We are camping in a county park in Kalamazoo MI. A travel trailer pulls into the site next to us yesterday. A man set up the camper and left the young woman and three boys. Haven't seen him back since. So they have been using the fire pit for trash the last 11/2 days. Everything goes into it. Well they had pizza brought in tonight and stuffed all the waste into ... Yep ... the fire pit. Then the lady lights it with her cigarette lighter and stood there and bragged about how big her fire was. She actually stood here and took pictures of it on her cell phone. She probably shared her "camping expertise" with all her friends. How impressed they must have been.It was spectacular - for about 60 seconds. Then the rest of us had to experience the stench of burning cardboard and heavy smoke, the ashes flying all over everything was an added bonus.

Now you know why we like to go remote. no neighbors.

Well the good news is she burned it and didn't just leave it all for the next guy!

If we were neighbors to that site, something would have been said. The campfire is not a waste bin. The last state park site we moved into it, it was apparent someone was doing this very thing. Before I went to use the firepit, I had to shovel out all their trash remains.

Well, not sure if you have a compliment, or a complaint. On one hand, the man (maybe the husband) may have to work weekends but still took time to set up the camper for the woman & kids (maybe the wife & children). I've worked weekends for nearly 40 years and have done just that many many times in years past. I agree that using the fire pit for a trash receptical isn't standard procedure but at least she kept the trash from ending up on the ground around the campsite; and maybe she simply doesn't know any better. As for burning her fire pit trash, photoing it, and sharing it with her friends? Well, maybe thats been the most excitement she's had in a long time and she wanted to share her excitement. Might be no one has had the opportunity to show her camping etiquitte. Regardless, at least she's out with the boys, no one got hurt, I'm assuming there was no barking dogs and loud music, so I'd say if burning her trash is the worst thing she's done so far this weekend, life's pretty good. What did she say when you politely talked to her about not burning her trash in the fire pit vs. bagging it up? Did you offer her some firewood?Happy camping!!! See y'all down the road!!!:)

wildtoad wrote:Well the good news is she burned it and didn't just leave it all for the next guy!The fire hardly burned long enough to incinerate everything. Especially all the food that was thrown into the pit.It certainly was left for the next guy to deal with, if he wanted to enjoy a campfire.

Campfires aren't what they use to be | Good Sam Community

retired-tech
Explorer
Aug 29, 2013
He must have had to go to work like me. Although I know my group isn't making a mess while I am gone.
bigred1cav
Explorer
Aug 27, 2013
Why is a camp fire necessary in 90 degree heat?
rockhillmanor
Explorer
Aug 27, 2013
D & M wrote:
Campfires aren't what they use to be

Why not? :h

Sadly because of ignorant and inconsiderate campers that don't seem to care that there are others that use that site after they do. :(:(
D___M
Explorer
Aug 27, 2013
Campfires aren't what they use to be

Why not? :h
phenrichs
Explorer
Aug 27, 2013
It is a combination of two things. Inconsiderate and ignorant. People are taught bad habits like this. My children are taught NOTHING that would normally go in the trash goes in the fire. The fire is for cooking and smores. Cig butts from visitors are ok but that is it. Just because you burn something doesn't mean it is gone. Everyone has to smell it. I hate the smell of burning plastic and trash. That is my biggest complaint in a CG.
WeBeFulltimers
Explorer
Aug 27, 2013
SRT wrote:
Over the years I've been amazed what gets thrown into the fire pit - beer bottle caps, beer can pull tabs, beer cans, nails, bone remnants, cigarette butts, etc.. But no used diapers, yet...:E

Yup, that folding camp shovel is really handy and has "lots of miles" on it.

Well, it's not fun. I have found used diapers (#2) in firepits and once in the grill. :M
dave54
Nomad
Aug 27, 2013
Regular paper is one thing. But if she was burning her household trash then she was all burning plastics, PVC, and all kinds of other miscellaneous artificial substances. The campfire smoke was a witches brew of methyl-ethyl-bad-stuff and all kinds of toxics not good for lungs.
et2
Explorer
Aug 27, 2013
rockhillmanor wrote:
2012Coleman wrote:
Just report it to the CG host - forget about posting about it on RV.net
:? This is a 'discussion' forum, it's what we do. Don't like reading it don't.

Campfires aren't what they use to be

There was a good 20 years between my RV camping days and when I went full time RV'ing, going from CG to CG 362 days a year. You see a LOT of CG's and different kinds of campers when you Full Time.

Any of us old enough to have 'been' camping that long ago can attest to the fact that 99.99% of the common complaints and disillusions about camping now a days......did NOT exist 20 years ago.

Think that tells you a little something about who is responsible for the demise of good, clean, safe, enjoyable camping and the condition of the CG's we use today versus years ago?

Funny you bring this up. I was thinking this very thing today.I'm not a full timer ...yet. But I too have seen a decrease in the lack of manners or respect for community and how ones actions affect everyone around them. A real lack of plain old common sense.

I can say I wasn't brought up that way. But I was also taught to mind my own business. Which is what I did. Unless there was a threat of immediate danger or damage about to take place, I do just that.

My post was just more or less a observation and reflection of my past personal experiences and how I've see things change over time. But as you indicated there are many who have done this longer than I.
DE88ROX
Explorer
Aug 27, 2013
et2- I was camping at Yankee Springs Gun Lake SP in April of last year (pre-season when the weather was really warm) only about 10 trailers in the whole park. But anywho....DW and I along with friends that also had a trailer there could smell this god awful stench. since the campers in the park were number around 10 it wasn't easy to find them.

We found them about 4 sites down from us. It seems they were giving their dog a haircut and throwing the hair in the fire.:h

My buddy and i didn't ask, we told them to stop doing that because they were sticking up the joint. Since it was a windy day they couldn't even smell the the errors of their way.

Take all kinds I guess.
rockhillmanor
Explorer
Aug 26, 2013
2012Coleman wrote:
Just report it to the CG host - forget about posting about it on RV.net
:? This is a 'discussion' forum, it's what we do. Don't like reading it don't.

Campfires aren't what they use to be

There was a good 20 years between my RV camping days and when I went full time RV'ing, going from CG to CG 362 days a year. You see a LOT of CG's and different kinds of campers when you Full Time.

Any of us old enough to have 'been' camping that long ago can attest to the fact that 99.99% of the common complaints and disillusions about camping now a days......did NOT exist 20 years ago.

Think that tells you a little something about who is responsible for the demise of good, clean, safe, enjoyable camping and the condition of the CG's we use today versus years ago?

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