Municipal and County Campgrounds
A good spot to start looking is in the local Yellow Page
directory under "Campgrounds." Municipal, township, and county
campgrounds not far from home are often small, both in size and
cost. Usually overlooked by those on the road, they offer
seclusion and a quiet weekend away from home -- even if home is
only across town.
I keep an eye out for these "pocket campgrounds" whenever I'm
traveling, too. Passing through a town at day's end, I'll often
ask a store clerk, police officer or gas-station attendant if
there is a municipal park nearby where camping is
allowed. Accommodating perhaps only 10 to 25 families, these
government-run campgrounds may be older and without electrical
and water hookups for RVs. Consequently, they rarely fill
up. The lack of certain modern conveniences and local
government subsidies keep camping fees to a minimum.
A township park along Michigan's famed Au Sable River was a
popular spot for my family for years. We had the place to
ourselves for only a few dollars per night. Another time we
were returning from a six-week camping trip to the West. We
spent Friday night at a big commercial campground in South
Dakota, miles from anywhere but still filled to capacity with a
noisy weekend crowd. Exhausted from a long day on the road, we
retired early. Sometime after midnight the party crowd settled
down, and we could sleep in peace.
The next day we found a small municipal campground in
Crookston, Minn. Only two or three other campsites of the 12 or
15 available were occupied, even though it was a Saturday
night. With the money saved, we enjoyed a movie at a theater
within walking distance. Settling in for a quiet night's sleep,
it seemed strange that we had to return to civilization in order
to find a remote, peaceful spot to camp.
Commuter Camping
Doesn't "commute" mean travel between home and
work? Yes. But when commuters camp, the campground becomes
their temporary home away from home. It's perfect for families
when both parents work and can't arrange schedules or when the
key bread earner is working overtime and can't afford to take a
week off. Given the trend of shorter family travel vacations,
commuter camping works for stay-near-home vacationers. Some
commuters spend the whole summer at such campgrounds, moving
their site every 10 to 20 days to satisfy local
regulations. Reversing the normal order of vacations, they
return home on weekends to check the house and look after
things.
Here's a typical scenario: Dad gets up at 6 o'clock and
showers and shaves in the bathhouse, which is empty except for a
couple of other working campers. Some mornings he'll make
coffee and breakfast. This morning it's raining and even though
he could prepare a meal in the nearby pavilion, he'll eat on the
road and let the family sleep. He arrives at work at 7:30, his
mind clear, his body rested.
The rain stops by 9 a.m. Mom, who has the week off, and the
two kids -- ages 8 and 11 -- wake to sunlight. Over breakfast,
they discuss the day's possibilities: raspberry picking at a
nearby farm, a trip to the county library, shopping at the town
mall, and a free tour of a local dairy farm.
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