Travel from Gloucester, Virginia to College Park, Maryland

We drove our coach 178 miles, about three hours of driving, from Gloucester, Virginia to College Park, Maryland.

We had planned to drive double that distance to our next destination, which would have been over six hours driving, but we wisely decided to split that up into two legs. We prefer to limit travel days to around three hours.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading north:

Map

An interactive map:

Leaving our site:

Leaving our site

Exiting the campground:

Exiting the campground

Fun with zoom:

Fun with zoom

Drawbridge:

Drawbridge

I-64 West:

I-64 West

I-95 North:

I-95 North

Exit:

Exit

Fuel stop:

Fuel stop

Parking with trucks; since we can’t reverse with our toad attached, we need to find back-to-back sites we can pull through:

Parking with trucks

Heading in for lunch:

Heading in for lunch

Popeyes for lunch:

Popeyes for lunch

Back to our coach:

Back to our coach

Paladin on the dash:

Paladin on the dash

Oversize load:

Oversize load

Lots of traffic on the other side:

Lots of traffic on the other side

Fun with zoom:

Fun with zoom

Paladin on the dash:

Paladin on the dash

National Museum of the Marine Corps:

National Museum of the Marine Corps

Truck rest area:

Truck rest area

Heavy traffic:

Heavy traffic

Breakdown?

“Caution Horses”:

Caution Horses

Lanes divide:

Lanes divide

Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge:

Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge

Maryland Welcomes You:

Maryland Welcomes You

I-95 and I-495 North:

I-95 and I-495 North

Swoopers; two cars going into the lane in front of us:

Swoopers

Exit to College Park:

Exit to College Park

Arriving at Cherry Hill Park:

Arriving at Cherry Hill Park

Security gate:

Security gate

Our site:

Our site

In order to get to our site we needed to head between cabins to loop around:

Heading between cabins

Approaching our site:

Our site

Colonial Williamsburg

We visited Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia again this year.

An interactive map:

Another interactive map on their website.

Visitor center:

Visitor center

We went to the Sweet Tea & Barley restaurant for lunch:

Sweet Tea & Barley restaurant

Then wandered around:

Building

Loom

Shop

Palace

Flowers

Wood shop

Tailor

Buildings

Church

Tin

Building

Buildings

Sheep

Building

Printer

Blacksmith

Buildings

Building

Buildings

Building

Horses and cart

Palace

An interesting place.

Thousand Trails Chesapeake Bay

We stayed at Thousand Trails Chesapeake Bay in Gloucester, Virginia. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A fairly nice Thousand Trails campground.

Dates:

Check in: 2025-04-01
Check out: 2025-04-13
12 nights

Weather:

Mix of sunny, cloudy, rainy
High temps 52-83°F, lows 34-67°F
Some wind, gusts to 32 MPH

Noise:

No road noise
No train horn noise
Lots of neighbor noise

Site:

#B65, back-in, gravel
Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
Fairly unlevel site; high on passenger side and front; used hydraulic leveling
Gravel driveway about 60 feet long by 25 feet wide
30 feet to neighbors on both sides
Trees between sites
Picnic table
Fire pit
Tall trees
Clean site
Elevation 30 feet, front facing NW

Utilities:

50 amp power, conveniently located
50 PSI water, conveniently located
Good sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

Starlink: 56-177 Mbps down, 10-30 Mbps up, 25 ms ping
Verizon: 5 Mbps down, 5 Mbps up, 70 ms ping (our SIM has 5 Mbps max)
AT&T: 82-111 Mbps down, 0.75-1 Mbps up, 127 ms ping
T-Mobile: 1.5 Mbps down, 0.2 Mbps up, 50 ms ping
Campground Wi-Fi: none

Amenities:

Garbage dumpsters
Pool
Ice cream shop
On-site cafe

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Nice place for a longer stay

This is a fairly typical Thousand Trails park with 50A full hookups. Our site was mostly level, but look out after it rains, because they have some drainage issues. It was nice to have a restaurant on site that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Like most Thousand Trails, they have now switched to assigned sites, which I like. Also, like most Thousand Trails, they no longer accept packages. The local Post Office does General Delivery, and the nearest Amazon Locker is in West Point. We camped at Thousand Trails Chesapeake Bay in a Motorhome.

Campground map:

Map

What’s new and burning law:

What's new and burning law

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Utilities:

Utilities

Some rainy days, and a little surface flooding:

Rainy and flooding

Flooding

Pavilion:

Pavilion

Cafe:

Cafe

Dinner:

Dinner

Breakfast:

Breakfast

Another menu:

Pizza, mac & cheese, brownie:

Pizza, mac & cheese, brownie

Camp store (featuring ice cream):

Shop

Seasonally closed swimming pool:

Closed swimming pool

Dog park:

Dog park

Dumpsters:

Dumpsters

Other sites:

Other sites

Piankatank River:

Piankatank River

We’d be happy to stay here again.

Travel from Emporia to Gloucester, Virginia

We drove our coach 104 miles, about two hours of driving, from Emporia to Gloucester, Virginia.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading northeast:

Map

An interactive map:

I-95 North:

I-95 North

Exit to I-295 North:

Exit to I-295 North

Bridge over James River:

Bridge over James River

James River:

James River

Exit to I-64:

Exit to I-64

Virginia Welcome Center:

Virginia Welcome Center

“Virginia is for Lovers”:

Virginia is for Lovers

Welcome center

Brochures:

Brochures

I collected a bunch:

I collected a bunch

Back to our coach:

Back to our coach

Route 33 east:

Route 33 east

Bridge by a packaging products plant:

Bridge by a packaging products plant

Mattaponi River:

Mattaponi River

Route 198:

Route 198

Arriving at Thousand Trails Cheaspeake Bay:

Arriving at Thousand Trails Cheaspeake Bay

This was the first day the campground was open for the season, so there was a long line to check in. We joined the line at 12:53 (check in started at noon):

Long line to check in

At 13:00:

Long line to check in

At 13:21:

Long line to check in

Guided to our site (unnecessarily, it wasn’t hard to find) at 13:30:

Guided to our site (unnecessarily)

Our site:

Our site

Emporia / I-95 KOA

We stayed at Emporia / I-95 KOA in Emporia, Virginia. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A convenient stop on the way north. This is described as a KOA Holiday, but is more of a Journey. This is a reasonable place to stop (if you don’t mind the train horns at all hours), but I wouldn’t call it a holiday destination.

Dates:

Check in: 2025-03-30
Check out: 2025-04-01
2 nights

Weather:

Partly cloudy, some rain
High temp 79°F, lows 49-64°F
Some wind, gusts to 25 MPH

Noise:

Little road noise
Nearby train horn noise, about every half hour, day and night
Some neighbor noise

Site:

#126, pull-through, gravel
Didn’t need to disconnect toad, and didn’t since only two nights
Somewhat level site; high on passenger side and front; used hydraulic leveling
Gravel driveway about 80 feet long by 13 feet wide
11 feet to neighbor on passenger side
22 feet to neighbor on driver side
Just grass between sites
Picnic table
Fire pit
No trees
Somewhat clean site
Elevation 120 feet, front facing NE

Utilities:

50 amp power, conveniently located
50 PSI water, conveniently located
Unthreaded sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

T-Mobile: 226-244 Mbps down, 6 Mbps up, 14-21 ms ping
AT&T: 90-146 Mbps down, 11 Mbps up, 62 ms ping
Verizon: 5 Mbps down, 5 Mbps up, 85 ms ping (our SIM has 5 Mbps max)
Starlink: not used
Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

Garbage dumpsters and bins
Closed seasonal pool

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Good for a quick stop

It’s my understanding that a KOA Holiday is supposed to be the destination and reason for going there. Why this is listed as a Holiday is beyond me. It was perfectly fine for a short stay, but the train noise all day and night would preclude me from wanting to stay any longer than necessary. Our nightly rate was because I used $50 in KOA reward points for a two-night stay. Otherwise, this would have been far too expensive for what it was. We camped at Emporia / I-95 KOA in a Motorhome.

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Utilities; rather high sewer, with no thread, so I used the water bag weight:

Utilities

Other sites:

Other sites

Seasonally closed pool:

Closed pool

Not too bad a stop for a day or two, other than the train horn noise; if we come this way again, we might look for another option.

Travel from Wake Forest, North Carolina to Emporia, Virginia

We drove our coach 111 miles, about two hours of driving, from Wake Forest, North Carolina to Emporia, Virginia.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading north:

Map

An interactive map:

Leaving the campground; a nice view:

Leaving campground

Falls Lake:

Falls Lake

Route 1 North:

Route 1 North

I-85 North:

I-85 North

Welcome to Virginia:

Welcome to Virginia

Welcome center:

Welcome center

Rest area lunch stop:

Rest area lunch stop

Route 58 East:

Route 58 East

Brodnax water tower:

Brodnax water tower

Fun with zoom:

Fun with zoom

I-95 North:

I-95 North

Exit to KOA:

Exit to KOA

Arriving at KOA:

Arriving at KOA

Guided to our site:

Guided to our site

Holly Point Campground – Falls Lake SRA

We stayed at Holly Point Campground – Falls Lake SRA in Wake Forest, North Carolina. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A very nice lakeside campground, but the spring tree pollen was horrendous.

Dates:

Check in: 2025-03-23
Check out: 2025-03-30
7 nights

Weather:

Partly sunny, a little rain
High temps 62-77°F, lows 37-55°F
Little wind, gusts to 23 MPH, but sheltered by trees

Noise:

No road noise
No train horn noise
Little neighbor noise
Regular plane noise (on the flightpath of Raleigh-Durham International Airport, 10 miles away)

Site:

#69 (loop 2), back-in, gravel
Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
Mostly level site; slightly high on front driver side; used hydraulic leveling
Gravel driveway about 60 feet long by 10 feet wide
About 30 feet to neighbor on passenger side
About 50 feet to road on driver side
Trees between sites
Picnic table
Fire pit
Lantern hook
Tall trees
Mostly clean site (one bit of trash)
Elevation 290 feet, front facing North

Utilities:

50 amp power, conveniently located
70 PSI water, conveniently located
No sewer; we used our tote and the dump station

Internet (in usage priority order):

T-Mobile: 30-35 Mbps down, 7 Mbps up, 30-100 ms ping
AT&T: 49-60 Mbps down, 0.25-0.75 Mbps up, 40 ms ping
Verizon: 5 Mbps down, 3 Mbps up, 100 ms ping (our SIM has 5 Mbps max)
Starlink: not used
Campground Wi-Fi: none

Amenities:

Lake
Dump station

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Beautiful park, but beware the pollen in spring

It turns out that camping in the middle of a hardwood forest during the week the trees come alive in the spring is a fantastic way to find out if you have terrible allergies. The pollen in this part of NC is no joke. Besides the trees trying to kill me, this was a beautiful campground. Our site was plenty long enough for our 40-foot motorhome and tow vehicle. However, some sites looked like they would have been too sloped to work, so be sure to check the details of the specific site you’re booking. Site 69 had a great view of the water through the trees and was close to the small beach/picnic area. We camped at Holly Point Campground – Falls Lake SRA in a Motorhome.

Campground map:

Falls lake state recreation area map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

View of the lake out our window; fortunately the intervening site was empty most of the week, and only used as a day-use site on the weekend (which I have mixed feelings about, taking a site from an overnight camper):

View of the lake out our window

View of sunrise over the lake from our site:

View of sunrise over the lake from our site

A peek of our site from the swimming beach, and a goose:

A peek of our site from the swimming beach, and a goose

Geese on the beach:

Geese on the beach

Boat on the lake:

Boat on the lake

Swimming beach:

Swimming beach

Geese

We used the dump station via the tote in the back of the truck three times:

We used the dump station three times

Dumpsters at the dump station:

Dumpsters at the dump station

On the flight path, 10 miles from Raleigh-Durham International Airport:

On the flight path, 10 miles from Raleigh-Durham International Airport

Bathrooms:

Bathrooms

Lakefront:

Lakefront

Boat on the lake:

Boat on the lake

This trailer was backing itself into the site, not hooked up to the car:

This trailer was backing itself into the site, not hooked up to the car

Tent sites:

Tent sites

Other sites:

Other sites

Many not very level:

Other sites

A very nice campground, other than the pollen. We’d be happy to be back, in the same site, at a different time of year.

Travel from Charleston, South Carolina to Wake Forest, North Carolina

We drove our coach 301 miles, about five hours of driving, from Charleston, South Carolina to Wake Forest, North Carolina.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading north:

Route map

An interactive map:

Preparing to leave our site:

Preparing to leave our site

Nice looking but mildly concerning trees overhanging the road:

Nice looking but mildly concerning trees overhanging the road

Approaching Charleston:

Approaching Charleston

Roadworks:

Roadworks

Exit to I-95 North:

Exit to I-95 North

Rest area, unusual in that truck parking is through the car parking:

Rest area, unusual in that truck parking is through the car parking

Paladin looking at Lake Marion bridge:

Paladin looking at Lake Marion bridge

Petro fuel stop:

Petro fuel stop

$206.27 for 57 gallons of diesel before discount:

$206.27 for 57 gallons of diesel before discount

Iron Skillet lunch:

Iron Skillet lunch

Back to our coach:

Back to our coach

Hello fellow Tiffin Allegro Bus:

Hello fellow Tiffin Allegro Bus

South of the Border:

South of the Border

Welcome to North Carolina:

Welcome to North Carolina

Sleepy Paladin:

Sleepy Paladin

Rest area:

Rest area

An interesting building:

An interesting building

Arriving at Holly Point Campground in Falls Lake State Recreation Area:

Arriving at Holly Point Campground in Falls Lake State Recreation Area

Entrance station:

Entrance station

Arriving at our site:

Arriving at our site

James Island County Park

We stayed at the James Island County Park campground in Charleston, South Carolina. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A nice county park.

Dates:

Check in: 2025-03-16
Check out: 2025-03-23
7 nights

Weather:

A mix of rain and partly sunny
High temps 63-73°F, lows 45-54°F
Some wind, gusts to 33 MPH, but sheltered by trees

Noise:

No road noise
No train horn noise
Little neighbor noise
Occasional plane noise

Site:

#29, pull-through, gravel
Didn’t need to disconnect toad, parked behind coach
Somewhat level site; high on passenger side; used hydraulic leveling
Gravel driveway about 110 feet long by 12 feet wide
50 feet to neighbor on passenger side
25-50 feet to road on driver side
Tall trees between sites
Picnic table
Fire pit
Clean site
Elevation 10 feet, front facing NE

Utilities:

50 amp power, somewhat conveniently located
75 PSI water, conveniently located
Unthreaded sewer connection, somewhat conveniently located (2 10-foot pipes needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

Starlink: 50 Mbps down, 6-13 Mbps up, 30-45 ms ping
Campground Wi-Fi: 6 Mbps down, 4 Mbps up, 90-160 ms ping
T-Mobile: 13-23 Mbps down, 0.25 Mbps up, 70-130 ms ping
AT&T: 30-270 Mbps down, 0.1-0.3 Mbps up, 100-220 ms ping
Verizon: 5 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up, 45 ms ping (our SIM has 5 Mbps max)

Amenities:

Garbage dumpsters and recycling
Water park

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Nice park close to Charleston

This campground is in the middle of a large county park and close to everything Charleston offers. Our site was unlevel side-to-side, but not too bad. The tree cover made getting Starlink reception tricky but not impossible, and it was the best coverage of any of the cellular networks. The roads to the park were a bit dicey for a big rig–very narrow and with lots of big trees close to and over the road. We camped at Campground at James Island County Park in a Motorhome.

Campground map:

Map