Newbie Questions

[mjcaler]

I camped at FW as a child, but April 2009 will be my first time camping there as an adult, and my husband's first camping trip at the Fort. We have a Fleetwood pop-up camper. I'm wondering if there is a place to wash dishes at the comfort stations? Also, we are curious about the soil at the campsite. Is it possible to drive standard stakes (for our camper's awning) into the soil or is it too sandy? Thanks for the pointers!

 

[AuburnJen92]

There is not a place at the comfort station to wash dishes. My suggestion would be to purchase a fresh water hose and keep it with the pop up. Depending on what site you are in, there can be one or two spigots on your site. If you have sewer, there will be two. DON'T use the green hose to wash out your dishes (no matter what Stacktester says ) If you are on partial hookup, you should have a water spigot to hook up to and that would be the one to wash your dishes with. I would also have a bucket or two handy as well.

You won't have a problem with your stakes either. They have coquina sand there, which is crushed shells mixed with sand (which is finely crushed shells anyway). You will be able to stake down your awning just fine.

We started with a pop-up and loved it. Before you know it, you will have the camping bug. There is no cure.

 

[LONE-STAR]

No cure

 

[Escape Artist]

We also have a Fleetwood popup. I think it's more convenient to wash dishes in the pup than to try to take them down to the comfort station. At the comfort station, there's no dedicated dishwashing area, and the regular sinks are small and have no counter space.

In the pup, I have control over the hot vs. cold water mix. I keep a couple of plastic dishpans in there to put the dishes in as we get them dirty, and a strainer/drainer/thingee(?) to put them in after they're washed. (The strainer nests inside the dishpans for storage under my stove.) I only wash dishes once a day and let them air dry in the strainer thing on top of the stove with a folded up towel underneath to catch the drips. After all, I'm on vacation, too!

I applaud people washing their own reusable dishes instead of just buying "disposable" stuff to throw into the garbage stream after one use. And if you don't have a good-sized grey-water tank to catch the water coming out of your sink, you might want to get one. It makes it so you don't have to dump your gray-water nearly as often if you're in a water and electric only site. Ours has wheels and hooks onto our trailer hitch to drag it behind the van to a dumpsite! Of course, you don't need all that if you're in a full hookup site and can just send it down the sewer.

Have a great trip!

Sue in Texas

 

[kmurawski]

We use the outdoor shower.

 

[mjcaler]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will definitely plan to do my dishes at the campsite, and I LOVE the idea of using the outdoor shower! I hadn't thought of that. Thank you.