Garbage Bags, Sleeping Bags, and Why I’ll Pass on Camping

In this edition of Atlantic City Focus, our publisher wrote a delightful story on his love for camping in general and RVing specifically. He has expressed to me on several occasions why he enjoys RVing so much.

The story, in combination of the conversations we had, got me thinking about camping and RVing. When I was a kid, my parents signed me up for the Cub Scouts. I had a first cousin who wanted to do it but didn’t want to do it alone.

I wasn’t crazy about the idea, but my cousin and I were close, so I joined. It was cool at first, then we went on a trip to visit the local Boy Scouts Troop while they were camping. We saw the line of tents neatly in a row and there were two to a tent and each tent had a small bag in front of it. My cousin and I were curious about the bags, so we asked the reason for them. The troop leader said it was for garbage. We started looking more closely and noticed eggshells, orange peels, etc.

As I recalled this little adventure, I realize that camping had no appeal for me. I am not a nature person. I see absolutely no appeal in sleeping on the ground, even if it is in a confining sleeping bag. From a very young age I knew that garbage and I didn’t need to be in the same vicinity and we most certainly shouldn’t be roommates. Camping for me must include a thermostat, television, bed and most importantly, a bathroom.

So, I thought, RVing might be a good alternative. I thought about loading the family into an RV and exploring this beautiful country. The image floating in my head made me excited. Then I snapped out of it and said to myself, “Pump the brakes.” If I loaded my family in a confined space like an RV, there would be nothing exciting going on. It might even lead to some jail time for me.

If I am not mistaken, leaving kids on the side of the road throughout the country is illegal. Wait a minute, I wouldn’t leave my kids on the side of the road throughout the country. I probably wouldn’t make it out of New Jersey. The side of the road wouldn’t work. Someone would find them too quickly. They have to be dropped into the middle of a corn field.

Then it would be just my wife and I. On second thought, skip the RVing idea.

Thanks for reading the whole story!

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