Day 18 and 19 – Snowbird RV Trip Florida to Canada
Mount Jackson, VA to Dover, PA 161 miles
5/18-5/19 Sunday-Monday
We are both readers and love to visit library book sales around the Country as we travel. We also sell out-of-print books that interest us on Amazon and on our other website, northwoodsbookshop.com.
That said, Lancaster, PA just happens to be having their weeklong Spring Super Library Book Sale when we are passing nearby. This sale offers 250,000 “gently used” books for sale in all genres and many are just fifty cents for softcover or $2 for hardcovers. It’s almost always well worth our time for a side trip whenever we know of a library book sale. We’ll attend many up in the Northeast this Summer.
In researching for a Passport America or Good Sam campground nearby, we narrowed it down through reviews, photos, and websites to the Gettysburg Farm RV Resort. It’s our first time dealing with a Thousand Trails “Club Resort” though we have talked with their representatives at RV Shows in the past.
We did receive an invitation to a no-obligation orientation to hear about the Thousand Trails program. In essence a “Zone Park Pass” would entitle us to 30 nights of free camping a year and additional nights would cost only $3 each. The cost of membership is $545 per year but at this time we could join for $425 for the year. I believe this can be used at other member campgrounds in whatever “Zone” we would choose. We looked and there don’t seem to be many members where we want to go. We will pass but would really like to hear from anyone who has joined and has had good experience with the Club.
This is actually a working farm and it is probably great for families. There are ducks and turkeys running loose, donkeys and llamas to watch, as well as a petting zoo. They have miniature golf, a playground, and an activity center.
We started having concerns about the place when we phoned to make a reservation. They do accept Passport America but if you are not a Thousand Trails or Encore member you are considered a “Retail” and listed as such. I found the lady on the desk curt on the phone and even more so in person. Now I definitely know what it feels like to be a second class “Retail” citizen.
They take your reservation and your money but all sites are on a first come – first served basis. You arrive and drive around to find an open site and then you tell the desk which one you picked. We asked if there was a pull-thru and were told, “Well there might be. Not sure. You’ll have to look.” They really don’t seem to know “who’s on first” or any other site for that matter! Do they really care? Now we are talking $45/night campsites here (soon to be $52 with Memorial Day and the start of “The Season”). Does anyone else get the feeling that customer service has become a lost art?
So we drove around the farm for about 30 minutes, towing, looking for what was available. The only pull-thrus were if 2 back-to-back sites were open then you could pull into one. Most of the sites are very close together. We ended up on site #123 which is a 30Amp, FHU, back-in, but with plenty of space and an open field on one side. Should you happen to stop here we do recommend #123 though we doubt if we will come back to this or any other Thousand Trails campground in the future. It was not the fun experience we look for when we are paying for the privilege.
On Monday we drove to the book sale and found it quite uncrowded, which is unusual but enjoyable. We ended up with 2 large bags of books for under $20.
The day got even better when we took a chance on a Trip Advisor recommendation for dinner at the Silver Spring Family Restaurant at 3653 Marietta Avenue in Lancaster on our way back from the book sale. Very good food and great service from happy, smiling young ladies who took and served our orders. Try the “Grilled Sticky Bun Sundae”. That’s a large, warm, sticky bun, your flavor choice, topped with ice cream and whipped cream. Suggestion: Order only one but with 2 spoons. It’s just that big, as Jack soon found out.
The local price we paid
for gas was $3.699 at the local Sheetz. Average is $3.739 in the area.
Next stop: Oswego, New York
More info about:
Gettysburg Farm Rv, A Thousand Trails & Encore Resort PA/$24.18, Sun-Thurs only.
6200 Big Mount Rd, Dover PA, 17315
Reservations: (888) 318-1243
30/50Amp, water. Some FHU sites w/sewer. WiFi available. Pool, laundry, propane.
Nearby: American Civil War Museum, Antique Auto Museum, Battlefield Tours, Dutch Wonderland Family Amusement Park, Hershey’s Chocolate World, Utz Potato Chip Factory, Harley-Davidson Vehicle Operations Plant, and Sturgis Pretzel House.
Gettysburg Farm RV Website:
http://www.thousandtrails.com/pennsylvania/gettysburg-farm-rv-campground/
Passport America information:
http://www.passportamerica.com/campgrounds/pa/gettysburgfarmrvanencoreresort3060
http://www.rvparkreviews.com/regions/Pennsylvania/Dover.html
Trip Advisor and Things To Do & Restaurants:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g52508-Dover_Pennsylvania-Vacations.html
Hop Aboard as we visit new places, find friendly faces & enjoy life along the Snowbird RV Routes 