Finally, our eastward drive took us into New York, our home State for the last 18 years! We had to stop for groceries and lunch at Chipotle, but we finally made it to our first destination in New York: Jones Pond campground. Jones Pond is the sixth gay campground we have stayed in since we started full-time RV traveling.
Gay campgrounds tend to be out in the middle of nowhere, and this one was no exception. There was a steep downhill dirt road leading to the entrance of Jones Pond; and once inside, there were two very large, unevenly placed speed bumps. The campground is spread out, with narrow dirt and gravel roads leading to the RV sites (which became muddy as it rained a lot during our stay). Our RV site was about as far away from the clubhouse and pool that you can get; however, we did have a lot of room at our RV site, which sat upon a hill and had a good distance on either side from our neighbors for a little more privacy. Our RV site was gravel, with a picnic table and fire pit (no grill). We had electric and water hookups, but no sewer hookups; so, we had to walk a fairly good distance to the shower facilities the three mornings we were there since we couldn’t dump our water.
On a brighter note, we immediately met our neighbors two RV sites down who were from Canada: Kevin and Dave. That night we went to our first event at Jones Pond: Bingo! We didn’t win, but we had fun anyway. Later that evening we went to a dance party at the clubhouse, which is called The Barn and looks like a big, red barn. 
The theme at Jones Pond that weekend was Independence Day and Canada Day because it was the 4th of July weekend and also happened to be Canada Day weekend (Canada Day celebrates the day that the three separate colonies of the United Canadas, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, became one Canada).
The next morning it was sunny, so we ventured out to the pool to get some rays. The pool had a limited number of lounge chairs for sunning, but we got two of the last available ones. 
In the early afternoon, it began to rain so Pat decided to do some laundry. By mid-afternoon the rain had subsided, and Tim went to the Canada Day party at The Barn, where he enjoyed Bloody Caesars (the official cocktail of Canada, which look like a Bloody Mary, but are made with Clamato juice, which is a mixture of tomato and clam juice, rather than just tomato juice). That evening we had intentions of going to the dance party in The Barn, but it began to rain; and as we established earlier, it was a long walk to The Barn, which we didn’t want to do in the rain. So, we went to bed instead.
The next morning, Tim had coffee with neighbors Dave and Kevin, joined by their friends Rick, Tim, and Andrew. That afternoon, the campground had a joint celebration of Independence Day and Canada Day with lunch and drinks provided by some of the seasonal campers at the campground; a silent auction (with some really high-priced and beautiful auction items); and a raffle. We didn’t win anything, but we enjoyed bidding at the auction and the food was great. The people were all very nice, so we had fun mingling as well. In the late afternoon, it rained again, so Tim did some laundry. The evening brought a fun drag show and more dancing at The Barn. 
After we returned to the RV, it rained all night, but stopped long enough in the morning for us to disconnect the water and electricity and start our drive toward our next destination.
Review of Jones Pond
Jones Pond in Angelica, New York, is over 100 acres in size and has 175 campsites with electric and water hookups. There are no sewer hookups, but there is a sewer dump station located at the campground. RV sites also include a picnic table and fire pit (no grill). Most of the RV sites are for seasonal campers; only 19 RV sites are available to reserve on a shorter basis. RV sites are large and can accommodate large RVs, with very spacious setups at each RV site. In addition, there are 21 tent sites with water and electric hookups, 8 cabins, a bunkhouse, and 4 rental trailers.
Jones Pond had recently constructed a new pool area, although the pool area still did not have enough loungers to accommodate the number of people who wanted to lounge at the pool. Other amenities include restroom/shower facilities and a small laundry facility. There is also a restaurant (open on weekends only), The Barn clubhouse, a general store for basic items, a lounge with a large tv and pool table, a large outdoor fire pit, and a volleyball field. In addition, there is the 3-acre pond for which the campground is named and some hiking trails.
Drawbacks include that the campground is only reachable by a dirt road with a steep incline/decline, the roads within the campground are narrow and made of dirt and gravel, and the pool and main party area (The Barn) are near the entrance to the campground and a good walk from the RV sites. Still, the people who run the campground are very nice; the seasonal campers are happy to offer free food and drinks to make newer campers feel welcome; and the RV sites are spacious. All in all, we would consider returning to Jones Pond in the future.
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