Roughing It

In a stark departure from our normal camping in the fifth wheel, Colby and I joined my brother-in-law and his son in a night out in the wilderness for some hunting. We spent Sunday night on a large farm in Pittsylvania County. We tent camped for the first time in a few years. It was a mild night in the low 40's and the experience was fun. I had a few equipment problems with the sleeping bag and ground pad but other than that it was fun. We started a fire with just a magnesium fire starter and tinder we gathered at the campsite. Fire building without lighter fuel is a task! We cooked hotdogs and bacon and eggs over our open fire. We got up early and hunted hard all day Monday with very little success. Colby and his uncle and cousin stayed Monday night and were planning to have grilled squirell for dinner. Its not something that i want to do every weekend but it did remind my of the things that attracted me to camping in the first part. I like the idea of being self sufficient and making it on my own in nature. This was still allong way from true roughing it, but it was rough enough for me, especially when work was waiting for me on Tuesday morning. I hope the winter will not seem too long without camping and the spring will come early.

Halloween 2008

We had a great weekend! Who would think we would have 70 degree weather in Nov. We had a hotdog cookout on Sat. and then a fun game of Texas Hole'em on Sat Night. Sun was wonderful with the colorful leaves and sunny weather. If you have put the RV up for the winter you are missing out on some fun camping. Running Cedar will be open all year with limited office hours, but you are still welcome to camp with us through the winter. Keep in mind that the best camp sites will get rented out early in the spring. We will be working all winter on the sites. So if you think a seasonal rental might be right for you call us early.

Fall Camping

Things are slowing down here. The pool has been closed for the season. The fall air is so refreshing after the hot summer. Campfires seem a lot better in the fall. River fishing has been good, I caught a citation smallie last week. I am thinking of adding some rental kayaks next year and some river trips, let me know if you think you would like to go on a river float while camping here. We are headed out to Kerr Lake this weekend just to get away for a few days. They are having a boat race which should be fun, I will try and post some pics later. Sammy and Brenda are leaving at the end of October for thier annual pilgrimage to sunny Florida to wait out the cold VA. winter. I usually try and send them hate e-mail in Jan. and Feb. while we are freezing and they are sitting by the pool. They do plan to return next May to be with us again. Fall is shaping up to be great for camping it will be very quite and relaxing at Running Cedar so give us a call to make a reservation.

Pre-Labor Day

We camped at RCRV this weekend and just chilled out for the most part. We are looking forward to having a huge holiday weekend on Labor Day! We had some new customers this weekend that were really nice and they loved our campground. One is staying for a month and the other is comign back the weekend after Labor Day. I fished the river on Friday and Saturday and caught good numbers of smallmouth bass, not too many big ones though. We did see a bald eagle soaring along the river on Saturday. Rex and I took some time on Sunday morning to install a coax. into the basement of the 5th wheel so we can watch TV outside on the upcoming cool fall nights. I hope everyone will get a chance to camp this Labor Day! I hope a lot of campers will also join us this fall for some great fall camping.

Finally! the new sites are open

Its been a long month of construction but we opened the new 8 sites this weekend and two campers already moved in. We have some dressing up to do, weedeating and mulching etc. but they should be great for Labor Day. We are almost booked for the holiday weekend so I suspect that even the new sites will be full for the holiday. I hope some of them will take us up on some fall camping. It really is a great time to be out by a campfire. We stayed on one of the new sites this weekend and the weather was great all weekend. I spent a lot of time at the river this weekend. Sunday afternoon we floated from Leesville Dam to what we call the sand pit. We must have caught 20 smallmouth, and a lot of red-eye perch. We dont have river access at the campground yet, but there are several fun floats within a 15 min drive of Running Cedar. The Staunton River offers something for everyone. Leesville Dam to Alatavista is a whole day trip, probably 8-9 hours if you stop much. It can be broken down into more manageable stretches. Leesville Dam to Goose Creek, Goose Creek to Rt, 43, and Rt. 43 to Altavista. The river has really good small mouth fishing along with Class I and II rapids that are fun for novice to expert. The park at Altavista offers a great take out boat ramp. Bring your canoes and kayaks to Running Cedar and ask us to help you plan a float down the river it will be a great time for the family.

Canoeing and Kayaking

We stayed the weekend at Running Cedar and work continued on the new sites. They should be ready in about 2 weeks, pending the power. We recently bought the kids 2 - kayaks and they have had a blast learing to kayak on the Staunton River. The whole family floated from Long Island to Brookneal on Sunday, 6 - Kayaks and 3 canoes. It was a long day but fun! There are several good float trips within a few minutes of Running Cedar. The Staunton River from Leesville Dam to Altavista is clean and clear, not too difficult and has some really good smallmouth fishing. Campers should bring thier boats and ask us how to get in and out of the river for these floats.

New Sites Coming!

We had a very productive weekend. The new sites are coming together great! I hope they will be open in a few weeks. They are all large 50 amp sites. It was hot, hot, hot at Running Cedar all weekend so the pool got a workout. We only had 2 open sites this weekend and are totally booked next weekend. One of our owners was on the way to the store early Saturday morning when he came upon a RV on the side of the road so he stopped to offer any assistance. The family was on thier way to Myrtle Beach when a wild turkey flew across the road and smashed the driver side windshield and made the truck un-drivable. We invited them to ride out the weekend at Running Cedar until they could get the truck repaied on Monday. I know it must have been an awefull dissappointment to thier kids, so I hope they enjoyed the lay over at our campground. I hope they have a safe trip down and back to MB and maybe they will become a Running Cedar customer. I hope we can fill up our new sites for the fall so if you want a big flat site on a monthly basis give us a call.

Camping on Water?

My son and I had the opportunity to go and spend the night on a friends 34' Hateras at Wrightsville Beach, NC on Tuesday night. We had a great time just hanging out in the v-berth. We were up at 4:45 am headed out to sea by 5:30. We spent 6 hours off the coast of Wrightsville beach and caught about 8 sharks around 3' long each. The weather was pretty bad with 4' seas and 15 mph wind kicking up with whitecaps. We got out as far as 12 miles but decided it would be best not to venture further out in the rough conditions. Camping on the boat was a new experience for us both. A 34' boat is very small compared to a 34' RV.

Happy July 4th!

July 4th was wonderful at Running Cedar. The weather was great, not too hot and very little rain. Most everyone arrived Thursday evening. We watched RV on the big screen Friday night. Saturday the kids enjoyed snow cones at the pool. WE stayed busy with softball and baseball all weekend so I did time at the campground and ran out to ball games every day. We did get in some Sea Dooing and kayaking on Friday afternoon. We stayed in our overflow area where the new sites are planned for. I think the new sites are going to be some of the best we have when completed. I am looking forward to a lot of camping this month, I hope everyone can get out in July and sit by a camp fire.

July 2008

We will be staying at Running Cedar all month. Hope to see you there.

Myrtle Beach 2008

We arrived on Saturday June 14 and got checked in around 3 pm. I loved our sites, the best we have ever had at the beach. 2 spaces from the lake and 6 spaces from the ocean. Getting set up went smooth as the site was level and big. After set up it was off to get our golf cart for the week. We love riding around the park all week in the golf cart. Saturday we just chilled and went to the beach. Sunday it rained late in the afternoon so we went to Broadway at the Beach and let the kids play Magiquest. Monday was a beach and pool day. Tuesday was the hottest of all so we headed to the water park at Surfside Beach and the whole family had a blast. The kids started fishing on Wed. and we fished in the lakes durign the day and in the surf at night. We caught 3 sharks about 8" long all week, but it was cool to catch a shark!
Thursday night we did seafood and the Magic Kingdom Amusment Park till around midnight. Then Friday we went back to Broadway and did Magiquest and IMax and some shopping. The weather was great all week and we had a blast. The trip home was un-eventful but we were tired by the time we got back Saturday evening.
Now its time to get ready for July 4th at Running Cedar, hope to see you there!

Pre-Beach Trip 2008

We headed out to Myrtle Beach last Friday and stopped over in Asheboro NC for an overnight at Holly Bluff campground. Its been around for 40 years. It was nice and clean, but did not have chairs by the pool. After dinner at the K&W and the obilgatory trip to Wal Mart, we rode our bikes around the park before dark to see if we could get any ideas for our park. The kids played putt putt and rode bikes. I think we have decided that we do not need a mini golf at Running Cedar. It was a quick stay and we were up and gone by around 10 am headed to MB. The traffic from Marion in was aweful stop and go for 10-15 miles it added at least 1.5 hours to our drive time. We did stop over in an old grocery store parkign lot for lunch. Pulled out the Honda generator for our fans and microwaves. I think we can stop, put the slides out and hook the generator. Then fix lunch and put everything back quicker than a stop at fast food. I love that about RV'ing. We arrived at Pirateland around 3pm and the check in was really quick and then off to our site.

Beach Week for Us!

We will be leaving Running Cedar this week for a week at Pirateland at Myrtle Beach. I am ready for some rest and relaxation. Our site is near the lake and only 8 spaces from the beach. Running Cedar is booked solid this week and July 4th weekend. I hope we will be full for all of July and August. If all goes well we will have our new sites open sometime in July. They will all be large 50 amp sites, and it will bring our total number to 23 sites. The lake is now a balmy 84 degrees and the pool is even warmer than that. If you have not made a reservation for this summer at Running Cedar please give us a call soon.

I will report back from sunny MB next week. We are staying one night at Holly Bluff near Asheboro and 7 nights at MB. I hope to bring back more ideas on how to continue to develop RC into a first class camping experience.

So next week will be: No Shoes, No Shirt , No Problem!

Memorial Day 2008!

First of all, I want to say thanks to everyone who choose to spend thier holiday weekend at Running Cedar. The weather was perfect, warm during the day and cool at night. We were completely full for the weekend and it seemed like everyone had a great time. Saturday afternoon everyone was invited to a hotdog cookout hosted by Running Cedar. Later 4 teams of 2 squared off in a duel of skill at the new horseshoe pits. Sunday night a lot of the campers enjoyed watching National Treasure II - Book of Secrets projected on the side of the building. The pool was open and a few brave souls used it despite the water still being cold. Several campers brought boats and enjoyed some time on the water. Rex went out Sunday and caught enough crappie for supper. We took the SeaDoos out Saturday and Sunday and had some fun on the lake.

I think the hit of the weekend may have been our new play ground set for the kids. Its close enough to some of the campsites that parents could sit by the camper and still keep an eye on the kids. I saw a lot of folks taking advantage of the new walking trail, its a bit long but a good workout after some good camping meals over the weekend.

It was a really good kick off to the summer camping season! I hope more and more people will discover our little campground. I think we have come a long way since last year and it is really begining to look and feel like a great place to spend time with the family.

Here comes Summer!!

We spent the weekend getting ready for the big Memorial Day Holiday Weekend. Just odds and ends, working on the walking trail, installed some walls in the back of 2 sites, and over all cleanup. The weather was great Friday and Sat. nights. We sat outside by the camp fire both nights and watched the races. Saturday night Rex made home made choc. ice cream. We went for a walk around the new trail and measured it with the GPS to be a 0.67 mile loop. It dawned on me that 5 laps would make a 5k, but it would be a tough 5k. I may try it one morning this weekend. I am looking forward to the campground being full this weekend! We are totally booked. Brenda and Sammy our hosts are here now and are getting up to speed on the park and helping with the running. They will be on Site #1 all summer.

See everyone this weekend!

Perfect Spring Night

Friday night was a perfect spring night. There was absolutely no wind and about 65 degrees. we had steak on the grill. The campfire was great with no wind the smoke went striaght up while the kids roasted marshmellos. The kids fished for a couple hours Sat. evening while we worked on completing the new horseshoe pits. We had planned to stay Saturday night as well but packed it in around 10 pm with a storm blowing in. Sunday morning we decided to move our fifth wheel to site number 10 and try it for a while. I sure do enjoy the ease of hitching a fifth wheel. It only took about 15 min. to completly change sites.

I hope more people will take advantage of spring camping at Running Cedar RV. You cant beat a campfire on a crisp spring night!

Another weekend of Work at Running Cedar

We stayed Thursday through Sunday at Running Cedar. The kids fished and rode bikes all weekend. We worked on almost every site, grinding brush and stumps to clean up the sites. Our grass is finally starting to grow, I hope it will turn nice and green in April. We got the new playground set this weekend now we just have to get it assembled.

I am liking site 11 alot, its very private and tucked into the woods nicely. I was actually glad to see the rain Sunday morning, our grass needed it, and I needed the break. I popped a movie in the master bedroom TV and stayed in bed till noon.

Spring is here!

We camped the weekend at Running Cedar. It was beautiful Saturday, sunny and 70. We stayed busy around the campground getting ready for the season. We stayed on the newly renovated Site 11 and really like it. It has lots of room for the picnic table and fire ring. We will probably stay a few more nights this week since it is spring break. Even the Easter Bunny delivered baskets at the camper Sunday morning.

Winter becomes Spring!

The weather was great! We spent Fri. and Sat. at Running Cedar RV Resort. Nights were chilly but the days were in the 50's. The kids had a great time playing at the picnic area and the adults got lots of time walking the new trails at Running Cedar. We are looking forward to gettin the campground back open for the season.

Winter becomes Spring

Cold at the Beach

We de-winterized for a quick trip to Myrtle Beach for the MLK Holiday. It was cold and rained one day. We found some fun things to do indoors, like Medevil Times, IMax, and the kids loved Magi Quest at Broadway at the beach.

This was our first time to try out Ocean Lakes and there were probably 150 other crazy winter campers there as well. The kids enjoyed time at the indoor pool. All in all the new camper did great! Except for waking up at 5:30 out of propane, thank goodness for good old Wal Mart. I liked Ocean Lakes but I think I still prefer PirateLand for Myrtle Beach. It was a good trip and we got to spend 2 nights in the new RV.

We left Myrtle Beach at 7 pm and it was 33 degrees, by the time we arrived home at 1 am it had dropped to 10 degrees. That meant draining everything and winterizing before getting any sleep.

About the Reynolds Family Blog

The Reynolds Family blog was created to share our camping adventures with friends. We have been camping as a family for almost 20 years. Starting out with just Tim and Patti and a 2 person pup tent. We did have one small 18' camper for a few years but college caused us to liquidate that. Our tents kept getting bigger as we added Colby, and then Abbie. We enjoyed tenting in state parks and COE campgrounds where we could take our boat along. Then my brother in law Rex and his wife Pam took the leap and bought a 27' camper. Along we came for the ride and purchased a used 25' Coachman. As the story so often goes we caught the fever and after 2 seasons we traded on a 30' Wildwood 2 slide model. We love the bunkhouse layouts! The Wildwood was home for a year then the fifth wheel fever came along. We along with Rex and Pam moved on to Siera 5th wheels and we now call our 38' 3 slide Siera 316 BHT home away from home.

Somewhere along the way Patti and I became half owners and developers of a new campground near Leesville Lake called, http://www.runningcedarrv.com/ . We now spend a lot of our camping time there and continue to develop it.