Hello everyone! We hope that Spring is making its way back into your area and that the warmer temps are bringing some relief to that cabin fever. Our time here in the Sunshine State is quickly drawing to a close and we wanted to do just a quick recap of events to bring you up to speed before we get into the main topic of conversation.
So, first and foremost, Ken is fine. The follow-up CT scans showed no lingering signs of his brain bleed from February. Now he can continue his new sky-diving and scuba diving career. Just kidding. Tez put together a "Return to Disney" package that is still in full swing. We've been hitting all the parks and putting down tens of thousands of steps at each one. We've been big on family time here in the area with visits to an aunt, a cousin and a sister who will soon be renting a weekend cabin, here in Orlando, to help us bid farewell to Florida. It has been a much needed change to our climate preference that will ease us back into Northeast.
Now then, as many of you know, we have been full-time RVers for over two years now. It has been an amazing Journey that has allowed us to trek all over the United States, lay down temporary stakes in beautiful regions and explore the wide variety of landscapes that our nation has to offer. For those of you who stumble upon our modest little thread to soak in any knowledge that we share about this lifestyle, stand by, because we have a reality check for some of you. It has come to our attention that a vast number of RVer's have this preconceived notion of what is being offered when presented with a host of parks that imply "resort" standard qualities. Truthfully, there are a lot of campgrounds with the word "resort" in their names and this could be the root of the misconception. Let us assure you that this word has no bearing on the experience you are about to receive.
Lets get a few things straight. This is camping, folks. No matter how much high tech your beige, thin walled, transforming brick on wheels is, this is camping. It is out in the environment, sharing with nature and a host of critters, camping. Campgrounds offer you a plot of earth that can be spacious or cramped. It depends on how much real estate they have and how they divide it up. The idea of camping goes back before cars were invented and the notion that people would be able to capitalize on such a thing. Campgrounds offer you a variety of "hook-ups" to accommodate our need for the little luxuries of home. Again, some of these utilities have been around for ages and depending on the campground's budget or sense of greed, these utilities often are seen as low priority until someone's RV life is in jeopardy. Campgrounds offer quite a bit for something as simple as camping and for some, the idea of setting up their temporary home on a puny site with nothing but 20 amps to run their TVs and A/C, water supplies that are low pressure and smelling of eggs and the threat of nature invading their space can be upsetting. Many of those people can be downright snobbish as they have moved in with the idea that this "resort" is offering luxury. The cost of a nightly stay can be frustrating, too. If you don't take into consideration what it takes to run a campground with full hook-ups and entertainment for the camping masses, you might feel as though you are being robbed for a nightly stay at your favorite destination. Even we feel that some parks don't roll a portion of those profits back into the campground to maintain the luxuries they have promised and we have kept in mind these considerations. So, if you haven't figured out by now, the point is, if you are weekend camping or full time RVers, try to remember this is camping and just because you see the word "resort" in the name, it doesn't mean you are about to be treated to luxury beyond your wildest dreams.
Respect. This idea covers a plethora of concepts that should come second nature to us humans. It has, however, escaped a great majority of us. We think consideration and compassion go hand in hand with respect. When it comes to campgrounds, there are great number of people that treat the accommodations they have been given with little regard. Campers move in and treat the site as their personal trashing ground. They leave ruts in the lawn where vehicles are not supposed to be. They speed through the park with no regard to the danger they pose or the nuisance they are to other guests. Campers misuse the property in such a way that prevents other campers from enjoying the amenities that the campground offers. They leave trash about as though the wind will whisk it away to some far off land, never to be seen again. It's not to say that all people are to blame for the condition of our nations campgrounds, but there are a great majority of folks who breeze in, make their mark in a matter of a few short days and blow out leaving a wake of their presence behind in the campground for the next guest to grumble over. I guess there are a number of reasons that a lack of respect or consideration befalls most campers. Entitlement comes to mind. Laziness is also a good excuse. Poor housekeeping and I'm sure the list goes on. We all pay the same enormous price for membership into these campgrounds and campers, for some of these reasons, believe they are entitled to do what ever they want, however they want, whenever they want. There is little consideration for the reallocation of revenue when campgrounds have to clean up and repair the breakage after a week long idiot-fest. And when these folks are confronted with the breakage, they don't take responsibility. They aren't accountable. They instead boast that they "pay a lot" to camp here and they've paid enough, as though exorbitant fees are a free pass allowing them to use the campground as they see fit. The point here is, when campgrounds run into the folks who don't respect the camp site and all of the frills that come with it, the management is forced to prioritize; the repairs to a bathhouse after some fool pours fat down the shower drain or payroll for the countless employees who keep the grounds and the bathhouse pristine. I'm betting the bathhouse gets closed. The condition of these "resorts" is not only the responsibility of the management companies. Responsibility also falls on the campers who use, or rather, misuse the campgrounds.
We, of course, look at the reviews and, as with anything, reviews are subjective and rarely are they looking at the entire picture. We take these reviews with a lot of salt and wait to experience, for ourselves, the camping adventure. For the most part, the places we choose to hook up for a few weeks are really quaint and picturesque. No, they are not "resorts" with pristine waters, hula girls and cabana boys. Its camping as you should expect. So, if you're getting ready to take the plunge and do some serious long term traveling, like we are, just remember what it is you are really doing... connecting with our environment and seeing all there is to see.
Enjoy the Journey and don't expect too much from your nation's campgrounds.
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