Fess up time

OK lets move on..

Topic closed

JohnnyT Moderator

The difference is most of the posters here do try to abide by the rules, and actually read them. Not that they believe they're "perfect", but more understanding if they make the effort to abide by them it will make their and everyone around them camping experience better.

Then there are those that don't care and feel any diversion from them as minuscule as they seem to "them" is acceptable and everyone else does it. Example: Rules are made to be broken. There are plenty of straw men arguments being thrown around.

As far as the park ranger, in over 45 years of my camping experience we or I have never been approached by a park ranger ... in regards to this guys post, does that make me perfect? In comparison to him,I believe so.

Executive wrote:

AikenRacer wrote:
Seems like everywhere I go, I get called down by the park ranger, etc. Previous violations include parking my golf cart in the wrong spots by the beach walkway, no campground pass on my golf cart,expired golf cart pass, driving the wrong way, no state decal for golf cart, parking my tow vehicle on the grass and not completely on the gravel area several times, hanging a light from a tree limb, and so forth....Just wondering...am I just a rebel or do others get in trouble like me? Only the perfect motorhomers can tell me to just follow the rules.

1. Parked the golf cart in the wrong spots by the beach walkway.
2. No campground pass on my golf cart.
3. Expired golf cart pass.
4. Driving the wrong way on a one way street.
5. Parking my tow vehicle on the grass in violation.
6. Hanging a light from a tree.

And just exactly where did the Rangers overreact and abuse their power??..:h...many of the OPs problems seem to come from the use of his golf cart. Pretty simple IMHO, when arriving at a campground, read the rules. If you don't agree with them, ask if they can be broken and/or ignored. If no, decide whether you want to stay or leave...your choice. In 40 yrs of RVing with 4 yrs full time, I've yet to be hassled by any park ranger..maybe it's just me...:B...Dennis

I do Walmart Supercenters and Cracker Barrels, have yet to have any 'Park Rangers' there. Wonder if any of the golf cart violations involved alcohol? In Texas, if you're on a riding mower, lawn tractor, or any other motorized machine, you can be charged with DUI.

cougar88nw wrote:
"MsSmith119

Read the newspapers? You didn't say you read it in the newspapers. you said, "I have seen way too many..." That doesn't mean you heard about it or read about it. Would you like to admit you may have just been exaggerating?"




Yes, the internet and newspapers do their level best to make the general public think poorly of law enforcement. Used to be an officer was able to use his/her discretion when dealing with the public but now with our "Zero Tolerance" society, officers have no choice but to ticket, punish, ridicule, tase, shoot, or lock us up.:W There's good and bad in all professions, overzealous people in all professions too, and definitely a huge lack of ethics in most professions now.
Funny how those in law enforcement always get their feelings hurt when someone post that they have or may have been treated unfairly by an officer. I was a mechanic for 20+ years but I don't get hot under the collar when people run down my chosen profession, I know some mechanics are crooks just as some cops are crooked. It is what it is!:B Let’s get back on topic and answer the OP’s question.

I was a cop and what does get me riled up is when people make things up. What "Zero Tolerance" society do you live in? I only retired two years ago and we never had a zero tolerance policy for anything but serious crimes. And no I'm not saying there aren't bad cops who do bad things. But I've seen nobody give me any examples of anything a cop has done bad that they personally witnessed.

We can really tell who the snobs are. For those who are letter of the law types, how many times do you drive your car over the speed limit? Even 2 mph over? Willful disregard for the law. You are just as guilty as the OP.

We are use to over bearing attention from Rangers and Camp Hosts even though we never break any rules. We open trailer unlicensed Dirt Bikes. We get warned by just about every official in the campground that it's against the rules to ride them in the campground.
At time it gets pretty funny when a new shift of employees comes on and we get warned twice on the same day. Guess a lot people assume that we can't read the rules and/or don't think we are responsible enough to follow them.

Never have understood people who constantly appear to "push the envelope." Do they think they are better than everyone else? Or bigger? Smarter? What is their motivation? In my business I had people come in that were like this, more often than not they were told to leave and to not let the door hit them where evidently their brain was. Places have rules, whether you like them or not, obey them or leave. Plain and simple.

My wife reminded me of the guy a couple of years ago who parked his boat and trailer on the grass next to his site, they went to dinner and when they got back their boat was gone, it had been impounded by the sheriff's department. Evidently he had been told not to park on the grass before and the park manager had had enough of this idiot and called the sheriff's department. I don't know what the impound fee's + storage fee's were but they had to pack up and leave the county park and they could not retrieve their boat and trailer until the following Monday. I guess you could say his weekend was ruined.

But, the OP'er and those who agree with him can continue to do as they please and maybe, just maybe you will encounter someone who can legally ruin your weekend and cost you some money along the way. Maybe then you will understand it all, but I doubt it. Have a good day.

AikenRacer wrote:
Ok, I knew this post would open the door for all types of comments. Just to set the record straight, I do follow 99% of the rules to the T. The other 1% would be argumentative if there really is a violation but I can't type enough the present the full picture. All my campsites are cleaner when I leave than when I arrive, we don't play loud music, etc...I enjoyed the comments, especially the one about the reverse snob! ............and sprinklers in a state park.....not in this state!!

We don't follow all the rules in the campground and I can't say that we sit down at every campground and read all the rules before we set up camp. We've been known to drive on the grass when backing up the trailer. On our last trip we even contemplated having more people at our site than the posted 8 per site. When we got to camp there was a church rally and I counted more than 8 in at least half the campground. Didn't bother me much. We sometimes arrive earlier than the posted times.

Glad we are all different.

We have never had any trouble from a Park Ranger or Law enforcement while in a park. It's pretty much common sense, and we don't read the rules. Treat the park like you would your own backyard. Consider it public property. Don't hang stuff on nature, don't park on nature.

The only issue we have had years back (already ranted long ago) was a border crossing into Canada. WOW! Anyway..... perhaps they were looking out for something.

As far as Park Rangers though, no problems.

There however is a rule we don't like. Some campgrounds have a maximum of 6 people. Having 5 children my wife and I go over that. We ask the person at the desk 'if that is okay'. We have not been told no yet. The explanation one lady gave was "too many people will trample the vegetation". Another person told us "oh this rule is to prevent many people from showing up to a site having a loud party".... Who knows. I think they see we are a family and wave us on through. But it is difficult to see more and more campground adapting that rule. But we do ask. If they ever say "no", we go to walmart or national forest for the night.

"MsSmith119

Read the newspapers? You didn't say you read it in the newspapers. you said, "I have seen way too many..." That doesn't mean you heard about it or read about it. Would you like to admit you may have just been exaggerating?"




Yes, the internet and newspapers do their level best to make the general public think poorly of law enforcement. Used to be an officer was able to use his/her discretion when dealing with the public but now with our "Zero Tolerance" society, officers have no choice but to ticket, punish, ridicule, tase, shoot, or lock us up.:W There's good and bad in all professions, overzealous people in all professions too, and definitely a huge lack of ethics in most professions now.
Funny how those in law enforcement always get their feelings hurt when someone post that they have or may have been treated unfairly by an officer. I was a mechanic for 20+ years but I don't get hot under the collar when people run down my chosen profession, I know some mechanics are crooks just as some cops are crooked. It is what it is!:B Let’s get back on topic and answer the OP’s question.