More of this Feature • Part 1: Boy, am I sorry we picked that campground • Part 3: Lessons to be learned    Join the Discussion Camping Problems "Do you think that any changes need to be made to improve family-oriented campgrounds? Do you think that campgrounds should have different sections to cater to different types of campers?" - Tyler041  Share your experiences!

"Live and learn!", that's what my mom would have said. I learned quite a few lessons a few years back. My wife and I had recently purchased a new popup camper and we were on our way to Ocracoke, NC to camp at the national park campground there. This is an annual trip for us and takes a day and a half to get there from northern Kentucky. In previous years we were tent campers, but had opted for the popup because we got tired of replacing expensive tents every year due to the Ocracoke blows which inevitably strike at least one night during our three week stay. In those years we had just our truck full of gear, but felt secure in staying at a motel along the way. Now that we had the camper we didn't like the thought of a motel, while leaving the camper unattended in the parking lot, so we decided to camp one night midway between home and Ocracoke.

Using the resources on the camping site, I located an area midway along the route and then checked out campgrounds in the vicinity. I visited the Web sites and read the descriptions of several. Since we were only needing to set up the camper for the night, we weren't particular about amenities, but wanted a campsite that was at least clean, a little cozy, and offered electricity. We decided on a campground that was near our route and filled out their online reservation form.

I got an error the first time I submitted the reservation form, but it went OK the second time. I was making these reservations weeks in advance of our arrival and according to the Web site would receive an email confirmation in a few days. When two weeks went by without a confirmation I called the campground. The lady I talked to seemed cordial enough over the phone and told me that they had indeed received the reservation, but that they were having problems with their email confirmations. OK, no problem, we have our campsite reserved.

We had no problem finding the campground that first night of our trip, but we immediately noticed that it's right next to the expressway. We stopped at the campground office and were greeted by a young lady who was more interested in watching TV than in checking us in. The office was otherwise empty. We proceeded to our campsite, which was not much better than a parking space in a Wal-Mart lot. There was no grass, the camper pad was course gravel, and the spaces were about 10 feet apart. The camper next to us had their TV on and it sounded like it was in our camper. So much for the "quiet, spacious sites" that the Web page boasted about. We set up anyway, we were tired, and we soon went to bed. Not long into the night we were awakened by the sound of pounding rain on the tin roof of the campground office, which was just behind our camper. It was not a restful night.

We woke early and in the midst of the continuing downpour proceeded to close the camper and get on the road. Were we ever glad to be out of there. My first comment to my wife as we left was "now we know."

We continue to go to Ocracoke each September, but we no longer camp for a night along the way. The warning signs were there, we just didn't heed them. We've learned our lessons, and now stay with friends for a night.

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