HELP Labor Day sprawl

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

How come we feel like our campground has been invaded? All these 3times a year campers.... Now I know everyone started somewhere, but I hope I didn't look this stuid!

All these folks rushing to get set up with all the lights, outdoor kitchens, golf carts, games, etc.

Makes us want to close the blinds and hunker down for the weekend but we're too damn curious as to what they're going to unpack next.

Actually saw a guy duct taping his sewer hose to the outlet of the camper...... after looking at the hose with no fittings on it, then dumping the rest of the box out, picking up the bayonet fittings and saying loudly what the hell are these things for? And preceded to shove one end of the hose into the ground connection and taping the other end...

 

There is plenty of humor here though, if we can keep the soccer balls off the house, and not have anyone drive a golf cart into it either..

 

Trying not to laugh in NC

Jim

 

[Dutch_12078]

We opted out of a crowded campground for the Labor Day weekend this year. Instead, we accepted the kind invitation of a friend and are spending the weekend set up on a private lot along Cass Lake near Keego Harbor, MI. We'll be going to the MI State Fair today, and a Renaissance Festival tomorrow, with fireworks to view from our site tomorrow night. The downside is no "3 times a year" campers to provide comic relief...

[TXiceman]

We have always avoided campgrounds on holiday weekends. We call these the "amateur weekends". Add water (like a lake) to the campsite and it is even more insane.

 

Ken

[Bob Vaughn]

When we lived up NORTH we did not camp from Memorial day to Labor day because of the crowds......with the kids back in school it was easier to get spots. Especially if it was cold.....we actually liked the cold weather camping.....

[Pieere]

You should get some experience in Workcamping during the holiday weekends. Memorial Day is the best as the real first timers start out. Then when the Casmpers make their exodus home after Labor Dy weekend. Found electrical cords ripped from RVs; even the electrical box hooked to the cord being dragged down the road; busted off roof TV antennaes; torn up sewer hoses and a few times when someone did not have their sewer hose connector attached proper and gave them selves a smelly bath! :P

[chirakawa]

I guess I feel a little differently. Yes, it can be a little inconvenient when the holiday campers invade for a few days, with all their kids and toys and critters and noise. But, I'm happy to see it. It tells me that there are at least a few parents left who care enough about their kids to get them out from behind a computer desk in their bedroom to at least expose them to this camping thing.

 

Nowadays, I see way too many young families who never do anything together, not even sit down to dinner at the same time. Both parents are working, dinner consists of whatever one of them picks up on the way home. Kids are raising themselves, some not doing too good of a job. I guess the world is just different.

 

So, I don't run and hide from this temporary intrusion on my tranquility. I'll just set my lawn chair out and take it all in, watch the kids running and screaming and cutting through my campsite while chasing the dog. I hope they leave here with a few memories like I have from my childhood, of camping with my family. Hopefully, the parents will take the time to do some bonding with their little ones, like I did as a parent. All's right with the world again.

[TXiceman]

Yes, we have volunteered hosted over the Easter and Spring breaks. What a hoot. Most folks are good, but you always have the party animals that are out to show people that the only way to have a good time is to be loud and drunk. We have actually had the rangers threaten to throw them out of the park to actually being put out of the park.

 

Ken

[ms60ocb]

In northwest Illinois, our state park is about 70% full ( My estimate).

Is it the high price of camp site compared to private has lots more to do for kids and full hook up.

Is it because it was forecast for rain last night and it did.rain.

Is the price of gas as it did come down to $2.78 yesterday.

Is it the condition of the road into the park as the state does have any money because the Illinois Gov't can't balance a budget.

But the people that are here appreciate the Volunteers and Park Rangers that continue to maintain the existing Facilities.

 

I like to see the young kids play and go to bed earlier as compared to the older KIDS (like 30-40 years old) that prevent me from sleeping (especially Presidents Day weekend in the south)

 

Clay

[bobsallyh]

Chirakawa, I agree with you. Nice to see parents with their kids out doing something. We see the best of this in forest service camps during the summer. As many don't have cell service nearby it is great to see the kids riding bikes and hooting and hollering. I think it is an age related thing that we get comfy during the week and winter when we are in 55 plus parks. .

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

It is nice to see kids not attached to a phone or device. We're just sitting here amusing ourselves watching the other folks . The place we're at is Twin Lakes in Chocowinity NC. It's an Encore park that still has public sites, come and camp any way you want... But they have 4-500 permanent sites with all the trimmings, pools, games, and of course golf carts. Take the places at Myrtle Beach and make them year round park models with the yards all manicured etc. So the permanent residents make a continual parade of carts driving by looking at all the holiday campers, and we're in the middle because we're full-time RV'ers, in a site that is normally for campers.

And the HDT attracts attention for some reason.... maybe its the flames on the hood?

Time to refresh a drink and watch the festivities

[dblr]

Us and 3 other camping family's went away for a week once near a large lake in Pa. no tv signal & no cell service and it turned out to be the best camping week we ever had, they swam, fished kayaked & we even splurged on a pontoon boat one day, best entertainment was the campfire every night.

[sandsys]

When our kids were little, Dave's extended family camped together one weekend a year. It was fun watching the kids "discover" that if you stamped on an empty soda can it would wrap itself around your foot and you could make lots of noise just walking. Now those kids are having kids of their own and I look forward to seeing how many go camping. It's a family tradition i would like to see continued.

 

Linda Sand

[Truckman]

I would agree that it is good to see the family out together except the parents are sitting around drinking and the kids are running wild, bikes at night with no lights, 6 or more kids on a golf cart designed for 4 max, and lots of noise too late into the night. I will take the campground on Monday afternoon as they all leave and enjoy the quiet again.

[lg61820]

My ex-husband and I take our 3 youngest grandchildren on many outings. Most recently, we camped for 10 days or so in a state campground near St Louis. Of the four campers with children on our loop, three were grandparents/grandchildren and only one was parents/child. I found that interesting. The kids love to camp, but love their electronics too.

 

There were some full-timers or most-timers on our loop also. I hope the kids weren't too loud, but they were using their "outside voices"! ;->

[Barbaraok]

But come Monday they will all be driving away and peace will descend as even 2-week vacationers will be gone (kids back in school next week) and it will be either fulltimers or those who are living permanently in RV parks. We just stay in, watch in amusement and know that soon they will be gone. For a full timer you can't avoid them, so we just make do and keep on going. But I do agree, after Monday it will be nice until next Memorial Day. Makes you appreciate being a full timer.

 

Barb

[Guest THE TRAILERKING]

I guess I feel a little differently. Yes, it can be a little inconvenient when the holiday campers invade for a few days, with all their kids and toys and critters and noise. But, I'm happy to see it. It tells me that there are at least a few parents left who care enough about their kids to get them out from behind a computer desk in their bedroom to at least expose them to this camping thing.

 

Nowadays, I see way too many young families who never do anything together, not even sit down to dinner at the same time. Both parents are working, dinner consists of whatever one of them picks up on the way home. Kids are raising themselves, some not doing too good of a job. I guess the world is just different.

 

So, I don't run and hide from this temporary intrusion on my tranquility. I'll just set my lawn chair out and take it all in, watch the kids running and screaming and cutting through my campsite while chasing the dog. I hope they leave here with a few memories like I have from my childhood, of camping with my family. Hopefully, the parents will take the time to do some bonding with their little ones, like I did as a parent. All's right with the world again.

Let me be the first to shake your hand.................Very well put.

[sandsys]

I hope the kids weren't too loud, but they were using their "outside voices"! ;->

Excellent point! What better place to use their outside voices?

 

Linda Sand

[Dutch&Di]

I like your way of thinking. Hugs, Di

I guess I feel a little differently. Yes, it can be a little inconvenient when the holiday campers invade for a few days, with all their kids and toys and critters and noise. But, I'm happy to see it. It tells me that there are at least a few parents left who care enough about their kids to get them out from behind a computer desk in their bedroom to at least expose them to this camping thing.

 

Nowadays, I see way too many young families who never do anything together, not even sit down to dinner at the same time. Both parents are working, dinner consists of whatever one of them picks up on the way home. Kids are raising themselves, some not doing too good of a job. I guess the world is just different.

 

So, I don't run and hide from this temporary intrusion on my tranquility. I'll just set my lawn chair out and take it all in, watch the kids running and screaming and cutting through my campsite while chasing the dog. I hope they leave here with a few memories like I have from my childhood, of camping with my family. Hopefully, the parents will take the time to do some bonding with their little ones, like I did as a parent. All's right with the world again.

[Dutch&Di]

How come we feel like our campground has been invaded? All these 3times a year campers.... Now I know everyone started somewhere, but I hope I didn't look this stuid!

All these folks rushing to get set up with all the lights, outdoor kitchens, golf carts, games, etc.

Makes us want to close the blinds and hunker down for the weekend but we're too damn curious as to what they're going to unpack next.

Actually saw a guy duct taping his sewer hose to the outlet of the camper...... after looking at the hose with no fittings on it, then dumping the rest of the box out, picking up the bayonet fittings and saying loudly what the hell are these things for? And preceded to shove one end of the hose into the ground connection and taping the other end...

 

There is plenty of humor here though, if we can keep the soccer balls off the house, and not have anyone drive a golf cart into it either..

 

Trying not to laugh in NC

Jim

 

I agree that sometimes we just have to sit and enjoy the hilarity of it all. Not everyone is a seasoned RV'er and hopefully, while we did a few dumb things during our 19 years of fulltiming, we didn't do anything really stupid enough to want someone next to us want to close their blinds. As others said, it will hopefully be thru the weekend and you'll have your peace and quiet back.

Never having had children myself, I absolutely love it when kids run around just being kids. That's what youth is supposed to do.

If you get to an outloud "belly laugh", you'll have to post again on what happened. Hugs, Di

[Barbaraok]

It is never the kids, but the parents - unfortunately there are too many that don't think anymore. Add in alcohol, and it isn't a pretty pucture. Nothing shriller than a "mature" woman who has had too much to drink deciding to serenade the park at 2:00 am. Sometimes wisdom doesn't come with age.

 

Barb

[Cloud 9]

We are experiencing the holiday weekend too. I just hunker down and watch, after all, these folks have jobs to go back to tomorrow and are trying to cram as much as they can into their 3 days. It is nice to see the moms and dads along with the kids. As for behavior, campground management can influence that. By the way, this afternoon we will have the place to ourselves.

 

Carl

[2gypsies]

We've always picked a place for holidays that wasn't around any kind of water - pools, lakes, streams. It makes for a much quieter stay. We let the weekenders have their fun in the other kinds of parks.

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

AND we're just about back to normal!!!!

Almost

Couple of folks staying another night but most are gone!!

[nana25k]

I seem to remember many posters here love to talk about how years ago they began their camping adventures as children or with their children. I am sure that we as kids or our children may have ruffled the nerves of "older folks" who wandered why all these kids xwere running about being noisy.

We love being around all the kids. I thrilled to see them out and about and having a great time. In a couple days they will be couped up in classrooms with no free recess time to let off steam

Yes there are occasional bad apples but we don't focus on them.

[skp51443]

We always looked for quiet and out of the way places for holidays, two reasons. First to avoid the noisy kids and drunk adults, second to leave one more space for the folks that had to get to a campground after work on Friday and be home and ready to go to work come Tuesday.

 

We love to see kids and younger adults around most of the time but it just seemed to us that holiday weekends brought out the type of campers we regretted being near.

 

Our plans didn't always work out, we were hiding out at Warland Creek, on Lake Koocanusa, near Libby Montana one holiday week. Had the entire camping area to ourselves for several days and I got in some quality fishing. Friday afternoon a batch of highschool aged kids showed up, they came over and asked us if we'd object to them having a party if they went down to the other end of the area. Nice kids and probably wanted to head off a call to the police if we were the grumpy sort. They set up an old RV and a few BBQ grills and more kids tricked in and they were having a great time and not being a problem at all.

 

Then a huge commercial flatbed trailer came in behind a big truck, it had a big pile of stuff on it under a cargo net and a 30 K generator on the back. It was followed by a few more commercial looking trucks loaded with gear, then a commercial bus plastered with some band's graphics and about 200 more people in cars and pickups. They sent someone by to say Hi and show us their permit and suggest we might want to move somewhere quieter, they probably wanted to head off any problems too. We told them to let the kids at the other end of the spot know they were going to have a band, and that we'd have no problem staying.

 

So our quiet, away from it all, weekend plans went down in flames but I did manage to scrounge a burger and a beer from the big party. Turns out they were part of the asbestos (I think it was) EPA cleanup project going on up there. Come Tuesday I went out with a big trash bag thinking I'd have a lot of cleanup to do, nope, didn't come close to filling the first bag and a lot of what I picked up was older trash.