Terror at the RV Park

[chalet05]

Wow! I have been full-time for 9 years and never had such an experience! I'd have been in the van, on the phone and calling the office immediately! Or said excuse me, packed up and pulled up to the office to report them. I have passed on some PA parks after reading rvparkreviews, but this one had no hint. Unfortunately, I think you just ran into a couple of 'good ole boys' who may have even questioned a man.

I know it was frightening, but hope all these responses help you to know it is rare.

[retiredhappy]

So sorry you had this experience. I never had a problem like that and I stayed in a lot of Passport parks. I've also pulled out of a park and gone elsewhere when the park and residents looked trashy. I always tried to stop early enough to move on if the park wasn't what I wanted. I've also seen some trashy Good Sam Parks. I'm agree with the others that you need to COMPLAIN to Passport America, the park manager and owner if you can locate them as well as write a review warning other RVers. Probably a good thing the way you handled those assholes, I'm afraid that because I have no tolerance for male bullies my mouth, like Beth's, would have gotten me into a lot of trouble. I would have threatened him with the police if he continued to '"threaten" me. Bullies often back down if you stand up to them. I probably would have actually called the police and told them he was threatening and I was afraid. They would have at least send an officer out to talk to the man. Just be glad you aren't married to the jerk.

[BarbaraRose]

"...with trash piled behind some of them taller than me. I kid you not..." I will just leave that one alone...

Sue, I don't believe the man was inside her van. He just had her up against the outside of the van. Still too close for comfort tho!

Now days you just don't want to mess with people like that. Just politely get away and leave quickly! But reporting it is essential!

[havingfunnow]

I am so sorry that happened to you! I've been camping on and off since I was a toddler, and I've never experienced anything like that. (My current van is old and battered and probably could be called a "piece of junk.") I have noticed that as more and more people have really expensive rigs some resentment has developed towards more downmarket campers. I attribute it to the suburban mentality. (Apologies to people here with nice rigs! It's not everybody!)

I agree with everyone about making complaints everywhere. That kind of behaviour is not acceptable under any conditions. I might have phoned the police when I couldn't reach park management. Amazing how a little visit from uniformed officers will shut down bullies.

I wouldn't have confronted them at the moment either. Part of that is just me -- I always freeze at those moments. It makes me feel embarrassed afterward, but I think it may have saved my life at least twice (not in campgrounds!). I prefer not to escalate, and to summon help instead.

Don't let this stop you! It's a really, really rare thing.

[mitch5252]

"...with trash piled behind some of them taller than me. I kid you not..." I will just leave that one alone...

..
Oh, don't YOU start, too...
..

[Carolinagal]

I am soooo sorry you had such a bad experience. That guy was totally out of line and I would have called the office immediately. Don't give up on what you want to do because of some uncouth, rude man !!

I have traveled alone since summer of 2001, traveled many miles and in many states, and NEVER encountered a situation anything like this. So please don't let this stop you from what you're doing. Until last few years I never made reservations and always tried to find a place way before dark, there have been many times I've driven in and right back out. Just had that feeling Beth mentioned.

Don't give up !!!, not because of that stupid man for sure and as far as your van goes, you have nothing to be ashamed of or in no way LET anyone make you feel that way or most of all think that way. In fact, i admire you very much for having the smarts and know how to fix your van as you wanted. That is a big deal to me !! No one is better then anyone else and if they try to think so then They have a serious problem which I'm sorry to say you can't do anything about except to feel sorry for them !,

We all love RVing and seeing all we can everywhere we can and in anything we can !! Try to put this incident in the back of your mind and ENJOY the life you've chosen for yourself for as long as you can !!

Good luck, keep on RVing and enjoy
CArol

[MelissaD]

It is unfortunate with so many homeless people living out of their vehicles these days there might have been the assumption that you were part of the homeless (in a nice looking van )

Unfortunately there are those that feel entitled (think gated community of the RV park) mentality. Tent campers seem to run into this often. You might actually draw less attention if you pitched a small 2 man tent and appeared to be a tent camper. In a way, you do not "appear" to be camping in your "street van", great for stealth camping but maybe you stand out in the campground and that's what caught the idiots attention.

Did better that I would have. The cops probably would have been involved if it had been me

[Acadianmom]

Don't let this keep you from your dream. I have never had a problem like this in a campground. I have made a U-turn a couple of times when I didn't like the looks of a campground. I don't know who rates some of these campgrounds. I stopped at a Good Sam rated 8 campground and you would have had to have been a mountain goat to camp on some of their sites. I use to be bad abut traveling until almost dark and then trying to fine a campground. That limits your choices and can get you lost in the dark. I still seldom make reservations unless I'm going to a campout with friends or a rally. But I get myself off the road earlier.

My son and I had trouble finding a Passport America campground on a couple of our trips even though their book said they were members. Now I look on their web site.

Martha

[WickedLady]

You should report this to Passport America. I don't know if they would do anything but it is not good for their rep. I stay at PA campgrds all the time. Only once found one of substandard condition. I told PA about it and they thanked me for reporting it. Never checked it again.

If you go thru there again go to Newberry RV Park (also PA) it is nice.

[SoCalGalcas]

Annie, I'm so sorry this happened to you. What a frightening experience. I would have been shaking all over!!

In my 16 years as a fulltimer, I never had a bad experience like you had. Please do not give up your dream of traveling because of this experience.

And, definitely report it to PA. It would have been nice if you had called the police, but that's hindsight.

lyn

[Pooker]

Okay, guys. I think Passport America is just a simple listing organization, not one that actually rates or checks up on the campgrounds like Good Sam, etc. Campgrounds can (and do) make their own restrictions as to times of year, number of nights, and so on. Listing with PA only means they agree to offer the 50% discount with their own restrictions and regulations. Are there some awesome parks that are terrific - yup! Are there also some pretty bad parks? Yup! But the same can be said of KOA, Good Sam, and others, even membership parks.

I probably would have whipped out my phone and said for the guy to back up or my finger would complete the 911 call! Always trust your instincts about any place you park, and realize that the world is certainly different today than it was even 10 or 15 years ago. We even had a problem with "old geezers" approaching us with complaints and that was in our own home park and they were Coast to Coast visitors! But I can honestly say I've never experienced anything as frightening as you did. We just have to stand up to bullies if we can. And perhaps go inside and lean on the horn!!!

[Colliemom]

Whoops, my mistake. Thanks for pointing that out Barbie.

[gingerK]

Oh Anne, I would have been scared out of my boots! I think you did the right thing in how you handled them, some guys just seem to live to be jerks. I think I wouldn't have been able to stay after all that confrontation. One reason I have made up my mind if someone messes with me, I'm pulling out even if I have to drag the electric box out with me. Don't let a couple of a**holes take away your dreams. Maybe a little "travelling companion" like Mitch's might be a good bit of insurance.