Rude campers to the extreme

[leggy]

So, we are at Lake George RV Park, N.Y. and had group of campers that were loud two nights in a row. First night I told them they should move their fire away from our camper, midnight. Second night, I went out and almost verbatim told them their conversations for the past half hour. Guy says that I should wear earplugs to bed. I then said you are annoying me and my family, so I will do the same. I started my truck and angled the high beams directly into their group.
About then the on duty manager shows up and apologizes to the group for having to respond to a complaint!
Long story short, we moved to a different site today, screwed up our days plans and we weren't in the wrong! Our new site is much tighter, but surrounded by other respectful campers. I never thought I wouldbe forced to move but they left us with no choice. Ok, rant over.

[down_home]

I just turn on the outside stereo and play Moon River or a relaxation sleep recording of a thunder storm.

Ask them if the have seen my pet snakes. The Pythons got loose......maybe not.

[maxtay]

Sorry for your trouble. LG RV is pricey and to have hostility on vk is a bummer. I stayed
Here many times even the week you where. I guess I lucked out we had a good time. Honestly glad to say I am happy I was not next to this. LG RV does not let you pick your site just the section so the luck of the draw. I like the CG and never had a issue. Usually it is the state campgrounds that get loud in the area. Something about a $20 tent and a case of beer and no activities.

[winnietrey]

I am with you Leggy. I would just say, in my life experience, in a minor, non life threating situation like this, it rarely works to strike back. Though lord knows I have wanted to many a time, ( and still do on occasion). And on the occasions when I was younger and did strike back, it never ended well.And usually made things 10X worse.

So these days I always try to be a gentleman, try to defuse the situation, not inflame it. As the saying goes you have to pick which hill you want to die on. And your situation is not a hill I would choose.

[leggy]

I have spent much time thinking about the situation and I did handle some of this wrongly. I allowed my frustration of the noise and jerk comment put me over the edge.I guess my hope was they would get annoyed and break up party. I know that was a naive thought, by the way no other campers were in my lights.
I had spoke to them the previous night and should have talked more to them in daylight. Tried to get them to move the firering that they had already moved once and had them put their truck between fire and our camper. Would it have mattered...? But at least a better attempt.
We were told the site we moved from was the most requested site in park, however, stayed empty after we moved, coincidence?
What level of noise is tolerable? Not sure but I do know that I should not lie in bed and be a clear part to 3 conversation at once. If they were quiet and then whole group breaks out in laughter, different scenario although maybe then I would have wished I heard the joke. By the way, the new site was much tighter and we had no issues with noise through the weekend so don't think it was to be expected.

[Lantley]

Crabbypatty wrote:
After speaking with them, if they persisted, I would then tell them I going to the office to complain about it and request that they be moved. Not me them to another area of the park. I would not start an altercation with them by shining my high beams at them or anything else. Its not worth having a violent confrontation.

A reasonable approach. I find it interesting that the OP moved vs. the talkers.
Demanding the other group move maybe a tough sell if you are the unhappy one seeking solitude.
Management must set the tone for this scenario, it seems in this case management did not attempt to silence the alleged offending party.

[Crabbypatty]

After speaking with them, if they persisted, I would then tell them I going to the office to complain about it and request that they be moved. Not me them to another area of the park. I would not start an altercation with them by shining my high beams at them or anything else. Its not worth having a violent confrontation.

[toedtoes]

The comment about the distance between sites wasn't suggesting that there are different rules within the same campground. The comment was simply that when the campground has campsites that are packed like sardines, there is no way to eliminate all noise to the point that the neighbor won't hear it.

In all the places I've camped, quiet time has meant no radios, no musical instruments, no loud outbursts, no yelling, etc. It has never meant no conversation. From the photos I've seen of this campground, even a quiet conversation will carry from one campsite to another.

So then the question becomes whose rights take precedence: the people who want no noise at all? Or the people who want to sit outside at their campfire and have a conversation?

[Lantley]

2gypsies wrote:

Lantley wrote:

2gypsies wrote:
If there are quiet hours posted then that means no noise should travel off the campsite. If so, first ask to quiet it down. If that doesn't work contact the host or office personnel. No need to act on your own.

We volunteered in public parks a lot and we had to ask many campers to keep it quiet during proper hours. Most complied.

Radios are a big issue. Sometimes you have no idea how far the noise is traveling and it depends on winds, too.

Firepits? If the park's stationary pit is too close to the neighbor there's really nothing that can be done. You can't move the pit to wherever you want. That was an error on the park construction. However, if you know the pit is too close to the neighbor and you know the smoke is blowing his way, common sense would be to be considerate.

I agree with most of what you said. No noise traveling off a campsite is fine when there is separation between sites. However if the sites are close together as the OP implied, the fire ring was close to his site. Than containing the noise within a site is not as simple.
Kind of goes back to expectations. If it is a tight campground in a busy resort area there is going to be some noise.
If you desire total peace and quiet stay at a more remote place with larger sites.
Obtaining peace and quiet where the sites are spread out is much easier than a place where they are packed in. A seasoned camper knows the difference and adjust accordingly.

Where we volunteered we didn't have different rules for sites that were closer together or farther apart. If it's quiet time, it's quiet. This should be especially true if sites are close together. Folks have from 8am to 10 pm usually for noise. 10pm is quiet time.

I'm not suggesting that the rules or approach be different for a closely spaced CG vs. a spread out sites.
However I am suggesting as a camper/patron that you choose your CG accordingly. If absolute peace and quiet is a priority don't stay at a closely spaced CG in a resort area or you will likely be disappointed.
While there are no guarantees on the neighbors behavior. Having the neighbor 10' away vs 100 ft away makes a big difference when it come to peace and quiet.
There are always options. If I want quiet I will choose Ft. Whaley over Frontier towne. Briarcliffe over Pirateland.
I won't blame the OP for the entire scenario but the chances of encountering a high beam blaring stand off are far greater when the sites are on top of each other.
Remember it is a public CG. The public comes in all shapes and sizes with varying attitudes.

[2gypsies1]

Lantley wrote:

2gypsies wrote:
If there are quiet hours posted then that means no noise should travel off the campsite. If so, first ask to quiet it down. If that doesn't work contact the host or office personnel. No need to act on your own.

We volunteered in public parks a lot and we had to ask many campers to keep it quiet during proper hours. Most complied.

Radios are a big issue. Sometimes you have no idea how far the noise is traveling and it depends on winds, too.

Firepits? If the park's stationary pit is too close to the neighbor there's really nothing that can be done. You can't move the pit to wherever you want. That was an error on the park construction. However, if you know the pit is too close to the neighbor and you know the smoke is blowing his way, common sense would be to be considerate.

I agree with most of what you said. No noise traveling off a campsite is fine when there is separation between sites. However if the sites are close together as the OP implied, the fire ring was close to his site. Than containing the noise within a site is not as simple.
Kind of goes back to expectations. If it is a tight campground in a busy resort area there is going to be some noise.
If you desire total peace and quiet stay at a more remote place with larger sites.
Obtaining peace and quiet where the sites are spread out is much easier than a place where they are packed in. A seasoned camper knows the difference and adjust accordingly.

Where we volunteered we didn't have different rules for sites that were closer together or farther apart. If it's quiet time, it's quiet. This should be especially true if sites are close together. Folks have from 8am to 10 pm usually for noise. 10pm is quiet time.

[RandACampin]

jfkmk wrote:

toedtoes wrote:

jfkmk wrote:
Anyway, the whole running the truck with the headlights on was wrong. Not because it was offensive to your new-found enemies, but you just never know how someone is going to react. At the least, you're lucky you still have headlights. At the most, you're lucky the event didn't escalate into violence.

It is mostly wrong because it is offensive to OTHER campers within the line of sight of those headlights.

True! He could have had a "campground rumble" going on!:E

I would have put his lights out!

[jfkmk]

toedtoes wrote:

jfkmk wrote:
Anyway, the whole running the truck with the headlights on was wrong. Not because it was offensive to your new-found enemies, but you just never know how someone is going to react. At the least, you're lucky you still have headlights. At the most, you're lucky the event didn't escalate into violence.

It is mostly wrong because it is offensive to OTHER campers within the line of sight of those headlights.

True! He could have had a "campground rumble" going on!:E

[Lantley]

2gypsies wrote:
If there are quiet hours posted then that means no noise should travel off the campsite. If so, first ask to quiet it down. If that doesn't work contact the host or office personnel. No need to act on your own.

We volunteered in public parks a lot and we had to ask many campers to keep it quiet during proper hours. Most complied.

Radios are a big issue. Sometimes you have no idea how far the noise is traveling and it depends on winds, too.

Firepits? If the park's stationary pit is too close to the neighbor there's really nothing that can be done. You can't move the pit to wherever you want. That was an error on the park construction. However, if you know the pit is too close to the neighbor and you know the smoke is blowing his way, common sense would be to be considerate.

I agree with most of what you said. No noise traveling off a campsite is fine when there is separation between sites. However if the sites are close together as the OP implied, the fire ring was close to his site. Than containing the noise within a site is not as simple.
Kind of goes back to expectations. If it is a tight campground in a busy resort area there is going to be some noise.
If you desire total peace and quiet stay at a more remote place with larger sites.
Obtaining peace and quiet where the sites are spread out is much easier than a place where they are packed in. A seasoned camper knows the difference and adjust accordingly.

[toedtoes]

jfkmk wrote:
Anyway, the whole running the truck with the headlights on was wrong. Not because it was offensive to your new-found enemies, but you just never know how someone is going to react. At the least, you're lucky you still have headlights. At the most, you're lucky the event didn't escalate into violence.

It is mostly wrong because it is offensive to OTHER campers within the line of sight of those headlights.

[jfkmk]

mabynack wrote:
I came back from fishing one time and the neighbor had parked his motorcycle under my awning in front of my entrance. He said he didn't think I would mind and thought I was being unreasonable when I asked him to move it. Later that day the same group started running their jet skis up to us when we were fishing and trying to drench us. We left and haven't been back.

Now THATS rude!

OP, some peoples concept of "quiet" is different from others, and the other group was probably in the wrong if they were being loud after quite hours. Although I haven't had an infant in my house for wuite some time, I also know a parent can become very sensitive about their child getting the proper sleep, etc.

The best course of action if the on-site management isn't effectively enforcing the rules is to keep complaining to them until they do something about it or move either you or the offending party. many campgrounds I've been in have a patrol around quiet time to remind campers to keep it down.

Anyway, the whole running the truck with the headlights on was wrong. Not because it was offensive to your new-found enemies, but you just never know how someone is going to react. At the least, you're lucky you still have headlights. At the most, you're lucky the event didn't escalate into violence.

[Naio]

I tend to assume that a party that is already in progress, especially with alcohol involved, is not going to quiet down, and is not going to stop unless the cops or something similar are involved. A camp host MIGHT count.

When I was at Yosemite earlier this year, I looked askance at a large family group that had set up on several adjoining sites next to us. They had 40-50 people, sharing all meals, campfire, etc. But they were surprisingly quiet! And they picked the right cg for it, one with huge sites, so there was some spatial separation.

So, there ARE nice campground partiers :).