Wellcome to the site of camping fanatic

The sight of crisp stars on a moonless night and the flicker of campfires. The smell of campfires, coffee perking by the fire, bacon frying in the morning. The sound of your children laughing and having fun playing with the "little things in life." These are a few of the things camping is made of. Have you already tried family camping, only to run into a few rough spots? Have you been wanting to family camp but haven't quite known where to start? If so, this is the place for you!
And you also can read real stories about camping (Read Stories)

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Cowboy

In America, Camping for the most part began as a way of life before houses. The Camp site was known as a dwelling or just a place to bed down for the night for Travelers, Explorers, Hunters, Couriers and the Cowboy of the Old West, not to mention the American Indians. It was not somewhere you went for a week or a weekend to get away.

Today Camping is still used for Business, Travelers and an overnight accommodation. However, today Camping is used mostly as a means of Recreation.

Everyone has his or her own idea of what Camping is. With that comes a variation of Campers. For example: Roughing it for some means a Motor-Home with all the bells and whistle and for others a Backpack with cloths, first aid kit, dehydrated food, a sleeping bag and a blanket for ground cover. So, don't sweat it if you want to take that portable T.V. or the kitchen sink.

If you have never been camping before, start out slow. Take a weekend, pack the car with some supplies and find a campground close by your home. That way if something goes wrong or you, for whatever reason do not like it, home will be just down the road.

Some of the best pointers towards Camping you will find, comes from observing other Campers camping around you.

What makes a successful Camping trip? Well, if we did not starve, freeze, get washed away by rain, eaten by wild animals, kill each other and we left feeling good about the trip. Then we consider it a success, but then you will have to decide that for yourself.
There are those who do not use the campgrounds and like to go set up camp out in the wilderness. We do not usually do that. The campgrounds offer some comforts that we prefer to have. A good flush toilet and even a smelly out-houses beats digging a hole and offering a full moon to whom ever may be lurking around.

Of course, some people will say that is not truly roughing it. Well, that is fine, but it is what we call camping.

We try to go at least once a year for a week. Then every so often we will go for just the weekend.
For the weeklong trips, we really like to go to Yosemite it's a big place and has alot to do. That is if you like Nature, hiking and wild animals running through your camp while you sleep or worse yet, while your in the rest room!

Which brings up another point. Safety! This is also something that should always be on your mind. From illness or injuries, to wild plants and animals to Mother Nature.

The way we setup!

Usually the first thing we do when we arrive at our campsite is to set up camp. The adults breaks up into two groups so as to speed things up. Tents take the longest and dad usually does this with little or no help. We have two, one for the kids and one for us. Mom usually will make up the cooking and eating area and puts the food away in a bear box (if available) or arrange it for easy access in the car.
After the tents are up, the cooking/eating area is done and the food is secure. Then we start on the beds. That consists of (in our case) airing up the mattress and throwing down a blanket and laying down our sleeping bags. Next into the tent is our CLEAN cloths bags, dirty cloths are in a bag outside hanging from a tree next to the cloth line we put up or in the car.
After that is all finally done, we go out to hunt for wood for the old campfire.

There are several things we have to do before we go on a trip.

When planning a camping trip. You can do like we seem to sometimes do and show up early in the morning of the first day, in hopes that we might get lucky. Someone may have cancelled a reservation, left early or never even bothered to show up. Then it becomes first come first serv.
OR you can make a few calls and make reservations. You really do not want to arrive and find out there is no sites left.
For most of the Government owned/run campgrounds; March 15, 1998 Biospherics, Inc. of Beltsville, Maryland has been chosen to operate the new National Reservation Center by the National Park Service(800) 436-PARK (7275). Same number as Destinet who used to run it. So call it and follow the directions.

Check your Camp inventory list for the things you need to take.

Shop for supplies. A trip to the Bank would not hurt.

Your vehicle should be maintenance fully.

Prepare the house: Water plants, Check locks on all doors, window and gates. Check alarm system and notify alarm company you will be gone. Stop paper delivery or arrange family to come by and get it and your mail. Turn off all unneeded appliances. You may even want to set lights up on timers. Take out any garbage, if you do not you may be sorry you did not when you get back!

Let friends and/or family (only trusted ones) know where you will be. Give them phone numbers to the nearest Forest Service Office, campground Office, Cell phone, Pager etc, etc....

Check to see that your bills are up to date.

Take any animals to a shelter, friends or with you.

Check what route you will take. Make sure you have your maps and a route plan.

For those of you who don't know: Camping for the most part is not all that relaxing.
You get up in the morning build a fire, make breakfast, do dishes, secure the camp before going out sight seeing and hiking, fishing, etc, etc...
When you get back you do lunch and/or dinner, clean up, stoke the fire and re-secure the camp to help keep the critters out of things. Then you sit down by the fire to relax under the stars with family and/or friends. Except after such a long fun filled day, you think bed is a good idea instead of that log or chair you are sitting in.
So, up you go for a trip to the restroom (behind a tree, outhouse, flush toilets, what ever is available). There you do your duty, brush you teeth and down to bed you go.
The next morning you start all over again.
Now! Don't get me wrong, Camping is just as relaxing as any other vacation and it is a whole lot of fun, too! Especially if you have planned it out right.
One thing I would like to mention to about this page and myself. I am not an expert and all advice is my own opinion. The focus of this page is to give a basic idea of camping, my personal experiences and things you should think about before heading out

Happy Camping,
See Ya!