From time to time I’m going to feature guest blog posts here on BlogTheBeach.com. My friend Maria Ferraro is my first guest poster. I’ve been suggesting for a while how nice it would be if she would send me a story about one of her camping adventures with her significant other, Neil. Here’s a good one that illustrates how popular camping is in Florida and how the demand for campsites sometimes exceeds the supply:
Step One: Find a Campsite via the Internet
Neil and I try to go camping a few times a year. We decided that when we went in May 2008 it was too hot so we should try to go earlier this year. We kept talking about it but never got around to booking a campsite.
We started looking about a week before at Myakka River State Park and Hillsborough River State Park so we could try somewhere new that wouldn’t be too far to drive to on Friday after work. Both places were booked up solid, including weekdays and weekends for the next 2 weeks.
We were looking for the reservations on the ReserveAmerica.com website and you can see a range of dates that you are interested in, listing all campsites and if they are booked or available.
Step Two: Use a Good Florida Guide to Find a Campsite
I checked both Myakka and Hillsborough a few times but decided we had to move on because the weekend was getting closer. I have a camping book called Florida Camping by Marilyn Moore through Foghorn Outdoors so we turned there to find other new local campgrounds. Since we use our tent for camping we looked for other state parks/natural places.
Our search lead us to J. B. Starkey Wilderness Park in New Port Richey, E.G. Simmons in Ruskin, and Lithia Springs Park, Lithia. They all sounded beautiful and reservations were so low in cost ranging from $10-$12 per night. I called all 3 to see what was available.
Unfortunately all were only available on a walk up basis and did not accept reservations over the phone. This would have been fine but the camp offices would have all been closed by the time we got there on Friday evening, Jay B Starkey’s office closed at 4 p.m. Neil knew how much I wanted to go camping so he suggested that I see what Ft. Desoto County Park had available for the weekend.
Maria, Neil, and friends at their hard-won Fort Desoto Park campsite.
Third Step: Pick up the Phone and Dial
On Thursday, I checked ReserveAmerica.com to see and it all appeared to be booked up. I called Ft. Desoto to see if there were actually any campsites available. They said that they save 10% of their sites to give out on a walk up basis and that people start lining up at 6am on Friday morning. I decided if I want to go camping and not melt in the May weather I was going to wait in line the next day.
Fourth Step: Camp Out at the Camp Office to Get a Campsite
So Friday morning I got up and arrived at Ft. Desoto at 5:45 a.m. To my surprise there were quite a few people there already. I pulled into the easement across from the street from the camp office and put my name on the list. I got the slot #13 and with the original 10% figure, they said that would be approximately 25 sites. So without knowing if I would get a site, I got in line.
Fifth Step: Wait
After about an hour of waiting they let us into the park and brought out another group of people who were also waiting. This really freaked us out because we thought we were the only people waiting for the few sites available. This other group of people was campers who had been staying in the campground already but decided to stay longer and take a chance at getting a site for the weekend. For every 2 of us, they picked 1 of the other line and created a new line for us. With it being so early I had no idea what that turned my #13 into but now we were in a new line, continuing to wait.
The people I was waiting in line with, a Hillsborough county resident, and Canadian visitor, all stood together and passed the time by getting to know each other. We talked about other places we had gone camping and our families. It was lots of fun. Once it got closer to the camp office opening, the ranger came out and spoke to us. Finally we had some idea of what was to come.
He told us at if we are Pinellas residents we can book a campsite up to 7 months in advance and Hillsborough county residents can book upto 6 months in advance and shame on us for waiting until the last minute, but in a joking manner. He also said there were some cancellations so there would be a few more than the original 10% of campsites that we were promised.
S'mores on the grill. This is the point where you forget what a hassle it was to get the campsite, pack up the gear, and set up the tent.
Success!
In a few minutes they started allowing people into the camp office 2 at a time to choose their campsites. The wait continued, as we watched the sunrise and admired the sun shining through the trees and the birds chirping. Around 8am, I entered the camp office to choose my site. There were going to be 4 of us camping in 2 tents but would all fit on one campsite. He asked me to choose which site I wanted and just picked #21 at random. He booked it, I paid and I was home free.
As I left the office, I said goodbye to my new friends and looked at the line still remaining. I wondered how many of them would get campsites and how many wouldn’t. I think there were only around 10 sites left once I chose mine and there were definitely more than 10 people in line. The ranger told us initially that if we didn’t get a site while waiting in line, there would be a waiting list created. He also said that nobody was allowed to try to log into the ReserveAmerica.com website while we waited in line. It seemed funny but with technology now, you could have tried.
I called Neil and Dharma to let them know we got our site as I drove home. We were all excited and it was worth waiting the couple hours at the crack of dawn.
When we arrived at the campsite on Friday night we found out that the site I chose was only a couple down the row from the one we stayed at in October 2008. The funny thing about the whole campsite booking experience is that I was so excited to go camping, I never checked the weather. I ended up raining all night on Saturday night but dried up enough for us to pack up the stuff and go home.
Nevertheless, still a great trip.
About the author: Maria Ferraro is the owner of A Nelmar Creation. She creates beautiful books from your photos. Whether it is a graduation, a wedding, a vacation, or other special event or occasion, Maria can craft a beautiful photo book that you will cherish forever. They make wonderful gifts. She made one for me out of all the historical family photographs my father had collected over the years–some going back to the 1800’s. It was the best Christmas present I’ve ever been able to give him. He shows it to everyone. Maria also puts together wonderful slide shows and home movies.
