Since our shakedown cruise was a success, sort of, we decided to put the new coach through its paces and start the next phase of our journey to full time – the Operational Readiness Exercise, also known as, O.R.E. Anyone who is, or was in the Navy most likely has gone through an O.R.E.
Prior to a ship deploying, usually two months before, the ship will go out for a couple of weeks of round the clock war games and drills. Its purpose is to make sure the ship and its crew are ready for anything that may happen once they deploy. Our O.R.E. is a little different since we don’t plan on playing war games or having “General Quarters” drills. Our exercise will be to use every inch of the coach, push every button, spin every dial, and get a good understanding on how everything works, as if we were now full timing. And, find out what doesn’t work so we can put together our punch list for any warranty items.
We left bright and early Saturday morning for a short two hour drive to our first stop in Cape May. We made reservations back in December at the Beachcomber Camping Resort . Leaving early was a must so that we could pick up the rental car before the Enterprise office closed at Noon. It was an uneventful drive straight down the Garden State Parkway. We picked up the car and went to the campground, which was about a mile away.
The campground is 100 wooded acres with everything from tent camping to park models. They even rent out golf carts for $28 a day, which is not much cheaper than or rental car, and you can only use them in the campground.
The speed limit in the campground is 5 MPH, which is a good thing because the roads are very narrow. We were assigned site 14, a back-in site on Anchor Drive that was extremely tight and took a while (or felt like it) to get the coach in. Did I mention the campground was wooded? a lot of trees, which is something Debbie and I like, however, the satellite or over the air antenna are not big fans.
We were very surprised how busy this campground was since the camping season has not “officially” started. Beachcomber is a secure campground with gates at the entrance and exit. We were given a key card when we checked in to open the gate, which required a $10 deposit. I guess they have issues with campers forgetting to return them because I know the cards only cost about $1.50 each.
In front of our site was a row of cabins which were all occupied before I took this picture.
Like I said, the campground was full and we were surrounded by campers. We expected the usual campground noise, but were really surprised how quiet it was during our stay. Quiet hours here are from 10:30 PM to 8 AM. Evidently it is strictly adhered to because we had a large group next to us (3 sites and a cabin) and they were extremely quiet and not a bother at all.
So far, the only real downside to this campground (other than the very tight site) is the lack of satellite and antenna reception. Yes, I could “rent” a cable box for $50 deposit, but according to the person in the office, it would have to be connected directly to the TV. I looked and can’t see a way to do it since the only cable in the cabinet comes directly from the satellite. We chose to listen to music from the radio during our visit, which was kind of nice since we have speakers throughout the coach, even in the bedroom.
Here’s some more pictures of the campground. Tomorrow we plan on taking a drive into town to see the painted ladies and drive up the coast to check out the different towns.
Tomorrow is Mother’s Day (yes, I know I’m a little behind) and I have a special brunch planned for Debbie.
Safe travels!