Urban Campgrounds

No pictures today.  Just a memory from camping this summer in Wisconsin.

There is a community living both in and at the edges of the campground that is not visible to most of us.  They travel back and forth to the campgrounds that charge about $30/night for a campsite and permit stays of up to two weeks.  There is one particular family that has been in a neighboring site at two of the campgrounds that we have stayed at.  

It started off with what we thought was a mom and dad and three kids from ages 3 to 8.  "Dad" yelled a lot. The kids, especially the older boy, were out of control.  We suspected some abuse was going on, but never directly observed any so couldn't  report it.  I consulted with a couple of government officials who I talked to at unrelated events,and was told that no one was going to do anything. The family lived in two tents and a screen house. 

There was garbage all over the site:  dirty dishes, dirty diapers, beer cans, half empty food containers.  They stayed up late and slept in late.  During days when temps were in the 90's with high humidity, they disappeared in the late model car.  When their reservation ended, and it was time to move to the next campground, the "dad" rented a U-Haul van, had the kids throw all of their gear and belongings into the back, and moved to the next campground.  We saw this happen three times in two different campgrounds.  The campground hosts seemed to largely ignore what was going on.  I don't know how the family was supporting themselves;  no one seemed to be working.  The "parents" appeared able-bodied.  

Eventually, we didn't see "dad" anymore. It was just mom, and she let the kids run wild while she hung out with the people below.

These were the druggies.  Single guys with beat rv's hanging around all day.  Cars  pulled over , banging on the doors, and exchanges made. Spongebob on the big tv  visible through the camper's windows. Partying late into the night, sleeping late into the day.  Taking the sites just beyond the sight of the camp host.

Finally, there were the cars parked outside the campground but within the park.  During the day, they moved around a lot.  There were three or four regulars.  Sometimes we saw them parked at the truck stop.  Generally, they found a spot overnight in the park around sunset and were moved to a new spot by dawn.  I don't know how they sustained themselves, mostly men but a a couple of women.  Technically, no overnight parking is allowed in the park, but resources are spread thin, so I don't think anyone is checking this summer. And they weren't causing any trouble.  In fact, they were largely invisible.