RE: Camping pet peeve
Only one thing really annoys me... those that have no idea how much the smell of weed can permeate throughout a campground. I've never had the unfortunate opportunity to camp beside someone who partakes, but I've been where I have been hundreds of feet from where someone was, and they were surprised that people around them were complaining about it. It's not like cigarette smoke that dissipates in the air within a few feet, this stuff can be smelled a long way away.
a call to 9-1-1 solves that problem right now.
Not in a bunch of states these days. Small amount of "weed", or smoking it, is not illegal in many areas or it is considered on the same level as a parking violation.
RE: Chocking question?
Unless all the wheels are up on levelers, there should be at least one tire(s) that you can put chocks against. Another idea would be to use more levelers to make room for chocks, make sort of a platform. I use 4 foot boards to level my travel trailer, so I just put the chocks on the boards.
RE: Hershey Pa to Clinton CT
Oh, are you staying at Riverdale Campground in Clinton? We were there this past Memorial Day weekend. Nice campground, can get "partyish" on weekends but the people there are very nice.
RE: Hershey Pa to Clinton CT
What time are you traveling? I wouldn't go near New York City during rush hour or during the day, but late night - very early morning sometimes isn't bad. It is pretty cool to drive through NYC at, say, 3am. But then again, that is when you might hit construction zones - although they are a lot nicer to drive through than rush hour traffic! A lot of repaving has been done the last couple years, but I95 is so heavily traveled that new pavement only stays smooth for about a year or so.
Tappanzee Bridge can be busy... and Lord knows those "temporary repair plates" that they use on that bridge are horrendous. Has anyone been over the bridge recently? Are those plates still there? Otherwise it is a pretty nice drive.
The suggestions about 84 and 81 are something to think about, and I would suggest that route for daytime travel. Again, though, road conditions on those routes were not great when last I was on them about 3 years ago. They may have been repaved recently.
RE: The 1959 Ford Thames campervan restoration begins.
Well, I am tired after going through that! Great work.
As to "mechanical"... didn't you pickup a Lexus that you were going to take the engine from and put in the van?
RE: Camping pet peeve
When camping in public campgrounds, I think campers are forgetting that they do not own the campground, especially the site they are on. ..... I keep to the side so as not to disturb anything. .... AND PS Our last camping trip, my husband had injured his knee and was using a cane. There was no way I wanted him walking all the way around the outskirts of the whole campground with a bum leg just to get to the bathroom. So we walked through your rented site.
I was just about to post again when I read this. I don't think anyone here has a problem with someone cutting through the corner of a site. Or even cutting through the middle if they have a medical issue.
We were at a campground having dinner at our picnic table. Two kids (probably around 12 years old, plenty old enough to have been taught at least some manners by then) cut through our site on their way to go fishing. They were saving maybe 10 feet of walking. Their fishing poles literally hit our picnic table, and we had to duck to avoid our heads getting hit. That was cutting through a site! We seriously were speechless.
Another time a very young kid, being followed closely by his Mom, walked right next to our camper and had to detour around me (reading on a chair). Mom did nothing to direct the kid away from our site, or even say "sorry!" to me. That was just rude.
Another camping trip we ended up in the middle of a great group of people who we had never met before. We talked, hung out by the fire, etc. One afternoon my kids were on the way to the pool and I reminded them to not cut through other people's sites. Our neighbor camper heard me, and immediately said it was not a problem and for our kids to please use their site as a cut-through - so our kids cut through their site the rest of the weekend.
Again and again, it all comes down to common courtesy (at least, it seems like it used to be "common") and remembering that you are not the only one at the campground.
RE: Propane fill up locations Syracuse area
I don't know if this is helpful for RV'ers, but I found this handy search site from the U.S. government:
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/propane_locations.html
Sadly, if that's IT, I'm 48 miles from my nearest fill-up at one of my favorite camping area, Lee Vining, CA!
I think those are stations that are setup to refuel propane powered vehicles. The garden center that I get my propane tanks refilled at is not listed there.
RE: Camping pet peeve
As someone previously posted, it all comes down to basic courtesy. This includes parents teaching kids not to walk through other people's campsites, picking up after your dog, keeping moderately quiet early in the morning, paying attention to quiet hours, etc.
I LOVE hearing kids playing and riding bikes during the day at most campgrounds. 6:30am though is a bit early - those kiddie bikes with plastic training wheels are LOUD.
I have sat around campfires laughing out loud - but at 10 or 11pm (usual quiet hours) we quiet down.
We had neighboring campers show up once with electric and acoustic guitars and a drum set - it was really cool listening to them playing in the evening, right up to 11pm when they shut down for the night.
We went to a campout with a large group of emergency personnel, and a bagpiper showed up (a semi tradition with firefighters at a lot of events). That was AWESOME, all the surrounding campers walked over to hear him play, and the applause was almost deafening after he played a few songs and then sat down to relax. It is amazing how far the sound of bagpipes will carry.
It is all about remembering that YOU are not the only one in a campground... again, basic courtesy while keeping in mind different people have different levels of, well, annoyance.
My biggest pet peeve? Strangers walking through "my" campsite, especially if it is a small, tight campground. It is weird when you sit down to eat at your picnic table and strangers walk by between you and your camper, practically under the awning. At some campgrounds it got so bad that we positioned our truck and bikes to block people.
Whatever happens, find the humor in it, and see you on the road!
RE: Not Covered
A bumper-bumper warranty on a USED vehicle???
Yes, for a "certified" used vehicle. Supposedly the dealership goes over the vehicle extra careful, and tacks on around $500 more than the "normal" value of the vehicle. Hard to tell if there is a difference, except that certified vehicles usually do come with a pretty decent warranty regarding mechanicals. I don't know about body and paint coverage.
RE: STINK
Did you have all the windows and doors closed, but a vent fan turned on? without a window cracked the vent fan might be pulling "air" from the bathroom/toilet?
RE: Is a 28 foot TH too much for a 2013 F150 with 5.0 V8?
To the original poster... does your 2013 F150 have the heavy duty tow package? Or whatever Ford calls it now. Some of the newer F150 trucks have remarkably high tow ratings, like 10,000lbs or more. Your truck might be "factory rated" for that TT.
I think you would find that a larger, heavier truck would give you a much more comfortable towing experience.
RE: DRW isn't always the only answer....
Looks like he was traveling slow due to conditions. Sometimes things just happen, no matter what you do. Of course, a Ford would never have had a problem... :)
RE: First trip out with TC
We've done that before, forgot the camera. Then when we get home someone says, "Hey, we all had cell phones with cameras!".
Glad you had fun! See you on the road.
RE: Site-specific Ressies or whatever's available? Preference?
We prefer site reservations. We like just because we are "planners", and figure out everything in advance. Also, when we return to campgrounds, we usually have preferred campsites.
I think I kinda sorta disagree with skipnchar, I think site reservations are "more fair" as I don't have the time and availability to "campout" at a front office to wait for the doors to open to get a site. By reserving, all sites are available to everyone. To avoid people "hogging" sites, our local state park has time limits on sites, you can only stay on a campsite for 2 weeks at a time, then you have to move to a different site.
skipnchar:
"That's the opinion of one who uses campgrounds as a TRAVEL stop over and if I lived locally I may have a different opinion (or a better alarm clock ) "
-- yep, I'm one o' them locals!
The only campground we've ever been to that doesn't do site specific reservations is Fort Wilderness in Disney World - but I am not sure if there is a bad site there!
RE: Securing dogs at campsite plus flea & tic control
Frontline worked fantastic for us for years. Recently on advice of our Vet my wife changed to another product. In my aging "crochety old man" suspicions, I found out that Frontline not to long ago switched from only being available from veterinarians to being available over-the-counter, at much lower cost. Then suddenly Frontline is "not as effective anymore". Hmmm....
RE: Must Have Boondocking Survival Items?
PUP - Pop Up trailer camper
TT - Travel Trailer. TH - Toy Hauler TT, with "garage area" in back for dirt bikes and similar "toys".
5th, fiver - 5th wheel camper
MH - Motorhome
RE: How do I haul water to my camper ?
I'm confused. If you're going to leave it there all season, how are you going to handle the uh, "used" water?
I would assume some sort of outhouse setup as a toilet. Grey water just run through a hose away from the camper -- as long as it is just the one camper (as opposed to campers at a campground doing that), I don't see that as an issue.
