I still like car camping. My neighbor and I rented the Shiloh group campground at Greers Ferry Lake, Arkansas for a week in June this year. We've invited all our family and friends to come down. There won't be any blaring boom boxes but there will be lots of live Bluegrass pickin' going on. We'll both bring every gizmo and gadget we have down there that doesn't need electricity and lots of time will be spent on really good food when we're not in or on the water.

I'll car camp when and where the timing is right. I've sure learned when to not go. I used to drive out and spend nights camping and fishing at the beginning of Castaic Lake in CA in the Winter and Spring a lot. Again, I always had the place entirely to myself. I went there once the night before Memorial Day weekend and hadn't really thought about the holiday. At 7:00 am the next morning I heard, then saw, at least 150 boats racing towards me at full speed. Within 10 minutes every nook and cranny of the shoreline was occupied. I knew I couldn't come back until after Labor Day. Since then I've tried to remember to take notice of holidays when I'm making plans to head out. (Shhh... Here's a secret, one of the best times to car camp is the weekend before a holiday.)

Bill