After driving our RV across the US, we decided that it just wasn’t right for us. I always felt tied down with it, as if we needed a car to do anything, like go on hikes, but towing one was so expensive in gas. However, I also didn’t like sitting in the seats, and the boys didn’t have actual seats. That always left me uneasy..
We bought it when the boys were younger. They are now teens and not as keen on spending all their time with Mom and Dad. Perhaps it was time we downsized and got something more for just the two of us.
We got a Brinkley I trailer. As we get used to it, I will talk more later in-depth about it, and show photos inside and outside.
Like many people, I had never heard of Brinkley before. We looked at various models. We kept coming back to the I-235, designed for two people. No dinettes or futon couch. It feels like being in a studio apartment more than a trailer. The stairs, your first experience with the trailer, feel firm and don’t bounce. You feel like you are going up regular stairs. So many RVs and trailers, the stairs wobble and bounce. It also coms with an extended railing for a safer feel.
Said goodbye to the Class A RV and drove the new trailer back to West Virginia. With good weather predicted, we decided on a short driving trip for the trailer’s maiden voyage. Poking around online, Kirk found the Lazy A Campground, a county away, but still in the Eastern Panhandle. It sits on the other side of North Mountain, a foothill of the Allegheny Mountains, and part of the Appalachian Mountains. The drive was simple enough, and on “good” roads for West Virginia. Once you leave Martinsburg, WV (and the Shenandoah Valley/I-81), it winds along on 45 and goes up and over Mills Gap. It is a pretty drive. The trailer handled great.
We turned off 45 onto 7/Back Creek Valley Road in the village of Glengary. There is a new DG Market just before, for any last-minute needs, though I would personally not drive a large trailer or RV into the lot. It’s better to drive back later if you have any shopping needs. This is a very rural area, and the new market really becomes convenient, so you don’t have to take a long drive to Inwood or Martinsburg for forgotten items.
It’s a couple of short miles to Ganotown. The campground’s road sits between the fire department and the elementary school, and the turn is easy to make. The campground is at the end of the road, an old farm.
We were offered a pull-through site, making our first trip easy.
The campground doesn’t have paved spots, and there is a distance between each one.
We set up as the sun was settling. Fall was just on the edge in the Back Creek Valley. The views of the North Mountain ridge ring the farm.
GSI Outdoors HAA tea kettles for hiking still make great tea kettles for RVs. They are light and small. Just enough for two hot drinks. I use hiking pots and pans, because I don’t need regular kitchen-size pots, and cleaning them is far easier. They are lightweight, so don’t roll around in the drawers either.
The map for the campground. The “events area” is the barn below. They have a covered pavilion and a gazebo. Beyond that, not shown is a fenced-in dog run. And a cute children’s playground.
Within walking distance were public bathrooms with two free showers (that had really hot water) and a laundry area for longer visits. Even two tiny cabins.
We set up camp, then started figuring out how everything worked in the trailer.
It’s rural-cute.
Not going to disagree…hahahaha
I set out walking around the property – and it stretches out all over. We are behind the playground. There is a whole section of trailer sites near where I was standing, just above Back Creek. To the left is a long line of campsites, under the trees. A seasonal creek runs behind them.
As I walked to the creek.
Back Creek is a very peaceful area. There was a man fly fishing.
Just the wind, bugs on the water, skimming, and leaves falling over my head.
I walked down the side of the creek as far as I could, till I ran out of land.
It was still warm enough; I so wanted to take a dip here.
The campground was quiet, and everyone was well-behaved. No one ran generators at night or blared music. Even the bugs were on the low side. I slept so well the two nights we stayed. The campground offers water and electric hookups; however, be aware of the water quality – it has a high level of sulfur. Even a good water filter won’t remove it. We brought drinking water to avoid it. Looking up the area around it, I could actually see places marked as sulfur springs nearby. I am used to it, due to hiking around volcanoes….so plug your nose….lol.
They offer a dump station (note that water is not available for cleaning tanks) and a large dumpster on the way out.
~Sarah