Beach Camping
Heading to the beach this summer? Ready for a coastal vacation? The beach is a perfect family destination. Where else can one person relax with a book while another goes fishing, another looks for sand dollars, and yet another wades in the surf? Between the sunshine and water, beaches truly have something for everyone. Whether you'll be camping at the lakeside, along the ocean, or near a rocky coast, certain things are always the same about beach camping.
To ensure an enjoyable beach vacation, you'll want to think through a day of swimming. Do you have swimsuits and sunscreen for everyone, including higher SPF sunscreen for the kids? What about water toys like snorkels and masks, flippers, boogie boards, and other floating toys? Will kids be building sand castles with pails and shovels, or will you want bird watching binoculars, containers for shells, or fishing tackle and nets?
If you'll be headed to a rocky beach or a lake that may have submerged sticks and logs, wading shoes are a great idea. These closed-toed shoes—old tennis shoes or canvas shoes work well—will protect your feet in the water. Wading shoes need to be inexpensive, so you can leave them outside without worrying
After your swimmers come out of the water, they'll need a way to rinse off, either in a public beach shower, an RV park shower, or with a shower bag that's been left to heat up on the top of your RV. Be sure to bring plenty of beach towels. Ideally, you'll have different towels for lying on the sand than the ones you use for drying off after your shower, otherwise you'll cover yourself with sand all over again. At your campsite, a doormat outside your RV or tent is a great way to remove sand at the door.
If you're camping in an established RV park or campground, you don't need to worry about the placement of your camping spot. But if you're tent, car-camping, or RV camping on your own, be sure to avoid headlands and sand dunes that can be disastrous in storms and high winds. Place your tent or RV in a sheltered spot that's away from ant hills and wetlands (that may be filled with mosquitoes).
For many people, beach camping is all about the toys you bring with you. Whether you're avid kayakers, windsurfers, canoers, boogie boarders, sailors, or jet skiers, you'll want to come prepared. Check with the chamber of commerce of the nearest town to learn about equipment rentals and their policies. Be sure to bring enough life jackets and paddles, plus any small coolers or waterproof bags that you might want to carry your lunch and gear in. Brimmed hats, sunscreen, and sunglasses are a must on the water.
Once you arrive at your beach of choice, look for signs and postings notifying you about local events or dangers. Be alert for red tide, Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish, rip tides, and other hazards. Odds are that your beach is safe, but it's always best to keep your eyes open.
If you have a beach umbrella, you'll have plenty of shade from the heat of the day. If you don't, consider putting up an awning or tarp from your RV or bringing a tent that you cover with just the rain fly for a shady area that says cool on sunny days.
Green is Beautiful - Greener Camping Ideas No one appreciates the great outdoors quite like the people who like to live and play in it. Campers – whether they camp in tents, RVs, truck-campers, cabins or cottages – are the original eco-warriors. This month our nation celebrates you and the wilderness spaces you treasure with Keep America Beautiful month. And with Earth Day right around the corner on April 22, this is a prime time to focus on going green and staying green.
No one appreciates the great outdoors quite like the people who like to live and play in it. Campers – whether they camp in tents, RVs, truck-campers, cabins or cottages – are the original eco-warriors. This month our nation celebrates you and the wilderness spaces you treasure with Keep America Beautiful month. And with Earth Day right around the corner on April 22, this is a prime time to focus on going green and staying green.
The next best thing you can do is to practice Leave No Trace camping. This is as basic as it sounds – your goal is to leave the wilderness, or your campsite, exactly the way you found it, untouched by your presence. That means picking up all trash and taking it away with you or putting it in the RV park trash cans. It also means not trampling the underbrush, not creating any new trails, and not dumping food waste in the woods. Clearly the old romantic idea of carving initials into a tree’s bark has no place in the world of Leave No Trace camping! Your goal is to come and go, leaving a pristine wild area behind you. As long as you take away only photographs and memories, you’re doing a terrific job.
If you’d like to do something extra to pitch in on Earth Day, check out the activities in your local community. Many cities and towns host Earth Day fairs, where you can learn more about alternative energy, native plants, conservation, and wildlife. These fairs are a lot of fun and they’re a great place to learn new things. Are you ready to have the first solar-powered RV? Want to learn about bio fuels? An eco fair is the perfect place to do it.
You might also be able to join in hands-on Keep America Green activities like trash pick-ups, tree plantings, weeding out invasive species, or joining in a bird count. Your family could take the Earth Day challenge – see if you can be electricity-free for a full day. Unplug all your electronics and spend your time going out for hikes, playing board games, and reading by candlelight. It’s more fun than you’d expect!
This month is a perfect time for RV campers to think about ways to cut down on energy and gas use in their RVs. It isn’t just good for the planet; it’s also good for your pocketbook. You can replace your regular light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs, check the weather-stripping on your doors and windows, and plan your drives to conserve gas, running your errands all in one trip instead of heading out on individual trips to the store, gas station, and shopping mall.
Did you know you can save gas by accelerating more slowly? A few minutes of browsing on the Internet will give you more fuel efficiency tips that’ll add up to money in your pocket.
Campers know the value of nature better than anyone. This month, wear that badge with pride as you lead the charge toward making America greener than ever. The planet will be more beautiful because of it!
|
Glamping - Extreme Luxury Camping
A soft bed, a gourmet dinner, comfortable seating – sound like a great way to camp? Welcome to the modern world of glamping, or glamour camping. Whether you have a young family that isn’t ready for sleeping bags and campfires or you’re looking for a kinder, friendlier camping experience, glamping just might be perfect for you.
For many people, the hardships of camping are such a turnoff that their first camping trip is also their last. But have no fear -- many RV parks and campgrounds today offer more luxurious amenities. This isn’t your grandpa’s kind of camping! You can ditch the tent and dehydrated food in favor of a bright, clean cabin or cottage, one with a real bed and mattress. Enjoy a real pillow, and blankets or comforters instead of sleeping bags. Tents come in new bright colors and can be hooked up to electrical power, so you can run a reading light, appliances, and a heater or small air conditioner.
Of course, the idea of comfortable camping is nothing new to RVers. These clever folks long ago traded in their tents and thin foam pads for the comfort of a real bed, a bathroom, a small kitchen, and a real dining table with cushy seating. But even RV campers can go upscale by camping at a resort campground with full amenities. You might find a hot tub, spa, and exercise room in addition to the usual swimming pool. Some parks have their own restaurant, snack bar, and cantina, and many come equipped with wide-screen TVs in the park lounge and arcade games for the kids. Many also make it easy to take an outing into the great outdoors, with rental boats and sail boards or camp-organized horseback riding trips. A few even organize wine-tasting trips or shuttles to nearby quaint towns for shopping, dining, and day hikes.
You can create your own glamping experience with just a little careful planning. There’s no reason you can’t bring the makings for a gourmet meal on your next RV trip, along with fresh herbs, sauces, real glasses, and a bottle of wine. If you’re tent camping, why not bring your pillow, a blow-up air mattress, and blankets from home? You can carry a cooler with fresh fruit, sparkling water, or gourmet chocolate bars. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be comfortable while you camp! So take a tip from the glampers and make your next camping vacation be the one you remember for the scenery, the wildlife, and the amazing hikes instead of for the uncomfortable sleeping experience.
Will Camp for Fish!
There are as many different fishing styles as there are people who fish—or fish in the sea. And in every case, the type of fishing they prefer determines everything from their destination to the schedule of the day. Whether you go angling in the lake, fly fishing on the river, or deep sea fishing in the ocean, you have something in common. You’re drawn to the idea of catching the water’s bounty with a rod and reel. As any fisher known, fishing isn’t always easy, but it’s always a challenge!
Every type of fishing comes with its specialized equipment. Fly fishers have their hip waders and flies that mimic the bugs fish naturally seek out. Anglers have their line weights, special hooks, and bait. Deep sea fishers seek out their catch by consulting fishing guides and charter companies. Many people were drawn to the art of fishing as children, when they examined the contents of their father’s tackle box and went on their first fishing trip. As adults, they may be fascinated by the gadgets of the sport, the depth-finders, chargers, maps, and cords.
Most people like to be comfortable while they’re fishing, whether that means dressing appropriately or bringing the right snacks and beverages in the boat. You may like to take an ice chest with you, stocked with cold drinks and goodies. Or a thermos of coffee might be the perfect way to warm things up on a chilly morning. And you’ll certainly want to take along sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, and a windbreaker or several warm layers. Temperatures change quickly on the water, so you’ll want to be prepared.
And of course you’ll be prepared for the fish you’ll catch. Whether you practice catch-and-release or are hoping to take your trout home for dinner, you’ll need to be ready to handle the fish you pull in. Maybe they’ll hang outside the boat in a basket, waiting for the end of the day—or maybe they’ll swim out of your hands, back into the wild.
The popularity of fishing has never waned. In 2001, 16% of American adults spent an average of 16 days fishing. That’s 34 million anglers! Freshwater fishing is the most popular type. Anglers are busy fishing in America’s lakes and streams. Every year, more than 28 million anglers spend a total of 467 million days fishing.
Fishing has a magical, zen quality about it. Many people extol the meditative qualities of fishing and the power of being out in the early morning quiet. You may have some magical fishing memories of your own, times when you saw the fog lift right around you, or saw a group of loons swim by. You might have seen otters on the coast or been overcome by swarms of bugs on the lake. Maybe you’ve even pushed your fishing habits to the extreme. Have you ever toted your rod and tackle up a mountain trail to do some fishing in an alpine lake? Ever fished from a pier in the coast or waded directly into the surf? Maybe you’ve spent your time searching after that elusive type of fish, the salmon, rainbow trout, or tuna of your dreams. Whatever your fishing style, fishing is a part of your life that deserves to be celebrated. Why not try a new lake or river this weekend?
|
