Since I started having the Jeep with the Gravity Pro headlights, I have found that to stop some shenanigans. Just point the Jeep at the offenders and constantly go to the Jeep and lock and unlock the doors so I burn their souls out. One dude got mad at me and asked me if I was hard of hearing when he told me to "shut that shit off" and I said "no, I can hear just fine, there is just so much goddamn noise coming from your campsite I've been ignoring it". They cranked it down to 3 from 11, and I quit shuffling shit in and out of the Jeep.

I find the passive aggressive thing way more effective than using words. Maybe it's because I'm a fat white guy in cargo shorts. Not sure. They usually blow off my words, but when there is a fat white guy wandering through your campsite finger fucking his phone on facebook marketplace holding a kitchen bag of trash giving you an uncomfortably long gaze while you're eating dinner... solves most wandering through campsite problems. I suspect it's because they think I'm weird as fuck and will murder them in their sleep using their own Crocs, but I hope it's because they realize it is really irritating to have someone walk through your campsite.

I think the pandemic ruined what empathy was left after the "self care" movement. So everything's no big deal because they don't care about anyone else, until they're the ones being harmed. So passive-aggressiveness wins. And I'm an expert.

We largely avoid campgrounds that allow golfcarts though. Really sick of busch light boomers.

We used to destination camp. So we'd go somewhere and loiter around the campground and immediate area. Our favorite was to go river camping and float in the water but we haven't done that in a long time. Now we mostly camp to go places. The dog enjoys it. My wife likes to go birding. I like to know where my bed and bathroom are going to be and I hate packing/unpacking. My goal is to use the motorhome to see pretty much everything east of the Rockies. Works well for us.

 

This is the Munising KOA we stayed at. I'm standing at the far edge of the campsite that was next to us after the family of friendly Pennsylvanians left, and my motorhome is right on the adjacent edge next to the shitter hole. These are the large "pull through" sites that have full hookups. My parents stayed at the shitterless sites next row down and they were TINY sites so much so that even with no slides they couldn't open their awning all the way. As per typical of KOAs, the sites were all awning to awning so they didn't have to run as many drops for water/sewer/electric which means essentially you're sharing picnic tables. It wasn't bad, but not our cup of tea. Would have hated having any smaller of a site. There are some good sites on the perimeter, but they're hard to get.

In the background is a perimeter site with my dream motorhome, the Nexus Rebel 28R. GM class 5 chassis... in 4wd. About a foot and a half longer than ours but way more space. The old couple that had it were cool, they actually asked to cut through our campsite and I said yes. I almost asked them for a tour of their motorhome, but I restrained myself.

 

Since I started having the Jeep with the Gravity Pro headlights, I have found that to stop some shenanigans. Just point the Jeep at the offenders and constantly go to the Jeep and lock and unlock the doors so I burn their souls out. One dude got mad at me and asked me if I was hard of hearing when he told me to "shut that shit off" and I said "no, I can hear just fine, there is just so much goddamn noise coming from your campsite I've been ignoring it". They cranked it down to 3 from 11, and I quit shuffling shit in and out of the Jeep.

I find the passive aggressive thing way more effective than using words. Maybe it's because I'm a fat white guy in cargo shorts. Not sure. They usually blow off my words, but when there is a fat white guy wandering through your campsite finger fucking his phone on facebook marketplace holding a kitchen bag of trash giving you an uncomfortably long gaze while you're eating dinner... solves most wandering through campsite problems. I suspect it's because they think I'm weird as fuck and will murder them in their sleep using their own Crocs, but I hope it's because they realize it is really irritating to have someone walk through your campsite.

I think the pandemic ruined what empathy was left after the "self care" movement. So everything's no big deal because they don't care about anyone else, until they're the ones being harmed. So passive-aggressiveness wins. And I'm an expert.

We largely avoid campgrounds that allow golfcarts though. Really sick of busch light boomers.

We used to destination camp. So we'd go somewhere and loiter around the campground and immediate area. Our favorite was to go river camping and float in the water but we haven't done that in a long time. Now we mostly camp to go places. The dog enjoys it. My wife likes to go birding. I like to know where my bed and bathroom are going to be and I hate packing/unpacking. My goal is to use the motorhome to see pretty much everything east of the Rockies. Works well for us.

I think we were brothers in a past life, This kind of shit drives my wife crazy but you are write IT WORKS !!!



RBB

 

This is the Munising KOA we stayed at. I'm standing at the far edge of the campsite that was next to us after the family of friendly Pennsylvanians left, and my motorhome is right on the adjacent edge next to the shitter hole. These are the large "pull through" sites that have full hookups. My parents stayed at the shitterless sites next row down and they were TINY sites so much so that even with no slides they couldn't open their awning all the way. As per typical of KOAs, the sites were all awning to awning so they didn't have to run as many drops for water/sewer/electric which means essentially you're sharing picnic tables. It wasn't bad, but not our cup of tea. Would have hated having any smaller of a site. There are some good sites on the perimeter, but they're hard to get.

In the background is a perimeter site with my dream motorhome, the Nexus Rebel 28R. GM class 5 chassis... in 4wd. About a foot and a half longer than ours but way more space. The old couple that had it were cool, they actually asked to cut through our campsite and I said yes. I almost asked them for a tour of their motorhome, but I restrained myself.

View attachment 288479

View attachment 288480

I've stayed at a KOA exactly once, and that was enough for me.

Was that Nexus flat towing a 2 door Bronco? Looks just like the one we saw camped out at Indigo Bluffs in Empire late July, looked like full timers. Sweet rig for sure.

And yes, passive aggressiveness does work well. I use that plenty myself, just depends how immediate of results I'm after. If someone is physically on my site, I want results now. Just fukking leave, don't slowly recognize the gradually increasing inconvenience of this for the next 2 days while you continue to invade my space. If someone is just generally stupid or annoying, passive aggressive is a fun way to get them to eventually stop, whether consciously or not.

 

I've stayed at a KOA exactly once, and that was enough for me.

My parents pay for a subscription or whatever it is called, but you can only use it once per stay concurrently and it only works on the cheapest site. So we paid a fortune for ours and they got a 10% discount. I think they're a good option for people on the move. I do not care for any of the KOAs we've been to, but they aren't the worst.

Was that Nexus flat towing a 2 door Bronco? Looks just like the one we saw camped out at Indigo Bluffs in Empire late July, looked like full timers. Sweet rig for sure.

Nope, they were from Kansas or something and they had a Ford Edge with cooked parking brakes (seems they forgot to release the parking brake and it made godawful noises when they drove it). They were a part of a huge posse of 15 motorhomes all traveling together. There was another Nexus Rebel in the group but it was a longer one (35R), I think it may have had a Bronco but I don't remember. Never saw a vehicle parked in their lot except the motorhome.

It's literally the perfect motorhome, except for the shitter location is such you have to go past it to get to the shower:

Build 2024 Rebel 28r Class Super C Motorhome | NeXus RV | Elkhart Indiana

NeXus RV is an RV manufacturer located in Elkhart, IN. We offer Motorhomes like Ghost, Freightliner, Viper, and Phantom.

www.nexusrv.com

And yes, passive aggressiveness does work well. I use that plenty myself, just depends how immediate of results I'm after. If someone is physically on my site, I want results now. Just fukking leave, don't slowly recognize the gradually increasing inconvenience of this for the next 2 days while you continue to invade my space. If someone is just generally stupid or annoying, passive aggressive is a fun way to get them to eventually stop, whether consciously or not.

I usually say "Excuse me, are you having an emergency and require assistance?" and if they ignore me then I move shit to make it so they have to come closer next time. If they respond to me, then I say "then quit cutting through my campsite and go around". Usually that's when I get an eyeroll or a "it's not a big deal" and I ramp up my entertainment.

Two years ago we were staying in a county campground and this dude kept cutting through our campsite and was a dick to his wife and constantly nagging at his kids. All of our neighbors were starting at him whenever he stumbled out of his trailer to get a new natty daddy. So when we were packing up I was near his wife and started talking to her... I said, "He sure does have a pretty mouth, must be why you keep him around?" and she laughed. I said "I am not great at playing the banjo, but I bet he knows how to squeal like a little piggy, right". She kind of laughed but seemed a bit concerned. haha.

 

We have had great luck at the State Park Campgrounds, that said, Covid definitely changed the vibes everywhere. McClain was awesome before it had to be rebuilt from the Erosion. The State Primitive campgrounds are good too, and they tend to bring in a more normal person. That said, down state I have seen them turn into shit-shows with Generators and what looked like homeless folks trashing them up. I had always dreamed of finally camping dispersed in the Keweenaw, but between the Michigan Nature Conservancy buying up the land and opening up access, and the ORV trails getting extended to High Rock Bay it sucks something awful now. The guiding companies and "influencers" giving away all the best "secret" spots have been a huge issue too. I used to be the only one out at High Rock Bay quite often.... last time I was there it was 75+ people. Hungarian Falls was the same, you might see a handful or people, but last time I went there were 50+ from all around the world.

Mill Creek in Mackinac is KOA-ish. But if you book in plenty of advance you can get a nice roomy site, the full hook up side is kind of miserable and they are stacked on each other over there without any trees.

 

I had always dreamed of finally camping dispersed in the Keweenaw, but between the Michigan Nature Conservancy buying up the land and opening up access, and the ORV trails getting extended to High Rock Bay it sucks something awful now. The guiding companies and "influencers" giving away all the best "secret" spots have been a huge issue too. I used to be the only one out at High Rock Bay quite often.... last time I was there it was 75+ people. Hungarian Falls was the same, you might see a handful or people, but last time I went there were 50+ from all around the world.

SUCKS!
We have been camping in the Keweenaw since the late 80's and have seen it go down the shitter between the internet influencers, facebook overlanding groups, SXS, and mountain bikers and tourism in general. (Not bashing anyone really other than the promoters...) As you mentioned, it was pretty quiet out there near High Rock and some other favorite spots back in the day. No more secret spots that you had to just find on your own/explore, etc. It's all F'in mapped out, GPS'd, published and promoted on the internets, etc. It used to be our annual Labor Day Wkd go to, then we scheduled to mid-September to avoid the people, then mid-week, then late Sept/early Oct mid-week, now I just give up and deal with the people if we go. It's a special place up there and it's unfortunate that it is now so over-used. With that comes somebody getting hurt and things getting closed off, gated, controlled access, etc.

 

Wonder why Wingstop requires 2 factor authentication lol.

 

Hungarian Falls was the same, you might see a handful or people, but last time I went there were 50+ from all around the world.

Well that just makes me sad. That was always my favorite spot back in the day, did that hike many times including snowshoeing in the winter. Last time I was there was probably 12-13 years ago and I noticed way more signage and paths to get there, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it's a tourist trap now. We never made it there last summer when we intended to, I guess it's for the best so I can still picture it the way it used to be.

Mill Creek in Mackinac is KOA-ish. But if you book in plenty of advance you can get a nice roomy site, the full hook up side is kind of miserable and they are stacked on each other over there without any trees.

We stayed there 4 years ago and I agree. We had a decent sized site in a wooded area off the beaten path so it was fine, but all the bridge view sites looked absolutely godawful. Some of the water view ones around the curve further south looked pretty good though. I wouldn't want 80% of the sites they offer, but still a decent campground overall. I've only stayed there that one time but it'll always hold a special place in my heart. I have fond memories(and pictures) of finally getting my daughter down for a nap and having to continue to ride around for an hour with her on the bike trailer to keep her asleep. She passed away less than 10 months later.

 

When we were up there a week ago there were a ton of people up there. The bicyclists were OK, some were jerks. The side by sides were about 50/50. The typical Karens were running amok and everyone was tired of their shit. Calumet is pretty lively and cleaned up nicely, Hancock went to shit. Somehow, a lot of the oldtimers I used to know are still alive and it was nice to see them.

We quit going up there when I sold my house in 2008. Next time we were there was in 2015. Then not again until a week ago.

The whole dayoop changed but I'd have to say the Keweenaw changed the most. Other than a couple townies (notably Mark, he was the reason you locked your car doors because he'd go in there to sleep and piss himself), there were no homeless. All of our normal spots in Hancock had homeless people at them. Was really strange, it was like a hilly Ann Arbor.

Our favorite places north of the lift bridge have been ruined. It was pretty bad in 2015, but it's way worse now. Used to be the Mandan wasn't navigable with a minivan because it was a trail. Now it's not navigable with a minivan because of side-by-sides tearing up a nearly paved road. We got half way to high rock and turned around because we got tired of waiting for side by sides fucking around. A couple other spots I used to do a ton of wheeling at now have no camping signs and trash everywhere.

I didn't see another plated vehicle out on any trail. It was all side by sides and bicyclists, everywhere. I saw some dudes on some adventure bikes but they were on the road.

I did some quick looks in areas to see about buying some shit near Grand Marais or somewhere in the Keweenaw but nope. Better off buying in troll-land.

Not sure we'll plan to go back during the hundred days of summer again.

 

I got a free 7' back blade that someone wrapped around a tree, bent the blade and tore the mount apart.

I pulled the blade off, chained it to an i beam, and shoved a floorjack in the middle of it. After a little bit of force, I was able to get the blade straightened right back out. I left the mount on the tractor and strategically backed it into a tree a few times to get the plate bent back, and welded it right up.
This blade does the typical swivel that all back blades have, but also tilts side to side so you can set a grade or crown a driveway with it. From start to finish last night was about 3 hours. Very please with how it turned out.

You can see the 6" bow in the blade when I picked it up.

The mount is in the "straight" position for this pic, you can see how tore up the mount is based on the angle its at

Chained the blade to to an i beam and floor jacked it back straight. I ended up having to remove the cutting edge to straighten it on it's own, it took a lot more persuasion being 1" thick.

Made it within the factory specs for straightness from Woods

 

I have had to do some corrections to mine a few times when we play to hard, just keep patching and straightening it until it works.

looks like you got it pretty straight form the photos

RBB

 

I was thinking of taking a quick camping trip over Labor Day but now I don't want to lol

 

I was thinking of taking a quick camping trip over Labor Day but now I don't want to lol

For a few years we skipped it and had a pool party instead, but then one year we got major FOMO and booked it last minute. We've been going religiously ever since. We don't usually camp over 4th of July, usually right beforehand, but we always do Memorial and Labor Day weekends.

 

I'll chime in here with the camping stuff...camping is something I truly enjoy and have been doing it for many years on a regular basis. Some trips I take with my kids, also try to take at least one trip per year without the kids. I've stayed a MI state campgrounds from the southern LP to the ends of the UP. I like to tent camp and keep things as basic as I possibly can. Definitely seems like the last 5 or more years there's a lot more of the noisy campers, disrespectful humans, etc. Camping has become glamping or just a trailer park. I'm pretty much done trying to camp at any modern campground and these days stick to rustic campgrounds. Seems like people at the rustic campgrounds are more respectful. Little more space/privacy in the rustic loops. Still get the occasional a-hole and not afraid to confront them. Would love to just buy a piece of property some where on a lake or river and call that camp for the foreseeable future.

 

^^^^ Agreed!!! Only thing with property is now you have just one place. And if you start improving it, you have a second home (sorta) to take care of...

 

^^^^ Agreed!!! Only thing with property is now you have just one place. And if you start improving it, you have a second home (sorta) to take care of...

Agreed, being locked into just the one place is a downside. I do find myself just going to one or two campgrounds these days anyways. I think I'm transitioning into my "old man" phase

When I was a kid I always thought I'd have a cabin some where up north as a second home. Then I realized how much time/energy/resources it takes to just take care of my house I no longer wanted that cabin in the woods.

 

My 4runner engine I left in the rain for 3 months seems to be in good condition.

 

I'll chime in here with the camping stuff...camping is something I truly enjoy and have been doing it for many years on a regular basis. Some trips I take with my kids, also try to take at least one trip per year without the kids. I've stayed a MI state campgrounds from the southern LP to the ends of the UP. I like to tent camp and keep things as basic as I possibly can. Definitely seems like the last 5 or more years there's a lot more of the noisy campers, disrespectful humans, etc. Camping has become glamping or just a trailer park. I'm pretty much done trying to camp at any modern campground and these days stick to rustic campgrounds. Seems like people at the rustic campgrounds are more respectful. Little more space/privacy in the rustic loops. Still get the occasional a-hole and not afraid to confront them. Would love to just buy a piece of property some where on a lake or river and call that camp for the foreseeable future.

That would be the infamous "Covid campers". Took it up out of necessity and newly available free time being able to work remotely, but never picked up the campground etiquette, or in some cases just simply didn't care. Seems about half those people have moved on back to their cruise ships and Disney resorts, but still plenty of idiots left floating around. That, and just the general decline of society, common sense, and common courtesy.

 

My 4runner engine I left in the rain for 3 months seems to be in good condition.

That thing is going to Buggy !!!


RBB