Spring Valley Campground - June 3-5

Camping again? OF COURSE! It's what we do people! Tyler is still in the thick of baseball so we had to go someplace close enough to get back for his game on Sunday morning. We chose this campground we always pass on I-70 in Cambridge. I wasn't expecting much because it seems to be a smallish campground (from the interstate view) and honestly we just wanted a place to go and camp. Also worth nothing - this was our very first camping trip alone - it was just us and the kids for the most part, save a visit from my sister Kenna. It was SO nice only having to drive half an hour after work on Friday. We lucked out with a great site, right across the street from a huge field and a playground area. We were very happy and pleasantly surprised with this campground. They had a nice lake, a decent pool, some fun activities and the staff there was so friendly. The downfall to the trip was the storm that kicked up on Saturday, resulting in us going to bed much earlier than we would have liked. But we will go back!

My ratings:
Bathrooms - HUGE and clean. I didn't shower this trip due to leaving so early on Sunday (yes, I know) so I can't speak for the showers. My sister Kenna said they was plenty of water pressure and plenty of hot water, after she tried 2 other stalls though. Still though, better than many I've been in.

Sites - still dealing with the saturation issue which was extremly pronounced on Sunday after it stormed ALL night. But the sites were actually very nice and level and our particular site was in an awesome spot. The only thing missing was a lot of shade BUT this campground is rather new and so some of that was due to the trees there still being small.

Amenities - The playground was old but they had a very nice sandbox (the kids loved it) and the open field area beside the playground was really nice for playing baseball. There was also a lake onsite with a swimming area. Tyler got in the water but yeah, Delana and I passed. The pool was nothing spectacular but at least they had one and it was clean. On Saturday night there was free kettle corn and that was pretty fun.

Staff - extremely nice! Their office and store were also really nice.

Things nearby - Well this one isn't much to write home about because well we were home so we didn't do much. That said, WalMart in Cambridge is literally about 5 minutes from the campground. You could almost walk there. Very convenient!

Rate per night - $29 per site which I felt was a little high for what the campground offered.

I rate this campground as: GOOD
We will go back though b/c it's close to home and convenient for baseball season.

Obligatory pics:
SMORES on Friday night:


The slide at the lake and Tyler going down it:



Tyler at the pool on Saturday:

Memorial Day weekend - Cutty's Sunset Resort

We spent the entire weekend with my family and two friends and their families. We really had a great time despite the wet conditions. In case you don't know, it has pretty much rained the majority of the spring (and is continuing into the summer) so the campground was saturated to begin with and the rain each night didn't help matters at all. Add to that, Bryan getting his vacation time messed up and well I wasn't a happy camper at first. But like everything, we made the best of it and off we went to the campground. Thankfully Bryan was able to salvage some of the trip as he joined us on Saturday night after work. Yes, this means yours truly had to tow our camper TWO hours. I was a nervous wreck. At one point, I couldn't figure out why my feet were hurting so bad and I realized it was because I even had my TOES clenched. We made it there in one piece though and had a great time with everyone. And even better was that the weather shaped up on Sunday and we were able to enjoy the pool and the childrens' play area (which is why we picked this campground). The campground also had lots of planned activities - a hayride type thing, parachute fun and so on.

I have also decided that I'm going to review campgrounds this year so here's my thoughts:

I am doing bathrooms first b/c quite honestly they tend to make or break my visit.

Bathrooms - ALWAYS very clean. I saw staff there 2/3 times every day cleaning up mud (which was a lot due to the weather) and checking on the conditions. Also the shower stall in the bathroom by our sites was very nice and spacious. I always appreciate a bigger shower area b/c I'm typically showering the kids with me. Downfall to that - only one shower in our bathhouse. There were more bathhouses though.

Sites - my friend had one that wasn't great due to weather (swampy) but thanks to the wonderful staff, she was quickly moved to another site the next morning. Sites were definitely spacious and that is always appreciated.

Amenities - the playground was very nice and mostly modern with the exception being the merry go round. Yes they still had one. This seems to be pretty par for the course for most campgrounds though. However the playset for the kids was very new and in good shape. The pool and sprayground area was amazing. I think online it said it had just opened last year. Very well maintained and a lot of fun. The planned activities were great.

Staff - absolutely awesome. Everyone was so nice and accomodating. At one point a seasonal camper was having issues with their drain pipe and a staff member saw it on his rounds. Not even 10 minutes later, they were fixing it.

Activities in the area - I did not leave the campground this particular trip but my parents and some of my friends did. They hit a flea market just up the road and said it was very nice and HUGE. Also WalMart wasn't too far which made it nice for refills of....pop.

Rate - $29 per night

I can't think of any more categories but if I do I'll update.

I am going to give this place an overall rating of EXCELLENT especially given the rate per site! Very good value!

Obligatory pics:
Delana at the sprayground



Kids and dads at the pool:

Further proof my children are ready for summer

Today as I was taking down the Christmas/winter decorations, Delana questioned me asking what I was doing. I explained: "I'm taking down the Christmas stuff." Delana looks outside, says, "No more no?" "That's right Delana, no more snow." She then says with extreme delight, "Ohhhhhhh! It's camping time!"