09/24 to 10/04 Ending the 2026 RV Season

Dining Our Way Home ending the 2026 RV Season

09/24 to 10/04/2026 

The wonderful week in Myrtle Beach quickly came to an end and the Hudson Islanders each departed for the trip north. Jack and I planned a leisurely ride that would last ten days and include stops in New Bern, NC, Virginia Beach, VA, Berlin, MD and finally, Cape May, NJ via the Lewes/Cape May Ferry. This last blog of the 2026 RV season will include the dining enjoyment along the way. Each campground is HIGHLIGHTED IN RED should you desire to investigate the facilities and layout. 

The nor'easter that slammed the coastline from North Carolina up through Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and into New England with the worst coastal impacts in New Jersey and New York were well ahead of us as we continued north. We enjoyed incredible weather. No rain, mostly blue skies, pleasant temperatures during the day and very few occasions to have heat during the overnight hours. Some days were breezy and overcast but from what we saw and heard back home, we had no complaints about the weather.

Rather, we found ourselves in campgrounds central to nearby downtown areas, near the shorelines and a short distance to restaurants. We chose them after a quick checks on line for distances and travel time. Each was special, delicious and made more pleasant with servers like Katie, Courtney, Lex, Sam and Danielle.

New Bern KOA in North Carolina - We overnighted here for just two nights but we found Morgan's Tavern and Grill and returned for a second dinner.

No bread on the table. Instead you are served a warm, honey glazed croissant.

The Big Daddy Shrimp Roll was one night's dinner: Toasted hoagie layered with creamy parmesan coleslaw, grilled shrimp, drizzled with Sweet ThaiVoodoo Remoulade sauce. Served with your choice of a side. 

My second night's dinner choice was The Loaded Dip: The French Dip was loaded with thinly sliced Certified Angus roast beef, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions & melted provolone cheese with their sweet onion au jus. Served on a toasted hoagie roll. My side was a baked mac and cheese. 

For dessert, a warm, spiced bread pudding with raisins... 

...served with an addicting caramel sauce. So delicious after just one bite, I chose to savor it the nest day, so home it went.

At the campground, we were rewarded with a beautiful sunset on the Neuse River after a short (?) walk out along the pier. A lone dead tree provided a reminder for the couple enjoying the sunset of what was perhaps a wooded area that fell victim to the river that eventually dominated the area.

How many sunsets must this lone, spindly remnant witnessed?

The microwave dish antennae in the distance reminds us of the ever present technology around us. 

Virginia Beach KOA in Virginia - Two nights

Our two-night stay in Virginia was once again a pleasant experience. Here, I pulled Winnie into my site in the opposite direction from Jack. This "Buddy Site" aproach allowed our RVs to face each other, awning to awning. Very easy to get-together for our morning coffee and afternoon cocktails. 

At this KOA, a shuttle to Virginia Beach was provided and for us seniors, the $2.50 provided us with a round trip ticket. We took advantage of it one night and were dropped off at the Boardwalk and the Waterman's Surfside Grille right in the heart of Virginia Beach.

For over forty years and under different names, the Standing family has transformed the building into what is now known as Waterman's Surfside Grille. Do check out their website

Much more inviting from the Boardwalk side, the website is worth a view

Local Lump Crab Cakes: I had mine fried and served with roasted red pepper aioli, mashed potatoes and a veggie medley.

This panning video shows the heavily overcast day viewing south to north with a not so crowed Boardwalk.

The "big" event at this campground was for me, a "there but for the grace of God, go I" event. Every RVer has his or her own share of "horror" stories and mishaps. You've read about many I've experienced. Today, very early, a neighboring camper was leaving and as he exited his site, his rear tire ran over the almost flush-to-the-ground fire ring. His anticipated trip to Georgia would be put on hold by about four hours.

A call to AAA ended in a futile attempt of jacking up the RV in order to pull the ring out from under the tire. The lad from AAA could not make that happen and left.

It was left to the two members of the KOA grounds crew to cut the ring into two pieces,

.

Mission accomplished but...

...the exhaust pipe assembly was bent and rubbed against the outer wheel of his dualies.

Jack to the rescue. Using his suggestion and reciprocating saw, they cut the tailpipe short of the tire and temporarily solved the problem. 

Four hours later, the RVer drove to a nearby Firestone tire dealer open on Sundays in hopes of repairing the exhaust pipe. We will never know if he made his appointment in Georgia.

Sun Outdoors Ocean City, Maryland - But first I had to travel over and through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel system. It would be my third time traveling to and from Florida but if you don't remember the photos and the history, then the link will inform. This year, I encountered another "There but for the grace of God, go I." Before entering the second bore, two police cars went screaming past me. When I drove to the deepest part of the tunnel those flashing red and blue lights greeted me and the two vehicles ahead of me. A disabled vehicle. After a three-minute wait, we were flagged ahead and met no other vehicles other than the flatbed tow truck coming toward us. Traffic was stopped at the entrance ahead. 

Not the place to have you vehicle become disabled.

Another three hours and 140 miles later, we spent three nights at the upscale resort in Berlin, MD, the Sun Outdoors. Spacious sites continually tended to by never ending mowing of sites, many of which were occupied but without their owners. We saw very few pople coming and going. 

Dining during our stay included visiting two restaurants. 

"Since 1993, Chris Wall and Lloyd Whitehead have owned the Harborside Bar and Grill in West Ocean City."

"Now, more than 30 years later, the iconic bar is being recognized as the birthplace of the original Orange Crush, officially declared Maryland’s state cocktail."

My choice tonight was the fried stuffed shrimp atop rich crab imperial, a baked potato and coarsely chopped Cole slaw. Crab Imperial is softer and creamier featuring lump crab that is characteristic of the Maryland Crab Cake. 

Outstanding flavor combinations.

Our second night's dinner was at Shananagin's Irish Pub and Grille on the Boardwalk

Jack and I determined the only thing Irish about this restaurant was maybe its name and the green shamrocks and lights on the sign.

The coats of arms above the bar was impressive.

Our choice for outdoor seating was fun for people watching. Our server, Lex, and others that worked with her had accents that piqued the interests of other patrons as well. It seems the Lex was Moldavian here on a work visa. When she returns back home she'll continue pursuing a degree in business and marketing.

Jack decided to go with the Shepard's Pie: "Our version made with fork tender beef pot, roast, peas, and carrots, soaked in our own Guinness, Demi glass, topped with mashed potatoes and melted Colby cheese." Half went home for the next day's lunch. 

I, on the other hand, violated my own culinary rule; a most sacred "No No." Never, ever, under any circumstance order anything that hints of Eye-talian in an Irish Pub. I chose the Irish Rover ravioli: large plump, four cheese ravioli in a tomato basil, cream sauce with Parmesan. It was delicious but the ravioli could have been cooked more...much more. Sorry, Carlo.

Just ten miles away, Assateague Island was a fifteen minute day trip.

 There we saw close up and personal 5 of the 83 wild horses the National Park Service keeps at the Maryland side.

The Virginia herd—the Chincoteague ponies—is separate, and kept around one hundred fifty by the grazing permit the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company holds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

They enforce it the old-fashioned way: every July the saltwater cowboys round up the herd, swim the ponies across the channel to Chincoteague Island, and auction off most of the foals. A few get bought back and returned to the island, but the rest go to new homes. That keeps the population from overgrazing the refuge.

The ones sold at auction are foals, sometimes just a few months old, so they go to new owners before they've ever lived as adults in the wild. At that age they're basically tamable like any young horse, especially with the right handling.

The view entering the State Park.

View from the beach looking north and no evidence of damage caused by the nor'easter. Maybe when we get to Cape May we'll see some. While here, we investigated the possibility of camping her for a week. I'll be checking it out for the Hudson Islanders.

Looking south. One year reserving in advance may get us some sies. Without a gate pass, we could not travel into the campground itself but RVs are allowed in but with only water/electricity provided. 

Sun Retreats Cape May, New Jersey - Three nights.

We arrived at our last stop campground Thursday with three night remaining. This huge campground, formerly the Cape May KOA now many choices for "ways to stay." Our long pull through sites had plenty of real estate for comfortable camping and our usual routine continued, alas, but for a few more days. I planned our trip to include the ferry from Lewes, MD to Cape May, NJ. The 80 minute trip was my third but for Jack, it was his first...not the first ferry ride but one with his truck and trailer. My past blogs have detailed this trip and readers can read about the Ferry System HERE. 

Our first full day was just that...a full day. A 7 mile, 20-minute drive to the tip of Cape May for brunch at Uncle Bill's Pancake House

For dinner, we drove into the city of Cape May along Beach Avenue. We passed one beautiful home after another, many of them dating back to the Victorian era. They were large, elegant homes with wide porches facing the ocean, colorful exteriors, towers, gables and plenty of decorative trim. It was easy to see why Cape May is so well known for its Victorian homes. Even along the beachfront, much of the character of old Cape May has been preserved.

We walked side streets lined with all sorts of shops and settled in at Delaney's Irish Pub and Grille for our cocktail hour and remained there for dinner. 

Shepherd’s Pie: Ground beef, fresh thyme, carrots, onions and sweet peas topped with chive mashed potatoes. Served en casserole.

Back at the campground, the usual campfires took the nighttime chill out. What's that? An earworm? Sure enough... They found us.

My neighbor walking the dog. Hubby had another smaller one that could have served as an appetizer for the Great one.

Our last day and evening was a chilly, drizzly one. Our bundles of wood were used but we had to have one last fire. So, out came my mini Solo stove fueled by wood pellets.  Here's the explanation I found researching how and why these "smokeless fire pits" work.

1. The main fire burns in the center. As the wood or fuel burns, it gives off hot gases, smoke, and tiny unburned particles. In a normal fire pit, a lot of that simply rises out as visible smoke.

2. Fresh air is pulled in near the bottom of the fire pit. That air travels through the hollow space between the inner and outer walls. As it moves upward, the metal heats the incoming air considerably.

3. That preheated air comes out through those holes around the upper inside perimeter. You can actually see the effect in your picture: the little jets of flame curling inward from the ring of holes.

4. Those air jets add oxygen to the hot smoke and combustible gases. Because those gases are already extremely hot, adding oxygen causes them to ignite again. That is the secondary combustion, or secondary burn.

More precisely, it is burning the unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, soot particles, and other combustible gases contained in the smoke before they can escape. it isn’t really “burning the smoke”. 

And so ends my 2026 RV season. Once home, Winnie will be stored for the months of October and November. December will mark the beginning of the 2027 RV season with my travels taking me south to the warmer (?) regions of Florida.  In the meantime, I wish for all my readers good health and safe travels until we cross paths again in the near future.

For now, Winnie and I are heading home. But as always, another road awaits.