Something different--Watkins Glen Review
Here we are again. You by choice (hopefully you are not bound and gagged), me, well, somewhat by choice but only because I'm awake not by choice. Oh, before I forget, this blog is sponsored by melatonin. No, I am not getting paid to say this. Actually, this blog would probably not be possible with melatonin. Life happens and I ran out. I have been on a good run this past week without its help, surprisingly.
Since I am here, and my creative faculties are limited, I thought I'd do something different. Today's edition will be a campground review. This past weekend, my family and I went to Watkins Glen KOA. It is a campground resort just outside Watkins Glen, NY. If any of you have ever been to this area, you know that there is SO much to do that you really need more than a weekend. Of course, if it weren't for the little people with us, it probably would have looked much different. This campground is a great place to take kids though, and we did! There is an indoor pool with spa, fitness center (more for adults since kids under 16 are not allowed in there), an outdoor pool, bounce pillow, jump pad, waterslides, bumper boats, zip line, climbing wall, laser tag, 2 playgrounds, outdoor theater, and miniature golf course. There is also an army truck on site that gives rides a couple of times a day. There are several different ways for kids to take advantage of all the activities. Our kids are 6 and 11 and, unfortunately, they didn't always want to do the same things. So for the younger one, we got a "wet pass" which gave him unlimited access to the waterslide and bumper boats. The older one wanted to try zip line and some other activities so we got him what they called a "High Octane Pass". He mostly used this pass to ride the waterslide, but he also scheduled a ride on the zip line. Supposedly he could have also played laser tag, climbed the climbing wall and I still am not sure what else. Might have been cheaper to get him the wet pass and added on one zip line ride, but I may be wrong. It definitely would have been cheaper to pay for the younger one to ride just the waterslide per ride since after a couple of times, he decided he didn't want to do it anymore. It is kind of high and really just looks like a giant slip and slide with a bumper at the bottom. You go pretty fast, and some even get turned around, like he did on his first ride down. The older one loved it and said it was the fastest water slide he'd ever ridden. I was spectator to all of this. I did go in both pools and took a brief visit to "spa" by the indoor pool, which I found to not be all that great. Problem with big hot tubs is the jets aren't always set to hit everyone in the right spots and you can't adjust them. It was hot though, I'll give it that. Made the pool water seem cooler when I went back in. Speaking of the pool, we used the indoor pool as a training ground for the youngest one to try swimming without his flotation device. We've been wanting to do this all summer but the opportunity was never quite there. The pool the one night was almost empty so we went for it. Now I will say he can definitely keep his head above the water! He even was jumping in occasionally like he did with said "floatie" on. Mission accomplished!
Other than the obvious activities for the kids, the campground itself was quite nice. If you have an RV, there are several different types of sites to choose from. We stayed in a basic site with full hook ups, which was not bad. Our site had partial shade, which really means we had a decent tree on site. Some sites had a flat concrete patio with full hook ups, while others had patios with furniture and inset fire pits. A few sites, which were for motor coaches only (NO FAIR!), even had gazebos with tables in them. Many of the deluxe sites, patio with furniture, were pretty much out in the open but had a decent amount of space between the neighboring sites. I did see there also were some sites that were wooded, mainly on the one side near some cabins, but there were also some scattered here and there in other areas. I find that the first time we go to a campground, we scout out sites that are shaded or spacious, in case we decide we want to go back another time. They have quite a few cabins there to rent, which vary from basic to deluxe. Some looked like they came with furniture on porches as well as grills in addition to fire pits. I have personally never been inside one so I do not know how nice they are, but they probably describe them on their website. There is a whole row in a very shaded woody area near the one play area. There is also a dog park, which isn't very large but does give you a place to take your dog off leash. It wasn't bad for a campground dog park, but all our golden wanted to do was sniff everything. The campground is a good size and for as many people that can be packed in there, I think it didn't seem crowded or overly noisy. Well, exception would be at the outside pool, which was very crowded. Normal probably for a 90 plus day in July. Even at night, I found the campground to be pretty quiet. At a lot of similar type campgrounds, I think it is often very noisy. Maybe everyone was tired or maybe they all were just inside their RVs or cabins because it was so hot and humid. I don't know. It was nice and peaceful. What also made it nice and peaceful was the lack of a cell signal. We had zero contact with people or media for the whole weekend. This made it easy to just relax and read, which I did as often as I could. This helped me finish a book I'd been reading for book club for some time. Ironically, it was a book about happiness. I find I am a 9 out of 10!
We did try out the miniature golf course, which we enjoyed, but the hubs and I find that we always seem to argue, the family that is, when we play. It is probably because none of us are that good. It would have been better if the group following us wasn't always right on our tail! They practically rushed us through, which might have been a good thing considering the heat. Ah the heat! Ever hear the saying, "Go jump in a lake!"? Well, I wish someone would have told me that this weekend because nearby there is a rather large one that probably would have felt pretty nice to jump into. That would be Seneca Lake, where there is boating and a wine trail (Don't drink and drive!). There is also a state park with many waterfalls, called Watkins Glen State Park, which we did not go to this time around. If you want to take your favorite pooch with you, you must have a paper vaccination validation with you for them to enter park. Tag they wear will not suffice. Also I believe that dogs are not allowed on the main trail, the gorge trail. I imagine it can be pretty crowded and tight, as well as slippery in spots, which would not be good with many dogs on it. If you like wine, I suggest Lakewood Winery, which is dog friendly, and they have both an indoor and outdoor tasting area to accommodate you. Tastings there are not free, but if you purchase 2 or more bottles, your tasting fee is refunded. That is the only winery we made it to this trip but there are many others. There are also some breweries and distilleries along the trail. It is rather spread out though, so be prepared for possible long breaks in between. I think we drove 20 miles or more just on one side of the lake. If we were kid-free, and even dog free for the trip, we probably would have done more of this. But as parents, we make sacrifices. I do not imagine us hitting this trail like we once did would be much fun for the boys. I was happy to get away with 2 bottles. Lakewood has always been one of my favorites along Seneca Lake. Which do you like? It has literally been years since we've done a tour. I spotted many new ones I had not seen before. It shall be written that we will hit this trail one day with gusto!
That sums up our experience and my "review". I slept like an old man while we were there. No, not frequent naps! Just slept unaided both nights and got up early. I did not say baby because, from experience, I know that means I would have been up several times a night, probably waking up crying. I am glad I can say that wasn't the case. So, with that, I will bid you adieu. And remember, to sleep is but a dream, but to dream would be divine. I dream of sleeping. Good night!
Since I am here, and my creative faculties are limited, I thought I'd do something different. Today's edition will be a campground review. This past weekend, my family and I went to Watkins Glen KOA. It is a campground resort just outside Watkins Glen, NY. If any of you have ever been to this area, you know that there is SO much to do that you really need more than a weekend. Of course, if it weren't for the little people with us, it probably would have looked much different. This campground is a great place to take kids though, and we did! There is an indoor pool with spa, fitness center (more for adults since kids under 16 are not allowed in there), an outdoor pool, bounce pillow, jump pad, waterslides, bumper boats, zip line, climbing wall, laser tag, 2 playgrounds, outdoor theater, and miniature golf course. There is also an army truck on site that gives rides a couple of times a day. There are several different ways for kids to take advantage of all the activities. Our kids are 6 and 11 and, unfortunately, they didn't always want to do the same things. So for the younger one, we got a "wet pass" which gave him unlimited access to the waterslide and bumper boats. The older one wanted to try zip line and some other activities so we got him what they called a "High Octane Pass". He mostly used this pass to ride the waterslide, but he also scheduled a ride on the zip line. Supposedly he could have also played laser tag, climbed the climbing wall and I still am not sure what else. Might have been cheaper to get him the wet pass and added on one zip line ride, but I may be wrong. It definitely would have been cheaper to pay for the younger one to ride just the waterslide per ride since after a couple of times, he decided he didn't want to do it anymore. It is kind of high and really just looks like a giant slip and slide with a bumper at the bottom. You go pretty fast, and some even get turned around, like he did on his first ride down. The older one loved it and said it was the fastest water slide he'd ever ridden. I was spectator to all of this. I did go in both pools and took a brief visit to "spa" by the indoor pool, which I found to not be all that great. Problem with big hot tubs is the jets aren't always set to hit everyone in the right spots and you can't adjust them. It was hot though, I'll give it that. Made the pool water seem cooler when I went back in. Speaking of the pool, we used the indoor pool as a training ground for the youngest one to try swimming without his flotation device. We've been wanting to do this all summer but the opportunity was never quite there. The pool the one night was almost empty so we went for it. Now I will say he can definitely keep his head above the water! He even was jumping in occasionally like he did with said "floatie" on. Mission accomplished!
Other than the obvious activities for the kids, the campground itself was quite nice. If you have an RV, there are several different types of sites to choose from. We stayed in a basic site with full hook ups, which was not bad. Our site had partial shade, which really means we had a decent tree on site. Some sites had a flat concrete patio with full hook ups, while others had patios with furniture and inset fire pits. A few sites, which were for motor coaches only (NO FAIR!), even had gazebos with tables in them. Many of the deluxe sites, patio with furniture, were pretty much out in the open but had a decent amount of space between the neighboring sites. I did see there also were some sites that were wooded, mainly on the one side near some cabins, but there were also some scattered here and there in other areas. I find that the first time we go to a campground, we scout out sites that are shaded or spacious, in case we decide we want to go back another time. They have quite a few cabins there to rent, which vary from basic to deluxe. Some looked like they came with furniture on porches as well as grills in addition to fire pits. I have personally never been inside one so I do not know how nice they are, but they probably describe them on their website. There is a whole row in a very shaded woody area near the one play area. There is also a dog park, which isn't very large but does give you a place to take your dog off leash. It wasn't bad for a campground dog park, but all our golden wanted to do was sniff everything. The campground is a good size and for as many people that can be packed in there, I think it didn't seem crowded or overly noisy. Well, exception would be at the outside pool, which was very crowded. Normal probably for a 90 plus day in July. Even at night, I found the campground to be pretty quiet. At a lot of similar type campgrounds, I think it is often very noisy. Maybe everyone was tired or maybe they all were just inside their RVs or cabins because it was so hot and humid. I don't know. It was nice and peaceful. What also made it nice and peaceful was the lack of a cell signal. We had zero contact with people or media for the whole weekend. This made it easy to just relax and read, which I did as often as I could. This helped me finish a book I'd been reading for book club for some time. Ironically, it was a book about happiness. I find I am a 9 out of 10!
We did try out the miniature golf course, which we enjoyed, but the hubs and I find that we always seem to argue, the family that is, when we play. It is probably because none of us are that good. It would have been better if the group following us wasn't always right on our tail! They practically rushed us through, which might have been a good thing considering the heat. Ah the heat! Ever hear the saying, "Go jump in a lake!"? Well, I wish someone would have told me that this weekend because nearby there is a rather large one that probably would have felt pretty nice to jump into. That would be Seneca Lake, where there is boating and a wine trail (Don't drink and drive!). There is also a state park with many waterfalls, called Watkins Glen State Park, which we did not go to this time around. If you want to take your favorite pooch with you, you must have a paper vaccination validation with you for them to enter park. Tag they wear will not suffice. Also I believe that dogs are not allowed on the main trail, the gorge trail. I imagine it can be pretty crowded and tight, as well as slippery in spots, which would not be good with many dogs on it. If you like wine, I suggest Lakewood Winery, which is dog friendly, and they have both an indoor and outdoor tasting area to accommodate you. Tastings there are not free, but if you purchase 2 or more bottles, your tasting fee is refunded. That is the only winery we made it to this trip but there are many others. There are also some breweries and distilleries along the trail. It is rather spread out though, so be prepared for possible long breaks in between. I think we drove 20 miles or more just on one side of the lake. If we were kid-free, and even dog free for the trip, we probably would have done more of this. But as parents, we make sacrifices. I do not imagine us hitting this trail like we once did would be much fun for the boys. I was happy to get away with 2 bottles. Lakewood has always been one of my favorites along Seneca Lake. Which do you like? It has literally been years since we've done a tour. I spotted many new ones I had not seen before. It shall be written that we will hit this trail one day with gusto!
That sums up our experience and my "review". I slept like an old man while we were there. No, not frequent naps! Just slept unaided both nights and got up early. I did not say baby because, from experience, I know that means I would have been up several times a night, probably waking up crying. I am glad I can say that wasn't the case. So, with that, I will bid you adieu. And remember, to sleep is but a dream, but to dream would be divine. I dream of sleeping. Good night!
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