I arrived at the State Park
campground first, so tried that one. It was
full, and they turned me away. No big
surprise here, but it still really frosts me that RV’s are allowed to come in and
park in the parking lot (as long as they are self-contained) and a poor slob on a bike can’t
put up a tent. I thought about telling them
that I would ride down to the gas station and use their restroom, then not drink anything
else during the evening so I would be “self-contained” too.
I really had high hopes for the
Brevard County campground. I figured that
they would have more flexibility (lower level of bureaucracy) regarding the special needs
of a traveling bicyclist. Wrong. When all of the campsites are filled, nobody else
gets in to camp. “Can I ride around and
see if some other people will let me share their campsite?” No, each campsite can be occupied by no more that
6 family members. “Well,
maybe my uncle is here.” I decided not
to go look for my “uncle” and instead asked the ranger if he knew of anywhere
else that I could go. He suggested a private
RV park and even called them for me. They had
space for a “tenter,” and I headed back there.
I say “back” because it was about ten miles in the direction from
whence I came.
After getting there and setting up
camp, I was walking out to find something for dinner when I spotted an Ohio license plate
with a Summit County sticker. Seeing a man
sitting outside by the RV, I went over to talk to him.
He and his wife are John and Lucy Kaufman from Macedonia, who have spent
their winters at this campground for the past few years.
When they return to Ohio for the summer, John works at Nero Lincoln/Mercury
in Bedford.
(Great
Adventures to Scenic Places)
