Planning first long trip in our Hi-Lo - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

Moonstruck · 05-01-2015, 05:50 PM

Here's the plan. We are allotting about 5 weeks for a trip from Tennessee to Canada. Start date is set for the day after the Memorial Day weekend.

first stop---around Greensboro, NC for a quick overnight.

Then to visit friends in VA Beach, VA. Hopefully stay at First Landing State Park for 2 nights.

Hershey, PA for 2 nights to do a little site seeing.

Mystic, CT for 2 nights to see Mystic Seaport.

Freeport, ME for LL Bean 2 nights.

Mt. Desert Island area 3 nights to visit friends and eat Lobster.

Nova Scotia, 4 nights for sight seeing.

Riviere du Loop 2 nights for a rest stop.

Ottawa for 3 nights to see the area. (We did Quebec City fall 2013).

Cloyne, Ontario to visit friends at their lake cottage for about 3 nights.

Niagara on the Lake because Lou loves the place. 2 nights.

Then up around Georgian Bay with 1 night stop before Sioux St. Marie, and back to the states.

2 nights at Mackinaw City to see Mackinac Island.

Then it is on I-75 all the way home with 1 or 2 nights along the way.

Shoot holes in it if you can. Also any advice on things not to be missed will be appreciated.

Forgot to mention that there are 4 or 5 days of slack built in to slide the schedule.

Garry · 05-02-2015, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moonstruck

Here's the plan. We are allotting about 5 weeks for a trip from Tennessee to Canada. Start date is set for the day after the Memorial Day weekend.

first stop---around Greensboro, NC for a quick overnight.

Then to visit friends in VA Beach, VA. Hopefully stay at First Landing State Park for 2 nights.

Hershey, PA for 2 nights to do a little site seeing.

Mystic, CT for 2 nights to see Mystic Seaport.

Freeport, ME for LL Bean 2 nights.

Mt. Desert Island area 3 nights to visit friends and eat Lobster.

Nova Scotia, 4 nights for sight seeing.

Riviere du Loop 2 nights for a rest stop.

Ottawa for 3 nights to see the area. (We did Quebec City fall 2013).

Cloyne, Ontario to visit friends at their lake cottage for about 3 nights.

Niagara on the Lake because Lou loves the place. 2 nights.

Then up around Georgian Bay with 1 night stop before Sioux St. Marie, and back to the states.

2 nights at Mackinaw City to see Mackinac Island.

Then it is on I-75 all the way home with 1 or 2 nights along the way.

Shoot holes in it if you can. Also any advice on things not to be missed will be appreciated.

Forgot to mention that there are 4 or 5 days of slack built in to slide the schedule.

When you do return, please post a recap of how your trip went and any additional sights you might have added on the way.

Moonstruck · 05-02-2015, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garry

When you do return, please post a recap of how your trip went and any additional sights you might have added on the way.

I am thinking about blogging the trip. If I don't get time to set up a new blog for the camper, I will do it on our boat blog. Hopefully, we will be snapping pictures along the way, and the wifi will be good enough to upload them.

Our last land trip to Canada we did Quebec City, and blogged it on the boat blog. Hotels that trip, so this will be a new experience for us.

Garry · 05-03-2015, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moonstruck

I am thinking about blogging the trip. If I don't get time to set up a new blog for the camper, I will do it on our boat blog. Hopefully, we will be snapping pictures along the way, and the wifi will be good enough to upload them.

Our last land trip to Canada we did Quebec City, and blogged it on the boat blog. Hotels that trip, so this will be a new experience for us.

In 2012 we did a six week camping trip through Alaska and portions of Canada, going east into Canada as far as Drumheller, which is east of Calgary. Gonna try to make it to some parts of Canada in August/September.

Moonstruck · 05-03-2015, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garry

In 2012 we did a six week camping trip through Alaska and portions of Canada, going east into Canada as far as Drumheller, which is east of Calgary. Gonna try to make it to some parts of Canada in August/September.

That sounds like a great trip. Did you do a write up? Pictures? I would love to see it.

Don

Garry · 05-03-2015, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moonstruck

That sounds like a great trip. Did you do a write up? Pictures? I would love to see it.

Don

No, there was not any documentation, but my wife took a thousand or so pictures, most of them while we were on the road. I did have the pictures categorized in folders by events, but at some point when my computer was updated all the pictures dropped out of the folders and I have not gone through them again. IF I had documented the trip in detail, it would be an easier task getting the pictures back into the proper folder.

JIM L · 05-03-2015, 12:43 PM

We did a 6 week trip in 2012, Montreal, Quebec city and around Nova Scotia. Prince Edward Island was neat. Be sure to do the loop around Cape Breton island. It is beautiful. We left the HiLo in the RV park and did the loop in just the pickup. Be sure to go to the Alexander Graham Bell meuseum while on Cape Breton. You may think you know what he did but as a hint, Canada says he was the father of aviation. He invented many medical instruments and Helen Keller said he was responstable for her being able to communicate. There is also a restored/rebuilt fortress in eastern Cape Breton that was great to see. We went east from Quebec city on the north side of the St Lawrence river. The rosd Atlas said the ferrys were free to cross to the south side. When we got to the ferry landing we found out the Canadian Gov was no longer substadizing the ferry and it cost us aprox $250 to cross. If you plan to use any ferrys check the prices. Its a great trip, have fun.

Moonstruck · 05-03-2015, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JIM L

We did a 6 week trip in 2012, Montreal, Quebec city and around Nova Scotia. Prince Edward Island was neat. Be sure to do the loop around Cape Breton island. It is beautiful. We left the HiLo in the RV park and did the loop in just the pickup. Be sure to go to the Alexander Graham Bell meuseum while on Cape Breton. You may think you know what he did but as a hint, Canada says he was the father of aviation. He invented many medical instruments and Helen Keller said he was responstable for her being able to communicate. There is also a restored/rebuilt fortress in eastern Cape Breton that was great to see. We went east from Quebec city on the north side of the St Lawrence river. The rosd Atlas said the ferrys were free to cross to the south side. When we got to the ferry landing we found out the Canadian Gov was no longer substadizing the ferry and it cost us aprox $250 to cross. If you plan to use any ferrys check the prices. Its a great trip, have fun.

Thanks. Great info. We definitely plan to do the Cabot Trail. We may have missed the A. G. Bell Museum, but now will plan on stopping. If there is time we will do PEI. We plan to be on the south side of the St. Lawrence until we can cross by bridge. Thanks again.

Don

hilltool · 05-03-2015, 10:52 PM

Sioux st Marie has a neat little bush plane museum. If you got a couple extra nights I might run up north along Lake Superior. pretty country. And check out the locks.

Moonstruck · 05-04-2015, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hilltool

Sioux st Marie has a neat little bush plane museum. If you got a couple extra nights I might run up north along Lake Superior. pretty country. And check out the locks.

Thanks. The bush plane museum sounds worth seeing. We did the U. P. and south shore of Superior a few years back. Lou has never been to Mackinac Island, so we wanted to spend some time there. It will be interesting to see how the pooch reacts to all the horses.

Moonstruck · 05-05-2015, 10:37 PM

Finally, after buying the trailer in November of last year, we are camping. I bought it in Ocala, drove it to Tennessee, and winterized it. This is a sorting out trip, kind of a shake down if you will, before our planned 5 week trip to Canada.

It is going extremely well, and the upgrades done over the winter are working out well. As I type this at 10:30 pm sitting on the patio under the awning, I can't get over the beautiful spot we are in. We are in a Bartow County campground over looking Lake Allatoona and the dam. Quiet and very private spot with no neighbors visible. Water and 30 amp electric power for 12 bucks a night. What a deal. The cheap prices will be over as we start north.

Hopefully, some pictures in the next couple of days, but for right now we are very pleased with the Hi-Lo. Thanks for the advice and knowledge to be found on this website.

Don

Moonstruck · 05-07-2015, 10:12 AM

The dam across from out campsite.

hilltool · 05-07-2015, 10:42 AM

great looking spot. And I am jealous of how shiny you got the sides of that trailer.

I've been interested in that lake as I my daughter and granddaughter are in Atlanta. You did a nice job of squeezing in there. thanks for the photos.

rick

Moonstruck · 05-07-2015, 10:58 AM

Thanks, Hilltool. There are several campgrounds around Lake Allatoona. One of the best is Red Top Mountain State Park. It is beautiful with great facilities at about $35.00 per night. RTMSP can be booked up, especially on weekends. I would suggest planning ahead for that. We are in a smaller county campground at a third the price, and just as nice. The only thing to watch for here is the gate closes at 10pm and opens at 8am. That could be a problem for you. If you are interested in this one, let me know. It is not much on the radar screen. I will give you directions to get in here.

Treeclimber · 05-07-2015, 01:04 PM

Moon, wouldn't mind having that CG name also, as my oldest daughter lives right near there in Cartersville. We've camped at McKaskey Creek CG. And they accept the Senior Pass, $13 a day. Nice, quiet and spaced apart. Same type set-up as you have in the pics.
Thanks ahead!
Tree

Moonstruck · 05-07-2015, 04:08 PM

[QUOTE=Treeclimber;29742]Moon, wouldn't mind having that CG name also, as my oldest daughter lives right near there in Cartersville. We've camped at McKaskey Creek CG. And they accept the Senior Pass, $13 a day. Nice, quiet and spaced apart. Same type set-up as you have in the pics.
Thanks ahead!W

Tree, Bartow Beach Campground. If you go down GA20 Spur past where you cut off for McKaskey Creek CG T/L on Bartow Beach Rd. Follow it to the end, and you will be at the gate.

Lou is a retired teacher in Bartow County. If your daughter went to school there, she would probably have heard of her.

Don

desert trailer · 05-08-2015, 11:50 PM

Sounds like a great trip! We are from Mich, now living in Phoenix. Our friends had a cabin in Tobermory Ont, on Georgian Bay and spent many summers there. So much to see and do in Tob. We would then take the ferry from Tob to Manitoulin Island and Drive to the Soo, and on to Mackinaw city. Not sure which way your going to go across, but this route is really worth the trip. Terry

Moonstruck · 05-09-2015, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by desert trailer

Sounds like a great trip! We are from Mich, now living in Phoenix. Our friends had a cabin in Tobermory Ont, on Georgian Bay and spent many summers there. So much to see and do in Tob. We would then take the ferry from Tob to Manitoulin Island and Drive to the Soo, and on to Mackinaw city. Not sure which way your going to go across, but this route is really worth the trip. Terry

Thanks, Terry. We had planned for a quick overnight stop at Sudbury, but your route sounds very interesting. It may even be worth an extra day. I will be checking into that. With that and the Bush Plane Museum added, it's definitely worth an extra day. Hopefully, we won't be stricken with a bad case of gethomeitis that would cause us to miss it.

Don

notanlines · 05-09-2015, 05:29 PM

Don't miss Digby, Nova Scotia, site of the very best scallops in the world! Not to mention Minas Basin Nova Scotia, site of the highest tides in the world, sometimes as high as 50-55 feet.

Moonstruck · 05-09-2015, 08:32 PM

Digby is a great tip. I am hoping to get some really good pan seared scallops. We plan to see the tides roll in at the Bay of Fundy. I am starting to get really pumped about the trip. Thanks.