I can't even IMAGINE why you'd want SEWAGE at your site but state parks almost ALWAYS have dump stations to dump your holding tanks if you really want to go camping. Good luck / Skip
This may sound like a pain, but it has worked for me a couple of times and I have seen lots of other folks do this. Say you want to stay for a week. See if there are 2 sites available and move from one to another. For example, stay on site A for 3 days and move to site B for the remainder of your stay.
First off, I'd check the actual capacity of the black water tank. Seven gallons seems awfully small for a HTT black tank. When Allison and I had a HTT, we could easily go a week without dumping, and have also done so with another couple with us. The gray water tank was the first thing to fill because of dishes, showers, etc. Of course everyone has to learn how to conserve water and not take 20 minute showers. In fact, you might use the external shower to hose the kids off rather than full fledged showers. Your family is using way too much water if you have to dump "once or twice a day"!
Secondly, it's time to get the kids back into the bath house. By catering to them, you are severely limiting your options. You're essentially saying you can't camp w/o hookups and you can't get a campsite with hookups, so you're shutting yourself out of camping altogether. bldrbuck may have it right: "Maybe the real answer is they don't like camping and you should sell the camper."
If you're willing to make those changes, you might look into camping at some of the NFS CG's around. How about Buck Hall not all that far up the coast from you? They do have electrical hookups, warm showers, and a dump station, and a brief search indicates weekend availability in the summer, even on July 4th weekend. Or head to the hills of NC. Many NF CG's there, some reservable, some not. Don't deprive your children of the opportunity to explore different areas because of the bathhouse issue.
Have you checked the Myrtle Beach KOA. We stayed there last summer and think it is a great CG. Returning this summer. Not right on the beach, but witin walking distance and there is no minimum on # of days. Check it out at KOA.com. Good luck.
Thanks for the rapid response. We have a very small black water tank ( I think about 7 gallons). We also have a hybrid camper, so set up takes some time and to take all of the tents/awnings down and close up the hybrid tent ends just to go to the dump station would take entirely to long. I have three nice-nasty children who would not be caught dead in a campground bath house either. We tent camped for a while and used the bath house option and this was why we took the plunge and bought a camper with a bathroom. We usually have to empty our black and grey water tanks once or twice a day. This would not work if we had to take down camp each time. We would rather not go to Myrtle Beach and look for another destination that we could go to and have full hookups, but the kids want to go to Myrtle Beach.
I guess that I am just venting!!--HA HA
I would leave the nice-nasty kids with some relative and go alone. HA HA
bldrbuck wrote: It's about time your nasty-nice children learn to use campground facilities.
Maybe the real answer is they don't like camping and you should sell the camper. Good luck
My thoughts exactly...if you really want to camp they may have to "suck it up" and go into the dreaded cg facilities....
Or upgrade
Perhaps look for cg reviews that confirm the bathrooms are in good condition/kept clean so it's not such an issue for the kids?
Good luck, I'd hate to think you wouldn't get out at all...
Because of the situation you are finding, many people book multiple dates, sites/campgounds well ahead of when they would like to do their vacation. When it gets close and they have their scheduled vacation times, they often cancel the other reservations. The penalty for such action is generally minimal (often 1 days rental). You need to keep calling (several times daily) the campgrounds of interest to you. Also, some have waiting lists... Register for the full seven days as I suspect that the penalty for cutting your holiday short will be minimal (again, perhaps one day's rental).
I also suspect than given the costs of fuel, many campers who need to travel long distances will will elect to cancel out and camp at locations nearer their home. If this is the case, the MB campgrounds may be more willing to negotiate as they don't make money when sites are empty...
Have you tried Apache campground? It is smaller and not as popular as some of the other mega-resort type places. It is on the beach though, and they do have full hook-ups.
Agree with the others though, about the kids not wanting to use the rest rooms. You are the parent.......
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but state parks almost ALWAYS have dump stations to dump your holding tanks if you really want to go camping. Good luck / Skip
