I have a few pet peeves around the campground that I speak out unapologetically about. Campgrounds can be a little like foreign countries. The seasoned campers know the local etiquette, whereas the rookies or the ones who only go a couple of times a year or are maybe in a rental RV trying it out for the first time, often commit a few blunders that drive us diehards crazy. Being in Acorn Valley this past week and for the next several weeks has reminded me how annoying these indiscretions are. Here are a few things that make us cringe and grit our teeth.
- Dogs that aren’t trained. No one seems to train their dog anymore. They leave them home in kennels for 10 hours a day while they go to work and then bring them to the campground on the weekends and expect them to know how to act around all the unfamiliar smells and sounds. I like dogs it’s not their fault they don’t know how to act. Owners, listen up. Yelling at your dog all day does not constitute training and we are more annoyed by your constant bitching at your dog than we are the dog itself. I know every dogs name in this campground this week. Not because I’ve been introduced when I walked by and stop to scratch it on the head, but because their owner yells it every 10 seconds when it barks at something. When I am out walking, it is not even close to cute when your dog lunges to the end of its retractable leash to dive at my leg or worse yet, lick me.
- Slow down! This is a campground road not a county highway. There are people walking, kids riding bikes and people trying to enjoy the peacefulness. Driving through the campground like you are driving to the grocery store is dangerous. Period! Don’t do it.
- Leaving your stuff in the shower house. I encountered this over the winter while pulling shower house duty in Texas and am confronted again this week using the public shower house here in Acorn Valley. The campground bathroom is used by more than you. Don’t leave your disgusting bar of soap in the soap tray. I don’t have a place to set mine. Don’t leave your shower bag on the bench in the stall. I am dismayed at people who leave their towel in there to dry. Don’t think for a moment that these are all innocently forgotten. The same bag will be there every day till a given camper pulls out, revealing the offender. Please, take your stuff back to your camper.
- If an area is closed, deal with it. Don’t complain to the park people that you didn’t get to do all you wanted to when you came. Just because a trail is not completely submerged or blocked, doesn’t mean there isn’t hazard. It could also be closed because they are trying to protect the area from you! There may be a new planting, or a wildlife issue. Perhaps the eagles are building a new nest and need to be left alone for a while as they settle into their new home. There may be rabid raccoons running around that they are working to catch. Maybe there is an active crime scene. Things happen out in the wilderness all the time. The rangers know more about their park than anyone else. If an area is closed its for your safety. Get over yourself and stay out. Don’t be stupid.
- Hummingbird Feeders. This isn’t necessarily a camping thing, but it is a real hot button with me. Hummingbirds are pollinators. If you want to attract them plant the flowers that they like to pollinate. It’s that easy. Sugar water molds in about 24 hours. Plus, their little bodies don’t like high fructose corn syrup any more than ours. The biggest killer of hummingbirds is hummingbird feeders. They should be taken off the market. Same goes for grape jelly to attract Orioles. It’s terrible for them. Stick and orange on a stick or throw some berries out for them.
Don’t get me wrong, I love most things about campgrounds. The smell of campfires and the sound of families and friends gathered around laughing and talking. Kids riding their bikes and playing with no concern about anything but having a good time. Campgrounds are my one of my favorite places to be. Be part of the good things, don’t be the a-hole.
Until tomorrow…
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