Why Do You Camp?
Jim Redelfs
I camp to relax, commune with nature and family and friends that may camp with
me.
I RV to ensure that, wherever I camp, I can sleep in my own bed, pee in my own
pot and raid my own, well-stocked refrigerator. When I step out my door, I am
amidst nature.
Just camp. It's good for the soul.
:)
JR
Newt
JR Im with you! I am going to get a popup REAL soon (tired of tenting).
I just want to get away from this town and spend some time out in the
wilderness. NO people NO cops... Just me and mom nature.
Newt
ltri...@yahoo.com
You will find cops everywhere you go. In this day and time, they are
very necessary. It would be total bedlam with out them....and then you
couldn't get out to enjoy nature...
But, whether national, state or local operated camps, private rv
parks, where ever you go, the cops there are simply to protect. I've
never encountere one that was "ticket happy", nor appeared interested
in anything except the peace and safety of campers. They are a far cry
from the ones you find in cities and on the highways.
Just my experience, yours may vary
Leon in Texas
mac davis
All of the above and more... lol
We don't "camp" any more, we RV... As I got "less young", I went from sleeping
on the ground to tents.. to camper shells and then bigger tents..
I thought that getting a tent trailer would be all I ever needed.. (yeah, right)
but the more mother nature messed with me, the more things like heat, cooling,
bathroom, something to cook on that was inside, etc., appealed to me...
I still enjoy getting out in the boonies, but don't do it much any more...
mostly on day trips.. the sky is still clear in the forest, the birds aren't all
dead yet and you can still see the stars on most nights...
We've found that our camp site/rv park can be thousands of miles from home or
half an hour away... it doesn't really matter, once we're "gone"...
There's a real freedom in being away from work and clients, and having to give
up control and just relax...
We've developed an interesting style, mostly because of our "camping"
background.... We spend most of our non-sleeping time outside, cook mostly on
the fire, etc..
We still sit around the fire at night and enjoy a beverage or 4, and invite
neighbors over to enjoy the experience... the difference now is that we're
usually the only one's with a fire in the park..
Oh yeah, one more small difference.... when the fire is burning low and it's
time to go to sleep, we do it in a real bed with real sheets... inside hard
walls containing a bathroom (no, not a tree), kitchen and *gasp* heat, A/C and
fans.. *g*
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
Wayne Moses
"mac davis" <mac....@splinters.comcast.net> wrote in message
news:9bjqc19ef5calislf...@4ax.com...
> Oh yeah, one more small difference.... when the fire is burning low and
> it's
> time to go to sleep, we do it in a real bed with real sheets... inside
> hard
> walls containing a bathroom (no, not a tree), kitchen and *gasp* heat, A/C
> and
> fans.. *g*
Sounds like you are ready for a 5th wheel ... :-)
Wayne
Tom Yost
<mac....@splinters.comcast.net> wrote:
>
>Oh yeah, one more small difference.... when the fire is burning low and it's
>time to go to sleep, we do it in a real bed with real sheets... inside hard
>walls containing a bathroom (no, not a tree), kitchen and *gasp* heat, A/C and
>fans.. *g*
>
That's OK, but it's _not_ camping.
:-)
(ducking)
Tom
Bill Carton - (The Roadie)
My daughter, after growing up tenting with us from infancy to 14, then a
popup until she went to college, describes it now as merely "sleeping near
trees."
And yes, she ducks and cowers when she says it. :-)
--
Bill "the Roadie" Carton
John
That, to me, is a very good sign of being relaxed.
--
John
Jim Redelfs
Tom Yost <t...@gSePsApMac.com> wrote:
See, Mac? I KNEW we weren't camping anymore. <sigh>
[wringing hands, wailing] Where, oh WHERE did we go astray?
I think I gave up the last of of TRULY roughing it (finding a place to
recharge the camper battery) with the purchase of the generator. <sigh>
Been There/Done That List
- Tented with three girls, youngest in diapers, including porta crib, high
chair, porta potti (next older daughter), yadda, yadda, yadda. Using blankets
and beach towels and clotheline, I erected a truly private "shower stall"
behind our tent in Rocky Mountain National Park. I heated water on the
Coleman stove and, using a web lawn chair as bath deck/floor, Leslie bathed
herself and three daughters in the great outdoors.
- Special-ordered 1987 Starcraft Galaxy popup. The only two options I did NOT
get was air conditioning and a shower. We used this camper for thirteen
years. We took 2-1/2-weeks when the popup was a year old to tour Yellowstone
and Grand Teton National Parks - the spring after The Great Fires.
I've taken down in the rain and nearly gotten struck by lightning. I've
watched from my home with great angst as my beloved popup was tossed around
while setup in the driveway during a storm.
We've paid our dues and have simply moved ALONG - not necessarily UP. As the
price of oil passes $60 and STAYS there, I have begun to look more enviously
at popups and other LOW-profile campers.
- In 2000, we traded-in the ALL USED UP popup for an entry level (VERY entry
level) travel trailers. (Look, Ma! No slideout room!) <sigh>
It has been great.
:)
JR
Ed H
"You know - it just hit me that we popup kind of folks (regardless of brand)
are the front porch sitting kind of people! That old fashioned art of
sitting outside under the veranda is almost unheard of today and camping in
our popup gives us that kind of feeling all over again! You can sit outside
and watch the world go by and the kids can play while you relax.
"Neighbors" drop by or wave a nice hello or nod and wish you a good morning
or evening while they stroll the campground. The aroma of food cooking and
the campfires burning remind us of picnics and old fashion fun. Listening
to the laughter of friends and children brings us back to a place when times
were less frightful and more serene. I love the fact that my popup has
nothing to draw me inside but has everything to offer for keeping me outside
and having fun and when it's time to turn in - a soft bed and fresh sheets
are the icing on the cake!"
--
Ed, Sandy, E.J. and Misty
2001 Rockwood Freedom 1950
1994 Ford Explorer XLT
"Jim Redelfs" <jim.r...@redelfs.com> wrote in message
news:jim.redelfs-A173...@news.central.cox.net...
Gerry Pierce
I get the strangest looks from folk in my new neighborhood for sitting on
the park bench and just watching/relaxing. Everyone comes home, hits the
garage door button, pulls in, hits the button again and disapears.
--
Gerry and Robyn
99 Mesa (for sale)
01 Sporttrac
"Ed H" <w.wh...@NOSPAMcomcast.net> wrote in message
news:7r-dncQ2JaU...@comcast.com...
ltri...@yahoo.com
Lot's of reasons,,, but like Gerry said:
People drive up to their homes, and disappear.
Around a campfire, you can meet new friends.
share a story or some cool drinks..
enjoy fellowship
we never do that with our neighbors at home...
we would, but they're too busy or involved with other things...
enjoy life....life is short....
Why do we camp....let me just say
WHY NOT?
Leon in Texas
mac davis
We almost bought one last year, and a new truck to pull it, Wayne..
After looking at the options, and taking an RV trip to Baja, we decided that
buying 2 lots in Baja for $60k was a better investment in fun than $80k for a
fiver and 3/4 ton diesel..
The problem I see with most fivers is the size... unless you use them for long
stays or live in them, they just don't appeal to me.. (though our friends have a
new 36' Prowler that is about the size of our house and VERY nice)
mac davis
that was my point, Tom... I got too "less young" to camp, so the next best thing
was to start "RV'ing"..
mac davis
>In article <irerc1176n9o0mv79...@4ax.com>,
> Tom Yost <t...@gSePsApMac.com> wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 07 Jul 2005 08:53:30 -0700, mac davis
>> <mac....@splinters.comcast.net> wrote:
>> >
>> >Oh yeah, one more small difference.... when the fire is burning low and it's
>> >time to go to sleep, we do it in a real bed with real sheets... inside hard
>> >walls containing a bathroom (no, not a tree), kitchen and *gasp* heat, A/C
>> >and
>> >fans.. *g*
>
>> That's OK, but it's _not_ camping.
>
>See, Mac? I KNEW we weren't camping anymore. <sigh>
>
>[wringing hands, wailing] Where, oh WHERE did we go astray?
>
>I think I gave up the last of of TRULY roughing it (finding a place to
>recharge the camper battery) with the purchase of the generator. <sigh>
>
<snip>
It was age and money for me, Jim...
We wanted to move up to a pop-up, and almost bought a Coleman Niagara...
went the travel trailer route, after a brief love affair with the hybrid
concept, for 2 reasons..
I was 58 at the time, and my wife asked if I wanted to be cranking up a roof in
10 years...
The popup was 3,000# dry and cost $17,000... we bought a new 28' TT for $17k out
the door, including the hitch on the truck, WD hitch, etc....
The tt weighs 4,800 dry, so we paid less for a whole lot more trailer...
basically skipped a step or 2 and got something that we'll have fora long time..
mac davis
>Bravo! I could not say it better myself.
>
>I get the strangest looks from folk in my new neighborhood for sitting on
>the park bench and just watching/relaxing. Everyone comes home, hits the
>garage door button, pulls in, hits the button again and disapears.
we're really lucky with our neighborhood... the last 4 or 5 places I lived were
as you describe, but this one is different..
Almost any warm night will see a bunch of neighbors with their lawn chairs in
their driveways, usually with extra chairs for folks that drop by... everyone
know who lives where, what they drive, etc.... sort of like a neighborhood watch
on steroids...
In the colder weather, we have a fire in our camping fireplace out in the
driveway most nights and our driveway and shop become the neighborhood gossip
center.. rofl
Jim Redelfs
mac davis <mac....@splinters.comcast.net> wrote:
> The tt weighs 4,800 dry, so we paid less for a whole lot more trailer...
> basically skipped a step or 2 and got something that we'll have fora long
> time..
That sounds a lot like my setup.
Now, almost five seasons later, I have been seriously looking at a replacement
but am more inclined to KEEP what we have. I have it "tricked-out" enough
that it's truly MINE and especially comfortable, even when dry camped.
The cars (including the fire-breathing Silverado 2500HD) will be OURS this
November. We're gonna coast for a while but I want to quickly put a rubber
roof on my Skamper Ultra TT and it's going to get a set of four, new tires.
While messing around "down there", I'd be a fool to NOT do the brakes and
bearings.
But wait, there's MORE! I want to "flip" the axles to RAISE the trailer so we
can get off road - A LITTLE - without having to hold our breath so much,
hoping we don't tear out a holding tank at the rear.
Not to worry: Our last/first/only off-road adventure in the fall of 2002 was
enough to show me that you don't take a long (and I mean L*O*N*G) wheelbase
vehicle off-road TOO much. Our extended-cab pickup with the 8-ft "long" box
lost ground clearance rapidly going over some "humps" in the terrain.
Back to packing. I'm thinking about washing the camper. <sigh>
:)
JR
--
2000 Skamper Ultra 249 TT
2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
Vortec 8100 - Allison 1000
Mark Jones
news:jim.redelfs-A173...@news.central.cox.net...
I can also take my Chihuahua with me without any
problems. I like the fact that I have my own stuff
with me and can sleep in my own bed that is
covered with a 3 inch thick memory foam mattress.
Mark Jones
news:KZ2ze.28786$ro.19673@fed1read02...
> I just want to get away from this town and spend some time out in the
> wilderness. NO people NO cops... Just me and mom nature.
When I go camping, it is often close to where my brother
lives. He is a cop, so of course I have no problem being
around cops.
Mark Jones
it's
> time to go to sleep, we do it in a real bed with real sheets... inside
hard
> walls containing a bathroom (no, not a tree), kitchen and *gasp* heat, A/C
and
> fans.. *g*
My pop-up has a bathroom with a shower, a really good A/C,
a 3-way refrigerator, a 3 burner stove with oven, a microwave
oven and a slide-out. I also bring along a 32 inch widescreen
LCD HDTV and a progressive scan DVD player with a good
selection of movies to watch. In cold weather I can turn on my
furnace and have it nice and warm in a matter of minutes.
mac davis
cool.. I'd pass on the tv, but that's a personal thing... we have a 13" with DVD
and never use it unless the grand-crumb catchers are along...
Everything else on your list is what the Travel trailer has and the tent trailer
didn't..
My wife likes all the cabinets and storage and I like being able to not have to
pack the kitchen and stuff every time we go out...
OTOH, we've been going to the forest most weekends and cutting wood, and we're
thinking of buying a used popup or tent trailer(very small) to take with us,
because we really miss camping, as opposed to rv'ing.. sometimes, less is more..
snow
experience will last a lifetime.
Camping sure beats staying in motels. You meet people from all walks of life
at a campground, and it is a more relaxed pace. Also, a huge plus on a cross
country trip is seeing the natural habitat. Each part of the USA is unique
with different animals, birds, insects, plants and flowers.
Camping brings all of this up close. I will never forget a campsite we
stayed at in southern Arizona. Being from Maine we never say turantulas
except at a zoo. Well, this campground had several of them that came out a
dusk.
It was amazing. I am also fond of Palo Duro Canyon in Texas. Great camping
area and full of hiking trials.Great spot to experience the Old West.
Camping certainly
gives memories. A popup is good as it is like a small house, and easier on
the back when sleeping. We are planning a third trip next summer. Likely
destination will be a return to the southwest and places we missed. I highly
recommend camping to families. Very educational.
"Jim Redelfs" <jim.r...@redelfs.com> wrote in message
news:jim.redelfs-A173...@news.central.cox.net...