" Dirt/Mud Bogging in an RV "

By no means do I want to start a bad mouthing session with this but there is this one thing that has been bugging us since we first started RVing. First off let me explain that I am not immune to "roughing it" at times and I have spend many a time camping out in a tent in basic dirt, rocks, and grass/weeded areas. What irks me no end however and prompts this question I have had for some time now is............ Why do some RV parks insist on having their parks made up almost entirely of DIRT? And I say dirt in the truest form. Dry, damp or soaked by rain into mud, the interior roadways are DIRT, the pads are DIRT and the area where you like to sit and sip your morning coffee or evening glass of wine is DIRT. We have only experienced this once in all our travels and that was due to having to take the old "any port in a strorm" for the night. We vowed then to never park our coach in one of these DIRT parks again. I realize blacktop ain't cheap and cement is almost out of the question for all but the highest end parks, etc. but why on earth can't the park owners at least lay down some gravel where it counts??? The wind blows and you get inundated with DIRT, the rains come and your are up to your ankles in MUD. I may be one of only a few that this bothers but as I just read a review this morning that prompted this post, I just don't understand the logic behind DIRT in an RV park. In some of the state and federal campgrounds one almost expects to have a little dirt around the area and we can either choose to stay in one or not stay, so those are basically irrelevant in this post. We try to keep out coach as clean as we can when traveling and yet we also realize that bugs and crap and the changing weather are going to get it dirty at times, no big deal. But when we start out with a nice clean coach and on the second day happen to end up at a park that was not of our choosing due to a storm or some other unforeseen circumstance, and drive in only to have our coach looking like it just went thru a dusty dirt field or a mud bog due to it raining, that really pisses me off big time. I hope those RV park owners with DIRT parks that actually read these postings, see mine and perhaps give some thought to spending a few bucks on a load or three of gravel and put a stop to all the blowing dust along with all the DIRT and MUD that gets tracked into our coaches when we end up having to stay in their DIRT ridden parks. Perhaps if they used some gravel more of us would stay at their parks by choice and not just out of neccessity. There, I'm thru with my rant on this subject. Please someone tell me I am not alone on this subject of DIRT.............??? Oh,and by the way, no mud slinging intended here..............

Happy Mud Bogging...........BankShot (aka Terry)

 

Hmm, seems that old BankShot is the only one who doesn't like getting his shiny RV dirty. That's okay, I am the same way with my other vehicles. My significant other thinks I spend too much time keeping them clean and shiny also but hey, it keeps me out of trouble and they seem to drive and handle better when they're clean and shiny...............

We're off again in a week to spend some desert time over in Arizona. Sure hope we don't hit any bad weather as I just washed and polished the shiny stainless steel exhaust tip and I have to get down on my hands and knees to wipe it down if the weather turns on us..............

 

If we don't like the way a park is laid out, we don't stay there unless there are no other options at the time. I don't like seeing our coach get a mud bath either. But I don't lose any sleep over it, I just get out the wash materials when circumstances permit. I'm too old to fret over some dirt...

 

It's not that I don't like getting the coach dirty, just traveling takes care of that. What bugs me is why would a park not at least throw some gravel of other covering down to keep the dust down when the winds blow and from the dirt turning into mud when it's raining??? We all have to take the "any port in a storm" when problems arise but who wants to sit outside in the afternoon with a glass of wine and have dirt and dust blowing everywhere? Not this RVer. We know the parks that are like that as we simply keep our distance from them and use ones that aren't that way..................

BankShot

 

We have a pavement princess. It has seen about 10 Km of gravel in it's life. I too like to keep my rig and towed clean and shiny but sometimes...dirt happens. So long as it doesn't get tracked inside there is not much that a power washer and elbow grease won't fix. We live in a rain forest and thus know the value of a well drained site.

 

We primarily camp at state parks, COE's and rustic private parks. Concrete pads are rare. Usually gravel. Sometimes dirt. Does not bother us. Seems like a waste of concrete when it's under the camper with only tires and landing gear contacting.

That's what we like. Obviously, I am in the minority.

I will post a review next week for a first time reviewed park, Barefoot Fishing Camp in Bend Texas. It's on the Colorado River on a working cattle ranch. The "pads" are dirt, grass and gravel. Awesome!

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I don't mean to come off here as some nitpicking RVer that wipes the bugs off the windshield every time he gasses up, or that turns the hose on and washes the coach down the minute it's hooked up, etc. I just don't understand the reasoning behind an RV park (not so much a state campground) having nothing but dirt everywhere and not doing a thing to keep the dust down when the winds blow or having even so much as some sort of drainage set up to keep the water from turning the entire park into a mud bog when it rainsreal. That's my only beef on this subject I started.............

BankShot (aka Terry)

 

Fundamentally, an RV park's infrastructure tends to be controlled by just one thing, their occupancy rate. If it's too high, they have little incentive to invest in improvements, and if it's too low, they may not have the funds to invest. The in between parks are more likely to be looking for ways to improve, and are more likely to invest what they can where they feel it will do the most good to improve their occupancy rate and bottom line, hopefully based on visitor feedback. If that happens to be roadway and/or site improvements, that's where they'll spend the money.

 

I am guessing "Going Bush" means a whole lot of different things where you guys come from @BankShot @NYDutch @mdcamping @nedmtnman ...........wow.....

 

Hey Jason - Many of us Yanks tried "Going Bush" twice. First time things went pretty good until we found ourselves in a hornets nest of sorts and got our noses bloodied a bit. Second time we tried it, things didn't go very well either so we got out of the bush and tried camping under what was hopefully going to be a clear and starry sky. Unfortunately that sky has turned dark and cloudy after almost 8 years under it so now we are looking at a choice of trying two other different camping styles. One will be in a TOTL Prevost based multi-billion dollar Class A, the other in a worn out but still going strong Winny with wide slideout and a very loud air horn. We can only pick one to try out and everyone is wondering which one it will be................. Choices. Don't you just love them when that's all you have to choose from...........

Regards to the land downunda.................. BankShot........(aka Terry)

 

When I first read (and have re-read) the thread title, I keep thinking of this:



As far as parking on dirt, It all depends on the environment of the campground. If mud or dust becomes a problem depending on the weather, then the park should make an attempt to prevent it. I have been to a couple of parks where you park on dirt, but it's so dry and there are so many trees, there is limited wind so the dirt is acceptable.