RV ALASKA - The Journey Begins!

Our family camped at Northampton Beach Campground on Great Lake Sacandaga for the first time in the summer of 2009, and we immediately fell in love with “the lake.”  Located on a beautiful piece of property in the foothills of New York’s Adirondack Mountains, the state-run park also offers a boat launch and a day use area with a beach and picnic tables. This year would mark our 16^th year of family vacations there, and we didn’t want to break our consecutive streak.  So, even before knowing our exact travel dates for Alaska, we booked two waterfront sites at the lake for opening weekend in mid-May through Memorial Day.

Date(s) – May 17^th – May 27^th

Wildlife to Date – 1 bald eagle, 1 great blue heron, a number of ducks and 5 adorable ducklings

Highlight(s) – Camping with our son & daughter-in-law (Ryan & Anya) and our friends and fellow Outdoors RV owners (Bernie & Carol and Cliff & Diane); morning coffee with a splendid view of the lake, blue-sky boating days; and a total of three trips to Zippy’s for some excellent ice cream.

Lowlight(s) – Our daughter (Kyra) wasn’t able to join us at all this year - the first time that’s ever happened; and a brief return home was necessary due to a family emergency (all is well now).

Laugh of the Day – With this crowd, it’s laughs all day, every day.  For example, on the morning we were away from camp tending to the family emergency, Diane had baked scones for breakfast.  This gang enjoyed their freshly baked scones at our campsite with our view of the lake, and then had the nerve to send us a photo of the empty container with a few crumbs scattered about for effect.  We were assured that the scones were delicious, and they all had a wonderful time at breakfast.  What the heck?!

Campground(s) – Northampton Beach is a New York State Park operated by the Department of Environmental Conservation.  No hookups, no extra amenities (it’s all about the lake here), but plenty of decently spaced and decently sized wooded campsites.  This is our family’s favorite campground, hands down.  Note that we don’t use the restrooms or showers, but long-time camping friends do, and they feel that a much better job could be done in reference to keeping them clean.  The ice man drives through in the morning, and he comes back through in the evening with his ice cream truck.  Right outside the park is a small but challenging mini-golf course with a beautiful view of the lake and marina.   It's a delightful place for fun with friends and family.

Pic(s) of the Day

(left to right) Alan & me, Bernie & Carol, Cliff & Diane and Anya & Ryan

Our waterfront site - yes, we did burn all that firewood; no, not all at once!

Sunrise out our big back window

Special Message(s) – A big and heartfelt thank you to Bernie and Carol who so very kindly delivered a rock guard they offered to pass along for our trip to Alaska.  And a shoutout to Gretchen, Joanie and their colleagues at Northampton Beach – hope y’all have a great summer!  We’ll be back!

Up Next – We’ll be working our way west to Oregon for a scheduled maintenance appointment before we cross over into Canada, and we’re happily looking forward to a two-night stay at one of our favorite Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds along the way.  See you on the road!