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historic pueblo ruins in New Mexico. Sound of other
noisy campers echoes incredibly well. |
While
on a recent camping trip, I was outside my tent looking up at
the brilliant stars in the night sky. The sound of hummingbirds
had faded with the last light of the sun and was replaced with
crickets cheering wind blown pine needles racing across the dirt
to a final resting place. In the past, my evening's entertainment
in the wild included a gathering of rabbits, a deer or two, maybe
even a coyote howling in the distance, but now I had additional
choices of entertainment. I could watch TVs glowing from RV windows.
I could listen to a hard rock band blaring from someone's stereo.
Or even try to play name that tune with the rhythm and hum of
a generator behind me in spot number seventy-two.
"Should
we be heading towards map icons and directories that separate
"developed" properties versus ones that bring you back
to nature in a "primitive" way?" asks Jonathan
Stocker, of alternative lodging at AllStays.com.
"We hear from many people who would like to plan a trip around
quiet tent camping and avoid the more crowded, neighborhood-like
atmospheres of some parks out there. And that's difficult to do
using most of the websites, books and maps today. You really need
to call ahead and check the current status of the park. We provide
direct website links and phone numbers but sometimes it has to
be to a service field office and they may not know the exact location
of a remote campground."
How
did camping change for so many of us over the years? It has become
a different world in the wild and getting harder to determine
what type of campground you are headed to until you have your
stakes in the ground. RV's are popular, and are changing the landscape
of the wilderness. Whether you are a snowbird, a retiree or just
a wanderer, they are great. They provide a home away from home
and are still cheaper than motels. You may pay more in gas, but
less in lodging and you are in the great outdoors along with your
television, stereo, shower and other accessories.
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| Austin,
NV is a wonderful forest service campground. |
Years
ago, campgrounds had more tent sites and a minority number of
RV sites here and there. The scale is shifting and it's becoming
more common to have a locale with 80 RV sites and 10 tent-only
sites. More and more places don't allow tents at all. On a recent
trip, Stocker found tent sites that were overgrown with weeds
while the RV sites were getting ruts from all the wheels rolling
heavy loads over their spaces.
(CONTINUE...)
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