Diverted from our original destination in Rhode Island, Beth found us two nights at a former Coast Guard Station in Salem Massachusetts.
01 August 2025 – Friday
0915 71,853 64°F Leave Boondockers Welcome in Wappingers Falls
0925 71,856 65°F Restocked at Hannaford Grocery, then enjoyed the last of the blueberry scones our neighbor Richard gave us for the trip. Left Wappingers Falls at 0956.
1132 71,944 66°F Hartford, Connecticut
Stopped at Costco to refuel and make lunch in the parking lot. Left at 1218. From here, traffic on the highways was very congested. I mentioned to Beth that it looked like a carpet of cars in front of us. With four lanes crawling in each direction we only averaged 33 mph between Hartford and Salem. Boredom was interrupted twice by motorcycles zooming in the narrow space between the third and fourth lanes. We were both ready to be done traveling for the day when we arrived in Salem.
1620 72,075 73°F Salem, Massachusetts – Winter Island Park
Site #5 included electricity and water for $42/night. Coupons are provided to use a dump station at the nearby waste treatment plant. AT&T cell service showed 4 bars of 5G+. Bathrooms and showers were old, but worked. Sites are booked through Reserve America.
Why would anyone want to camp in a parking lot next to a dilapidated seaplane hanger?
Maybe because of the view behind the van. There’s a lighthouse, a fort, the Atlantic Ocean, a beach, and a boat launch all within a few hundred feet!
satellite image from Apple Maps
After positioning the van so we could see the water, I ran over to catch a lovely schooner sailing by Fort Pickering Lighthouse.
The lighthouse was a constant draw. The potential for sunrise photos had me up before dawn both days.
Neighbors
A special treat was live music from a couple of nearby campers. Chris (on the upright bass) & Julie even let me sing with them. Check out Taking Leave RV to follow their adventures. Here’s a link to a taste of the tunes…
Musical Fun in Salem
Another unusual happening was a big wedding on Saturday. I was talking with the father-in-law to be and the Bride’s mom ran over and asked if I was the photographer, because he was late!
Boatwatching
A downside, for some, to camping here is that the boat launch opens at 0500. We enjoyed watching all kinds of boats during our stay. “Blue II” was my favorite trailerable pleasure-boat.
A floating dock provided easy tie-up before and after launching. We watched lobster boats unload and the Harbor Master make his rounds. Kudos to whoever designed the logo for the city of Salem!
Watching boats provided great entertainment. The skiff “Rowdeo” passes the lobster boat “Sophie and Emma” on her mooring.
Several schooners out of Salem passed by the park on a regular basis.
We even saw a couple of Hobie Island pedal powered kayaks head out fishing. It would be fun to come back here with our sailing version someday.
Local Transit
If you want to get into town without driving, there are options by land or sea.
The Salem Trolley tour stops here several times each day.
The Salem Harbor Shuttle boat is an on-demand service. Once in town, you can also catch a ferry to Boston.
Cat Cove
The cove has a walking path across the dam. At low tide it reveals old boat engines covered with barnacles.
Island History
Thanks to Wikipedia, we learned that the Coast Guard base was open from 1935 through 1970 serving the area from the Canadian border to New York City. It was phased out as helicopters replaced seaplanes for search and rescue operations. The photo on the left is from signage at the park. The hanger same side of the building is shown as it looks today on the right.
The east side of the building now provides five “campsites.” We hope that the facility can be restored and preserved. A vintage seaplane display in the hanger would be great. Note that we’re the rightmost of three ProMaster based RVs.
Fort Pickering
Defending Salem since 1643, Fort Pickering is also contained within the park. A group of scouts set up tents within the walls on Saturday night. By noon on Sunday, only a rabbit remained.
Waikiki Beach
The beach offers sand, rocks, and views of another pretty lighthouse.
Farewell from Winter Island Park. We hope you enjoyed this overview as much as we enjoyed the weekend visit.
Today’s Route:
Wappinger’s Falls, NY
to Salem, MA