Last minute camping update: Any vacancies for Upstate NY campers this holiday weekend?

Our favorite campgrounds are all full!

We've had a spectacular week of Perfect Camping Days and Nights, all leading to what promises to be a rare fine-weather three-day weekend. Usually it's tough to plan much of anything for Memorial Day Weekend here in western NY. This year we knew in advance that all three days would be nearly idyllic.

As a result, it's now close to impossible to secure a last-minute campsite at any of the camping resorts we've tried in years past. Here's a round-up of the state of campground affairs among our favorites:

Holiday Hill Campground: Sarah says "we're almost full," only 2 rental trailers remain

Pricing: $98/day with 3-days required.
Upcoming events: new Pig Roast for July 9 - 11.
Our Rating: **** (of five)
1-800-719-2267 * 7818 Marvin Hill Rd., Springwater, NY 14560


Canandaigua/Rochester KOA: Ruth and Victor note: "we're completely full"

Upcoming events: full slate of activities for 4th of July holiday weekend.
New features: a canine recreation area with obstacles and more.
Our Rating: **** (of five)
1-800-KOA-0533* 5374 Farmington Townline Road, Farmington, NY 14425

Cheerful Valley Campground: Peg offers: "We have a few no-hookups sites available"

Pricing: $105 for all 3 days (required).
Upcoming events: (Sat) fishing derby, Finger Lakes Wine tasting (Sun) Kickball early, Dance later
New features: some campsites upgraded from last year.

Our Rating: **** (of five)
(315) 781-1222 * 1412 Route 14, Phelps, NY 14532

Sugar Creek Glen campground:  Mary Ann thinks, "We may have one or two sites" (cancellations)

Pricing: [call] 3 days required
Of note: don't miss the waterfalls and hiking trails.

New features: several new campsites on the creek, with beaches!

Our Rating: ***1/2 (of five)
(585) 335-6294 * 11288 Poags Hole Rd., Dansville, NY 14437

Jellystone Park of Western New York: [no report, assume resort is full]


 New features: answering machine mentions "new water zone"
Our Rating: ***** (of five)
(585) 558-9644 * 5204 Youngers Rd., North Java, NY 14113

Jellystone Park of Central New York: unnamed employee notes, "we're full" [hang-up]

 New features: hoping the pool is open this year [Editor]

Our Rating: **** (of five)
(315) 963-7096 * 601 County Route 16, Mexico, NY 13114

Bedford Creek Marina and Campground:  Tammie says, rushed, "we're completely full."

New features/activities: "please check our website"

Our Rating: ***1/2 (of five)
(315) 646-2486 * 16750 Allen Drive, Sackets Harbor, NY 13685


Skybrook Campground: unnamed employee notes, "we're full" [hang-up]

Upcoming events: Rolling Hills Rally, hosted by Skybrook Campground, Sat August 13
Our Rating: *** (of five)
(585) 335-6880 * 10861 McCurdy Road, Dansville, NY 14437


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We've stayed at every one of these campgrounds at one time or another over the past six years. Some, we've enjoyed several times. All come recommended. The Ratings are relative; every park is at least "good."

With the current uncertainty surrounding NY's State Parks, you might find yourself visiting a privately-run camping resort for the first time. We were apprehensive at first, years ago, because we had grown used to staying at Hamlin Beach State Park. Private campgrounds are as different as people are. Call ahead, ask questions, and tour the websites before you make a reservation.

If you have a campground you'd like to see added to this list, please contact me via Comments or by using the link at the top of this page.

How do you relax? "We like camping better!"

There comes a point when you know that Camping Season has arrived at last. Today, a week before Memorial Day Weekend, that moment happened. We've had three consecutive Perfect Camping Nights (no rain, no wind, low sixty or better). What's more, those balmy nights all happened leading into a weekend. This would indeed have been a Perfect Camping Weekend -- a rarity in Upstate New York.

We're not camping this weekend. We rarely get out before the first holiday of summer; and we hardly expect the weather to cooperate anyway. Still, the smell of maple logs burning lingers in the morning air. The sound of last night's peepers has transformed to the chirp of the summer birds in the trees around my balcony deck. I spent the first minutes of the morning in a sun-dappled shade with a cup of coffee and a good book.

A couple of weeks back, Rex Trulove, a senior editor for Helium.com, asked our group for our thoughts on "how do you relax?" Here's how it went between us:

[Rex wrote] I think I know what Jim's answer will be to this one, but it shouldn't really be hard for anyone.

To totally unwind and relax, what is your special escape? Everyone has a special one, reading, gardening, traveling, or whatever.

For me, it is camping. I go to a primitive site (no out houses, showers, or other amenities) and park my rear end for a few days. I walk around, I talk to the animals, I explore, I sit in front of the campfire and stare into the flames, and all without the TV, DVD, VCR, Computer, or any other electronic gadget. The closest I get to electronic is the car, which is mostly used to get us there and home.

I don't even carry a watch. I can usually tell by within a half hour, what time it is by looking at the sun.

I have a lot of hobbies, but my escape is camping. I calm down and everything starts to make sense again. Unfortunately, in 2007 I went camping 13 times, and since moving here, I've gone camping 3 times in three years (counting the upcoming trip).


We had some interesting replies from the gang at Helium. Angie mentioned horseback riding and boating. Kat talked about reading, rosary beads, and the beach. Rachel loses herself in editorial work, mentoring, and playing the guitar.The whole group agreed that "the beach" should figure in the answer, somewhere.

I chimed in, eventually:

"Of course, you know how much I love camping. I've also written, here at Helium, about a perfect Sunday morning at home -- the solitude of dawn, when the rest of the household is still asleep. While those Sunday mornings can be productive times, they are often best spent deep in the pages of a good book, too.

"Camping allows me to put all the pieces together: a quiet weekend morning, my family sleeping peacefully, a battery-powered radio playing a bit of country music at background volume, a hot cup of coffee, and time to read a few dozen pages uninterrupted. If I reach a point where the book might be set aside, that's also the perfect time to write. A couple of my favorite articles were penned in just that way.

"The only part I haven't been able to bring to the mix is a beach. The sound of waves and gulls is one of the most soothing noises a person can enjoy. I'll have to work on finding a campground with something bigger than a fishing pond.

"The best part of these morning camping moments of solitude is that they always end pleasantly. The kids wake up and want to go for a hike, or toss the Frisbee. My wife hustles up some "cheesy eggs" and toast. The sun bursts over the treeline, and the rest of the campground comes to life. The day will pass quickly, and we'll be tired by evening. Our eyelids will get very heavy by the flickering light of our campfire. And soon enough, we'll pack up and head back to our hectic reality."

Rex wrapped it up this way:

Jim, I knew what your response would be, because we are so much alike.

Most everyone knows I get up around 4 am every morning. Fewer know that it is mostly from camping. That is usually an hour or so before it starts getting light. That gives me time to build a nice hot fire, make some coffee, and get comfy so that when the life starts returning to the forest and steam is rising up from the water, I'm parked in a chair, witnessing it all. The sun is usually shining brightly before everyone else gets up, so it is my special magical time, just for me, and the nature around me.

More than once, the wife has gotten up when the first rays of the sun were licking at the tent, to find me sitting happily, sipping my cup of coffee, and with a stringer already full of fish. She thinks I'm half crazy. I've been working for years to convince her that I'm not half way.

Crazy? Not a bit. As my good friend Raymond always notes: "We like camping better!"

copyright 2010 - reprints on request

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How do you relax? A chair and a book by the beach? An IPod and a long drive? A horseback ride through a mountain meadow? What works for you?

Humorous camping adventures: The Pastor and the Bear

by Lenora Moore guest author

[Editor's note - Lenora is a teacher, mom, pet owner, and writer at Helium.com]

Pastor Larry loved to camp.  For a needed rest, he and five other men from the small town church drove to the campsite in his pickup truck with a cab over camper.  They all loved to sleep out of doors, so they set up tents and used the camper for dry food storage and refrigeration.  The campfire was the cook stove.  They were all experienced campers and hunters, but this trip was the town joke for many years.

Pastor Larry was an easy going outdoorsman with a good sense of humor.  He had one character flaw the campers could not understand; he could not tolerate dogs.  One of the five men brought along Duke, his big black Labrador retriever.  Generally they always brought along one dog for safety in the back country, but this dog especially aggravated Pastor Larry.  For some unknown reason, Duke had taken a shining to the old preacher.

When it was time to go fishing, you would think Duke would follow his master. No, he raced ahead of Pastor Larry to the fishing hole and jumped in to take a swim!  Well that fishing hole was spoiled for the day.  Pastor Larry shook his head and looked for another deep hole.  Duke happily trotted along with him, pausing only long enough to shake water all over his companion.  When the breakfast trout were caught, Pastor Larry joined the others around the campfire to fry up the morning's catch.  The smell of food, the crackling, cheerful fire, and the men’s good natured kidding lightened the atmosphere.  So Pastor Larry decided to forget about Duke’s early morning swim.  One dog would not spoil this trip! 

Read the rest of Lenora's true camping story... 

Reprinted by permission from Lenora Moore, copyright 2010. Read Lenora's profile at Helium.com
Photo by ajruck at Flicker.com
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Does Duke ruin the Pastor's camping outing? Be sure to read the rest of Lenora's story to find out.

See this true camping story as it appears on Helium.com

How about you? Do you have a true camping adventure you'd like to share? You can reach me via Comments or by using the link at the top of this page.

What's YOUR first sign of spring? For us, it's the arrival of summer!

[Back on March 1st, I heralded the arrival of spring with a post about the Camping World 300. At the time, we had just finished suffering our last blizzard of 2010. Since then, we've had a snow-free March (first ever) and broken two decades-old high-temp records with new highs near 90 degrees. ]

With the early arrival of summer in Upstate NY, what signs did we have that spring was here?

Before spring began, right after our big snow, I asked my Facebook friends what they saw as "first signs of spring." Julie Sawyer Helms offered, "crocus!" and Becca Badgett added "...Helleborus budding and daffodils pushing through the soil!"

Suzanne Ormond mentioned the ever-popular robin. Doreen Martel saw some blue jays. Carroll Jean Yorgey went out for a walk and didn't want to come back. Glory Lennon and Janet Collinge lent observations and discussion. Tracy McKay brought in her cat, shedding hair all over the place. Donna Carroll Batton claims that "Dairy Queen opening" brings spring for her. Teresa Depoy agreed that the sound of baby birds was a sure sign of spring.

As I'd noted earlier, the arrival of NASCAR's Nationwide and Sprint Cup races puts me in the springtime mood. Even better, however, is the end of the snow and the beginning of truly warm days. Some years, I've watched the Masters Tournament (PGA), feeling wildly jealous of the brilliant shades of green and the blossoming flowers. This year we've already had days correctly described as HOT; and everything here is blooming early.

Certainly, spring has arrived disguised as summer, here in western NY. Much earlier than usual, we've attacked both front and back gardens. The daffodils and tulips are surging skyward, already in bloom. It's time to mow the lawn. Last week we came this close to seeing our first couple of Perfect Camping Nights -- two degrees warmer overnight, and we'd have marked them down.

What's my one and only, "it's really spring now" sign of spring? The arrival of RV's on the road! I'm not sure where they're going, since the campgrounds aren't open yet, but for me that does it. Seeing a big old Class A motorhome rolling down the highway gets my camping blood pumping. The campers are OUT! That's when I know it's really spring.

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Is there one sure sign of the season, unique to your world? Robins or campers? NASCAR? Warm days? What works for you?

Caledonia RV Center holds spring open house

by Jim Bessey

Press release from Caledonia RV Center, south of Rochester NY

Caledonia RV

Attention all RV owners!  This Friday and Saturday (4/9 & 4/10) is Caledonia RV Center's Annual Spring Open House!  Get 20% off in-store merchandise and 10% off special orders--plus FREE information seminars to help you get your RV ready for Spring....all for FREE!!!  If you need customized work done on your RV, Brandon and the "RV Pros" can give you an on-the-spot FREE estimate!  Caledonia RV Service, Parts, and Accessories Center--Giving you the freedom to just go!  

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Caledonia RV, about 35 miles south of Rochester, is worth the drive. It's a big-town RV center with a small-town feel. They offer complete service for everything from pop-up campers to Class A motorhomes. In addition, you'll find a complete selection of parts, supplies and accessories. Of course, if you're looking for a new or used RV of any sort, they can help you with that, too.  ****Recommended