Who camps on road trips?

When I was a kid my family camped all over the USA. Coast to coast and border to border. Did a lot more when I was in college. I did some more when my children were younger, and even into my 40's.

Nowadays, I'm not that fond of camping. Too spoiled by the good life.

[bigjohn]

I am looking forward to camping this summer. We've been "Roughing it at the Holiday Inn" for the past ten years and it is just getting too expensive anymore. Already have two goo trips planned and am looking at three or four short weekends in the local area.

Purchased a lightly used Bunkhouse last fall and am amazed as the space in it. It came with the large "den" and that really gives extra room.


Our "new" Bunkhouse camper.


Basic set up.


With the "Den" attached. Even has an opening for an air conditioner on the side. Just might have to get a small one. There are some luxuries that one just "needs."

[coacha]

Big John, I have a Bunkhouse too. Haven't had it out yet. Mine is a '97 or '98, so no AC opening. I'll get a battery operated fan or something like that.

[bigjohn]

conch - Ours is a 2000. Got it from a guy in Sacramento. Haven't had it out yet, either. Pulled it home from Sacramento behind the Subaru last Thanksgiving. Miserable weather, rain most of the trip. Spent the night in Medford.

As we left Medford we found ice on the freeway. That little trailer just followed us like an obedient puppy dog and never wavered. Saw over thirty cars and trucks spun out or jack knifed between Medford and Salem. Ugly.

[buck]

First camping trip of '08. Headed to Blue Ridge Parkway this past weekend and weather was a perfect 75 degrees. Rode all day and didn't get to campground until 5:30 and it was 'packed'..and get this, there were 35-40 sport tourers (BMW's, Ducatti's, Yamaha's, etc.) except for two Goldwings and my sweet Nomad. I think I had more leather in my hard bags than the camp combined. To my pleasant surprise, the BMW crowd was no different than any of the 'crusty cruisers' I have met. Lots of pizza, beer, whiskey, and wine (maybe more wine than normal), cigars, lies and laughter around the campfire until the wee hours. You just don't get that in a motel. Great weekend! Buck

[dantama]

Originally Posted by Buck

.... lies and laughter around the campfire until the wee hours. You just don't get that in a motel. Great weekend! Buck

I agree, one of my pleasant memories of camping on my bike was pulling into the campground at Zions National Park and finding it completely full. I got invited by a couple of BMW riders to put up my tent in their site. We sat around talking and looking at the atlas etc till late.

They were air traffic controllers here in Denver, now that I live here it would be good to find out who they are and go for a ride together.

[misunderstood]

I'm drooling over that bunkhouse. Gonna get one when I have the cash. :)

[blowndodge]

Nico is going to be camping in the dumpsters in Mesquite this June!!!

[cactusjack]

When I was a teenager, my friends and I used to do a lot of backpacking in the Wasatch Mountains, east of Salt Lake City. You know, the whole "earth" movement back in the 70's? All ultralight gear, that sort of thing. One of my favorite memories was being up on top of a 8200' mountain between 2 peaks, overlooking the Salt Lake Valley. At night, the lights seemed to go on forever.

I might give motorcycle camping a try. maybe just sleeping at a campground. I'd probably still buy my meals at a cafe. Hey, I'm not Bear Grylls, eating c**kroaches and earthworms.

Maybe I should have said cucarachas?

Originally Posted by dan

I am 60 years old and when I camp I wake up feeling like a 24 year old......................Thats been ran over by two semi-trucks, an amtrak freight train and a john deere tractor. Like someone else said, give me a Holiday Inn next to some trees.

With the windows open.

Originally Posted by Blowndodge "Darksider"

Nico is going to be camping in the dumpsters in Mesquite this June!!!

Hey,BD. Ya think gay people like camping ::) ? They probably like rubbing their sticks together to keep warm. Ya think ?

[blowndodge]

Yea, I think Nico's rubbed his stick with many a gay man... I hear his nickname is "sparky"

[dantama]

Originally Posted by cactusjack

When I was a teenager, my friends and I used to do a lot of backpacking in the Wasatch Mountains, east of Salt Lake City. You know, the whole "earth" movement back in the 70's? All ultralight gear, that sort of thing. One of my favorite memories was being up on top of a 8200' mountain between 2 peaks, overlooking the Salt Lake Valley. At night, the lights seemed to go on forever.

I might give motorcycle camping a try. maybe just sleeping at a campground. I'd probably still buy my meals at a cafe. Hey, I'm not Bear Grylls, eating c**kroaches and earthworms.

Maybe I should have said cucarachas?

I eat out when I camp too. For me motorcycle camping is just a more adventurous way to sleep. I don't carry all that you'd need to fix your own meals. I carry a tent and sleeping gear.

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by Dan Lund

I eat out when I camp too. For me motorcycle camping is just a more adventurous way to sleep. I don't carry all that you'd need to fix your own meals. I carry a tent and sleeping gear.

Personally, I feel that eating out when camping, I'm talking a decent meal, not an egg Mcsomething and a plastic cup of orange juice, offsets the "animal" feeling you get from field hygeine and wearing the same clothes for 3 days.

Which brings back a memory of field hygeine. While in infantry training school at Camp Pendleton, we would leave our nice luxurious barracks on a Monday morning and march for several days, going from one outdoor classroom to another. This one morning, they made sure we all shaved (dry shave, mind you) before we broke camp. Next stop was the gas chamber. I'm sure some of you here know the feeling of CS gas on moist or irritated skin. Yeah, some memory. It felt like your skin was being pulled off.

[buck]

My bear/camping story. Two summers ago I was camping/fishing/hiking in Alaska and decided to take an impromptu hike while I had an 8 hour wait to ketch the ferry out of Petersburg. On the hike, about 5 miles in, I spotted a bear on the trail before she spotted me. Knowing you definately don't want to surprise them, I retreated a couple hundreds back down the trail out of sight. I didn't have my handgun, and to retreat back meant another 5 miles, so I took out my trusty knife and starting banging the metal blade against an aluminum can I was carrying. The assumption was she would hear the noise and retreat. It worked, sort of, she retreated behind a tree, out of sight and just as I got to the tree she came out, raised up on her hind legs and let out a mighty growl as if to say, get the h*ll out off my turf, then she climbed up the tree. I proceeded on up the trail, cleaned out my britches, and went on my way. Moral of the story is, be prepared, and I wasn't. Buck