Campgrounds in the Midwest

As we travel around the country, we usually stay in campgrounds that cater to short-term stays.  That is, until we come into the Midwest or some areas of eastern Canada.  In Colorado and Arizona, and probably in other areas where there are mountains somewhere nearby, many people own summer cabins where they go to get away from the heat. 
Folks like us who want to go camping take their trailer with them each time they go out.  They may go to the same campground most weekends.  When we volunteered at Lathrop State Park in Walsenburg, CO, and at two state parks in Texas, most of the campers lived within maybe 50 miles or less of the park, but each time they left the campground, they took their RV back home.
Not so, here.  Many people rent seasonal sites and really make their campsite comfortable.  Many of the sites are fairly large. They cover or fold up the lawn furniture each time they leave the campground.  But often, they build decks and plant gardens or have flowering baskets.




For some reason that we don’t yet understand, most RV parks in this part of the country (we are in Wisconsin right now) don’t have full-hookup sites.  They offer only water and electric, no sewer hookup.  The parks do have sanitary dump stations, but obviously most of their season trailers are not pulled to the dump station every few days.  Instead, the parks offer pump-out service—for a price.  Here is the young man who performed this job at Tranquil Timbers in Sturgeon Bay.

When his tank was full, he emptied it into the dump station.  Periodically, a large tanker truck came to the park to pump out the dump station holding tank.  Obviously, the park wasn’t connected to the city sewer and they didn’t have a septic system.
The seasonal trailers have a large black tank, either located right under the RV or half-buried in the yard next to the RV.

We usually stay in campsites with full hookups.  In Arbor Vitae, WI, the full hookup section of the campground, which was mainly for short-term campers, was fairly open.  That has several advantages, especially making it possible to get a TV signal through our satellite antenna.

There are good reasons for having a seasonal site, however.  You are able to make the site your own and it is much more personal.  These campgrounds also provide docks on the adjacent lakes, so people can bring bring their boats in for the summer.  They also often have boats for rent.



It dawned on us that we spend half our year in a seasonal site—during our winters at Valle del Oro in Mesa, AZ.  If we were willing to rent the site year-round, we could make the area our own, too.  So, I guess seasonal campgrounds aren’t that unusual.  Plus, here in the Midwest, they have the added advantage for us that most people are here only on the weekend, so the campgrounds are very quiet during the week.