Yogi and Boo Boo

Stay Away From Myrtle Beach SC

2009-10-06T17:24:00.004-04:00

You know what I like about summer? School is out and the camping season really begins.

Know what I like about fall? The kids go back to school.

After this year's summer camping season, the boss decided we were going to Myrtle Beach for a two week camp out at the Myrtle Beach State Park. The park was easy to find, it is across the road from the airport.

The entrance to the park is very nice and the remainder of the park area lived up to expectations. The park is located on the ocean and has a fishing pier with small store attached. There is an abundance of picnic areas scattered along the coast, just behind the dunes. Showers could be found at many of the ocean access points.

The campground itself has a small store and office. All the campsites generally loop around this store and are in the trees about 200 yards from the ocean. Each loop has a shower house with laundry facilities. Everything was clean and orderly.

All in all, we were very pleased with the campground. The sites may be just a little tight for our liking, but we managed to find one with some privacy. The staff was nice and check in was easy.

Like many campgrounds these days, reservations were recommended. We did not have reservations and were provided a list of sites to choose from that suited our length of stay request. We drove in and picked our site, then returned to the office to advise of our choice.

We visited two other state parks while in the area and were delighted to find that they were operated and maintained to similar standards.

I grew up about 2.5 hours from Myrtle Beach and made the trip on several occasions. I had not been to Myrtle Beach in about 12 years prior to this visit and I regret to say that nothing has changed.

Myrtle Beach is THE tourist trap. Under tourist trap in the dictionary, it should say Myrtle Beach. I know, you want some examples. OK.

To play 9 holes of golf on a par 3 course, the fee was $42.

To play 18 holes on a regular course, the fee was from $70.

It cost $9 to play disc golf, this is free almost everywhere else in the USA.

On the way to Myrtle Beach from eastern NC, you will pass near a small town called Calabash which is famous for it's seafood restaurants. You can get an excellent meal for about $12 and eat it on the waterfront. Each block in Myrtle Beach has a Calabash style restaurant. Prices start at $18 and you are nowhere near the water.

After tiring of seafood, we opted for barbecue one night. At a restaurant similar to those we have at home, our meal was $17 each. At home we would have spent about $10 for the same meal.

On every block there are beach stores selling t-shirts and swim suits and the like. Most of it is the same kind of stuff you can get at flea markets, but, the prices are more like New York.

What was extremely irritating to me was the way the locals treated us tourists. But, on the way home I realized they were probably correct. After all, we were the dummies that went to Myrtle Beach.

This started at the Alabama Theatre when the lady in the ticket office there tried to tell me that the band Alabama has sold more records than any other artist in the world. I told her that I didn't think they had outsold Elvis, The Beatles, or Michael Jackson. She assured me that those artists weren't even close to Alabama. I thought about sending her a listing of best selling artists that was easily obtained on the Internet, but she probably wouldn't believe it.

Next we went to Radio Shack for some electrical part that I don't even remember now. When we asked the clerk for it, instead of telling where they were, he wanted to know why I wanted it! Wanted to argue about what I needed it for. Made me so mad I walked out and decided we could do without it until we got home.

Same thing happened at the RV supply store. Matter of fact, other than a waitress and the staff at the state park, I can't remember anyone being nice to us the whole time we were there.

Mostly though I am outraged at the way the local law enforcement picks on drivers with out of state license plates. This has been the case for over 30 years that I can personally attest to. This is the reason it had been 12 years since I had been to Myrtle Beach. And, it will likely be another 12 before I go back.

We got a ticket for driving without a seat belt. We had just pulled out of a coffee stop and had not gotten around to putting them on yet. I know the law says I am supposed to wear a seat belt, it also says if you are a resident of SC you must wear a seat belt. I only saw cars from out of state getting pulled. This action was happening across from the motel the boss's family was staying in, so I had ample time to survey the situation.

It's just my own personal opinion but I think states that allow people to ride motorcycles without helmets shouldn't be allowed to cash in on the seat belt ticket scam.

I might add that I have gotten a ticket for one thing or another on most every visit to Myrtle Beach. If it were not for Myrtle Beach I would have a crystal clean driving record.

A week after our visit my son and some of his friends went on a golfing trip. He called to advise they had started issuing $1,000 fines for littering. His boss had gotten one for throwing a cigarette butt out the window. Ruined his golf game for the day.

Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. You can tell them greedy folks down in SC that it will probably be another 12 years before I go back, I'll eat my Calabash style seafood in Calabash. Calabash, North Carolina that is.

Camp Etiquette

2009-06-24T13:15:00.004-04:00

Camping is like golf; there are certain rules of etiquette we all must follow to get along. It’s a lot like the school playground when we were kids. Remember? We couldn’t pull the girls hair or put insects on them or erase their hopscotch court or many other fun things that would make them squeal like little pigs. Although at the time I thought many of these rules were not really needed, I see now that they were for the little girls to have fun at the playground.

Most of the campgrounds we go to have rules. The rangers or park staff enforces these rules. However, there are other things that are not clearly laid out in the rules that can ruin a camping trip or make it very exciting, depending on how you look at it.

We have gotten some mail lately from people complaining because the park staff ruined their camping trip with all those rules. They don’t understand why they can’t set up camp and get hammered, play loud music, and make all kinds of noise until the wee hours of the morning. Hey, if that is your plan, do what we do and go to a location where you will be the only party there. We like to party too, but we pick a better location for it than a public campground.

One thing that really irritates me when camping is other people walking through my campsite. This does not happen much at all when you are in the backcountry. But in the campground, it happens quite frequently. It has happened to us on our last two camping trips.

On one trip, our site was located near a trail to the amphitheatre. The trail to the amphitheatre was about 15 yards beyond our campsite, but people kept taking the shortcut through our site. I don’t know why they were going there, nothing was going on. On more than one occasion I stopped the offenders and advised them that this was my campsite and the trail they were looking for was just down the road. One group of three came from the amphitheatre and asked which way was the parking lot. I never saw them go to the amphitheatre from the parking lot, so I didn’t know where they had come from. Naturally, I directed them in the opposite direction of the parking lot I knew about because they obviously didn’t park there.

On another outing, our site was located near the bathhouse. The campers in the site behind us decided to take the shortcut to the potty and come through the middle of our campsite. I tried to advise them that they were not to cut through campsites occupied by others but they were not in the mood to accept any advice. They advised me that we didn’t own the land, it was public land and they could walk through my campsite if they wanted to. I acknowledged that I was aware that I did not own this land. I also pointed out that I did rent this land and my receipt was on the post if they cared to look at it. After both parties tossed around a few insults, they threatened to call the park ranger on me! When he came, he advised the Einstein family not to walk through campsites occupied by others. Boo Boo wouldn’t let me stick my tongue out at them and say na na na na na.

Now we don’t set up camp on sites that look like they are on a trail or a shortcut. We try to select sites on the outside of camping loops with as much isolation as possible. Boo Boo has learned that it is best to set up camp where I am not exposed to others any more than necessary.

I have said it before and I’ll say it again. The best place for your dog when you camp is at home. Your dog is not cute. I do not have any desire to pet your dog. I am not amused at your dog jumping on me or licking me. I get real tired of hearing your dog bark at every little thing that comes along and sometimes at nothing at all. I really hate it when I have to share the bathhouse with you and your dog.

Most campgrounds that allow dogs do so with the stipulation that the dog must remain on a 6-foot leash. This means that you are also on a 6-foot leash. Next camping trip I go on I’m carrying a tape measure because some people don’t know how long 6 feet is. Six feet don’t stretch from your campsite to mine.

Don’t get me wrong, I like dogs. We own dogs. Our dogs don’t like to camp. Know why? Because we are in charge of our dogs and we told them they don’t like to camp.

Now this next item is both an irritant and a source of great pleasure on some camping trips. This is the playing of music at the campground. Ever notice how the party playing music generally has worse than bad taste in music. The general rule is, if anyone else can hear it, it is too loud.

We have a teardrop trailer that we like to camp in occasionally. The trailer is really set up for tailgating but it can be a lot of fun on a campout. It has a high power amplifier and four outdoor speakers. It takes two batteries to run it and you have to plug in the charger or turn on the generator to keep the power up. Yeah I can knock the fillings out of your teeth if you are in the site next to me.

The last time I got to use this toy was at a campground on a Sunday evening. The campground was small, about 35 sites, and everyone left that afternoon except us and one other group, with one empty site between us. This group put a CD in the car stereo at about 3 PM and turned it up. At 5 PM I had heard that one CD enough. We moved the trailer around a bit so the Einstein’s could get full benefit of the oncoming storm. I knew since they had played the CD player on the car stereo for these 2 hours they couldn’t go much longer and still crank the car. Advantage Yogi. The ranger pulled up and asked if we wanted him to tell the group to turn it down. We advised no, that we figured since they were playing their music so loud they wouldn’t mind if we turned on some music. After about 30 minutes, and a demonstration of what was about to transpire, the ranger said have fun and he would circle back just before quiet time to see if all was well.

We opened with “I Love Rock N Roll”, “Highway To Hell”, and “Cocaine”. It just got louder and rowdier from there. As I said, this system was setup for tailgating at concerts and I only rarely get to use it when camping. But when I do get to use it, it sure is fun.

Word. If you want to listen to music at the campground, bring your ipod and your headphones. If you want to share it, get a Y adapter and another set of headphones. Look around before you crank up a boom box or a car stereo. If you see a white teardrop you are going to want some earplugs. If I can hear your music in my campsite, it is on!

For more camping fun come see us at http://www.campsite190.com

Product Alert ; Big Bubba by Travel Chair

2009-06-13T15:34:00.002-04:00

If you are in the market for a chair to use car camping, do not buy the Big Bubba by Travel Chair. We have purchased three of these chairs since March of this year and all three have broken. Two broke at the footrest and the frame broke on two of them. The two footrest breaks came within the first day of use. The frame on one chair broke after 4 camping trips. The frame on the other chair broke after it was used on two camping trips. When the frame on one chair broke, it propelled me to the ground. Fortunately I did not stab myself with the broken metal tubing on the way down. Both frames broke in the same place, just below the armrest.

No one in our camping party came close to the weight limit of the chairs and none of the chairs were abused. You could be sitting perfectly still and the chair would break.

We contacted Travel Chair and they would not repair or replace the chairs. They also advised they do not sell parts for the chairs. They told us to carry the chair to the retailer. We ordered the chairs on the Internet from reputable companies. However, the problem was not shipping damage or other problems the retailer should be responsible for. The problem was product failure. The responsibility for this is with the maker of the product. Fortunately for us the retailer took the product back. They asked if we wanted a replacement! Naturally, we didn’t have a desire to try any other Travel Chair products.

After many years of camping we accept that occasionally some gear fails. It has been our experience that most reputable firms stand behind their products. Kelty, for instance, sent us a replacement product with instructions to return the broken product in the same box. They included a mailing label in the instructions and paid for postage. Same thing happened with Garmin, Coleman, and Katadyn. This seems to be the norm for most reputable companies selling outdoor related products, some of them costing several times what a chair would cost.

Also, be wary of product reviews posted on any mail order company web site. I can tell you from personal experience that not all reviews are posted. I don’t know the method these companies use to filter product reviews to determine which ones get posted, but I do know they don’t post them all.

Check us out at http://www.campsite190.com. We talk about products we, or others in our camping group, have owned and used.

Holiday Camping

2009-05-26T14:23:00.007-04:00

We just returned from a campout this past Memorial Day weekend where we camped in a campground at a state park. This park was located on a very large lake and the state operated three separate campgrounds along the lake with a total of about 1,200 campsites, each one of them rented. Usually on holiday weekends we tend to backpack into the backcountry so that we may avoid the crowds as much as possible. However, this time we opted for the crowds because we wanted to join some friends who wanted to camp at the lake.

The weather was forecast to be perfect, and it was. We had a good campsite compared to many of the others, and we were able to set it up to take full advantage of the area we were provided. The trouble began when our neighbors across the street decided that their campsite was not large enough for their dogs to relieve themselves on and decided that our campsite was much better suited for this purpose. Mind you, their campsite was a lot larger than ours, and their dogs just happened to be about the size of a football.

I don’t know, I suppose our two tents on the site and the sunshade and the tarp just didn’t make much of an impression. After all, they roared in with two buses that had several slide outs on both sides and pulling fancy European sports cars. Not to mention all the brightly colored party lights, flags, carpet at the entrance to the buses, fancy stainless steel grills, recliners, motorcycles, and jet skis. They even brought a fancy lighted post to put out front that had their name on it, looked like a miniature street light, painted sissy white.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but when I am at home I don’t let my dog cross the street to do his business in the neighbor’s yard and, since I obviously have good neighbors, they don’t allow their dog to come to my house to do his business. When we got home I went across the street to thank my neighbor for being such a good neighbor over the years; he probably still thinks I’m a little off.

Anyhow, about the fourth or fifth time the camping neighbors strolled into my site with the footballs on legs to take care of business something just came over me. I promise alcohol was not involved, at least on my side. I really don’t remember all that happened but I do remember feeling warm and beads of sweat developing on my forehead. I think I mentioned something about my football kicking talents and that I could probably clear the bus with the little brown dog, the other one looked a little heavy. I’m almost certain I made some remarks about their ancestors, especially their mothers. I also have a nasty habit of getting in someone’s face and making remarks that may be considered insulting to one’s masculinity, so that probably happened too. Anyhow, it was over pretty quickly, I don’t remember the offending party saying the first word in rebuttal. I do remember asking if they behaved this way at home.

I hate to say it, but I have had some experience with these types of people before. So, after dark, I raided the boss’s cooking supplies and gathered a great big container of pepper, which I sprinkled all over the offended area of my campsite. Sure enough, they tried to sneak the furry footballs over for a late night break. A couple of sniffs and the dogs went sneezing and snorting back across the street.

On Saturday morning we paddled around the lake and fished a little, leaving the lake when the big boats and skiers woke up. We returned to our campsite and were treated to a ruckus like I have never heard on a camping trip. Somewhere behind us and near the sites on the side of the hill, several dogs were barking with enthusiasm. It sounded like an all out dog brawl. After about an hour of it, I decided to walk over and see what was going on. A lady was sitting out in her chair in a site across from the offending sites. When I stopped she asked if I had ever heard such irritating and nonstop noise. She advised the two sites across from her had two dogs each and the owners had left the dogs behind while they went boating on the lake. The camp ranger stopped and advised he had attempted to locate the offending campers, but had not succeeded. He apologized for the inconvenience and agreed that it was a shame that two campsites could ruin an outing for the remaining 40 campsites in this immediate area. These four dogs tried to out bark each other from 10 am to close to 4 pm. The lady across from the campsites with the dogs packed up about 2 pm and went home.

On Sunday morning we were awakened not by the sounds of birds singing, or squirrels talking, or crows crowing, of crickets chirping, or any other of the sounds of nature one would look forward to on a camping trip. We were awakened by the sounds of dogs barking. There was some good news though, when we crawled out of the tent we noticed the party across the street from us was all packed up and ready to leave. At least we wouldn’t have dogs using our site for a restroom anymore! Oh happy days! And they were. The ranger convinced the two sites with the four dogs to carry the dogs on the boat that day so we didn’t have that noise to listen to either. But all good things must come to an end.

At about 2 pm another group of campers pulled up to the site across the street from us. The group consisted of two couples; one had a kid about 6 years old. The other group had a small white dog. Immediately upon exiting the car, the small white dog crossed the street into our campsite and began barking at us. One of the females in the group yelled over to us in a squeaky childish voice that Maxi wouldn’t bite and only wanted some attention. Well, Maxi had come to the right place at the right time. I lunged at the dog and done my best imitation of a big dog on the attack. That Maxi could really move, he was across the street and under it’s owners feet in a flash. I yelled back across the street that I agreed, all the dog needed was a little attention.

When the ranger came by to register this new party, I could tell they were complaining about the attention I gave to Maxi by all the pointing toward my campsite that was going on. I could also tell the ranger was educating them about the rules of the campground in regards to pets. Dogs were supposed to kept on a leash not longer than 6 feet at all times. The campers scrambled around in the car and finally found something they could use as a leash. The ranger walked back toward his truck, waved at me, then hopped in the truck and drove off.

We saw one group kicked out of the campground over dogs. As they were setting up, their dog chased some people who were walking by on the road. These people complained to the ranger and the ranger visited the campsite and the offending dog was put on a leash. As soon as the ranger drove off, these campers took the leash off the dog. Guess they figured the rules just didn’t apply to them, or, they just couldn’t stand to have poochie on a leash. Just a short time later, a kid on a bicycle rode by and the dog chased the kid, put a real scare in him. The kid cried all the way back to his campsite and his parents called the ranger. When the ranger came out, he ejected the offending campers from the park. Luckily for them, they had not finished unloading or setting up, so, they didn’t have that much to do to pack up and go.

Now I hope you don’t get the wrong impression of us after reading this story. We love dogs. Our kids love dogs and have dogs. Our parents have dogs. We have a dog. I have owned a dog from the time I was 14 to the present. I have always had big dogs like shepherds, collies, and retrievers. We currently have a Labrador. My daughter also has a Labrador and my son has a Yorkie. Our parents have Boxers. I’m glad I didn’t carry my dog on this trip, he would have eaten Maxi.

We made arrangements for someone to keep our dog while we went camping because we knew everyone might not enjoy our dog as much as we do. We understood that the campsites could be close and people would be in tents and not shielded from noise. These people may not be amused if my dog started barking at the birds in the trees. They may not be amused by my dog chasing squirrels through the campsites. We knew these other campers might not be understanding when my dog disregarded property lines and crossed into their campsite, uninvited. Also, I don’t like to put my dog on a 6-foot leash for an entire weekend. He stayed at home and had the entire back yard to himself. I know he was happier there.

You see, we truly did start out on this camping trip with an attitude of trying to get along with others.

Bottom line; when you are camping with or near others, leave poochie at home.

Selecting A Campsite

2009-04-24T08:45:00.007-04:00

Many first time campers fail in regards to selection of a good campsite. Many have stated that in a campground, you have to set up camp in the space that is provided. While that is true, you usually have a choice in which campsite you register for. We avoid the campgrounds that do not allow us to look at the campsite before we register.

As of this writing, there are many campgrounds that are converting to a telephone or online-based registration. With this system, you must register for a specific site number that you select from a map on the website. This system does not allow you to switch campsites after you make your reservation. We have made a list of sites that are acceptable for the campgrounds we frequent, but it is a very real problem for new areas. Most campgrounds still maintain an area that is for walk-ins and no reservation is required here. In these areas it is still possible to go in and select a site, then come back to the office to register.

The same problem exists in many state and federal park systems in regards to backpacking. You are allowed to backpack to a designated campsite, which must be selected and registered for prior to your journey. If you are not familiar with the sites, you could pick one that ruins your trip.

The best advice I can give in either case is to scout the area before you go. Determine which sites are suitable and make a note of them for registration.

The criteria for selecting a good campsite is similar whether you are in a campground or in a forest that allows camping anywhere you select.

Pick a site with high ground. Don’t camp at the bottom or on the side of a hill. If it rains, all the water will run through your campsite. Try to visualize what the water will do as you are viewing the area.

Look up. You are looking for dead trees and branches that might come through the tent if the wind gets up. Look for insect, bird or other nests in the trees.

Look down. Fire ants can be deadly to people with allergies. Any poisonous plants around? Other ants and insects can be troublesome. Is the area large enough and flat enough to set up the items you need to camp comfortably? How about the surface? Campgrounds usually have gravel pads. Properly elevated, these sites can remain relatively dry during rain showers. Try to avoid bare clay as it becomes very slick when wet.

Do not select the site at the campground that is nearest the bathhouse! Although this seems like a good place to be, especially in the summer when the showers are running, there will be traffic coming in and out of the area at all times of the night and day.

If you are near water, camp above the highest watermark. Remember, water attracts insects and animals. I like to be about 50 yards from water, but it depends on the weather. If it is hot and the forecast is for windy conditions, I will look for the highest campsite closest to the water. If it is not windy, the insects can have the waterfront sites. When it is cool, I try to find a site that is protected from the wind that comes across the water. When we are backpacking, I try to stay within 300 yards or so of the water source.

Don’t be in a hurry to set up, take your time to look around and determine if the site suits all your needs. Pick a site that is scenic. After all, the scenery is one of the main reasons we go camping. For more camping tips visit http://www.campsite190.com/ .

Hope that helps
See Ya!

How To Set Up Camp

2009-04-06T13:11:00.009-04:00

Over the years I’ve observed many campers setting up their campsites and most do it backwards. Most campsites are relatively compact in size, whether you are in a campground or out in the backcountry. The trick is to make the most use of the area you have. Since you are only going to sleep in the tent, why set it up first?

The first thing one should do when setting up camp is to determine where the cooking and eating is to take place. If you are at a campground this is easy as they have provided you with a picnic table at most sites. Don’t be afraid to move the table around some, most of them have chains attached so you can only go so far. Once you determine this area, set up your dining fly. Your fly should cover the table and enough surrounding area to cook in if it begins to rain. After the fly is set up, gather the larger camp cooking items and arrange them in your cooking area. Stoves, coolers, tables, and chuck boxes should be set up.

Next, determine where your lounging or hang out area will be. You don’t want to crowd the cooking area. In a campground site they have provided a fire ring, which makes the selection of this area easier for you. Set your fly for this area as well. Don’t set the fly to close to the fire ring if you are planning on having a fire. Gather all your chairs and tables and set them under the fly.

We ALWAYS set up these two tarps when car camping. If it rains, we can still carry on with the planned menu. This is good because the food is already purchased and in camp. Often, if you try to change the menu at the last minute you are missing one or two items. If it rains, we have two places to get out of the rain. Those that are not cooking can get out of the way and still stay dry. If it is hot, we have two shady retreats.

Next we set up all the accessory items like lanterns, clotheslines, sun showers, and trash bags. Any other camp items should be set up at this time. For more information on the camping gear you may need on your next outing go to http://www.campsite190.com/.

This next step has saved many camping trips from becoming saturated nightmares. You set your tent up last. You can use the shelter of the two flys you have set up to keep gear out of the rain until you get the tent set up. First, you spread the ground cloth out. At this point I like to lay the tent out and stake the corners. Insert the poles and raise the tent. Attach the rain fly and finish staking the tent and guy lines out. Lay out your sleeping pad. If it is self-inflating, leave the valve open. If you pump it up, you have a fly to do it under. After your sleeping pad is in place, lay out your sleeping bag. Don’t leave it rolled up, spread it out so it will fluff up.

Using a freestanding tent, you can erect it under the fly then slide the whole works into place after installing the rain fly. Make sure to place the ground cloth correctly, with no edges sticking out. Then load the tent.

There, camp is set up.

When Boo Boo and I are backpacking, we carry a two-pole hoop tent that is not freestanding and is extremely light. We also carry a 12 x 12 nylon tarp. The tarp is set first when it is raining and the tent is erected under the tarp. After the tent is up, we move the tarp so it is positioned over the front door of the tent. If we have others in our party, we try to insist on one tarp per two persons, that way we have some flexibility in how we set up the camp. If we are on what I like to refer to as a “forced march” type of backpacking trip, where we will not be spending any time at camp other than to sleep and eat, we leave the tarps and most everything else at home.

Happy Camping

First Post

2009-04-03T10:09:00.005-04:00

Greetings,

We are new to blogging and this is our first post. Our blog site is to be centered around camping with discussions on all things camping related such as:

camping equipment

camping checklists

cooking in camp

first aid

campsite selection

where to camp

what to do

backpacking

car camping

RV camping

camping tips

We have camped all our lives and now pretty much camp full time. We backpack, car camp, and RV camp. Other activities we enjoy and will likely be discussed on this blog include cycling, golf, disc golf, and canoeing.

We have four kids, two boys and two girls. They enjoy many of the same interests as we do and you will likely see them often on this site. They are grown and usually come out to play when we ask.

At this moment, we are on the shores of Jordan Lake in our teardrop camper. The wind is up and the sun is shining, it is going to be a great day. Our teardrop is one of the larger models being six feet wide. It has a deck on the front that we use to transport gear boxes, coolers, generators, bikes, and any number of things. We've done a lot of work on it since we purchased it and have many more things we paln to do. We will post more on this subject later.

So, goodbye for now, we are going to enjoy the day and spend the evening learning a little more about blogging.

Hope you have a great weekend.