had my fill of campgrounds

Hmmm. Complaining about campgrounds in the "Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping" forum. How ironic. ;)

LS

QUOTE: "The other rule of thumb is that as you get further away from big population centers, the percentage of drunk campers decreases. That's not surprising -- even drunks know that the less they drive, the better!"

And there you have it -- get farther away, and you get away from the weekenders that just want to create noise and keep the neighbors from calling LEO ...

Altho' I believe it's less a worry about drinking and driving than it is the driving distance and the weekend time that creates this noise issue. Close in CG's allow noisy weekenders to reach the campground just for the weekend. Most won't drive all day to make noise. SO, more distant CG's won't get the weekenders ...

fly-boy wrote:
Not all campgrounds post quiet hours- But if they are posted then everyone should abide by the rules. However, quiet is a relative term and there should be a modicum of respect for both sides. 10:00 does not mean turn off your radio, whisper and go to sleep. It means turn down your radio, and be respectful. It also means the old timers may hear some people talking, they may hear another groups music... and they need to live with that too. Its a mutual respect thing.

It is absurd people want to try and control another person/group (regardless of what group you are in) in a public campground in the middle of nowhere. Little people like that ought to stay home and control their little piece of land.

it is absurd that you have your own definition for quiet. if you google the definition of quiet it says silence unobtrusive secretive. if I can hear you you are being none of those or your camp party for that matter understand the definition of quiet and apply it accordingly when camping.

Not all campgrounds post quiet hours- But if they are posted then everyone should abide by the rules. However, quiet is a relative term and there should be a modicum of respect for both sides. 10:00 does not mean turn off your radio, whisper and go to sleep. It means turn down your radio, and be respectful. It also means the old timers may hear some people talking, they may hear another groups music... and they need to live with that too. Its a mutual respect thing.

It is absurd people want to try and control another person/group (regardless of what group you are in) in a public campground in the middle of nowhere. Little people like that ought to stay home and control their little piece of land.

goducks, I wish that the "lake trick" worked in California -- unfortunately, lakes are so scarce that we have more drunks than lakes. So there are plenty of dry land party people. Based just on my own experiences, the problem seems somewhat worse in areas open to off road vehicle use. I am sure that there are polite and quiet off-roaders -- but since we can't hear them, all we hear are the other ones, and they give the whole crowd a bad name, which is very unfair to the good citizens. (This is like the bad reputation given to pit bulls -- most are wonderful dogs, but a few are not, so the RV parks ban all pit bulls. But nobody bans Chihuahuas, even though they can be noisy.)

The other rule of thumb is that as you get further away from big population centers, the percentage of drunk campers decreases. That's not surprising -- even drunks know that the less they drive, the better! ;)

It's mainly the type of CG that attracts loud drunks IMO anyway. I've always found that CG's with lakes that are popular for water skiing are the worst. Not always but usually. You need to find CG's where the type of surroundings are confluent with the quieter crowd. CG's where hiking or more naturist activities are popular. We've been camping in Oregon for 38 years pretty much know where the quiet ones are.

That doesn't mean you won't get the occasional idiot though, but by being selective you cut your chances.

FWY we were at Prineville St Park in Oregon 2 years ago as my son bought a ski boat. I was expecting the worst. I was totally amazed at how quiet the park rangers kept the CG at night. We were a 4 group party (7 adults and kids) and actually got told to keep the talking (yes talking) down as quiet time starts at 10 pm. We were just sitting around the camp fire bs'ing and telling some jokes and such. No one was being rude or anything. I was impressed.

profdant139 wrote:
Niner, a friendly amendment -- I think that song was by Bocephus, not his Dad.

yeah, that would be Jr.

Niner, a friendly amendment -- I think that song was by Bocephus, not his Dad.

I also live in Portland. Try the state campgrounds, they 86 those drunks if people complain. I have been RVing since 1985 and since retirement spend six months of the years traveling. I have never had anyone bother us. We stay away from the federal type no hookup sites as they tend to attract this sort of trouble maker. Private campgrounds put the kybosh on these creeps too. At the
coast, we like fort Stevens, Nehalem Bay, Port of Newport campground, Sunset Beach State Campground. Up the gorge try first come first serve Ainsworth which is real close. best regards, David

profdant139 wrote:
Niner, you are right that the quiet hours are supposed to start at 10. But large groups of drunk young people sometimes don't follow the rules. (Older people who have consumed even minor quantities of alcohol usually fall asleep before 10 -- please don't ask me how I know that.) And it is not a good idea to politely ask the party people to be quiet -- they are surprisingly disobedient. And there is no ranger on duty, and the campground host is already asleep, with earplugs firmly in place.

This scenario has only happened to us twice (both times in the local mountains of Southern California -- imagine that!), but it is not pleasant.

Yeah, I know the type. But I play it by the book, nothing like warming up a big old Ford 7.3 diesel at 6 AM so it's ready to go for a drive once I finish washing the dishes and pouring a cup of coffee for the road, making sure to stir in the sugar and creamer really nice against the side of that SS travel mug, then slamming those old doors shut due to those old sagging hinges, then rolling down the windows and cranking up some old Patsy Cline or Hank Williams "Family Tradition". Oh yeah, and sometimes that bran in the morning gives me a little excess gas I need to relieve before getting into the cab of the truck.


All of the above is true lies with the understanding that paybacks are a b*tch, and Karma is what goes around, comes around. I bring my Pooter with me, sometimes to supplement the humor.