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Crew Lounge => Conversations => Topic started by: Jen on May 26, 2008, 08:11:24 AM

Title: Bad Weekend Trip
Post by: Jen on May 26, 2008, 08:11:24 AM
Our weekend trip was not enjoyable. The weather was great, the time I got to spend with Dave was great... It was the people we were surrounded by that really bothered us. Dave and I are very outdoorsy people, and when we go camping it's usually in the middle of nowhere surrounded by nothing... and alligators. I have a funny story to share about that one, but I'll save it for another time.

This weekend Dave made the mistake of reserving a spot at a campsite that his parents used to take him when he was little. It used to be a quiet, beautiful spot and now it's something altogether different, but Dave didn't know that when he paid to stay there. So we get there and the place is PACKED with people. No problem, we thought... We can deal...  later that night we decided that these people were having a Deliverance reunion...Cue the banjos and pass the moonshine. By nightfall most of them were drunk.

We brought our dogs and our small, flat bottom fishing boat, to cruise the river and find a quite spot to let them swim. But we had to wait until sundown, because all the dummies were flying up and down the river in their drag boats and SeaDoos. Once that slowed down we headed up stream, and had the only fun we were going to have all weekend.

The dogs had a blast swimming. They don't get to go with us on trips like this very often and they swam and swam and swam in their lifejackets. It was a good thing I bought them the jackets, because we would have never got the biggest of our two dogs back in the boat. Abby, the German Sheppard/Lab that Dave calls a "GermLab", almost tipped the boat trying to jump into the water to play with the kids swimming near the bank. Yep, the drunken rednecks brought their small children. Did you know that Kids love Keggers?

Anyway, as we tried to sleep that night, the area was thumping with a mix of scream-barking dogs (other dogs running unleashed through the area barking high-pitched barks) rap, country and heavy metal from the eighties. When it finally calmed down around 3 am, there was still a live band playing at a bar up the river that we could still hear. At about four AM, the jerk next to us, who earlier in the day had his wife and 5 year old son with him (she left him at the park and went home), started telling his friends about the 12 year old girl he slept with. AHGGAAAAA!!!!!! Then he began saying how they were surrounded with women and that they were missing "opportunities". He had nicknames for all the women that passed by their camp... I heard him describe me as "bookworm" because I had been reading earlier in the day. Dave walked with me everywhere I went. He said he'd go to jail if he said anything to the guy, because it would escalate and he'd have to kill the pervert. I didn't want him to say anything, I was afraid the guy would stab him or something. Needless to say, we packed up and left as soon as the sun came up, even though we booked the site to stay through today.

We are never going there EVER again. Looking on the bright side, the area we went swimming was beautiful, quiet and enjoyable. Wish we could have spent more time in that area. Live and learn.
Title: Re: Bad Weekend Trip
Post by: Geekyfanboy on May 26, 2008, 08:25:37 AM
Wow.. sorry to hear things didn't go as planned.. I know you and Dave were really looking forward to this trip.
Title: Re: Bad Weekend Trip
Post by: billybob476 on May 26, 2008, 08:30:37 AM
Same here. Sorry to hear it didn't go so well.

Silver lining: You'll be telling stories about this one for years to come!
Title: Re: Bad Weekend Trip
Post by: jedijeff on May 26, 2008, 09:24:00 AM
Sorry to hear about that. I know how you feel, went camping a few years back at a race and ran into some real characters. Hopefully in the future you and your husband can find a more secluded campsite to go to. Like Billybob said, at least you came away with some social currency for stories in the future.
Title: Re: Bad Weekend Trip
Post by: Rico on May 26, 2008, 10:23:34 AM
Yikes!  That's one of the reasons I'm not much of a camper.  Sometimes you get that type of experience.
Title: Re: Bad Weekend Trip
Post by: iceman on May 26, 2008, 10:34:05 AM
That is terrible, it is unfortunate that these characters use these holidays to bring out the worst characteristics that humans have to offer, it makes you wonder what type of example they are setting for their children.
Title: Re: Bad Weekend Trip
Post by: KingIsaacLinksr on May 26, 2008, 11:05:19 AM
Wow.....that sucks.  In all my experience of camping, the worst we ever had was an over annoying barking dog and maybe a baby.....

Yeek.  Usually ppl don't do that where we go.  I wish you luck on your next place.  Usually though, campsites are supposed to have some sort of "security" against this.  idk, maybe thats me. 

:(

King
Title: Re: Bad Weekend Trip
Post by: Blackride on May 26, 2008, 11:09:03 AM
Sorry ot hear that Jen. I would only go camping with my friends who go "off the beaten path" where nobody else it. It's nice to get away from society!
Title: Re: Bad Weekend Trip
Post by: Jen on May 26, 2008, 11:51:38 AM
Yeah, we usually go to nowhereville, in deep South Texas but since this was only a short trip we tried to go someplace nearby. Dave doesn't often get any holidays off and his boss informed him late. So there was no time to plan a trip to a more secluded spot. This was on private property, so there were no police patrolling and I was shocked that there weren't any Game Wardens around on the river... guess they were too busy cruising the lake a few miles up the way.
Title: Re: Bad Weekend Trip
Post by: Meds on May 26, 2008, 02:48:28 PM
Bloody hell. I'm so glad Dave kept his cool.What a bunch of idiots. i have to say i'm dead proud of both you and Dave for keeping your patience. I'm used to being kept awake and having drunken shenanigans going on at festivals like Glastonbury, Reading and the V festival around me when  have been trying to get to sleep  but NEVER have i had some wan**r turn round and say that about a young girl, and about women who had passed through. That would not have gone down well at all with my group.
So sorry you had a crap weekend Jen.
Title: Re: Bad Weekend Trip
Post by: Darth Gaos on May 26, 2008, 02:53:22 PM
Wow...I am sorry your weekend went crappy.

I personally had enough camping experiences thanks to the US military to last me forever.  I like the outdoors....as long as it stays outside  ;D

I kid...I love to fish but I like coming home at night.

Hope the 4th of July (that's the next holiday right??) goes a little better for ya.
Title: Re: Bad Weekend Trip
Post by: Meds on May 26, 2008, 02:56:23 PM
DARTH GAOS and the US military, thats a post in itself. ;)
Title: Re: Bad Weekend Trip
Post by: Bryancd on May 26, 2008, 04:34:24 PM
I hate to say it and stereotype folks...but I will anyway. The redneck yahoo factor here in AZ is extremely high as well. We go to the lakes in our boat or off roading in my Jeep and meet the most some real morons out there in the wilderness. Fortunately, AZ is so huge, you can escape them, but Jen, I know EXACTLY of what you speak!
Title: Re: Bad Weekend Trip
Post by: Jen on May 26, 2008, 08:44:47 PM
Quote from: Bryancd on May 26, 2008, 04:34:24 PM
I hate to say it and stereotype folks...but I will anyway. The redneck yahoo factor here in AZ is extremely high as well. We go to the lakes in our boat or off roading in my Jeep and meet the most some real morons out there in the wilderness. Fortunately, AZ is so huge, you can escape them, but Jen, I know EXACTLY of what you speak!

Yep... cue the banjos.

My family is very country, but there's a big difference between country and Redneck.
Title: Re: Bad Weekend Trip
Post by: wraith1701 on May 26, 2008, 10:31:27 PM
Sorry about how y'all's trip turned out Jen... that really sucks! 

When I was in school, my friends and I used to camp out at Pace Bend park, and always experienced the exact same thing.  If you guys really want to get away from it all, you ought to try out Big Bend.  One of my friends swears that it is the perfect way to depressurize and really enjoy nature. 

Check it out-  http://www.nps.gov/bibe/ :r2d2line
Title: Re: Bad Weekend Trip
Post by: X on May 26, 2008, 10:44:03 PM
I love my technology, but I would love to just be in the woods for a month with just my camping gear, my hunting gear, a few books to read, and something to write on.

As a kid, we live near a deep woods in Texas and my mother pretty much allowed us to spend week there at a time as long as we came home and got ready for school in the morning. We would hunt birds and small game with pellet guns, fish for crawfish and real fish, pick berries and figs, catch turtles, and just exist for a few weeks.

There are few experiences where you have to really fend for yourself and I think that those were some of the greatest times we had. During the summers we could be gone for weeks at a time, but it was great. We didn't have tents, we had to build shelters using the scrap wood that we found or what we could salvage.

The running joke was that we were preparing to survive if a war ever came.

Now, in this day, I don't think it's possible for someone to do that. There are just too many idiot spaced too closely together for someone to be able to really get back to nature without someone else ruining that.
Title: Re: Bad Weekend Trip
Post by: Jen on May 27, 2008, 06:39:25 PM
Thanks Eric. Yes, Big Bend is absolutely beautiful. We've been there before. But it's really not a place we want to camp in the late spring/early summer. Its desert and very hot this time of year. Last time we went, we visited in March and the temperature was pleasant. The pictographs in the caves there are awesome. I'm a bit of a archaeologist wannabe and love looking for places that offer a bit of history with the view. :)

Quote from: wraith1701 on May 26, 2008, 10:31:27 PM
Sorry about how y'all's trip turned out Jen... that really sucks! 

When I was in school, my friends and I used to camp out at Pace Bend park, and always experienced the exact same thing.  If you guys really want to get away from it all, you ought to try out Big Bend.  One of my friends swears that it is the perfect way to depressurize and really enjoy nature. 

Check it out-  http://www.nps.gov/bibe/ :r2d2line
Title: Re: Bad Weekend Trip
Post by: Jen on May 27, 2008, 06:42:18 PM
None of these are our pictures, but I thought they were beautiful...
Title: Re: Bad Weekend Trip
Post by: Jen on May 27, 2008, 07:54:39 PM
Quote from: Just X on May 26, 2008, 10:44:03 PM
I love my technology, but I would love to just be in the woods for a month with just my camping gear, my hunting gear, a few books to read, and something to write on.

As a kid, we live near a deep woods in Texas and my mother pretty much allowed us to spend week there at a time as long as we came home and got ready for school in the morning. We would hunt birds and small game with pellet guns, fish for crawfish and real fish, pick berries and figs, catch turtles, and just exist for a few weeks.

There are few experiences where you have to really fend for yourself and I think that those were some of the greatest times we had. During the summers we could be gone for weeks at a time, but it was great. We didn't have tents, we had to build shelters using the scrap wood that we found or what we could salvage.

The running joke was that we were preparing to survive if a war ever came.

Now, in this day, I don't think it's possible for someone to do that. There are just too many idiot spaced too closely together for someone to be able to really get back to nature without someone else ruining that.

You still can... At least where I grew up in South Texas. This area is crowded though. LOTS of people moving her from other states. Namely Ohio and California.