Cody’s blog

Gifford Pinchot State Park
2200 Rosstown Road
Lewisberry, PA 17339-9787

717-432-5011

May 7 – 11, 2026

First camping trip this year! It was nearly a year since my last trip, since I’d missed our planned fall trip due to an accident where I’d dented the van’s left rear corner. It took FOREVER to find a place that would repair the dent—the van is too big/complicated for most body shops, and RV repair places don’t do body work. Finally found a place about 120 miles from where I live that specializes in RV and large vehicle body repair, and got my van all fixed up! Got it back exactly a week before our planned trip, and spent a hectic week getting the van dewinterized, cleaned up, systems checked out, and all the supplies reloaded and stocked up. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but I made it and headed out for the campground at around 12:30 pm. I’d meant to leave around 11, but I’d slept in late and still had last-minute supplies to load up, so I got a late start.

It should have been about a four-hour drive, but traffic and some confusion in arriving at the campground (I forgot to stop at the entry station to get a map, found the loop numbering confusing and missed the turnoff into my loop, and ended up driving aimlessly around the campground for a while), so it was after 5 pm by the time I found my campsite and parked. My space was right next to my brother and sister-in-law’s spot, so we were back and forth with each other the whole time.

It was a lovely site, with trees on both sides and a picnic area in back. It was a bit sloped, but nowhere near as unlevel as some of the sites I’ve been in. I put some leveling blocks under the passenger side (could have used two blocks, but I decided it was close enough) and left the front-to-back as is. It was a bit low in front but not too bad.

Davey was pretty good for the trip. I put his travel carrier in the back, strapped to the bed, with his favorite round blue pillow in it, sprayed some Feliway on it, and covered it with my robe. He complained a bit at first but quickly settled in and I heard barely a peep from him the whole way.

We had full hook-ups at both sites this time, which made things much easier for me. Didn’t have to unhook to go empty the cassette while at the site, or go hunting for water. Although they told me the water at the campground was not very good, and I still had water from home in my tank, so I decided to just use what I had until I ran out, and it ended up lasting me the whole time.

My sister-in-law told me she’d chosen pet-friendly sites for both campgrounds so we could be near each other, even though they don’t have a cat any more. That was nice of her!

I made ramen with kale and a slice of American cheese for dinner. One of my favorite comfort foods. They came and sat with me at my picnic table while I ate.

The next morning, I went out for a walk to find the lay of the land. And to find the bathhouse. On my way back, I passed this site a few sites down from ours that was blocked off with a sign reading, “Please do not disturb duck nest.” I got in the habit of going out every morning to walk for 10 – 20 minutes and thought it was a really nice way to start my day.

For the day’s adventures, we drove around the campground and the park, checking out all the sites and sights.

The park has a number of Day Use areas. To reach them, you exit the Camp Area and drive around the perimeter of the park, each Day Use area having its own entrance. Lots of lovely picnic areas.

The Maytown School House is on the corner as you drive around the park. No other information, just a sign reading, “Maytown School House.”

The next Day Use area we visited had a creek with a small dam running through it. We climbed the hillside and walked along the top of the ridge, then came back down the other side, where there were pretty little pink flowers growing. My phone tells me they are Philadelphia Fleabane.

Then we stopped for lunch at Lo Vasco’s Ristorante in Wellsville. I had a Crunchy Fish Wrap with fries, and it was delicious! I took half of it home, then went ahead and ate it when I got there.

Our third day at the park, Saturday, we attended the Dillsburg Pickle Fest, a street fair celebrating spring, and all sorts of pickle-related foods and crafts. I bought a kitchen towel with camping-related images on it for the van; a bottle of honey; a tee-shirt with a spooky UFO pickle that read, “Are you going to eat that pickle… or is the pickle going to eat you!” (It was between that and one with a pickle Tarot card design—but the UFO pickle shirt was printed on a thicker cotton tee shirt.) And the crowning piece, a pickle cupcake that was actually quite delicious! The cake was dense and moist with pickle chunks in it, topped with bourbon cream frosting. I also had an “Eggsquisite Pesto Melt” sandwich for lunch that was also very tasty. Lots of fun, despite the gloomy weather. Fortunately, we managed to attend during a break in the rain.

Our final full day at Gifford Pinchot was low-key and relaxing. We got a break in the weather and decided to pack a picnic lunch and drive to one of the Day Use areas to enjoy the fresh air. This time, I thought to bring some easily packable foods for picnic lunches! I had packaged tuna bowl, a snack pack of raisins, and a pack of raspberry fig bars, and a thermos of Gatorade with club soda. Yummy lunch. The rain even held off until after we finished.

Next day, Monday, we packed up and headed to our next campground, Lackawanna State Park. First campground of the year, had a great time!

Geezers on the Go – Gifford Pinchot State Park