About one year ago today, we were just returning from a 10 day camping trip in our pop-up camper, Shirley Jean. We camped and road-tripped from our home in Virginia all the way up to Niagara Falls and back again. I promised a full rundown of our trip, including our itinerary as well as what worked and what we learned, but it took a long time to process. That was a whirlwind of a “vacation!”
We tend to name our big vacations (like our Epic Trip Out West, our Tri-Park Trip, and our Cali Trip). This trip got its name midweek. Amid a particularly gnarly trip decision, where things just kept going sideways, we decided to name this our Road Warrior Trip. Because that’s what we were. We were battling – soldiering together. Warriors.
The TL;DR Version:
Honesty from the outset: we ended up parking Shirley Jean in a parking lot in the Niagara Falls area and spending two nights in an Airbnb we managed to secure last minute on the drive from Watkins Glen to the Niagara area.
Our trip started with a flat tire on the pop-up not too far out of town, a weird bed snafu one of the first nights, and a total bed rail snap and break in Watkins Glen. We needed a few nights not to fight with the camper and see if we could do a more sustainable fix.
So we didn’t make it the full 10 days camping. After Watkins Glen, an incredibly gracious Airbnb host took my rather desperate plea for lodging and made space for our entire family plus dog plus camper and had a bottle of wine, cold Coca-Cola, and a hot pizza waiting for us. I can not adequately express what her thoughtfulness added to our family’s life.
Even when America feels so broken and our country divided more than ever, neighbors help neighbors and people help people.
Also, it is so incredibly hard as a parent to worry whether or not you can keep your kids safe. Very basic level, our job as parents consist of keeping our offspring safe from the elements and fed. When there is no roof over your head, the stress level rises quickly (which was a lesson similar to the one I learned when I did a juice cleanse).
It was driven home to me in a very real way that our kids, the people around us, react to our feelings and our actions far more than they react to the actual situation. Life throws us challenges all the time. Meeting those challenges with a calm head dedicated to solutions brought about by teamwork was likely the most valuable lesson of the trip.
See all articles from the Road Warrior trip:
All said, though, I still believe that camping in a pop-up is one of the best experiences ever.
Highlights for us included: Watkins Glen (besides the bedrail breaking, this stop was all around great – beautiful campsite, pretty town, and a deep gorge); being able to enjoy Hersheypark after hours; campfires and hammock summer days.
Time in the woods with my kids, sleeping in the same little wobbly tent on wheels, is something I absolutely love. I look back on photos and posts from previous camping trips, and I yearn to go back.
Our Full Itinerary from Virginia to Niagara Falls (& Back Again):
Practical tips:
- For the NY state park system a mandatory Certificate of Rabies Vaccination for pets is required (metal tags will not be accepted) at the time of check-in. This is, indeed, enforced.
- You will need passports to go to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls (which we think is worth it).
- Book your campsites and your lodging as far in advance as you can. Nearly everywhere we stayed was full months in advance.
Day 1
🚘Home to Gettysburg (3.15 hours)
🏕️Camp: Caledonia State Park
Day 2
🎖️Visit Gettysburg National Military Park
🏕️Camp: Caledonia State Park (night two)
Day 3
🚘Gettysburg to Watkins Glen (4 hours)
🏕️Camp: Watkins Glen State Park
Day 4
🚶Hike Watkins Glen
🏕️Camp: Watkins Glen (night two).
Day 5
🚘Watkins Glen to Niagara Falls (3 hours)
🏕️Camp: Four Mile Creek State Park
Day 6
🌊Explore Niagara
🏕️Camp: Four Mile Creek State Park (night two)
Get Unique Tips from the Trip Delivered
Day 8
🚶Hike Letchworth
🚘Letchworth to Hersheypark (4 hours)
🏕️Camp: Hersheypark Resort
Day 9
🎢Hersheypark
🏕️Camp Hersheypark resort (night two).
Day 10
🚘Return home
The Things We Learned:
1 – It is a lot of work to set up and tear down camp. Especially with a pop-up! Two nights minimum in each camping spot was required, three nights even more enjoyable for us. We had already spent significant time in our camper so had shortcuts and ways to make the process quicker. Yet we still found each time we tore down and set up we wanted it to be even less work!
2 – Things are going to break. With so many miles and so many nights in a camper, no matter how new or shiny your camper is, things are going to break. Something – anything – will not work properly on a moment’s notice. Bring some tools or otherwise have some idea how you may want to handle these times.
3 – It wasn’t relaxing, but it wasn’t NOT relaxing. Given all the work it takes to set up camp and tear down camp (plus extra time to fix things), it was work. We weren’t laying on a sunny beach somewhere (see here and here and here and here for those vacations). But camping is such a linear lifestyle: you get up, you make breakfast, you wash dishes, you adventure, you have lunch, you relax, you make dinner, you clean up, you have a campfire. Repeat. And repeat. The distractions of a modern lifestyle are nonexistent. That, with the added benefit of being immersed in nature, unwinds me.
4- Flexibility, resiliency, and creativity are key. (Or the old adage about the best-laid plans…) You can plan all you want (and you should since campsites will fill up), but there will be curveballs and things you can’t anticipate. Weather will not cooperate at some point. Go into a trip like this armed with a resilient and creative mindset. Don’t be too tied to outcomes.
5 – Communication matters. A trip like this is a good chance to try your relationship-building and tending skills. Yay! ‘How can we travel well together as partners, spouses, parents, siblings, through such a wild adventure? How do we speak to each other when things get challenging?’
6 – These types of memories are the ones that bond us closer together as a family than anything else. There is research that shows we love to overcome adversity. Getting in the trenches with each other creates a bond unlike any other.
7- A camping road trip isn’t as cheap as you think it is. It’s not as expensive as hotel rooms but campsites are usually around $40-$70 a night. Plus, you have to factor in gas, food, wood purchase, and adventure costs (Hersheypark isn’t cheap, nor is Gettysburg). It takes a budget.
8- Camping truly is quality family time. We haven’t had time to camp since we returned from this Road Warrior Trip (we’ve been taking opportunities to go international instead) and I miss it. Terribly.
Would we do it again?
Totally! And yet, never again. At least, not like that. (Now you see why it took me so long to process this trip and to write this post.)
I loved being on the road. I loved living life outside. Much like our campervan experience in Iceland, it feels freeing and wild in the best possible ways for me. Mr. Family Trip and I still talk about upcoming days in retirement where we get an RV and spend our weeks freewheeling around the United States.
And yet – there were some really rough moments on this trip, too. Our dog, who is a large 70+ pound golden retriever, is incredibly sweet yet also prone to anxiety. One night while the skunks were prowling around the campsite in Hersheypark, she couldn’t handle it. Our family had a meltdown. Paired with the beautiful moments, as well, such a swimming together in a crystal clear forest river, there were a lot of ups and downs.
If I were to do it again as a family, I would go with a more up-to-date camper.
If I were to do it again I would recognize that we (all) need to find a little space to be apart some. Our family is very close and we love each other a lot. But we each needed a bit of space and downtime at some point.
But there isn’t a single atom in me that regrets taking our Road Warrior Trip.
I had dreamed about this trip for over a decade. I wanted to recreate a magical trip my parents had taken me and my siblings on: a pop-up camping trip to Watkins Glen and Niagara Falls. And I made the daydream a reality. We took the trip.
I am not sure where my children will end up in their processing of the adventure. I like to think the experience added resiliency and creativity to their lives. I don’t know the future so I have no idea if they will be interested in recreating this trip for their families (if they have them).
I can’t look forward, but I am a pro at looking back. And in looking back, I am forever grateful we attached Shirley Jean to our truck and optimistically started up the highway. The best trip is still a family one.