[Number 4]

My son and two granddaughters camped with us for three days in June. First thing I did before they arrived was pick up a thankfully minimal amount of previous camper trash (and I always leave a campsite clean). The girls spent car time on the drive up and in their tent with electronics, but when they asked about recharging them their Dad said, "Nope, we're here to enjoy the outdoors." Atta boy son!

My recent irritation wasn't with campers but with rules and regs in California that prompted a "clean-up" and what I supposed was an ADA compliant retrofitting of a favorite campground. I'm a left leg amputee and admit the half-price fee for certain parks is nice, but come on gov't people... do we really need natural boulders, tree trunks and ferns removed to be replaced with decomposed granite and 3-foot high fire pit enclosures? It destroyed the feel of the place. Over the years nature is taking over again, but it's nothing like it was before.

As for the crowds and noisy group camping sites I've been pretty fortunate. One of our annual outings is the weekend after Labor Day when everyone has had their big hurrah last trip of the summer. The lake levels may be low but it's peaceful.

I recently posted about Collins Lake, their high fees and packing people into their 500+ campsites. I guess if you grew up with that it's "normal", but I camp to get away from the daily grind and crowds. We don't have a TV in our trailer, just a selection of favorite music CD's and the button that disconnects outdoor speakers so we don't bother any neighbors.