When Base Camp Feels Like Home Brattleboro North KOA
As we packed up the camper on the last day of our stay at the Brattleboro North KOA my mother-in-law mentioned that the campground had started to feel like home. I agreed wholeheartedly. This southern Vermont gem is possibly the best managed family campground that we have ever visited. Ernie, Beverly, and their son Justin made us feel comfortable and welcome on a daily basis. They are big-hearted people that are lucky enough to love what they are doing. They also seemed to be having just as much fun as we were during kid-friendly activities such as tie-dyeing and ice cream socials. We have had fun making shirts for the boys before but this time it felt like an outright party. They also provided a full range of sizes so all of the adults were able to make shirts as well.
The campground also has the all-important "buddy sites," which allowed us to face our camping buddies and create a common area in the middle for meals and playtime...
We even had a great time in their recreation room during a rainy day. The boys were able to stretch their legs and watch a movie, the lovely ladies played ping-pong, and Joe and I enjoyed conversing with a fine fellow named Dutch who was motorcycling from Utah to Maine and sleeping with his motorcycle in his tent. Dutch also seemed very interested in Finding Nemo, which he had never seen before. He asked me several questions and kept watching the movie even after the boys had bounced elsewhere.
The location of the campground served as the ideal base camp for our southern Vermont adventures. A short drive south brings you into downtown Brattleboro for coffee and culture, and a short drive north brings you to Putney for small town charm and great hiking. Perhaps best of all, the campground itself is cozy and delightful.
We spent a lazy afternoon feeding their horse Sway with carrots from the camp store. Justin even cut the carrots up for me so that the kids could each take a few more turns feeding him...
And as Stephanie mentioned in a previous post, we found delicious food everywhere in southern Vermont, and in the case of the Brattleboro North KOA, even right next door at Walker Farm. You are always just a few short steps away from a delicious summer snack when you are camping there...
Toward the end of our stay an interesting looking toy-hauler pulled up into the site right next to ours...
It was a group of six gentleman over 60 who were bicycling across American to raise funds for the "Wounded Warrior Project"and blogging about their trip along the way. They were a true inspiration. They had departed from Astoria, Oregon in June and were nearing Portsmouth, New Hampshire, which was to be the final destination of their epic journey. They had covered substantial ground and had raised substantial money. Please consider following one of the links above to make a donation in their name. These guys have been busting hump for our wounded warriors, and when they each pitched their little tents at the end of the night I wanted all of them to be my adopted grandfathers. Their families must be mighty proud.
Our family mixed and mingled with these philanthropic gents and we were delighted to hear some of their stories from the road. We were also delighted when we found out that Ernie, Beverly, and Justin had decided to turn that nights ice cream social into a fundraiser for the Wounded Warriors...
They introduced the six gentleman and asked them to speak about their journey and their great cause. The crowd listened quietly as they licked their free ice cream and enjoyed the camp fire. I felt blessed to be on the road with my family and to be meeting so many other interesting people along the way.
Thanks to the crew at the Brattleboro North KOA for truly hosting my family during our stay, and thanks to those six guys over sixty for reminding me that every mile of open road in our big and beautiful country is so profoundly free because of those who serve and protect.
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