Did I mention that I DESPISE generators!’

[windy]

So.....on the last leg of a 2 month 6000 mile trip we were really tired and too lazy to work at finding a place so we thought we would would give ourselves a break from “roughing it” and catch a solid shower and good night’s rest at Lake Mead National Campground.... WRONG!!!

We pulled in late (after dark), and backed into the 1st available site and set out to make dinner, take a shower and get some rest. Got thru dinner and decided to shower in the morning as we were very tired. After we got things cleaned up and put away and laid our heads on the pillow, the loudest, most obnoxious generator I’ve ever heard cranked up. .

Now I’m sure they have their place but I have gotten really spoiled by boondocking. This stop has really reinforced to me why we do what we do.

Lesson learned.....don’t stop at a popular campground with 150 rv sites, no matter how tired we are .

If this night is what it took to make us appreciate all the spectacular evenings we have enjoyed on this venture, then I’m happy to have made the sacrifice.

Let this be a reminder to any of you that have ever taken the solitude of the back country for granted.....[emoji6]

 

[AWG_Pics]

Yup. Well said!

 

[craig333]

Too bad they didn't have db limits.

 

[JHanson]

I'm with you!

 

[Happyjax]

Yes some people run generators that could supply a small village..... I get the need but it is RVing, how much AC does one need when getting close to nature?

 

[rando]

Here here!

We avoid the sort of campgrounds that the RV crowd seems to like (paved ones) to try and avoid these infernal buzz boxes, but even that doesn't always work.

Earlier this summer I was out dispersed camped out in robbers roost - no one within a mile of us. Someone pulls up late, and pulls in within 100m of us, no big deal, it was after dark and they needed a spot. Ten minutes later the generator fires up and runs for the next two hours. Even though it was a relatively quiet generator, watching the stars in the silence of the desert is completely ruined by the hum/buzz of the generator.

 

[Smokecreek1]

They seem to be finding finding their way out into the boonies allot more of late. I mean how do they drag those things out there in the first place? So can someone tell me why they run the generators only at night---is there some rule that they can't charge the batteries during the day-when people are usually out and about and can't hear them? Are they watching tv or reruns of the masked singer or what ever-do they really need to run their air conditioners 24 hours a day ? Or how about the ones that come in (sometimes as a group), logger up, shoot their flags up their flag poles (the Betsy Ross one seems to be a favorite-sometimes they also fly other political ones too), then start the generators up , then go inside and never seem to come out again! I mean why some one comes out to the boonies and then stays inside-doesn't that sort of defeat the reason for being there in the first place?

I mean if I am forced to camp over night in a RV park over night, okay,its their world -I understand that and I 'll follow those rules, but here they are now, more and more in our play areas. I think my biggest bitch is that they don't understand the rules (such as they are) and they don't seem to care about the fact they ruin it for the rest of us. What can we do about , grin and bare it, try and educate them or what ever and keep trying to go deeper into the outback.

Smoke

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Well said all.Smoke I don't think most of the type described here could be educated.
I am not even sure I would get into a conversation with them.
In today's mood out there you never know who or what is going on.

Yes it's a "free" forest world out there but how hard can it be to just be a bit more courteous of others.
It's like the trash. If you bring it but there's nowhere to dispose it,take it home with you.
Smokey and Woodise are tired of picking up after these people.It's not their job.
Frank

 

[buckland]

I have tried asking.... very little happens... I have found I just have to pack up and leave. With solar so easy I think why ????? but then again it's the same intelligence as seeing jet skis in a lake filled with loons. Duh.

 

[AWG_Pics]

We stayed in Ft Stevens state park overnight a few weeks ago. Not something we normally would do, but we wanted crab and razor clams. The 30 something guy next to us had an airstream and a generator. What seemed ridiculous, was when night fell they and a couple of tent camping friends sat down and watched a movie projected onto a white sheet. generator running during the movie and off and on all night. Absurd. Can't leave home without their media. Why are they camping? It is not likely we will stay at another such family friendly full service campground again. We did that night due to spur of the moment decision to run to the coast and not ever having looked the campground over despite driving past it dozens of times over the last decade.

Live & learn.

 

[Wango]

Could not agree more. i am not a fan of generators. That being said i always carry one. i bought a new honda 2k, converted to propane(no stink) and while i have had it 3 years, it has less than three hours on it.
The main reason i bought it was,due to me being solo most of the time wanted it in case truck battery was dead.
Also, have used it a little to run an electric heater in winter if condensation was out of control.
I never run mine around others, i try to be as low key as possible.
Hate campgrounds, but even then i try to be considerate. Even if my wife and i are prone to disco parties at night. Just us, no one around.
Funny though, i know people that will complain about generators, but see nothing wrong with music. Even live, my policy is to try and stay out of sight, sound and mind. Most of the time it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Lots of newby types out these days, avoidance is my main weapon.
If that doesn't work, i use my old standby. Which is, "you keep me up, i wake you up". i'm up by five everyday. Play the same song on your guitar (badly) over and over and i will wake you up with mozart at 5 am.
Be a moron with your generator and i will return the favor.
Most of the time though, when we boondock, we are alone. And people are mostly ok.
You guys, well come on up, lets have a sip of bourbon, enjoy the fire and laugh about how much we spend to live like we are homeless.
Be well folks.

 

[AWG_Pics]

Wango... you said it better than anyone. And you are right... most of the time there are no problems, because there are no other people!

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

" I will wake you up with Morzat". I like that.
Frank

 

[Kolockum]

Too bad they didn't have db limits.

The reason most places don't have laws for this or the laws are not enforced is the decibel meters used by enforcement have to be calibrated just like radar guns. Most agencies don't have the time, money or both to do that. I wish they did though.

I find most generators are directional with their sound, i.e. where you point the muffler.

 

[Foy]

I don't recall using a developed campground in the last umpteen years which didn't have generator hours posted--no messing around with Db limits, just no gennies after XX:00 pm or before XX:00 am.

That said, we also don't hesitate to repay others for their contributions to evening noise levels. In August, we had an unruly group of college age kids in two campsites adjacent to ours in Montana. They provided loud music and loud talking well into the 2:00-3:00 am time frame. We heard some shouting between the kids and some others camped on the other side of them and it was clearly fruitless to further engage them. We were due to pull out early that morning and we did, starting with all of the clanging and banging we could muster as we broke camp between 6:00 and 7:00 am. The encore to that was a 20 minute warm-up period for the old 7.3 liter diesel while parked in the middle of the campground's one-way driveway about 30' from their tents. And I accidently blasted the horn for a couple seconds when I pulled it down into D to slowwwwwwwwly depart. Fortunately, we were in the first space on the loop, the kids in the second and third, and nobody else for about 30 yards past the kids. Plus, I observed everybody else in sight beyond the kids milling around with morning chores before I decided to warm up the truck in the driveway while policing our campsite and hitting the head one more time. For that, we received several "thumbs up" from the other ticked off campers as we drove out. Never saw hide nor hair from the kids during out serenade.I imagine the others had plenty to say to the USFS ranger as he made his daily rounds at around 10:00 am.

Foy

 

[smlobx]

I think we are preaching to the choir here and those offenders are mute to our concerns...I wish more campgrounds would have no generator sections to them.

one of my sisters bought a small Class A rv to travel in primarily from NH to FL (they’re snowbirds). They asked me what generator to buy and I suggested investing in a solar set up. There was a lot of back and forth discussions and I don’t think they have made they’re decision yet but they’re stopping by on their way to FL in a few weeks so we’ll see if we can further our cause....one rv at a time...

 

[fuzzymarindave]

Just spent two nights at MacKerricher State Park on the California north coast. Trailer folks next to us ran the generator each night. It was loud enough to overpower the sound of the surf crashing on the beach. They ran it right up to the 8pm shut off time. They didn't need AC so what were they doing? Microwave or TV? I have no idea. went into the camper and read my book "Sailing Alone Around the World". Boondocking does not seem to be an option along the California Coast with all of the private property; otherwise that is also my preferred way to camp.

 

[CALIcamperdad]

Clear Lake campground big Trans Clear Lake sailboat race. This was like 2005. Likely 100+ SF bay sailors with their families would haul boats up. Spend the day racing around the lake then return to camp cook up dinner play cards etc. One RV had run its generator from 8am Saturday morning till 10pm Saturday night non stop!!! People asked nicely if he could shut it down at least for dinner so people could eat in peace etc, nope...

6am sharp no joke every kid in the entire campground shows up for a morning base ball game using a plastic ball and batt. Someone had actual bases set out. Home plate was right infront of said RV. Parents probably 50-60 people setup their folding chairs up and down the first and 3rd base lines sat down with their coffee and the game kicked off with everyone screaming and cheering on a 5yr old girl at batt. After 10 minutes mr RV comes stumbling out of his RV in his boxers half a wake and stops cold like deer in headlights. Doesn’t say a word, does a 180 back into his RV. 8 minutes later he comes out doesn’t say a word, picks up his chairs and table cover. Gets in his RV starts it up all while the game goes on. One of the dads walks over to the driver’s door and askes the guy if he wants some coffee? Tells him first inning has 10 minutes left to go

 

[ntsqd]

Ya'll remind me of a camping trip in OR somewhere North of Halfway and South of Joseph about 30 years ago. We're tent camping as is about 1/2 of the campground. RV pulls in and they set about setting up. Which included moving their generator out to the limit of the length of their extension cord. Dusk comes and the noisiest generator that I can recall hearing starts up. Lights and noise from the RV with abundance, but not enough to drown out their generator.
8pm comes, still running. Into the quiet time.
9pm comes, still running.
About 9:10 all the noise and lights stop, and the clearly unloaded generator is bouncing off its governor. Much cursing and a waving flashlight ensue. Cord plugged back into the generator, lights and noise resume.
9:12 comes and everything ceases again. More cursing and indiscriminate waving of flashlight followed by an explosive bellowing. Guy stomps back to the RV where they pack up everything and leave. Quiet cheer emits from the whole campground.

In the morning everyone in the campground is wondering what happened when someone who had wondered over to that site starting laughing uncontrollably. Laying on the ground is the extension cord. In 3' long sections.

I've read that some consider this story to be an internet legend. I was there for this one.

 

[JaSAn]

Won't mention any names but I've heard that potatoes in the exhaust pipe work well.

I have an audio engineer friend that has a ginormous stereo setup in his car. He also has a CD recording of sub 50 hz bass for such occasions.