J Chickery

June 17, 2021 by J Chickery Leave a Comment

Peanut Butter and Jelly Energy Bites

These Peanut Butter and Jelly Energy Bites are a delicious snack to get your energy up when you’re feeling sluggish. They are perfect for driving days and to bring along on your sight seeing adventures.

Even better, they’re super easy to make, can be customized with different ingredients, and taste amazing! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Ingredients

1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup mashed banana
1/2 freeze-dried strawberries
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Learn how to make PB&J Energy Balls, a healthy snack.

Instructions

Mix together peanut butter, banana, and maple syrup in a bowl. Add oatmeal and freeze-dried strawberries and stir to combine.
Use your hands to roll the mixture into bite-sized balls. If the mixture sticks to your hands you can coat your hands with a little oil or cooking spray. If the mixture seems a little dry you can add a bit more mashed banana. If it’s too wet, add a little more rolled oats.
Place balls on a cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper.
Store in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

Yields: 15 – 18 Balls

PB&J energy balls are the perfect healthy snack that are easy to make.

These PB & J energy balls are a perfect snack for the RV, truck, trail, or anytime you want a healthy snack to tide you over until mealtime.

Read my tips for eating healthy on travel days.

Find more healthy road trip snacks.

More Recipes

If you are looking for more recipes or a camping meal plan, check out my Cooking at the Campground cookbook.

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If you are looking for a healthy snack, these PB&J Energy Balls will fit the bill. They are simple to make, easy to pack, and taste delicious.

June 13, 2021 by J Chickery Leave a Comment

Best Waterfront Campgrounds For Every Budget

We love camping by the water any time of year, but it sure is extra nice when the temperatures are soaring outside. Nothing beats the breeze coming off a lake or ocean to cool you down. We are so fortunate that there are so many waterfront campgrounds across the country including those on rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and the ocean. Below are a few of our favorites divided into categories by cost: free, budget, and luxury options for RV camping by the water.

Free Waterfront Campgrounds

Boondocking or dry camping is a great way to enjoy free camping on the water. Thanks to the Bureau of Land Management, there are many opportunities around the U.S. Just search “free camping by the water” on the internet or your favorite trip planning app and you’ll find that there are numerous options, particularly out west. A popular option due to its proximity to Las Vegas is Lake Meade National Recreation Area. There are several different areas where you can camp off grid at Lake Meade — one even has bathrooms. Just note that while boondocking is free there, you will need to pay an entrance fee if you don’t have an annual parks pass.

If you’d like to save money, but also have some water and power, consider camping at one of the amazing Corps of Engineer Campgrounds across the U.S. These waterfront campgrounds are situated along rivers, dams, and reservoirs that are maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers (COE). If you have the Senior or Access National Parks Pass, you can even get 50 percent off your stay.

Budget Waterfront Campgrounds

There are three basic options that we’ve found for moderate or budget waterfront campgrounds: state parks, Corps of Engineer locations, military campgrounds, and mom & pop no-frills campgrounds.

Three of our all-time favorite state parks are located on rivers. Most of these state parks are reasonably priced and they often offer additional discounts for seniors or state residents.

It’s hard to pick just one favorite, so we’ll share two. The first is Rainbow Springs State Park in Florida. It is located on a crystal clear, freshwater spring-fed river. Seriously. The water is so clear it looks like a swimming pool. Another great thing about this state park is that the campground is separate from the main attraction area so you can enjoy a quiet day looking over the river.

Shenandoah River State Park in northern Virginia has 5 miles of waterfront access along the Shenandoah River. Another great thing about this campground is that it is only a 10-minute drive to Shenandoah National Park. That makes it a great place to stay as an alternative to the national park.

Army Corps of Engineer campgrounds offer some of the best waterfront camping in the country. They are managed by the Army Corps of Engineers and available to the public. Even better, as a federally managed campground you can get a 50% discount if you have the senior or access (disability) national parks passes. We’ve loved every single one we’ve stayed at, but here’s just one example, Gunter Hill COE Campground.

If you can access military bases, there are some phenomenal waterfront campgrounds to enjoy. Read our Guide to Military Campgrounds. We have several that we’ve gone back to more than once. One of our absolute favorites was Sigsbee Campground in Key West, Florida.

A second runner-up was Patrick Air Force Base. It is located on the Banana River and the ocean is just across the street from the main base. I had a lot of fun trying to learn how to do stand-up paddleboard there.

Don’t forget about the small, locally-owned campgrounds. Sometimes they are located in the most magical spots. We stayed at the Wagon Circle campground along the Red River in Heber Springs, Arkansas for only $26 a night.

Luxury Waterfront Campgrounds

Luxury and waterfront often go hand-in-hand. We’ve stayed at some top notch resorts along our RV travels. Here are just a few of the best.

The first is Catherine’s Landing, an absolutely gorgeous RV resort with a mile of water frontage on Lake Catherine. It is only about a 20-minute drive to Hot Springs National Park. The resort is packed with amenities and plenty of activities like boat & kayak rentals, zip lining, disc golf, and a huge pool.

We love beachfront RV resorts and two of the best (Gulf Waters Beachfront RV Resort in Port Aransas, Texas, and Bluewater Key RV Resort in the Florida Keys) have privately owned lots with cabanas. They offer different levels (pricing) of sites depending on what amenities you want.

As you can see, the options for camping along the water are abundant across the United States.

Do you have a favorite waterfront campground? Please tell us in the comments below.

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Learn about the best waterfront campgrounds for every budget. Includes free camping, military campgrounds, budget waterfront camping, and luxury RV resorts.

April 11, 2021 by J Chickery Leave a Comment

Luray KOA (Luray, Virginia)

We visited the Luray KOA this spring and loved it! Nestled between Shenandoah National Park and George Washington National Forest, it has fabulous views all around the campground, not to mention all the recreational opportunities.

Watch the short video review below or continue reading for more details.

Sites

We love KOA’s because they offer so many different types of sites to suit any budget or preference, and this one was no exception. In fact, the Luray KOA had some of the most unique site offerings that we’ve seen.

Deluxe Patio Sites – These are full hook up pull through sites with a dining table, extra seating area with lounge chairs, umbrella and fire ring. We stayed in these sites as you can see from the image above. We loved how the fire pit area had its own little patio too.
Standard Pull Thru Sites – There were standard full hook-up pull thru sites that come with a smaller concrete patio, picnic table, and fire ring.
Back-In Pergola Sites – These sites were so cool, we want to stay in one next time. They have a picnic table under the pergola, which is situated at the rear of your RV. Then just below the pergola, there is extra seating area with lounge chairs, a fire ring, and mountain views.

The Luray KOA has the most unique campsites including these pergola mountain view campsites. The pergola has a picnic table and extra seating, then below it, you have a fire ring and more seating to enjoy the mountain views.

Other Back-In Sites – As usual, there are a variety of back-in sites based on RV length accommodate small campers and big rigs. The extra long back-in sites were probably the longest I’ve seen! Another bonus of the back-ins is that they are all situated around the edges of the campground so you have greenery and views behind you — not other RVs.

The extra long back-in sites at the Luray KOA can fit the largest RVs. They also back up to greenery and views of Shenandoah National Park.

No RV? No problem! They have tent sites, cabins, and yurts to enjoy.

Amenities

This campground has all the amenities you’d expect, but we thought they were nicer than most. For example, they had two swimming pools, a playground with a large open field for the kids to run around in, and the largest dog park we’ve ever seen.

Another great amenity was a camp kitchen with sinks and a long counter behind the bath house. This is a terrific place for those staying in the tent sites to do their dishes.

Local Area

Luray Caverns boasts the largest caverns in the Eastern United States. They have well-lighted, paved walkways that lead visitors through cathedral-sized rooms with ceilings 10-stories high, towering stone formations, and natural wonders at every turn. With so many fabulous formations, I can’t name them all, but here’s one of my favorites: Dominating Giant’s Hall at 47 feet in height, this column is the tallest and one of the most spectacular formations in the caverns. The Double Column is a classic example of the two basic cave formations the stalactite and stalagmite coming together as one massive wonder of nature.

Luray Caverns is the largest caverns in the eastern United States.

Hawksbill Greenway consists of two miles of trails along a quiet creek. It’s a great place just off downtown Luray to ride your bike or go for a stroll. Downtown Luray has several shops, restaurants, and a great little ice cream place. If you’re looking for an inexpensive afternoon, do some window shopping, ride your bikes on the Greenway, and treat yourself to an ice cream cone.

Book Your Stay Now

Whether you are looking for a quick get away or family vacation, you can’t go wrong with this amazing KOA campground! Click here to make reservations and don’t forget to sign up for the rewards program to get 10% off every KOA stay. We love the rewards program because you also earn points to use towards discounts on future stays. We were able to get $50 off our weekend here using accumulated rewards points.

Interested in learning more about what KOAs have to offer? Click here to listen to Sean & Kenny’s interview with the President and CEO of the company.

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