Bathroom Etiquette!

http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/content.detail/id/509757.html?nav=5010

Here is just a little reminder for hardcore campers, hikers, and sportsmen/women, about the proper way to dispose of your waste in the wild! : ) Thankfully most of my camping is done in campgrounds where I don't have to worry about fields full of human waste landmines!

Camper Show

http://www.app.com/article/20091112/SPORTS06/911120329/1017/sports06&source=rss

Here is a link to a late season RV show in Atlantic City. Speaking of RV shows, I certainly hope the one in Hershey is better next year than it was this year. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed going this year as I always do. However, you could tell that this year's 2009 camper show was much smaller than previous years. Camp On!

More state parks being shut down!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/us/30sfparks-ko.html

Here it is again, yet another post from another state about how they need to save money in the state budget. Naturally one of the first things you would want to cut is the "massive" amount of money allotted to keeping the state parks open. California is not along in this. This has become an almost yearly occurrence in my own home state of of PA.

L.L. Bean and Camping?

This articles appeared in the New York Times in August and I am just now picking up on it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/fashion/20ROW.html

I found this piece to be interesting for a couple of reasons.
1. I thought that LL Bean's standard clothing was very well suited for camping life. Most of their clothing is rugged and durable.
2. I don't know that the new line makes any sense at all for campers. Linen blazers and camp jackets? Really? I can't tell you the last time I saw a gentleman walking around a campground in a linen blazer. Oh wait, yes I can, NEVER! And the price points that they set for this new line seems to be a bit above what almost any camper is going to pay for something to sit around the campfire in. I love the fact that they mention the fact that camping is partially coming back in vogue because it is viewed as less expensive, then they mention that the new (designer) clothes would cost approximately 50-70 for a shirt and 200 for the blazer. Absolutely, love it!

I would personally like to see LL Bean start a line that features some quick dry clothing, more stylishly cut shirts, lightweight waterproof softshell jackets, and other modernized athletic adventure lines! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love LL Bean and many of the things they carry. However, if they want to capture the camping market even more, then they are veering off on the wrong rabbit path with this line.

Not sleeping!

Last night I had trouble sleeping, mostly because I had a lot of things going through my mind. But I was reminded of several times I couldn't sleep while on camping trips due to things/people out of my control. Such as:

The time we camped with my mother in law (in a pop up) and her snoring (which was occassionally interrupted by prolonged bouts of coughing) kept everyone else in the camper awake until about 1:00 am. Finally everyone was able to get to sleep. Hours later we were promptly roused out of our slumber by the sound of my mother in law digging through the plastic grocery bags for her shower stuff, since she likes to wake up at about 4:30 am and get showers. And let me tell you, this was not just a minute or two of plastic bag rustling, but more like 20 minutes of constant muttering to herself while wildly thrashing her hands around inside the bags looking for who knows what. After several terse remarks from my wife her mother retreated to the shower house. Finally, some peace and quiet and we all returned our heads to our pillows determined to make the most of it. No sooner had we drifted back off and hark what was that we hear, but a chainsaw being started up and used to cut firewood by the man at the seasonal site next to us. My wife, who was VERY pregnant at the time and had a hard enough time getting sleep anyways muttered some words which are not appropriate on this site, and begged me to do something. I am not a person who typically confronts people but this happened to be a bit excessive so I pried myself from under the warm blanket and traipsed over to his site to kindly remind him that quiet hours were still in effect for a while. I then dragged my worn out self back to my camper and collapsed on my bed. "Finally, a good hour or two left to get some shut eye before the campground gets active", I think to myself. That is when the crow started cawling in the tree high above our camper..........
Aaaahhh yes, now that is camping!

*Disclaimer- my mother and law and I actually get along very well and other than this occassion she was a superb camper. She was undoubtedly one of the happiest campers at our site (probably because she is the only one who eschews sleep!) . FYI- she is banned from packing in plastic bags on any future trips!

Veterans Day!

Camp On salutes all those who bravely serve our country! To every branch of the military we say thank you and God Bless You!

Camping Season Coming to an End?

So this is it, it's November and cold here in the Northeast. Most of us campers are packing it in and calling it quits for the winter. As I click through and organize all of my digital photos from this years camping trip on the computer, I start longing for the warm spring weather to creep back in. Now is the time my fingers start tickling the qwerty keys looking for great new destinations for next season. A few of my goals for next year are:

1. Camp more often, I only managed to get on 4-5 trips this year and that is a poor showing. I aim to double this number next year.
2. Stay at campgrounds in at least 3 states that I have not camped in before.
3. Possibly purchase a new camper?? Maybe, we shall have to see about this one.

Anybody have any other suggestions for great campgrounds to visit? What are your goals for next camping season?