This past Thanksgiving we loaded up the Schadenwagon and headed for the Eastern Shore (read our Kid Tripping post here). Since we weren’t camping and don’t yet have bike transporting ability on Westly taking the wagon was the choice for this little trip, and despite the emissions issues it is nice to burn half the fuel. The weather turned out to be nearly summer-like and hovered in the mid-70s for the whole weekend providing for lots of easy outdoorsy activities (including a run and jump in the ocean by the 4 year old… he’s a character).
In addition to the holiday norm of piling on the calories (stuffing. I love stuffing) we also managed to cram in nearly 20,000 steps each day (thanks FitBit) and a fair amount of biking with the BUV (bike utility vehicle). The kids loved exploring the beach and looking at the 100s of jellyfish that were washing up.
![bike uv](http://www.momandadventure.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_2776-300x225.jpg)
We stayed in the lodges that house upwards of 20 people each in near luxury (at least when compared to van living). While the grandparents cooked, and cooked, and cooked, we managed to entertain the kids (+ cousins) by taking bike adventures, racing to the beach, and hitting the playground.
Ironically these sorts of glamping-type trips require much stuff than your typical weekend out. It’s not that there are more meals, but the type of meals require much more preparation, and the meals themselves take up more space.You don’t often pack in a 20lb turkey in your pack, unless you want to meet some of the local wildlife on the way, I suppose. We also got a bit carried away in packing of games, and instruments, and enough stuffed animals to start a cotton stuffed recreation of the national zoo. Still, the car held it all + 4 bikes, 2 scooters, and barely enough Legos to build 3 complete Death Stars. I do love the flexibility of a good wagon.
The kids love Kiptopeke, as witnessed by our youngest making a beeline for the fence at the end of
the pier screaming, “the ocean, the ocean!” Thankfully the fence is well-built and neither of us had to go for a very cold swim.
I’d give this park a solid 4 stars out of 4 for those wanting a simple off-season vacation with easy access to nature, but a near hotel-like experience. If you don’t like camping this is a comfortable compromise. We love camping, though and were eyeing the closed-for-the-season campground enviously.