Campground Excitement / Experiences

Nomad

I haven't had many out of the ordinary campground experiences - Most have been pretty quiet but...

Last night I noticed a pickup driving slowly through the campground. It finally stopped at a sit on the other end and shut off it's lights. I'll always a little suspicious of campground roamers. Anyway, all kinds of commotion about twenty minutes later, two squad cars and an ambulance - turns out it was an ex-con (two weeks out of prison) tracked his ex-wife down and tried to strangle her. The guy camping next to her heard the struggle and rescued her while another guy called 911. Wozer! Nice campground with a lot of families camping for the weekend.

A less serious one that I found amusing - County park near Parker, AZ - Checked in, paid the lady. She asked if I was traveling alone. Yep. She proceeded to tell me that the single gals in the campground did their yoga exercises at 7:30 in the pavilion and I might want to check that out. I didn't hear her but I'm sure she also yelled out "fresh meat" ladies :-)

Side note: A couple from Montana pulled into the campgrounds late yesterday pulling a T@B - Only the fourth one I've run into.

remphoto

When our kids were young we fall-camped in a public campground and were the only campers.  Late in the evening some guy kept driving around the campground.  What was even more suspicious was that he was bare chested (and maybe bare elsewhere for all we knew) despite the 50 degree temperature.  We called the Sheriff's Department and of course he was gone by the time they got there.  We were reassured by police presence for for the remainder of the night. We built a memory that the kids still remember.

jkjenn

PXLated said:

I haven't had many out of the ordinary campground experiences - Most have been pretty quiet but...


A less serious one that I found amusing - County park near Parker, AZ - Checked in, paid the lady. She asked if I was traveling alone. Yep. She proceeded to tell me that the single gals in the campground did their yoga exercises at 7:30 in the pavilion and I might want to check that out. I didn't hear her but I'm sure she also yelled out "fresh meat" ladies :-

That's funny.

I have not had anything unusual yet, but was recently reminded it is probably a good idea to gave the Jeep keys with the panic button nearby in case of an intruder of the human or furry kind tries an unwelcome entry.

Verna

I had just finished my 3rd night in a BLM campground around Quartsite, AZ this winter.  I saw a truck let a hitch hiker off at the entrance to the campground.  I saw him zero in on my campsite and he started walking my way.  I ducked into the Silver Shadow, grabbed my wooden walking stick.  I was still hitched up because rain was in the forecast and I was camping next to a deep dry wash.  I stood next to my tongue mounted spare tire, and he stopped on the other side of the tongue.  (Hopefully it would be hard for him to jump over was my thinking.) My mild-mannered-love-every-person Shih Tzu, Sunny Day, started growling as she lay under the rear of the truck, and she didn't quit until he left.  

The guy asked if "you folks" knew the area,  "Nope".  Then he asked how far Parker was.  Dummy me answered "28 miles that way".  He said that I was going to take him there.  "Nope" was my answer.  He told me again, and added that I was going to save him 10 hrs of walking.  "No, and you will not put me on a guilt trip."  He told me the third time and watched as I slowly moved my right hand behind my back.  He turned away mumbling about he was from Michigan and he knew good people and I wasn't a good person.  I said "I'm a Hoosier".  When he didn't answer, I knew he wasn't from Michigan.

Now I know I will also always grab my keychain and my cell phone.  I could have sounded the horn and I could have easily called 911.....hindsight is so good. 

I tried watching him as he walked away, but I reached for my cell phone and the guy had disappeared.  That un-nerved me.  I called my brother and I repeated what I had agreed to for my 3 1/2 month trip--"If it doesn't feel right, leave".  So, I packed up as quickly as I could and drove to another campground about an hour away.  That one felt right.

jkjenn

Good for you, Verna. That is the right mantra: If it doesn't feel right-leave. I followed it when I pulled into a ret stop on I-15 south in Utah recently. I have always known that I could easily knock someone out with the ball head on my tripod, if I had to. I'd rather not have to find out.

Nomad

Wow Verna - When doing BLM like Quartzsite I try to get back in far enough that I'm not the first handy person to disturb. But not so far as to be isolated. Which BLM were you at - West or South? I stayed at the south when I was there.

Verna

I was in the furthest North one--Plomosa Road.  Yes, the next time, I will be much further from the road.  I just liked the trees along the wash.  That north-south road (Arizona 95) going towards Parker is a much busier road than I thought it was.  Michigan Mike told me the road goes 3 miles back to the mountains to the east.  I'll head back that way next time. 

Rad

Not to start one of "those" topics, but I have been known to have one of those highly controversial mechanism with me in sketchy camping spots.

Val and I did have one kind of funny experience in a road side rest stop full of big rigs.  There was a knock at our rv door, I opened the door and there was a nasty crack head hooker selling her wears. Before she could finish her sales pitch she saw my wife walk up behind me, she turned and left.  The hooker  left.......not my wife

Rad

PXLated said:

A less serious one that I found amusing - County park near Parker, AZ - Checked in, paid the lady. She asked if I was traveling alone. Yep. She proceeded to tell me that the single gals in the campground did their yoga exercises at 7:30 in the pavilion and I might want to check that out. I didn't hear her but I'm sure she also yelled out "fresh meat" ladies :-)

No offense, I'm not so sure about the "fresh" part.  My guess is you are much like a few of us here, you passed your "use by date" a long time ago.

Michigan_Mike

I like waking up to buffalo walking through the camp site as happened down in Sage Creek campground (free camp site) down in the basin in Badlands NP.  That and seeing a huge black bear walking around my camp site out in Two Medicine campground in Glacier NP.....  But did have the cops pull into the KOA in Sheridan, Wyoming last summer and intervene in a domestic dispute with a couple who had been drinking heavily.  They cuffed her and later released her, but she did have a foul mouth and was dropping the F-bomb quite frequently....  Things did eventually settle down and we were able to get some sleep after a shaky start to our camp site located next door to the redneck savages.  

Nomad

Rad - My use date is doing just fine :-)

Nomad

Verna - Should have figured the north by the distance to Parker. The south and west dispersed have hosts. People could still walk in but in the south site you're not really that close to the highway.

Nomad

Mike - Plan on hitting Sage Cree at some point. Not real wild about bear (or any animal that could eat me)

Verna

PXLated said:

Verna - Should have figured the north by the distance to Parker. The south and west dispersed have hosts. People could still walk in but in the south site you're not really that close to the highway.

I chose a campsite within sight of the camp host. He had that day off and my closest neighbor left the Campground overnight. That left me as being the closest campsite to the road, although it didn't start out that way. I learned lessons and I'll keep them in mind, especially for next winter. 

Lisa33

I haven't had any incidents that involved law enforcement.  Yikes, Verna!  In Banff, I did have a black bear meander through the next campsite over while I was cooking dinner.  I panicked trying to decide whether I should try to grab the cooking food and do something with it or just go into the trailer and abandon the food.  The bear had an agenda that didn't involve the food and just kept going.  

In Pictured Rocks National Park, I had a situation where I was slowly pulling through the seemingly-full, first-come, first-served, self-registration campground looking for a site.  I was flagged down by the campground host(ess).  She said she had a site where the people had placed their registration ticket on the site post but hadn't actually paid, so I could have that site.  I gratefully followed her to the site. That night after we were in bed, the original guy who had tagged the site without paying came banging on my trailer door--livid.  In my pjs, I suggested that he should talk with the campground host.  It was unnerving, especially as he hung with his car in "my" site for quite sometime.  I thought he was going to set up camp there, too, and keep us blocked in.  Eventually he left, though.  

leenscottfl

Cades Cove in the Tennessee Smokys the bears ate all the acorns around the campground and we're entering the campground to feed. The Rangers had to chase them out every morn and evening. Was night sitting by the fire when a cub wandered by almost within reach. The mom was just standing there watching. We had frequent encounters but none like that. And we were tent camping. 

alanmcd

We had a drunk driving a swerving through the campground and called the police. He was pretty drunk and swerving badly and it wasn't that late with lots of kids around so we felt calling the police was the right call.

On the lighter side we were at one of the state parks here in Ohio and we heard a loud tuba (!) but couldn't locate it. Not sure how THAT get's on the camping list of things to bring but it was REALLY obnoxious! Eventually the Ranger came through and I flagged him down even though our tuba player had stopped and as the Ranger & I were talking, sure enough there goes the tuba again. The Ranger couldn't believe it and he tracked the guy down and put an end to it.

Same campground different trip (everytime we go to this campground it's a freak show so we stopped going) we got there on a Friday afternoon and the people next to us said the night before there was a huge group of young roudy partiers and at some point in the wee hours some of them went around and stole EVERY cooler that was left out! By morning when anyone was the wiser the punks had already left...with all the coolers. No doubt looking for beer but the people telling us this said their cooler was full of steaks!

We've had other excitment but will have to jog the memory...

-Alan

Cincinnati, OH

leenscottfl

Reminds me of another time at Cades Cove when some campers broke out huge speakers and let the hills come alive with the sounds of Iron Butterfly's Inna Vida La Vida. Make no mistake, I love that tune. But after it shakes the trees for at least 15 times it gets old. That is when a group of old guys, like me, got together and visited them. No more music.

Michigan_Mike

leenscottfl said:

But after it shakes the trees for at least 15 times it gets old. That is when a group of old guys, like me, got together and visited them. No more music.

Well done!!!  

leenscottfl

7 or 8 years ago and they were pretty young. They had good equipment and it did sound really good. Just try playing something else for variety please.

leenscottfl

Pretty young meaning late 30s.

vito

When I read comments about solo campers encountering scary people at campgrounds, or while on the road, I often wonder why so many folks are willing to travel unarmed. I'm too old to grapple with some young drunk intent on making trouble and try to avoid trouble whenever possible. But if you can't avoid, you need to think about how you will defend yourself and your family. Remember that "when seconds count, the police are only minutes away". 

Nomad

In my 6 months on the road I've only run into a couple of blowhards. I can see carrying protection if really out there boondocking but to be honest, guns in a campground make me extremely nervous.

leenscottfl

Since I retired after 33 years service with Jacksonville Florida Sheriff's Office and am a 10 year navy veteran I feel naked without my weapon(s). But don't worry PXLated. Concealed is just that and if we cross paths you will never know I'm armed. Unless the doo hits the fan that is.

alanmcd

Please don't turn this into a pro gun/anti gun rant thread which we all know is exactly where this is now headed. "concealed carry" means just that. It's concealed and nobody knows it's there so people on a public forum don't need to know about your gun either. Especially this forum. I've been a T@Bber for many years and know most of the long-time T@Bbers in this group and other groups and trust me, they're not gun people. Think Subaru Outback and Obama. LOL  ;-)  They're all great peeps but trust me this thread will be shut down faster that poo through a goose. If you want to talk guns let's get offline, please.

Nomad

Sorry alanmcd, but no, you don't know where the thread is headed - but you're right, we don't want to go there ... ok, back on topic.

leenscottfl

Since the thread is Campground Excitement/Experiences I saw no reason not to mention someone doing something perfectly legal. Still don't but if someone is offended I will not go there. But after a lifetime of running toward that which others are running from it is just in my nature. OK. I'll shut up now.

alanmcd

...and then there was the first time Carie & I went out camping in our T@B, oh so long ago now, it was dark-thirty and we were getting ready for bed and I realized I forgot my meds in the truck so wearing nothing but my "tighty-whities" I grabbed my keys and snuck out to the truck, I click the key fob to open the locks but instead hit the car alarm and sure enough here I am standing there in my underwear with the horn blaring and the lights flashing and campers all around peeking out their windows!  HA! LOL! When I finally got back in the T@B Carie was laughing hysterically! There's a lot more to that story as well as another comical incident the following morning but I will need to tell those stories to you in person to do them justice. Pretty funny, though.

-Alan

Rad

alanmcd said:

...and then there was.......

-Alan

We have a winner

leenscottfl

Got pictures? Probably not. 

RZRBUG

alanmcd said:

Think Subaru Outback and Obama. LOL  ;-)  They're all great peeps...

Hmmmm, let's see, I drive a GMC Sierra, Obama-Not (to be kind), I love my T@B and agree that all those I've met who own one are great peeps.  You will probably never know for sure whether I carry a weapon.  Not all T@B owners are the same.