Cramped spaces leaving you wishing for silence and fresh air?

While on a recent camping trip, I was outside my tent looking up at the brilliant stars in the night sky. The sound of hummingbirds had faded with the last light of the sun and was replaced with crickets cheering wind blown pine needles racing across the dirt to a final resting place. In the past, my evening's entertainment in the wild included a gathering of rabbits, a deer or two, maybe even a coyote howling in the distance, but now I had additional choices of entertainment. I could watch TVs glowing from RV windows. I could listen to a hard rock band blaring from someone's stereo. Or even try to play name that tune with the rhythm and hum of a generator behind me in spot number seventy-two.

"Should we be heading towards map icons and directories that separate "developed" properties versus ones that bring you back to nature in a "primitive" way?" asks Jonathan Stocker, of alternative lodging at AllStays.com. "We hear from many people who would like to plan a trip around quiet tent camping and avoid the more crowded, neighborhood-like atmospheres of some parks out there. And that's difficult to do using most of the websites, books and maps today. You really need to call ahead and check the current status of the park. We provide direct website links and phone numbers but sometimes it has to be to a service field office and they may not know the exact location of a remote campground."

How did camping change for so many of us over the years? It has become a different world in the wild and getting harder to determine what type of campground you are headed to until you have your stakes in the ground. RV's are popular, and are changing the landscape of the wilderness. Whether you are a snow bird, a retiree or just a wanderer, they are great. They provide a home away from home and are still cheaper than motels. You may pay more in gas, but less in lodging and you are in the great outdoors along with your television, stereo, shower and other accessories.

Years ago, campgrounds had more tent sites and a minority number of RV sites here and there. The scale is shifting and it's becoming more common to have a locale with 80 RV sites and 10 tent-only sites. More and more places don't allow tents at all. On a recent trip, Stocker found tent sites that were overgrown with weeds while the RV sites were getting ruts from all the wheels rolling heavy loads over their spaces. One beautiful newly built state campground had closed down in less than a year because the water at the boat launch was too low. Brand new bathrooms, solar panels and picnic tables sat unused except by spiders. They were gated and blocked off in a paradise to the solace seeker instead of charging less money for a different kind of camper? One without a boat or jet ski.

When researching online for campgrounds, the lines of distinction are blurred if not lost. You may find RV Parks and hope they have a couple of tent sites. You may find a cheap or even free campground at the end of a washboard road and hope that it can accommodate your wheel base. But many times you are in for a surprise as the sun goes down and you are a road coffee shy of alternatives. No matter the extent of research, things are different when you get in the wild. Forest and Park services suffer from budget cuts and their condition knowledge and maintenance is not always up to date. You may find varying classes of fees whether you have a RV, use hookups or just pound stakes. Many parks charge full price whether or not you need hookups and water.

Many state and national parks are cramming more spaces into smaller areas and charging more for them, some near $30 in 2004. You may pay a fee closer to a cheap motel and get less space to yourself. It may not be all wide open spaces. In a RV, you can close the windows. Out in your sleeping bag, you may feel like the person snoring in the space next door has rolled into your tent.

If you love camping, you need to keep getting out there in whatever way you may choose. It's just getting harder to get away from it all.

AllStays.com, based in Arizona (US), lists all kinds of lodging, from primitive campgrounds and RV Parks to luxury hotels and spa resorts. AllStays also links directly to official websites to make sure you have the real scoop on the latest and most accurate information.

Research, Browse, and book online to stay anywhere on Earth. /

Need a getaway to nature but not totally away?

You can camp and still have that connection to the internet.

Do you go camping to get away from it all and to get back in touch with nature? Or do you have the clicking finger itch to get back online around the campfire. Check your auctions and email under the stars. For better or worse, you can do both these days.

Campgrounds, and later RV Parks, have swept the country as a way to get out on and off the road. From solo trips to family outings to snow birds, people are getting out there and away from every day life between walls. Cell phone service at the campsite has steadily improved and you may register a few bars at the fire pit. But can you register a new domain name and get the important email you missed before wheeling down the old highway?

A new amenity is rapidly being added to campground and RV Park listings these days. Internet access. It may be high-speed wifi, crawling dial-up or a single computer in the corner of the park manager's office but it's there for you. "It's a fast growing service that is requested in RV parks these days," says Adam Longfellow of AllStays.com. "We responded to our customers by adding a directory of campgrounds and RV Parks that offer this service. ( /Campgrounds/Internet-campgrounds.htm ) The number of listings has tripled in just the last few months. I think more and more people want to stay connected while traveling."

Guests of these new service oriented parks and campgrounds want to be able to check information, stay in touch by email or do a little work while away from home. "They may be living in a rv park for weeks or months out of the year and don't want to have to run out to a library or coffee shop. With more and more parks offering Internet service, one could run an online business or auction shop from almost anywhere."

Wireless or "wifi" service seems to be the fastest growing for Internet campgrounds. A RV park can share a hi-speed internet connection with a router for whoever logs on. There are some that use a dial-up service but that is a bit more complicated. Any park office can add a computer or two in the corner for guests to use but limited access, privacy issues, and scheduling can be more difficult and a hassle at times.

Costs vary from campground to campground but many are free. Some owners choose to offer this as a free perk to lure more guests away from other parks. Or they may charge for the access time. Still others are part of a network of parks using a particular service. A guest can pay a monthly fee and then connect at any park in the country that is on that network. “You could travel the country and have Internet access at your campsite most of the time if you plan it out,” says AllStays.com.

"We're staying on top of it and adding more places all the time. ( /Campgrounds/Internet-campgrounds.htm ) Most of the U.S. states have places in our directory right now and we would expect every state to have Internet campgrounds by the end of the year. Even a number of state and national parks are getting into this service. We are currently working on listings for Canada and around the world as well," adds Adam Longfellow at AllStays.com

So throw the wi-fi enabled laptop in the car or RV and hit the back roads. You never know when your fingers will itch for the keyboard. Just make sure your fingers are clean after those roasted marshmallows.

AllStays.com, online since 2000 and based in Arizona (US), lists all kinds of lodging, from primitive campgrounds and RV Parks to luxury and haunted hotels and spa resorts. AllStays also links directly to official websites to make sure you have the real scoop on the latest and most accurate information.

We know that KOA Campgrounds are expensive but they offer a certain level of services and chain reliability that many prefer. Like so many brands, their own website is not easy to use and loaded with ads, so we came up with our own guide to where they are located.

If KOA's are what you are looking for, find them here mapped out and easy to find.

We recently stayed a night at the KOA near Shingletown, California. The location is great but without many other options nearby in the off-season. It is located between Shingletown and the Mt. Lassen Volcanic National Park. It is also near Cinder Cone, Lake Shasta and McArthur Burney Falls Memorial State Park. At the time of our April stay, the Mt. Lassen Volcanic National Park was still closed for the winter season.

The KOA Campground is nestled within cedar trees and without much else nearby. It is miles away from a town and hence it is quiet. That also means poor cell phone and tv service. Our Sprint data card did pick up a weak signal for internet access but no phone. The KOA had a slow but serviceable wifi connection that was free of charge. The office was clean and the staff was friendly. The main restroom beside the office was spotless and had a pleasant country craft feel. (Note that there were only a couple other guests in the park.) After hearing the multitude of rate options (water, sewer, cable, etc) we opted for a full hookup in the low 30s rate range. They were all higher rates than we'd like to pay but you already know that about KOA if you have stayed at one before or read our website. They are generally high priced but if they follow through on all the listed services, you get what you pay for. It would be nice to have the option of no hookups at all at a lower price point. All parks should have this option at around $15 or less.

Our first assigned site did not have a cable hookup that we paid for. The next site had a big log in the middle of it, so we couldn't pull in. It was rolled into the site by a neighbor who was squeezing his big rig and slideouts between a few trees. Finally, after going back into the office and waiting behind other customers each time, we had a space with everything we wanted and paid for a half hour earlier. The staff was very friendly and gave you a homey feeling so we really didn't mind. They also sold us a custom made coax cable of our desired length at a reasonable price.

The biggest downside, other than price, was a neighbor who felt it necessary to keep an outside spotlight on all night which shined right into our window.We can't really blame the management for that one but they could tell the guests to shut it off at their earliest opportunity. Outside lights are not appropriate when they are only a few feet from another RV.

We recommend the Shingletown KOA if price is no issue to you or if nothing is available at the nearby National Park.

We have updated our Wal-mart locations guide to include more locations (all new stores through March 2007) and more places where you can't park. We have re-run the GPS data for better positioning on the maps. The previous map load was woefully inaccurate, but the technology keeps getting better.

Please let us know about your experiences, positive and negative and what Wal-mart location that it happened. Our Wal-mart store guide gets over two thousand visitors a day and this is the place to share your stories.

Jessica

We drove across the top hat of Texas, looking forward to amazing pie at the Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, TX. Unfortunately, they were closed for the day. So we tried to put our disappointment aside and drove onward. The next town heading east is Vega, TX. It is a fading town on Route 66 which was bypassed on the side by Interstate 40. We were tired of driving and saw a sign for the Walnut RV Park at 1403 Vega Blvd (Route 66) ph. 806-267-2310.

This is not a destination town but the park has the bare basics consisting of electric, water, sewer, restrooms and antenna reception from Amarillo, TX which is 35 miles to the east. There were a couple resident trailers and one other traveler. The owners were friendly and the park was quiet other than the distant noise of I-40 off in the distance and some occasional Vega residents driving down the street. For a stop in the $15-20 price range, it's not a bargain but it's not a rip off either. It keeps you out of two cities for a night, Amarillo to the east and Tucumcari, NM to the west.

We recently stopped by the Wellston West RV Park near Luther and Arcadia OK, northeast of Oklahoma City on Route 66. We arrived in the late afternoon with the office closed. The few trailers already there were all residents and one of them waved us in and said to take a spot. Spots were somewhat level but not perfect. Half of them are on the side of the highway and the other half were across a row, a little further from the street noise. The spot we picked didn't have working water. A neighbor knocked on our door eventually strongly suggesting we move to a spot where everything worked, right by the road. Even after explaining twice that we didn't need anything and were already set for the night. I think it was more about getting a "visitor" away from being next door than for our comfort. For a one night stop after filling everything that day, we didn't need any hookups that night and preferred to be further from the road. So we stayed put.

After sunset, hearing some people talking outside our RV, I stepped out to see what was going on. The previously mentioned neighbor turned his back and walked away but the park owners were there. No rates were posted and we had no idea what it would be. We paid the requested $18 for the night, after saying that we weren't hooking up to anything and were parked just for one night. AllStays.com does feel that parks should have multiple options and prices for different hookups. In this case, we were parked for the night in a primitive manner without even the working hookups they said they had. Did they think that we were there for night and probably going to drive away at that point? Maybe.

We can't recommend this RV park for anything other than a last resort. In this case, there is a Walmart a few miles up the road that would make a better last resort choice.

We pulled into Twin Bridges State Park in the afternoon. We were heading east on Highway 60 and missed the turn. We saw the obvious section of the park on the right side of the road but missed the campground on the left. Even knowing where it was after turning around, the turn was still a challenge. It is a sharp and steep that many big RVs may have trouble making from the east. Although it was a Friday night and great weather, the place was mostly empty. We picked a nice level spot and relaxed. There were two playgrounds within a short walk of our site. Small garbage cans were also located around every two or three sites.

The park has 160 sites, with lighted boat ramps, picnic facilities, both RV and tent campgrounds, playgrounds. Campsites range from semi-modern RV sites to tent camping, and comfort stations with showers. The park offers one-room lake huts with electricity. We questioned some of the "tent sites" however. Many were simply a place in the grass on a hill. I can't imagine sleeping on a slope as steep as these were. But it's a popular park so they may be the last resort sites.

We had a great lunch earlier in the day at Hammett House in Claremore, OK. One of the best places we've been to and it's been open since 1969. If you go, make sure to get a piece of pie. You may have to take it home with you. It took two people two sittings to eat a single slice of pie.

We stopped at Rustic Acres campground near New Douglas, IL for one night. They have around 140 sites but only a handful for one night stays. It is primarily a residential park with seasonal residents. Some permanent trailers are there as well. It has a neighborhood feel with kids running around and golf carts in front of the spots. The park advertises heavily in state publications like ones carried at the state welcome centers. The roads are well signed so it is easy to find and just a few miles off the Interstate. The office/store is lightly stocked with high prices because you don't have another choice nearby.

The park has a few spots with full hookups and partials so you have several prices ranges at around $24-26. That aspect is good, but the prices could be lower. For the $24, you may get a pull through spot a couple feet from the one next to you. And you need to pull up far enough in your spot so someone can pull in right behind you. Cozy. Resident children have their fun riding golf carts in repeated circles around your RV giving you a choice: Close your windows on a warm night or breathe in the exhaust fumes.

They will sell you propane but not until after 10am. Not good for people getting on the road.

Door locks didn't work on restroom doors and they could use some general repairs. Not real dirty but they left us the impression that we'd rather have a National Forest pit toilet. An additional note would be that they had just opened for the season a few weeks before so perhaps they are not fully prepared or caught up on the maintenance from the off season? Hard to say but we'd suggest passing by and finding another choice for your night's stop. One that is more appropriate for short stays and you are not the lowest rung on the ladder. The price here is a bit high for the locale and bonus fumes.

Have you every wanted to camp amongst the dunes on a sandy beach? Well you can't do that at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. You would think so from the name of it, wouldn't you? The actual campground is located on the other side of Highway 12 so you are in a forest with Dunes just a short drive away. The National Lakeshore is a neighbor of the Indiana Dunes State Park, which itself is right on Lake Michigan. The State Park has electric and more amenities than the National Lakeshore but also costs more than twice as much. There is also the piece and quiet factor that may come into your decision. The National Lakeshore campground, with it's primitive facilities, was nearly empty compared to a busy State Park. We slept great with the windows open.

There is a brand new visitor center for both of the parks. It is on Highway 49, south and outside of both of the parks.

Earlier, we went through Springfield, IL and stopped at the Cozy Dog Drive-in. It is a classic joint and the birthplace of what we now call the Corn Dog. Abraham Lincoln and Corn Dogs! Who could ask for more history from a single town? Highly recommended for anyone passing through or a must on any Route 66 trip.

Another town worth a quick look is Williamsville, IL. The town itself is practically a ghost town. A good looking ghost town. Mostly closed business fronts are in a cute little downtown with a grassy area in the middle. You can just wander and imagine what it once was. All the houses are still occupied and well maintained. American flags and manicured lawns in front of classic grand houses. A great big town park made for a peaceful midday stop.

As time goes by, we have begun to suspect something. Do some RV Parks charge you higher rates when you arrive and are only staying one night? We always try to find parks with posted rates but many do not have this. You have to ask, what are the rates? Usually this is around the time that we also get a question to us about how many nights we are staying.

Sometimes it's even when we say, we have full tanks and batteries and don't need any hookups at all. At that time, you wish they offered a $7-12 rate for primitive spots. Instead you get the full charge even though you are not using any services but a piece of land. That's when other options look better and you will probably never come back to that rv park again. You may even criticize them on a travel website.

Of course seasonals and park residents get a huge break on the rate per night but we sometimes wonder if charging a higher rate for one night is good for business. Does it drive more of us to look for BLM land and Wal-Mart parking lots?

Have you ever pulled into a place well into the evening, said you were stopping for one night, knowing there isn't any other option for many miles, and been surprised by the rate. We have and would like to hear about your experiences as well.

We made it to Craig, CO around 5pm and without reservations. The first thing you notice is the slightly depressed town. We found that gas was 0.40, yes, forty cents higher per gallon here than in other towns both in Colorado and Utah. Even a middle-of-nowhere-usually-gouge-you-gas-station was cheaper than all the stations we saw in Craig, CO. They are either ripping off their own residents or have a secret discount for locals and are just ripping off tourists.

The second thing you may notice is that this KOA is mostly residents. From adult monster trucks and childrens yard toys to abundant propane tanks, you quickly notice that isn't the normal KOA.

Our record of having great KOA hosts ended here. The young woman at the reception desk seemed about as happy to see me as she would be to a rattlesnake coming in the door. After a less than warm welcome, we pulled into our spot behind the office. This spot was at least away from all the other trailers but beside the road that they all took into the trailer park. I'll call it a trailer park because it's not really a campground when everyone lives there.

I noticed that the tent sites made up the last row in back. Far back from the road, I thought at first. Then I saw what looked like trains just a matter of feet behind the tent spots. Must not be an active route, I thought. Just a couple hours later, the sound confirmed otherwise. Rumble, shake and the vibration of the train horn was felt throughout my RV. "What a wonderful place for a campground," I thought with sarcasm.

The problem with resident parks is that it's hard to do a quiet time. Sure, campers are usually in their spot and in bed. Residents however, come home from and go to work at all hours of the clock. They come home from bars. They go to early morning jobs. Motorcycles and trucks come and go at all hours. That is why KOA and other campground companies need to distinguish resident parks from campgrounds. They need to make a choice. This KOA should not be listed like other KOA locations that we've visited. There was some foul language in graffiti in the men's restroom as well. Restrooms were average overall. Not terrible but not as good as they could be.

And by the way, the train goes by about every six hours. The bump on my head from jumping up in bed is proof of the one that goes by in the middle of the night. Between the fuel prices and this campground, we're crossing Craig, CO off our maps and won't be going back soon.

Adam Longfellow

After a stop at the Dinosaur National Monument south visitor center and then the main one on the west side of the park, we headed to the campground. It was Thursday, May 31, 2007. The maps that we had and the ones on the walls at the visitor center indicate two campgrounds. One of which, Green River is only open in the summer. We drove down to the first one only to find it was a Group site only and only by reservation. It has a boat launch and was probably converted over to being just groups. The sign pointing there indicates group sites and boat launch but it does not say Group Campground. I would not want to be in a big RV and find that out as we did. The steep windy road and overgrown campground road are not big rig friendly. So if you go, go on to Green River Campground. Once there, there are two loops. The one to the right was busy and is where some rangers live as well. We went to the left where we were the only ones for some reason. It was a nice quiet stay right on the river. The spots were level. The restrooms were clean and water was available. You can self pay for firewood as well as your spot. The wind become something fierce as the night went on making us put our campfire out early.

The main attraction, the original Quarry Visitor Center is closed so the number of visitors is small and probably will be for years. That center has a huge rock wall with dinosaur bones coming out of it. It is behind glass and the visitor center was built around it in 1958. Unfortunately, it was unstable ground and the structure has been slowly breaking apart ever since. It became too dangerous in 2006 and was closed. You can still take a free shuttle up near that visitor center and hike a trail back down, looking and touching real dinosaur bones on the trail. There are also daily tours that you can take with a ranger.

The plan is to build a new visitor center down below the old one and then make the popular Quarry wall a safe viewpoint. Due to funding however, it could be many years before that happens.

Dinosaur National is around 20 miles from the nearest city of Vernal, Utah. There is a great dinosaur museum there as well. Look for all the dinosaurs outside of the state museum right on the main highway through town.

The Colorado National Monument is just outside of Grand Junction, Colorado. It is a gloriously beautiful place for a place that doesn't get very much attention. The drive up after the entrance station is steep, winding and includes two small tunnels. Big RVs beware of that. Most RVers seem to park at the Colorado State Park nearby and drive their two cars up here. Road construction on the park road had some scenic views closed and one lane sections that may cause delays. This construction also created dangers on the road as the trucks were not obeying the speed limit. The probably knew the road well from driving it all day but they were going excessively fast one after the other around a blind curve. And this was right where you turn into the campground by the visitor center. It was a dangerous turn that didn't need to be so scary.

The campground at Colorado National Monument is up on top next to the Visitor Center. It is more rustic, with sections A and B having a bit more room. This is made up of tent sites, a few small uneven pull through spaces and larger pull offs where your RV would be on the side of the road. Loop C is even more rustic and tends to be the last one selected. We chose the last one. Small RVs can get into some of the spaces, avoiding trees. Once there, it was very quiet on a Friday afternoon. The restrooms were closed and portable toilets are nearby. Water faucets were still operating.

There is a nice canyon cliff side hike from the campground to the visitor center as well as a great lookout trail. Our only real complaint about our visit was other campers who come in at 8:30pm and act like they own the place. Yelling adults, screaming kids, loose dogs, too many cars and tents in one spot make for a more undesirable neighbor. Upon a walk, I could hear these sad examples of humans across the entire three loops. According to signs, this monument only has rangers during daytime visitor center hours. There is no after hours contact other than 911. So this leads to more violations and problems with campers. We never saw a ranger in our 20 hours at the park. And looking at the registration board, locals new this and did not pay. There were many more campers than paid tickets. Lets hope our funding can help keep these places up and staffed. One day of Americas nation building cost in the middle east could supply our National Park system with proper funding and preserve these sites for our children.

Hovenweep National Monument is a great member of the US National Park system. It is 45 miles away from any small towns (Blanding, Utah and Cortez, CO) and it takes some intent and effort to get there. But if you are a tent camper or in an RV less than 25 feet, it's worth it.

The campground has 31 quiet sites for $10 as of our stay on June 2nd, 2007. Only a few are even capable of holding a small RV so please note that before planning to stay overnight. No hookups but there is a nice bathroom with flush toilets and drinking water faucet.

Almost immediately upon entering, we saw the campground host. He has been coming there for ten years now and was very nice and helpful. He even collected the money and posted the payment and slip for us. In the summer daylight, there are "no-see-ums" all over. These tiny bugs are quite annoying with their bite and can cause allergic reactions in some people. They disappear with dusk and come out again in the warm sun. The night sky is about as dark as you can find these days and filled with bright stars.

There are short hikes (from 2 miles to under a mile) that let you see some fantastic pueblo ruins still standing after 700 years. The visitor center is staffed with friendly, knowledgeable people as well. We only saw two other people on our weekend visit so it is a quiet out of the way place. You may see a rattlesnake by the trail or a lizard eating a large beetle. This is a place hardly touched by man in hundreds of years.

We also stopped at the Historic Hatch Trading Post on the way in from the west. This is a real locally active Trading Post with canned food and drinks. If you are looking for souvenirs or anything touristy, don't bother stopping. We were quite surprised during our very brief stop.

So go back in time, forget your hookups, look up at the night sky and listen to the natural desert sounds at Hovenweep National Monument.

We stayed Sunday night, June 3rd, 2007 at the Gouldings Campground and RV Park at Monument Valley. This is a classic case of a place where you stay because of the location, not the facility. The view is great even though the park is tucked away in a canyon with the main highway between you and the monument. The only other option is the $12 a night park inside the Navajo Nation Park. This campground should be the first choice if you don't need hookups. Gouldings has you for most of the season due to the heat. Most people want to run AC and have water, sewer and tv hookups and Gouldings is the only choice in the area.

Upon check-in, we felt about as welcome as a dust devil. On this first time, and on subsequent encounters, the staff was silent and rather unfriendly. The rate is high but all spots have full hookups. It is a Good Sam RV Park so members can save a few bucks. You are in a beautiful canyon so even if you have cellular internet, it probably won't work. At least our Sprint service wouldn't connect. Gouldings has the solution for sale. Very slow (11mbps) wifi for a fee per 24 hours. In our view, this really should be included for such a high priced park. But as we said, they have you where they want you. You can see the valley and some monuments from the park.

Our spot was level but the entire first row of spots is on a slope. I wouldn't want one of those. The hookups in our space were quite far away from the level place where you park. You'll need longer than normal cables and hoses. The sewer was actually on the other side of our electric pole, closer to the other camper than to us. And our hose wasn't long enough to use it at all. The restroom was okay but only had one stall for a sizable park. Don't go at the last minute because you may have to wait. We also noticed some bad language graffiti, rough surfaces and bugs in there.

Dining: Food was okay with very slow service. Allow plenty of time, money and patience for your meal. That is more difficult if you travel with young persons.

The map and amenities list includes a playground but it is gone. That space is now a group site. Amenity land becomes money earning. And instead of spending time playing with your kids, you can pay money for tours, dinners, John Wayne movies, fuel, groceries....all going to the same establishment. Any business has the right to run this way, it just smells a bit more here in view of such an important monument to the Navajo Nation.

In the end, the view is great and your choices are limited. If you want stay here, you have to pay up and move along as soon as you can.

We recently stayed at the KOA in Chula Vista, CA for 8 nights in August to check on the city and it's major attractions. This KOA is just a few miles south of downtown San Diego and one of the few options for camping near this metropolitan city. You can walk to bus stops connecting to a trolley and go just about anywhere. You can get on and off several nearby highways to easily go to the Zoo, only around 10 miles away, and other attractions.

The staff is friendly and efficient in checking you in and responding to problems. They are cheerful and ready to assist when you go to them. The way they could improve is by preventing the problems in the first place. Bathrooms were always a mess, either with paper all over the floor or toilets near but not quite running over. Kids ride bikes and scooters everywhere, even past signs that prohibit it. Signs are great but enforcement is needed. You may step out of a shower and almost get run over by a rental bike.

Our first spot was small and smelled of sewer. It was also nearest to the basketball court and playground. The swings have a loud squeak and could use some WD40 or oil. Quiet hours are 10pm to 7am but that didn't stop the continuous basketball playing. I understand this is a great game for people to pass the time, but it's not a good choice for a campground. The bouncing of the ball and balls flying into your campsite every so often is not very relaxing. Kids and teens would play late and have to be told to stop. Then they would start playing again a few minutes later. They would play at 10pm, midnight, 3am, whenever they wanted because there is no way of securing the court and preventing this from happening even if only until a complaint is called in. Sleep was hard to come by in this spot and you couldn't open windows for long because of the stench. When a delivery person walked by and asked why we were in the smelly area and said it's always smelly in this area, I knew it was a regular thing.

We complained and were moved to a hillside spot near the tent camping area. (Our old spot was filled within an hour so it couldn't have been cleaned.) It was without sewer smell but it had it's other share of problems. First, large groups are allowed to blare music and heavy bass all day long until 10pm. KOA chains gives everyone hookups so they won't run generators. I normally don't like generators but I would personally rather hear a generator hum than four different kinds of music blaring out. At this campground, you can't sit outside in peace and quiet or take a nap during the day. One particular group was large, maybe 4 or 5 tent sites. They also went around and took other peoples grills when they weren't looking or gone. They took ours too. We complained but nothing changed. A half hour later, we saw a KOA staff person deliver bags of ice to them, music blasting right then. KOA would have lost a little money asking them to leave or turning down the radio. But for the sake of other campers, they should have done something. Two days after the group was gone, the collection of borrowed grills still hadn't been redistributed.

They also have an ant problem. They give you information about it when you arrive. If you sit at your picnic table or outside in a chair, you will have ants on you within minutes. The ground and trees are covered with them. The combination of campers and watering grass is not a good one in southern California. If you don't have some sort of powder or remedy, they'll sell it to you. We used a cleanser powder as recommended. We also kept all hoses off the ground. Ants still found their way up poles and across electric and cable wires and water hoses. We kept battling them but they would eventually find another way. The last night there they were swarmed in a tree above and dropping on the RV roof. Smart ants. They were not going for food. They were going for water. So the fact that KOA waters the grass (and your spot and any belongings left outside) overnight make this problem worse. Perhaps they should switch to mulch, pavement, sand and stone all over the park?

In the end, fighting ants while not being able to relax outside due to loud music and yelling just doesn't seem like a fun vacation. KOA featured this park in a recent television campaign and neither of these issues were in the commercial. We're still dealing with the ants days later after leaving the park.

A few little changes with better consideration that not everyone comes here to party all day and night and the San Diego KOA could be great again.

Need a chocolate cake and you need it quick? Here is something we found to get your fix in a small portion and fairly easy to do on the road or anytime.

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix
thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate
chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts
(high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be
alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.