All RV Parks Are Not Created Equal!

I have referred to this earlier and it has many ramifications.  Just like permanent dwellings and neighborhoods, all camping spots are not the same.  An RV “resort” can mean many things.  The problem is that it is all called camping.  There is also subsidized housing, and it is called a state park.  I say subsidized, because you do not have to pay for all you get.  In a state park, you get lots of space, wildlife, trails, etc.  In a private RV park, it is a non-subsidized arrangement and you pay for what you get.  A nice RV park can cost approximately half what a motel room would cost.  I even had to fill out an application form for one place that only rented spaces for a week or more at a time.  For $20 per night in a state park, it is a wonderful experience.  For $20 per night in a private place, you are a sardine in a can, and you do not know who the next sardine is. 

I have also referred earlier to the difference between “camping” when you are living in the camper, and camping when you are vacationing.  When you are vacationing, finding a suitable spot, and moving from place to place is part of the vacation.  When you are living in an RV, and your main objective is something other than moving from place to place, it becomes an obstacle to be overcome.   I spent an hour and a half tonight checking campsite availability in Texas state parks.   I spent no time trying to determine whether it was a slum or a resort, because the state parks are generally very nice.  I did have to settle for a site with electricity and water but not sewer (we are staying for only four days and our tanks will hold that much grey and black water). 

I feel sorry for people who have to deal with the public.  They have to deal with people like me.  My cousin Beth tells stories about people who eat in her restaurant (mostly my age) and they sound like idiots.  Back to me.  I saw this sign in the bathhouse shower at Lake Corpus Christi State Park:

For some reason, I read the sign to say, “Twist knobs, do not push back and forth”.  No matter how much I twisted the knobs, the water stayed luke warm.  The bathhouse was unheated and the lukewarm water felt 33 degrees cold.  I stayed cold the whole day.  I was really ticked off because a guy had come out of the shower ahead of me and did not warn me.  I was tempted to go to the ranger office and raise sand that there was no hot water.  Mary Jane said she had lots of hot water.  She simply pushed the handle up and to the left. Voila, hot water.   Next morning, I went back to get a shower (hoping Mary Jane was right).  She was.  Push up to turn it on, push it left for hot.  Lots of hot water.  It is a fearful thing when you begin to question your own mental abilities.  Will I have patience for idiots in the future?  I hope so.