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Old 06-30-2020, 01:14 PM   #1
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Worst camping trip....

Have you ever had a bad camping trip? What's your worst ever? I've actually had 1 bad camping trip - to Mazama Campground in Crater Lake NP in Oregon.

1. Flat tire on trailer before even leaving - had to replace the tire.

2. Hail storm on the way - could not see 10' in front of van.

3. Pull through camp site on wrong side of road, so door of trailer opened onto the roadside, and camp site was on opposite side.

4. Tree on the door side of the pull through right where you would park and the door would open, had to get it just right to not have the tree block the door or the awning opening and not block the access road.

5. Black, gooey mud all over that stuck to EVERYTHING.

6. Fresh water spigot was 2 camp sites away and across the road, so had to ferry water 5 gals at a time to fill freshwater tank. Had to squat at the spigot and hold the collapsible jug on my lap while holding the mouth of the jug up to the spout with one hand and hold the spring loaded spigot valve open with the other hand. Then back at the trailer, hoist the full bag up and press it against the trailer wall at chest level while it drained through a hose into the fresh water tank.

7. During the 2nd of 6 trips with the 5 gallon water jug it started pouring rain, making the black gooey mud even worse. The rain splattering on the ground kicked up the mud to cover everything within 6 inches of the ground.

8. Finally got settled in and a National Park S.W.A.T. team started banging on my trailer door at 8:10 PM, threatening to kick it in (it sounded like). Let me know if you want that story!

Next day we scouted out a USFS campground about 30 minutes away and moved there for a great 2 days.
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Old 06-30-2020, 01:37 PM   #2
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Not nearly that bad... worst was the 1st ever and cap met cab of truck.

8. Finally got settled in and a National Park S.W.A.T. team started banging on my trailer door at 8:10 PM, threatening to kick it in (it sounded like). Let me know if you want that story!

YES!!
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Old 06-30-2020, 01:40 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by NavyLCDR View Post
Have you ever had a bad camping trip? What's your worst ever? I've actually had 1 bad camping trip - to Mazama Campground in Crater Lake NP in Oregon.

1. Flat tire on trailer before even leaving - had to replace the tire.

2. Hail storm on the way - could not see 10' in front of van.

3. Pull through camp site on wrong side of road, so door of trailer opened onto the roadside, and camp site was on opposite side.

4. Tree on the door side of the pull through right where you would park and the door would open, had to get it just right to not have the tree block the door or the awning opening and not block the access road.

5. Black, gooey mud all over that stuck to EVERYTHING.

6. Fresh water spigot was 2 camp sites away and across the road, so had to ferry water 5 gals at a time to fill freshwater tank. Had to squat at the spigot and hold the collapsible jug on my lap while holding the mouth of the jug up to the spout with one hand and hold the spring loaded spigot valve open with the other hand. Then back at the trailer, hoist the full bag up and press it against the trailer wall at chest level while it drained through a hose into the fresh water tank.

7. During the 2nd of 6 trips with the 5 gallon water jug it started pouring rain, making the black gooey mud even worse. The rain splattering on the ground kicked up the mud to cover everything within 6 inches of the ground.

8. Finally got settled in and a National Park S.W.A.T. team started banging on my trailer door at 8:10 PM, threatening to kick it in (it sounded like). Let me know if you want that story!

Next day we scouted out a USFS campground about 30 minutes away and moved there for a great 2 days.
Yes "The Rest of the Story"! Youroo!!
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Old 06-30-2020, 01:54 PM   #4
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Man I thought my hitch and flat was a bad trip. Sorry for your issues but please share the swat story.
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Old 06-30-2020, 01:57 PM   #5
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#1 I didn't know national parks had a SWAT Team

#2 I have to hear this story
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Old 06-30-2020, 02:03 PM   #6
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Not had a trip so bad a couple of gin gimlets couldn’t Fix.

Burn a couple of steaks and go to bed early.
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Old 06-30-2020, 04:33 PM   #7
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Part two...

So we are all settled in.... our little 2100 watt inverter generator is humming away on low speed ECO mode. Both DW and I use CPAPs and it's supposed to be a cold night, even possible snow, so we want to have fully charged batteries for the night. It's about 8:10 PM, pretty dark because of the heavy clouds. We are just getting ready to shut everything down and go to bed and there is this banging on the trailer door, sounded like someone was trying to kick the door in. I swear the trailer was rocking slightly. So I make sure the .44 mag is handy and carefully open the door.

Standing at the bottom of the steps is a female park ranger with a tactical vest on and her hand on her gun in the holster on her duty belt. On the road are not one but two SUVs. They both had two big off road lights in front that were lighting up at least the next 6 campsites down the road. I could see a passenger still in the front SUV and two people in the rear SUV. I'm thinking, holy crap, are they looking for an escaped murderer or something?!? I barely poke my head out the door and she very sternly with her best military drill sergeant impression (after all, she is wearing the smokey bear hat already) tells me, "You can't run generators after 8 o'clock, you have to turn it off NOW!"

So as I very slowly exit the trailer because I was afraid of getting thrown to the ground and handcuffed or shot, I meekly reply, "I'm sorry, I thought quiet hours were 10 to 7, I'll turn it off." She said, "Quiet hours are 10 to 7, but no generators after 8." So, I go around to the other side of the trailer and turn the generator off, and head back into my camper. Then she says, "I need to see some ID!" "What?" "I need to see some ID!" "OK, I need to get my wallet."

So, I retrieve my wallet and open it and show her my driver's license in the window holder, with my retired military ID next to it. Then she demands, "Take it out!" Ok....I hand her my driver's license and she goes back to the lead SUV to call in my license! My wife asks, "WHAT is going on?!?" I shrugged and said, "I don't know. There's 2 ranger SUV's out here with a SWAT team, and I guess it must be a felony to run a generator 15 minutes after 8 o'clock." A couple minutes later the tacticool ranger comes back and gives me back my driver's license and says in a sarcastic tone, "Have a good night." They turn off the stadium grade floodlights on their SUVs and head off to find the next camper to SWAT.

Since everything at that NP campground was so bad, we left the next day and went down the mountain to Diamond Lake USFS campground. We were talking to the ranger there and he was just dumbfounded by it all. I asked him about generator hours and he said, "Here quiet hours are 10 to 7, just have it off by 10 and no problem. But if you forget, I'll just politely ask you to turn it off."
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Old 06-30-2020, 05:05 PM   #8
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“I’ll just politely ask you to turn it off.”

Isn’t that just the best way to handle that kind of situation?
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Old 06-30-2020, 05:12 PM   #9
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“I’ll just politely ask you to turn it off.”

Isn’t that just the best way to handle that kind of situation?
Of course it is. I was telling the story to a fellow coworker when we got back and he told me a similar story. He was riding his bicycle on a path (at the same NP campground) and there was a line of people on the path to check-in at the campground office because they would only let you check in for 1 day at a time. To go around the people on the path, he rode just barely off the path, not even 1 foot beside it, just to go around the people in line. He said he got barked at by a NP ranger, "HEY! You can't ride your bike off the path!" He said he thought that at any minute he was going to get tossed on the ground and handcuffed. Yes, I know rules are rules...but come on. Not every small infraction needs to be treated like a violent felony in progress.
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Old 06-30-2020, 05:15 PM   #10
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The ranger probably enjoys the rush that harsh enforcement provides. You did the best thing possible: You separated yourself from the situation.
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Old 06-30-2020, 07:43 PM   #11
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Been to the Mazama Campground...thought we had it bad dealing with the mosquitoes
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Old 06-30-2020, 09:15 PM   #12
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Bad, but with a silver lining. Lost the transmission on the way up, after about an hour and a half of a six hour trip. Luckily, it happened near a cousin's house, so we limped over there, and were able to leave the pop-up with him while taking the car to a mechanic he recommended. Had to rent a car to get to campground, and brought minimal stuff with us, including the small tent we used for supplies which was not really big enough for the two of us and our two kids, a very small cooler, a few self inflating mattresses, our sleeping bags, and personal items. Hubby had to go back in three days to get the camper. Pulling off the interstate in the evening, going past a state trouper station, got stopped for having a tail light out on the camper. Had to bring it back to them with the light fixed, so that was yet another uncomfortable night. The silver lining was that we made new friends at the campground. Local people lent us a bigger tent, an air mattress on a frame and a large igloo cooler. One of the reasons we have kept going back to that campground is all the wonderful locals who camp there, many of whom we have become friends with and have hosted in our home during the off season.
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Old 07-01-2020, 11:16 PM   #13
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I hate it when I see a trailer for a movie, get all excited to see it, wait for it to come out, buy tickets, get a HUGE popcorn and soda, score a great seat and settle in just to have it be an overhyped snoozer.
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Old 07-02-2020, 12:04 AM   #14
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I hate it when I see a trailer for a movie, get all excited to see it, wait for it to come out, buy tickets, get a HUGE popcorn and soda, score a great seat and settle in just to have it be an overhyped snoozer.
Give me your address and I'll send you a refund for your popcorn.
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