We went camping this weekend at Elk Neck State Park in North East, Maryland. It was about a 2 hour drive from Princeton, NJ. We left Friday late in the afternoon and didn't get to the campsite until about 7 (stopped on the way for dinner). We went with two other families. I think it's fun going with other families as the kids have an even funner time when they have other kids to play with, and the adults can enjoy time at the campfire while the kids are sleeping. :)
The campgrounds are decent. They are pretty close together so there isn't a whole lot of privacy, but it is perfect if you are with other families. There are bathrooms and showers so it is nice that they are nearby, however if you like spiders, beetles, and other bugs in them then this is not the place for you. I was not a fan of the bathrooms. Hubby even saw a snake in the men's room one night! I would have had a heart attack if I saw a snake in the women's room. I guess I should be happy that there even are bathrooms and showers, just wish they were kept up a little better. I can wish right?
Hubby did a great job setting up the tent. Below was our campsite.
There were lots of things to do at Elk Neck State Park. I forgot to mention that when we entered the park and checked in, they gave us a map and a list of activities that were going on all weekend. They had an orienteering course, tie dye classes and more. I think it's really neat that they offer those things for those that are looking for things to do.
On our first full day, we took the kids to do the Lighthouse Trail. I'll be doing a separate blog post for that trip but I will talk about it more as you read on. We also went to North East beach and to the playground right by there.
We were advised that there were higher than normal bacteria levels in the water and that it was not safe for people to swim in, so we did not go in to the water to swim. However, the playground that was close to the beach was great! The kids loved the tire swing and the other play structures that were there.
That night we ate at a nearby crab shack, Captain Chris' Crab Shack and it was awesome! Perfect place to bring the kids as there were sand toys and sand to keep the kids occupied while waiting for the food to come out. The sand everywhere was a nice touch! Felt like we were at the beach! The food was priced very decently and very yummy. I had half a crab cake sandwich and some fried clams with fries. So good! Definitely recommend the place!
Our nights consisted of roasting marshmallows, making smores, banana boats, a scavenger hunt and even popcorn over the campfire. From our campsite, we had a limited view of the sky with the trees that surrounded us, but it was still ok for star gazing. We looked up at the stars searching for shooting stars but all we saw were satellites.
I did have a long training run of 10 miles scheduled for this weekend and was not sure I would get it in. But I convinced my friend to go run with me and when you get a friend to go, there is no backing out. It was nice because her going with me, helped motivate me to actually do it.
We decided our route would be to run to the lighthouse and back. The roads did not have any sidewalks or bike lanes so running together was a good idea. Running there was tougher than usual for me as it was quite hilly. It was a great training run in that aspect as Seattle Rock and Roll next month will most likely be hilly (well at least hillier than runs here in New Jersey).
The weather was perfect during our run. It was a nicer day than the previous day with blue skies and a nice breeze. We stopped at the lighthouse and I even went up it again since my friend did not get a chance to the day before. Here is our selfie pic with the lighthouse.
It was a great run! Out and back it totalled to a little over 9 miles. I didn't get the 10 miles my training plan recommended I do, but I'm just happy I got a nice long decent run in, especially while we were out camping.
The rest of the trip consisted of wading at the little beach off of the lighthouse trail (the kids loved throwing rocks & sticks there), playing around the campsite, and I got to relax and read a book which was really nice.
In all the trip was great! It was nice to get away from everything for a while. Not having tv, computer, internet, can be hard, but it's nice to just enjoy the outdoors and appreciate nature without having to think about that email or TV show. It was really nice to watch the kids play and they did not think about the Ipad or YouTube video once. Nature and the outdoors are awesome as trips like this can make you forget about everything else.
Did you do anything fun or interesting over the long weekend? If so what?
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