Out Of The Campgrounds

July 12, 2009

It's been a pleasant five days for us here in the gently rolling hills just South of Winston Salem NC. We are parked at the property of our friends Ann & Dave Hale. Thank you friends for your hospitality. It has been a pleasure to spend time in a rural area defined by well-kept horse farms, friendly people and beautiful vistas.

It has also been nice to have a short break from staying at campgrounds.The places we have stayed up to this point have been nice, but there is a lot to be appreciated in private solitude and modern conveniences like a steady wifi signal and indoor plumbing.

A few observations on campground living. We are far from pros in full-time RV living at this point, but we have enjoyed learning some of the rhythms and patterns of people at the places we've stayed. We are normally at a spot longer than most guests; usually five days or more. The average stays tend to be no more than four days and are usually over weekends. There is a nice mix between RV and tent campers and, so far, all have proven to be friendly, respectful and trustworthy. There have been numerous times we have left our site for extended periods of time and not worried about leaving things like chairs and other items outside. No one has touched or stolen them while we were gone. Most campers wave hello when passing by, but tend to stay to themselves. I think this is because most people come to campgrounds to, for the most part, get away from people and everyday life for a little while.

One of the more humorous aspects of observing people is their obsessions with setting up satellite dishes. This is a modern day camping trend I had not anticipated. Most big rigs already have them attached, but for most there is a labor-intensive process of mounting the unit and then figuring out the direction to receive a clear signal. While at Skidaway State Park we had a couple from Riverside, CA beside us who spent at least two hours trying to align a dish. There were constant shouts from the wife, who was looking in a window, of "74", "76", "82", "86" and then "Too fuzzy. I Quit". At that point I was heading to the dumpster and the husband stopped me to inquire, "Do you have a dish?". I informed him we only had a small TV with an antenna. Exasperated, he replied "Well, If I can't get this figured out I guess we'll just have to waste our time doing nothing". This sent my brain into a spin. When did not watching the tube, especially in the middle of a park, become a lifestyle of doing nothing? It gives me one more thing to ponder about modern life.

We're off to Virginia tomorrow and will update more of our travels as computer access allows.

Photos By Deb

copyright 2009 Lane A Geyer