Glad you will be joining us Mariska....Looks like I'll be your neighbor. I'll be there with my 6yo nephew.
As for the potluck....Honestly, if this is your first time camping AND you aren't a great cook.....K I S S.....Keep It Simple. I have cooked pasta and just put it in a crock pot to keep warm, That is easy. Boil water and heat some sauce. You can also just do meatballs and sauce, dump sauce and frozen meatballs in the crock pot and plug it in. There is also no shame in bringing the dinner rolls, somebody has to do it.
Matt O 2006 Skyline Nomad 27' travel trailer. Previously owned 1986 Coleman Columbia / 1992 Coleman Senecca / 1989 Born Free Class C RV.
Soda Bottle Encounter by busdriverwc75, on Flickr
Mariska, I've had several visits with the rangers at State Parks. Let me say that all have been cordial & polite. However, this encounter in particular (at French Creek) was on a Sat afternoon, my husband & myself were the only people on our site, in the back by our fire ring, & the rangers stopped & got out of their car because they saw a single brown bottle on my picnic table while they were driving by. Imagine their surprise & the look on their faces when they picked up the bottle & saw on the label that it was an empty soda bottle! Considering you can't even see the road in this picture, they must have been looking pretty hard to see a lone bottle on picnic table in a quiet site. I just thought I'd share this with you. That being said, use your own judgment. And as a friendly ranger in MD told us, "Don't use a red cup. Be a little creative."
[quote author=MariskaHargitay link=topic=1221.msg10797#msg10797 date=1329229301]
Oh, I've never camped in a state park because of reading about "Park Nazi's" who go around looking for alcohol and people being too loud. I'm not a lush, nor do I get drunk but I've also never set up a tent without a beer in my hand. Where do we canvas campers stand on beer? Is it evil, or do we just bring party cups?
We camp almost exclusively in Pennsylvania state parks and have never had a problem. That said, don't advertise or be obvious about beer, wine, whatever. Keep it out of sight and drink from a (not red) cup.
Most of the park rangers are pretty cool, but almost every park has one or two who see themselves in hardcore law enforcement rather than state park campground patrols. One ranger at French Creek reprimanded us very harshly because my father-in-law was visiting and had parked with one wheel off the macadam. He kept going on and on even though I told him that as soon as he moved his vehicle I'd move the car and make sure it was parked correctly. He really liked to hear himself talk...
Many times we'll only see a ranger going through the campground a couple of times a day. On some early- or late-season trips when there aren't many campers we'll hardly see them the whole weekend.
John
[quote author=JoeCamper link=topic=1221.msg10801#msg10801 date=1329234750]
I will have it delivered Friday
Ooh, yes, wood would be great! Will it be enough for a couple fires-worth? Count me in! Much easier than bringing it.
Ughh, Busdriver, yuck! That's exactly what worries me about state parks. At least I can come prepared... Hilarious someone got a picture! I was hoping it was more like tailgating at a concert, they don't care as long as it's not obvious. Not the case I guess.
You aren't in West Chester, PA, are you? I am!
Mariska, I don't live in WC, but drive there for work.
Yep, the photo. That's what friends are for 😉
As for rangers, we camp in state parks probably 98% of the time. It has been our experience in PA & other states as well, that most rangers are pretty decent. I've even had one knock on my trailer door, and I, thinking it was one of my kids, opened the door with an unconcealed adult beverage in my hand & the ranger just greeted me & wanted to advise me to tie down our outside belongings because a fast moving storm with damaging winds was on it's way. Then he just smiled at me & told me to enjoy the rest of my day.
Like mentioned above, be discreet & don't draw attention to yourself ie; too many cars on a site, parking in grass, etc. And if by chance you do have an encounter, respect authority. A little bit of cooperation & politeness can go a long way. I know several fellow campers who have spared themselves some grief, just by being reasonable when confronted by rangers.
When a bunch of us were at a "men's meat weekend" at French Creek last year, we have a visit from the ranger becuase of noise.... On the other side of that same visit, he was great guy and said "Men, we have seen you here before and your are experienced - just keep you "lemonade" to yourself and we will all have a good weekend. Actually he was after us to kill the damn turkey (another story).
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The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything that they have! |
[quote author=MariskaHargitay link=topic=1221.msg10797#msg10797 date=1329229301]
Since I've never been to one of these before, and never spent time in a camper, I need some help with this whole pot luck dinner thing. Help?! Ideas? Suggestions? Oh, P.S. I can't cook :dunno:
You can always bring a dessert such as brownies, cookies, cake ect..
The key is to not be obvious. If you have beer cans/bottles or wine glasses on the table, then the Ranger will say something. I drink my "Lemonade" from a travel coffee cup and I keep the empties out of sight.
I was part of that unruly group with Phil. The older Ranger chatted kindly with us about the noise. He knew everyone had a beer. His rookie partner was the one who zeroed in on the beer and wine glasses. Everyone had to pour out their beer (except me 'cause I was having lemonade in a coffee mug ). The older Ranger stopped in his car and chatted the next day and even said "On my off day I'd love to kick back around a fire and have a "Lemonade" with you guys. You guys know the deal, keep it out of sight".
And a red solo cup is very obvious these days
Matt O 2006 Skyline Nomad 27' travel trailer. Previously owned 1986 Coleman Columbia / 1992 Coleman Senecca / 1989 Born Free Class C RV.
French Creek has very nice showerhouses. When we started camping my first trip was to French Creek with DW. I convinced her that all PA State Parks showerhouses were just as nice......not all. The very next trip we went on had a cement floor with cinder block walls with only skylights for light during the day. Very vintage 1980's. But it was clean. Dated by clean. I think when PA redoes a bathouse lately they do it nice 'cause thats what people want. Clean modern bathouses.
I have not been on a trip yet with a coin-op shower.
Matt O 2006 Skyline Nomad 27' travel trailer. Previously owned 1986 Coleman Columbia / 1992 Coleman Senecca / 1989 Born Free Class C RV.
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