Well, compared to the 'usual' Disney trip my family has been doing yearly (yep, we went again in October 2003) We decided to use the Barth in a more regional setting.

After much discussion, and a lot of poring over the RV campground books and the internet, we decided on "Frontier Town" which is right outside Ocean City, MD. This three hour journey is only a mere fraction of the 16 hours that Disney requires. It felt like a trip to the grocery store in comparison!

It is older campground on the bay, and only about 10 minutes from the boardwalks at Ocean City, and 15 from the wild ponies on Assateauge Island. Quite a polarized trip, I must say.

The RV park is pretty crowded, which is a testament to its long-running popularity. A web search found a national review site for RV's and nobody had a bad thing to say about them, and now I can add myself to that list.

The lot is a good mixture of tent camping, LOTS of trailers and some RV's. They have a bay front dock, and a few seasonals. Didn't need to use the guest facilities, but I have heard the showers are clean...the pool was anyway.

They have a small water park which is idea for kids about 13 and under. A three run waterslide is nice, but nothing that would make you write home about, and the big pool has a depth of 2 feet. Perfect for kids. The "lazy river" lets you float in a tube which is relaxing, but it just sort of winds around an open area, so it is nice but not visually exciting.

Next door is a western town theme park. It consists of some Old West styled buildings and a cast of about 10 method actors dressed up in Cowboy costume. They have various gunfights in the streets and there is a Wild West can can show with some dancin gals.

All in all a pretty fun time, especially for kids. Once my kids were there, we duded them up in hat, cap guns and holsters.

With about 60 kids 10 and under so similarly armed, quite a few times the streets sounded like the beach at Normandy as wanna be cowboys emulated the actors and shot enough caps make hollywood blush!

Kids had a great time, and my 4 year old got into the mood a little too much and when the actors staged a holdup, my son (who was juuuust out of my immediate reach) took off into the street into the thick of the action trying to help out his heroes. The actors played it off nicely, and although I felt like the "worst parent in the world" for a few minutes, it ended up being a funny memory.

We spent some time on Assateague, as my wife was living out HER childhood fantasies that involved owning wild ponies.

Assateague is both a national and state park. As someone who has become tired of New Jersey beaches with litter, crowding and the ever-present outstretched hand of local government ( speed traps, parking fines, beach tags, tolls everywhere, ) the MD beaches were a breath of fresh air.

Wild ponies abound, and the beaches were relatively uncrowded. No bill boards or tacky shops to detract from the enjoyment of nature. We stayed for a bit on the bay side, with shallow water, no waves and 80 degree water temps, and within 5 minutes drove to the ocean side where a crashing surf made me keep a paranoid presence within arms reach of my kids...they had a blast as we all did. Big dunes, lots of trees and the ability to almost imagine you were the first to see it all...We checked out the national park RV setup, and although it is electric only, we plan on coming down for a few days next year. Hard to beat RV parking 2O feet from a dune, and only 60 feet or so from the water...

All in all? Friendly staff at frontier town, and a nice facility to boot. Surrounded by both the kitsch of the OC boardwalk and the peace and beauty of wild nature, this trip had it all.

We had a campfire by the Barth the other night, and looking up at the stars as I made the kids smores had me thinking I finally found a site that compares favorably to Disney's fort Wilderness...

Great story. I think my family vacation will include a stop there. If you have any advice on getting spots to camp there or restrictions on lenght. Is there a website?

Thanks for the info

Bill

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http://www.truckroadservice.com/

If you're planning on getting to Ocean City via the Rte 50 Bay Bridge at Annapolis, plan your times carefully......AT ALL COSTS, avoid the Bay Bridge eastbound on Friday afternoons & evenings, and westbound on Sunday afternoons & evenings....The entire Washington DC bureacracy seems headed to/from OC at those times and back-ups can go for miles & hours...one little fender-bender can make you a camper on the spot!

Having said that, MD's Eastern Shore is worth the trip & hassles...For beauty, try a short side trip to St. Michaels & Oxford...

Yes there is a website...

www.frontiertown.com

They are very busy, at this point of the season, you may have to settle for a cancellation. I saw more than one big rig, so the facility accepts them. The first campsite they gave me was a bit narrow, but they quickly and cheerfully changed it. Definitely tell them you have a large motorhome when you make your reservation.



[This message has been edited by Windsor Dalrymple (edited July 29, 2004).]

Based on this post, we decided to re-visit Assateague Island this past Tue-Thur...a place we hadn't been to in 25 years, but only 150 miles away. (Funny how many neat places are in your own back yard, yet ignored, isn't it?....)

The key here is mid-week, post-Labor Day....The whole park was about 25% occupied and traffic was non-existent! Parked within 200' of the ocean & our closet neighbor. 30amp service kept us comfortable, with a dump station on the way out......For the first couple hours, the wild ponies and Sitka deer were a delight...after that, they got to be a pain, inviting themselves to partake of anything on the picnic table.....(Had I left the Barth door open & unattended, I'm sure we'd have a pony in our backyard right now....)

Miles & miles of unspoiled beaches and solitude - just the thing for decompressing after the daughter's six million dollar wedding this past weekend......

Ocean City, your typical boardwalk clip-joint vacation spot, is only 20 minutes away...With no crowds, we were able to park the Barth ocean-side in a municipal lot, hang the awning out and spend the day between swimming, french fries, frozen custard, skee-ball and other activities of no value whatsoever.........This was the beginning of Bike Week in OC....not my lifestyle, but for pure engineering and talent, there's tons of beautiful machines to view......

I had pulled the Barth logos off the coach for pattern-making (STILL working on it gang!), so some of the campsite comments were interesting...."I didn't know Avion Trailer built a motorhome"....."When did Superior go from steel to aluminum?"......The best one came from a new SOB diesel pusher owner: "Ya wanna trade?"

In all, a delightful place to visit...I'm going back for sure!! Tips:

1. Avoid Memorial Day thru Labor Day...It is gridlock on weekends.

2. See my tip posted above regarding the Chesapeake Bay Bridge at Annapolis.

3. If you illegally give a snack to a wild pony, that sucker will turn into your worst nightmare.......

quote:

Originally posted by Lee:
some of the campsite comments were interesting...."I didn't know Avion Trailer built a motorhome"....."When did Superior go from steel to aluminum?"......

Lee, just shows to go that people recognize quality with or without a logo.

I think I have seen Avion class Cs, but not sure about class A.

Superior was one of the "quality" coaches we considered before buying a Barth.

Bill,

It's funny someone made the Avion comparison, 'cause I grew up in the shadows of the Avion factory in Benton Harbor, MI....From the late '50's to mid-'70's, Avion was one of the area's biggest employers......

No Class A coaches were ever built that I'm aware of, and the few Class C's (500+/-)were technically not Avions, but Cayo Motovators.....The Cayo family founded Avion...they sold it in the early '70's, selling the trailer division but buying back the pick-up slide-in camper division....The Class C was a logical extension of their slide-in business. I remember it being designed as a "semi-permanent" union of chassis & body, as the Cayos felt the aluminum/riveted construction would out-live more than one chassis.....Like so many others, their demise came with the '73-'74 gas crunch.....

Third generation Cayo family members are still active in the RV business, having a repair shop in Colma MI that specializes in body & repair work for aluminum riveted RV units, i.e.: Airstream, Avion & BARTH! Midwest Barth owners may want to keep them in mind....located about 90 miles across Lake Michigan from Chicago, 40 miles north of South Bend IN (Hail Irish!)and about 2-1/2 hrs east of Detroit..........