8/30 Labor Day Weekend & Other Big Holidays

I have not been posting much lately because I have not been doing much traveling.  Basically, summer is a time when I visit family in Ohio and get caught up on doctor and dentist appointments, which I have been doing.  Mostly, my health is good, but a trip to the shoulder orthopedic clinic confirmed that the pain in my left shoulder has been due to arthritis and an irritated tendon, so someday I will probably need to get it replaced, but I am putting it off as long as I can.  In addition, I have a couple of teeth that need to be pulled--one because it broke off and another because the cap is coming loose.  Both of these are due to cavities, so I am waiting for an appointment from my dentist.  

When I visit Ohio, I always stay in state parks--mostly Punderson and West Branch.  A couple of years ago, the state of Ohio updated some sites in each of the state parks and added new sites with larger and flatter cement pads, along with full hookups.  If you think you cannot park a larger RV in a state park, check these out.  Many federal and state campgrounds throughout the U.S. are replacing smaller, older sites with bigger ones with full hookups to meet the needs of today's campers.  These do fill up fast, however. 

This Labor Day weekend, I am staying in a state park near Lake Erie because my son and his family own a condo nearby.  I'll spend my nights here and days visiting them, and then head to Michigan on Monday afternoon.  I have friends and relatives there I will be visiting. Also will be stocking up on some foods I cannot get elsewhere. 

Normally, if I am traveling alone, I try to avoid big state parks on big holiday weekend because of the crowds, noise, and just general craziness.  Big holiday weekends are when families gather in groups and bring their children and friends, with every campsite packed all weekend.  It ends up being one huge party, which is fine if you want to party, but I am not really a vacationer who has to stuff a lot of experiences into a weekend.  It's just not for me.    

In addition, because I scheduled this weekend late, I ended up in the most crowded and oldest part of this state park.  There are way too many young kids riding tiny scooters and bikes around the place, which always scares me since I don't want to hit a child. 

If I can plan ahead and know a big weekend is coming up, I usually try to pick someplace to stay, based on the following "old folks" criteria:

• No lake or boating
• No swimming beach or pool
• No organized kids games
• Not close to a big city
• Camp sites not close to one another 

So, basically, I would be looking for a place where there is nothing to do and where most people do not want to go--a nice, quiet place away from everything, where I and my fellow quieter travelers can enjoy the wind rustling through the trees (or cactus), birds hopping about, and something scenic to look at like mountains.  Basically, I and a lot of other full-timers really just want a very dull place where there is nothing to do and nobody to bother us while we are doing it!!  It would be a bonus if there is an outdoor cooking or fire ban, to boot in order to reduce the amount of smoke!!  

We really don't want to share the smoke from your cooking fires or camp fires in the evening.  And we really want to be far enough away from other campers so we can't hear your jokes or music, or even smell your food.  

Nothing personal, of course!  😄  

Note:  I plan on heading to Florida for the winter at the end of September, so I'll be posting more on camping and my travels then.  In the meantime, I will be posting on a few camping tips and some suggestions on the positives and negatives of full-timing, as I have been doing for the past 13 years!

Stay tuned, and if you have any questions, ask away!