Christmas in August: Media Camping Center, PA RV Dealers

Christmas in August at Camp Bell

By Jeff Page

As I started the process of planning my Summer vacation back in the Spring, I tried to think of what I wanted to get out of it: lots of fun and interesting activities, or a “laid back” trip with time for more relaxation. Last year my daughter Maddie and I had a vacation that was jam packed with full days and hectic schedules so I decided this year to try for a bit more leisurely experience.

Camp Bell Campground in Campbell, New York immediately came to mind. I looked up Belle in the dictionary and it said “the most beautiful and charming of several rivals.” Camp Bell certainly meets that description.

I have known the owners, Ed and Carmen Marden, for many years. In fact, they have bought three travel trailers, a utility trailer, and a cargo trailer here at Media Camping Center, and I was happy to help them find the right trailer each and every time they stopped in.

I called them up and made our reservation for August. It was going to be a blast because as it happened, we would be there during “Christmas in August” weekend, and more importantly, my daughter Amy was going to join Maddie and I on this trip. Amy had not been on vacation with us in about four years.

We left around 9 pm and drove into the night. When I finally got tired, sometime in the wee hours of the morning, we pulled over in a Denny’s parking lot near Bloomsburg, Pa., fired up the generator, turned on the A.C., and hit the hay. We woke, had breakfast, and continued on to Camp Bell Campground, arriving at 9 am just as they were set to open for the day.

We were greeted by Ed and had coffee in the snack bar. Camp Bell has a great camp store with just about anything you might need: packaged food, locally grown fresh produce, hot snacks, clothing, and much more. We were directed to our site and in no time at all we were set up ready to start our vacation.

Ed and Carmen suggested a few places to visit so we took off (no pun intended) to see the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum of Aviation. All sorts of planes from the early days of aviation are on display. Glenn H. Curtiss was a pioneer similar to the Wright brothers. We even saw his early design of a travel trailer called the Aerocar. We then took off to the wine country to go on a tour of the Bully Hill winery. After driving up the mountain to the winery, we were greeted to an amazing view of Lake Seneca, one of the Finger Lakes. Bully Hill has a real interesting story and they offer free winery tours and lots of local arts and crafts.

We returned to the campground, had an early dinner, and then hit their pool. They have a real nice pool area that also houses a small arcade and laundry facilities. We met some real nice folks at the pool who continually told us how great Ed and Carmen were and how nice a place this was to come camping. We heard this over and over again.

The next day we went to the Corning Museum of Glass. This was an incredible place to visit. They had amazing collections of glass going back thousands of years up to the present. We saw demonstrations in glass blowing and Amy and Maddie actually made their own creations out of molten glass at a workshop they had. When we got back to the campground, we started to decorate our 2004 Tioga 31W motorhome for the “Christmas in August.” We stuck “eight tiny Reindeer” in front of the motorhome and ran some lights. I thought it was clever. The judges did not. Not even a booby prize. Oh, well! Maybe next year.

Watkins Glenn had been on our radar for a while so we headed there next. I went there as a kid but I did not remember how beautiful it was. The cascading water has created the perfect blend of rushing water, pools, and waterfalls all displayed within a framework of polished rock walls.

Back at the campground we made some “s’mores” over the fire and then played “Candy Bar Bingo” and went to the pavilion for the movie they showed that evening. Being I am feeling older each day, I left the movie early because I was falling asleep and settled in on the big queen sized bed in the Tioga.

Ed and Carmen help to nurture a spirit of community in the area. They have a large wooded area that has not been developed and they have allowed the local scout organizations to come and develop a nature trail. I got a chance to walk the trail and I saw many varieties of flora and fauna and had a relaxing time.

Campbell Campground was a wonderful choice for our family this year. Great hosts, clean facilities, lot’s of things to do and many opportunities to relax. It doesn’t get much better than that. With all the great things we did, the best part was watching my two daughters connect in a way that reminded me of when they were both much younger. They laughed and enjoyed each other’s company and made memories that will last a lifetime. After all, isn’t that why we do this thing called RVing?

Jeff Page has been an RV Salesman here at Media Camping Center for the past 14 years.

Web addresses for attractions mentioned in Jeff’s story:
Glenn H. Curtiss Aviation Museum
http://www.glennhcurtissmuseum.org/
Bully Hill Vineyard
http://www.bullyhill.com/
Corning Mueseum of Glass
http://www.cmog.org/
Watkins Glen
http://www.watkinsglenchamber.com/

Camp Bell Campground is one of Media Camping Center's Free Camping Partners.

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