Thanks for the comments. To respond:
"DNR" ... Department of Natural Resources (for Indiana). They run the state parks, state recreation areas, and state water ways:
Click here. "DRN" trucks and vans all have the "DNR" logo on them. They are state owned vehicles used by the park systems. DNR is also it's own law enforcement.
Just pass the dump and move on?... We had no problems waiting our turn in line. What happened, happened behind us, and the fur started flying while we were dumping. Sometimes you can't control anything when it (comes up behind you) .... literally.
Full service sites. Indiana State Parks have very few "full service" camp sites. The majority are electric only with a common water spigot for an entire area. Some Indiana State Parks have areas with Electric and water on-site. But only a few. And even fewer have full hook-up. So the dump station is an important part of the State Park system.
About the long line? Why taking so long? I'm not sure about others, but the State Parks turn off the water in just a couple weeks. I think, for a lot of folks, this might have been the last week-end for camping, before shutting up for winter. With this being the last week-end, a lot of folks like to take a little extra effort to clean out their tanks and get ready for winter. Especially if they store their campers on storage lots. I'm not saying anyone was taking an excessive amount of time. But there sure were a LOT of people wanting to access the dump site all at the SAME time. So ... a long line. Not everyone has the opportunity to dump elsewhere.
I'm fortunate, I can dump at home via my septic system. But before leaving the park, I like to make sure my tanks are empty, add a couple gallons of water and let it slosh around driving home to clean the tanks. Not everyone wants to drive with full tanks. I respect that. As part of the fee for camping at the sate parks in Indiana, you are permitted to use the dump station too. So, everyone has that opportunity ... we've just got to wait our turn. Of course, if you don't want to wait, by all means, you are also free to drive past. (actually, there were several that did just that).
