I decided a while ago that I wanted to write about the life I have found living in and visiting campgrounds. It’s a strange microcosm of the world’s misfits, riffraff, typicals, and normals. Everyone passes through a campground at one point in their life, either on vacation or to stay a while and live. I want to share some of their stories with you.
There is a great mythology about life on the road, camping and traveling. People honestly believe that it is romantic, adventurous, simplistic, and easy. It’s not. Whatever problems you had when you left home are the problems you continue to have. Whatever issues you have with the world are not only still there, they are magnified. If you think you are going to lose weight on the road, get in shape, stop smoking, or change any habits, trust me, you will be fat, lazy, and still smoking when you are done. Habits will not change. Lifestyle will.
Why have I been doing more thinking about this article series than writing and publishing? I haven’t published these stories for fear of humiliating or ridiculing these people I’ve crossed paths with along the way. In many ways, I might. But their stories are our stories. Whether you travel or not, these people are “us” and their lives are our lives.
So I decided that I would finally share some of these stories without naming specific folks. I will call them by made up names and change a few details here and there to make sure that you won’t recognize yourself. If you think you recognize yourself in these essays, the odds are that while my words may resemble you, there are a lot of “you” out there and it might not be you. If it is, your story caught my attention and captured my imagination as well as my heart, and I thank you for the moment our lives touched. If it is, remember, much of this site ridicules myself as I cope with what life has to offer, so others will learn from my mixed up and confused life and lifestyle. We are all one and we are all screwed up. Welcome to the club.
Again, as I begin this series, thank you to everyone we meet on the road. Your lives, stories, help, and laughter guide us along our path on the road. Even the quirky makes us laugh years down the road when the passing “hi, how are you” is forgotten with time. We treasure the memorable people and moments, and I hope you, the reader, will enjoy, laugh, and even cry along with us.