2619PDX

Ray:
I have grown up on the west coast. Now live in Portland, Oregon.

To answer some of your questions, in my case, we opt for RV campgrounds when we're travelling and trying to get someplace. It's just easier.

We take two week trips down to Arizona and California. It's easier to stay in RV parks, and quite often, there aren't BLM or NFS campgrounds near some of the more urban area's and interstates here in the west.

You are making a destination out of NFS or BLM lands. Some folks aren't.

I know that whenever possible, we try to stay at state campgrounds or NFS or BLM campgrounds when we go on short trips where the park is our DESTINATION.

However, using our recent 2 week trip to Arizona and Californina as an example - 3500 miles roundtrip. We stayed in private RV parks throughout California, Nevada, and Arizona. There simply was no other choice.

You can't stay at a NFS or BLM campground in Tucson Arizona, or between Reno Nevada or Las Vegas, or near Disneyland or the Montery Bay Aqurium. Ain't none of them available...

However, you can CHOOSE your RV park. They ARE NOT all cheek to cheek, pack em in parks. In fact, with the exception of Anaheim RV Resort and Carmel Valley RV Resort near Monerey, we DID NOT stay in any "commercial", urban style setting RV parks. In fact, we needed full hookups to run the A/C due to the heat where we were, and we never missed not being in a BLM or NFS campground.

In Alturas California my son and I fed some horses who were near our campsite. In Wickenburg, Arizona my wife and son went rock hunting on BLM land that backed up to our campground. In Tucson, we were in a 5 star Resort - Beaudry RV Resort that we highly recommend...

As you can see, there are other sides to the camping coin, than just hard core go to the lake, mountains or coast and get away from folks kind of RV camping.

Personally, I like to do both. It's nice to have those choices in our vast Western US!

Thanks, Ray.

Gregg