There had been only three choices of a campground in New Jersey during the off season. Originally, I thought I'd stay in one of several pretty state parks. Unfortunately, the ones close to the area I needed are all closed during the off season. Zack and I drove to all three of the private campgrounds last August, checking them out. I settled on Tip Tam in Jackson. It's located about 10 minutes from the mini storage where I put all my tax records and personal belongings I hadn't given away. Jackson is also about the same distance from the Outterbridge Crossing as I was living in Bridgewater so my drives to most of my tax clients were not much more than it had been. Also, the drive to the Somerville area and the kids was very doable.
Tip Tam is owned by Joanne and her son Darin. They were very friendly and overly helpful in getting me set up. The day I pulled in it was below freezing and I didn't want to set up my water or sewer lines. When I returned from my first trip to the mini storage, Darin had set up a PVC line for a sewer and a heated water hose was left on the picnic bench. I spoke with him and let him know I didn't need these things and was okay with using my fresh water on board and only setting up the sewer every few weeks when needed. He let me know there was no charge and they wanted me to be comfortable staying with them over the next few months.
I pulled in mid-week and by the weekend I had met Charlie, Greg, Donnie, Bill & Gina. Dan, Mike, Eric, and of course Joanne & Darin. All were staying at Tip Tam for various reasons. All welcomed me and offered to help in any way needed. A very friendly group. Donnie turned out to be a bit of a nut who was asked to leave within a couple of weeks of my arrival. He did contract work for several local shore police units as a diver. Unfortunately, he also had several late night "guests" and seemed unable to keep the noise levels low. Dan, Mike, Bill & Gina, and Eric was always around for a cheerful hello and occasional conversations. Greg hung around a bit more than the others with Charlie and so we chatted a bit more also. Charlie and I hit it off pretty good. He's known as "Truck Stop Charlie" and even has a bit of an internet and local following. He and his blue Peterbuilt are occasionally featured on the "Speed" channel's trucker show. Charlie grew up in Spring Lake, NJ. His father owned a small trucking company and Charlie took to trucking at an early age. His father apparently lost a fortune in the Madoff scandal. Charlie owns a classic Peterbuilt truck and a low-boy trailer. Having grown up in the area and working with his father's trucking firm, he knows lots of people in the area. Charlie seems to have more truck work than he wants. He and I drove around the area a few times in his Peterbuilt. Wow, it's a truck-truck and makes my truck seem like a kids toy.
Over the couple of months I stayed at Tip Tam I managed to accomplish a few things. Among them; renewed my drivers license, got my truck & RV serviced, did all my tax work, got my annual physical and dental exams done, got my truck air horn repaired, added some modifications to my truck including a side step so I can reach the RV safety pin without climbing on the rear tire and a locking gas cap, had several breakfasts and lunches with friends, and went on more than a few road trips with Alex & Zack.
Alex, Zack, & I had two paintball weekends in Jim Thorpe, PA. Real nice weekend get aways. The hotel has a buffet breakfast, an indoor pool and even a jacuzzi. There's the cute town of Jim Thorpe, and several nice restaurants for dinner. I've come to enjoy paintball, running around in the woods from about 9am till 5pm. I'm amazed that I can still run around at my age, lol :=) On our second paintball weekend we even went to an indoor shooting range on our way back. Even with Alex & Zack both having rifle and shotgun merit badges, I think it was interesting for them to shoot hand guns. On another road trip we went to Howe Caverns riding the boat on the underground river, and spent another day in Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame. The kids stayed with me in the RV one weekend and we explored the shore area. It worked okay but was definitely a little crowded with three in the rig. The week prior to my heading out was also their spring break. We spent it walking around DC. I had to rent a car since the truck wouldn't fit in the hotel parking lot.
It felt good getting on the road after two months. I was comfortable at Tip Tam but was definitely itching to move on to new places. I'll definitely stay here again next tax season.
