Camping

[Willie B]

Mrs. B is out of school. She NEEDS to unwind! She wanted to go camping this weekend. She tried everywhere to find a cancellation. Spur of the moment, I'm not big on 300 mile each way trips. Happy wife..........., I agreed to check out Hapgood Pond. It isn't far, I was dragged there 1000 times so cousin Jim could punch me in the stomach in my childhood.
They have first come, first served sites.

Guess what? We met a family much like mine.

Thursday night, we found the best site in the campground available. Across from us were two men, two trucks. They were quiet. They left before dark on Friday.
Late night, I heard a car pull in, but fell asleep.

Next morning, a group had arrived. As the day passed, it grew to 10. Grandma looked (from a distance) exactly like Momma. Both bleached blond, both 99 LBS stretched over a 150 LB skeleton. From a distance, I took the blonds to be sisters. MRS. B says Mother & daughter.
Males in the group numbered four total, women, four, a toddler, and an infant.

Friday night wasn't loud.
Saturday mid day fights broke out. Loud voices (they wanted everybody to hear). By evening the loud rap music that played all day was turned up a few notches. Everybody in the group had a round of "I'm gonna F**ckin' kill you!" A derelict Dodge Lancer, & a Dodge mini van missing its entire rocker panels, two donut spares, drove constantly, Half the time wrong way on a one way drive.

Saturday night the Campground host came to me; "Was I the one who called police?" No, I hadn't. He went to talk to them.

As the evening grew, "music" got louder ( I can't imagine how) I'm gonna F**kin' kill you was shouted even more often. Music died at the stroke of 10:00 PM, but it all got loud again at 11:00 PM.

This morning a bleached blonde Millennial with no shirt, and tatoos on his face was at my door wanting to borrow jumper cables.
I let him use them in exchange for a favor:
"You had a Hell of a party last night. In future, remember that you aren't the only campsite in this campground. No one else was invited to your party, but had no choice but be involved. Rap music loud enough to shake our camper 100 yards away, howling at the moon at midnight involves everyone here. I'm sure no one enjoyed the screams at midnight. In future, please consider others."

[IAMsteelworker]

That definitely would ruin a weekend of camping. We've been pretty lucky over the years camping, but I also grew up camping with my grandparents in a RV and was taught to be respectful of other campers.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[_Weldman_]

This should help the next time you want to go camping.
https://freecampsites.net/how-to-find-more-sites/
https://www.campendium.com/

[walker]

I feel for you. We were going to go up to some acreage that we own in the mountains this last weekend. They closed the forests here. All of them. Simply because idiots here insist on having a camp fire in 15mph winds when we have had no rain for months. We could have gotten past the blockaded roads, being property owners, but it is not worth the fight sometimes.

[farmersammm]

I used to do a lot of camping up around Silverton CO. I lived in Durango at the time. I was in my early 20's.

Anyways..................you took your truck up there on the old mining roads, and RR track beds, and found a place to park for the night.

On the way up, you'd stop, and cut up some deadfall down in the treeline. I camped above the treeline at over 9000 feet or so. Put it in the back of the truck, and set up camp, then fire it up when the sun went down. Gawd it was nice.

Steak on a portable grill, with baked potato wrapped in foil, and buried in the embers of the fire. Life was good. And the beer was good. Ever drink an 18 pack at almost 10,000 feet altitude????

Every once in a while, you'd run into another 4wheeler on the track, and it was just a wave, and head on your way.

Sometimes, you'd wind up camping within sight of people you saw earlier in the day. I had this happen a coupla times. You'd get together, have some beers, and share food. No bullsheet crap. Nobody asked you for a thing.

I carried a gun back then (about 40+yrs ago), but I never imagined using it. But it was there just in case. I imagine the other folks were packin' too.

But the thing................you never really worried about your safety back then. People were different. When you talked to someone, you got what you saw. Life was safe.

K'kins isn't into camping, and we're too old, and she won't go anywhere where she can't get a bath............and we're tied to the place with the cattle. I think she would go if we could find a place where she could take a shower maybe every 2 days, but it's a moot point. We'll never go anywhere anymore.

If this health thing pans out for the good............I'm gonna take her to Durango, even if I have to pay for a stinkin' motel, and only get up to the hills on a day basis. I think we can do it.............used to be, I'd go up there with a Dodge D-100 2wd with chains on the back wheels. I could do it with the F-150 I guess. I'd like to see that country once more before I check out. Maybe even ride the train. I think we can get one of her kids to feed the cows while we're gone. Would'nt be a big deal once they're on pasture.

The old PowerWagon is too far gone to restore it for a road trip.

[jpump5]

About 40 years ago I rode a bicycle from Ct. to northern
Maine and back, camping out every night. Other campers
we’re all quiet, friendly, and some generous with good food.
(the food I carried on a bike wasn’t particularly
good).

[Kelvin]

"I'm gonna F**ckin' kill you!"

"Want some help?"

[Willie B]

"Want some help?"

Might enjoy sharing a campsite, but when killing begins I am prepared.

[bigb]

Yep things have changed, tho I remember partying at campgrounds was a thing even 40 years ago, but then most of the campgrounds were not jam packed full like they are now. Sometimes we'd go to the lake and wouldn't be anyone else there. We have a local mountain here that is a short day trip to the top, just over 9,000 feet. When you are young and live in the desert the thought of snow is exciting. So when we saw snow on the mountain we'd head up. Sherriff would be stationed up near where the snow started and would flag you down and say "Got chains?" or wave you on if they saw you were in a 4X4. Then you'd head up and play in the snow. Not anymore, too many idiots ruined it. Now it snows, road closes. Does not re-open till cleared and dry unless you can prove you are a resident or a worker headed to work, then you can go with chains or 4 wheel drive after the plow hits it.
Same thing happened to left turns here, used to be when oncoming traffic opened up you turned, or when light turned red everybody stopped and you turned. Not any more. Now we sit through long green lights with no oncoming traffic at all with a red arrow in front of us that turns green a few seconds after the through traffic light turns red. Too many people didn't understand how to make a left turn.
I guess it's the overcrowded world we live in.

[smithdoor]

It not same as we grow up in 1960's.
I was a program on Death Valley
I surprised the number of campers the temperature can easily be 120°F. That sounds like fun shake and bake camping 🏕 .
They need fuel it only 10 minutes away. When I was camping I would have at least 4 jeep cans of fuel.

Today camping is down to 3 star 🌟 motel safety too.

Dave

Mrs. B is out of school. She NEEDS to unwind! She wanted to go camping this weekend. She tried everywhere to find a cancellation. Spur of the moment, I'm not big on 300 mile each way trips. Happy wife..........., I agreed to check out Hapgood Pond. It isn't far, I was dragged there 1000 times so cousin Jim could punch me in the stomach in my childhood.
They have first come, first served sites.

Guess what? We met a family much like mine.

Thursday night, we found the best site in the campground available. Across from us were two men, two trucks. They were quiet. They left before dark on Friday.
Late night, I heard a car pull in, but fell asleep.

Next morning, a group had arrived. As the day passed, it grew to 10. Grandma looked (from a distance) exactly like Momma. Both bleached blond, both 99 LBS stretched over a 150 LB skeleton. From a distance, I took the blonds to be sisters. MRS. B says Mother & daughter.
Males in the group numbered four total, women, four, a toddler, and an infant.

Friday night wasn't loud.
Saturday mid day fights broke out. Loud voices (they wanted everybody to hear). By evening the loud rap music that played all day was turned up a few notches. Everybody in the group had a round of "I'm gonna F**ckin' kill you!" A derelict Dodge Lancer, & a Dodge mini van missing its entire rocker panels, two donut spares, drove constantly, Half the time wrong way on a one way drive.

Saturday night the Campground host came to me; "Was I the one who called police?" No, I hadn't. He went to talk to them.

As the evening grew, "music" got louder ( I can't imagine how) I'm gonna F**kin' kill you was shouted even more often. Music died at the stroke of 10:00 PM, but it all got loud again at 11:00 PM.

This morning a bleached blonde Millennial with no shirt, and tatoos on his face was at my door wanting to borrow jumper cables.
I let him use them in exchange for a favor:
"You had a Hell of a party last night. In future, remember that you aren't the only campsite in this campground. No one else was invited to your party, but had no choice but be involved. Rap music loud enough to shake our camper 100 yards away, howling at the moon at midnight involves everyone here. I'm sure no one enjoyed the screams at midnight. In future, please consider others."