking back, I think that was my favorite family vacation of all time.

Someone mentioned renting a row boat to go to the island at the falls. Never heard of that and it sounds fun so I'm going to give it a go.
Our last trip, we went to the Locks and no boats were going through so we ended up having dinner out at 'Antlers', amazing but never got the full experience of the Locks. Have you ever done the boat tour through the Locks? Wondering if it's worth the expense. We do plan on simply packing a picnic lunch and just hanging out at the park there to watch the boats go through, but will consider the boat tour if it's worth it.

[Lauren]

IMHO - adventures (trips) come in three parts ---- planning, doing and memories.

I love all three but DW not so hot on the first part; leaves that up to me mostly.

Having been married 50 years I am smart enough to seek her input and "adjust" plans accordingly!

We planned a beautiful 42 day trip to CO and UT for Fall colors - were back home the same day we started due to mechanical issues. (I posted that day from Hades on here - remembering that humor is tragedy plus time). We knew Someone was telling us to forget the trip - turns out we would have been at Capitol Reef NP the day the Parks were shut down. Then we were to go to Bryce and then Grand Canyon. Hmmm.

Enjoy your travels - be safe. No guarantees on life. Take it one day at a time but ok to plan your future but accept the outcome as it comes.