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Lorry, I have heard of the game called Life. Have you heard of the breakfast cereal called Life?
Do you remember Mikey?

P wrote:The way I view it is they are complimentary and included in the price. Its only thrown away afterwards and I consider it an efficient method of recycling. Hotels are wising up to this though and screwing refillable dispensers on the wall. Even so we rarely need to buy soap. Shampoo seems not to last so long but dont blame me!!!!

It's the same with meals. Doggy bags don't exist over here but I can eat quite a lot when it's self service, and I always ask for honey when it isn't . Now you see why I put on so much weight when we're away. It's surprising how long that extra weight lasts when we get back!

Sounds to me like you better stay home more often!!

Why do I always forget a question?

My scales agree. Are they right?

P wrote:My scales agree. Are they right?

Well, is this weighing heavy on your mind?

Where do you think my mind resides????

Sounds to me like we all need to go camping.. bring your mini soaps and mini shampoos. Don't forget your marshmallows.

........ portable generators, tv's, and pc's?

Wouldn't that be just like being at home instead of camping?

We call it glamping here. I much prefer a warm hotel though, one with a decent bar.

Don't you like nature, P?

Isn't that where they take off all their clothes, or have I got that wrong?

Don't you even know what nature is? lol
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That is beautiful!!

It's fine in its place. I love my garden, or doesn't that count as nature?

Well... is your garden outside, with bugs and all that good stuff?

Loads of bugs! Is that good?

Aren't bugs a part of nature? lol

There are good bugs and bad bugs; is nature in balance if there are enough good bugs around to eat the bad bugs?

Does the same apply to society?

(Which prompts me to ask one of my rare questions on YA. How long before it gets moved or taken down????)

Breezey Breezey wrote:Don't you even know what nature is? lol
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That is beautiful!!

It is beautiful in the picture Breezey.. but you should see it in real life. It is MAGNIFICENT. We have been there many times and this is the kind of place we camp. The place we usually go to is Stevensons Falls which is also in the Otway Ranges. It is free camping with provision to have camp fires when the weather is suitable. We live 25 minutes from there.

You have free camping there?

We sure do Tater.. Heaps of places all over Australia. Some really beautiful places around where we live. Don't you have designated free camping places?

We have state parks and National Parks, as well as National forests, where camping costs a lot less than at private campgrounds, but I don't know of any that are free. There may be wilderness areas where camping is free, but they are mostly out west, so I'm not really familiar with them. But in wilderness areas, you are not at all likely to have running water or electric, or even any personnel available for assistance or emergencies.

Wot!!! No wifi?

No wifi, unless you count smoke signals.

Have you ever just done a search for free camping? Seems Wisconsin has that.... if I am correct?
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Mostly pay.

P wrote:Wot!!! No wifi?

Who needs internet or wifi? I always looked forward to no television, internet or phone.... why is that so horrible to think about? lol

So by that same token, no baths, toilets, or, especially this time of year, no heating? Your in there with the bears?

Do you go camping when it's cold outside? lol 
( I use to live in an area where bears were the normal, had an outhouse and loved it!)

Nope! Do you suppose I go camping when it's hot?

(Over here you need planning permission for a camp site, theres something like a 90day period before the council can shut you down though. Guess how long many of the temporary sites are open for in the Summer? Though in those 90days you cant swing a cat they're so crowded!)

When is a good time to go camping? Maybe we camp for different reasons and different seasons? lol

Camping here in Aus.. the only bears we have are koala bears and they wouldn't hurt you. They don't attack you. There are many free camping places that will have a tank for water next to the drop toilets.. not always for drinking purposes. Everyone takes their own water for drinking. There are no showers or electricity but many people have solar panels and a battery system and torches. And for a shower people take a portable tent shower or bathe in the river. Many small towns will have a designated free camping area because it helps their economy. Any time of the year is a good time to camp... Personally i am not mad on it during Winter.. but many do. Once it gets below 10 d celcius, it's off my fun list. That is when we would go to a caravan park and have a powered site for heating. In many locations you can still get internet and mobile service, so you are not cut off from services for emergencies. Except when you are deep in the bush.. Service is non existent or very limited. They are the best places... where the kookaburras can be best heard laughing at you... and the rivers are crystal clear with loads of fishing to be had.. and camp fires on cold frosty mornings and well into the evenings... the sun rising in the mountain tops and sending rays of sunshine across the unspoiled valleys of massive gum trees that glisten with the morning dew and wave gently in the days breeze.. all with family and friends laughing back at the kookaburras.. and each other while relaxing in the great outdoors of Australia (-:

I should add.. There are also many places that will have showers and flushing toilets.. and even some with electricity for a donation of $2 - $5 a night... for those that need the comforts of modern living... lol
but really.. it is amazing how little you really need and camping in the bush shows you just how self reliant you can be. Love it.

Breezey, it looks like camping in Wisconsin state parks is not free.

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Also, it seems that most of the campsites listed on the "free camping" website actually charge for camping; apparently their definition of free is not the same as ours.

I looked at your link and am wondering if the list in yours is for more popular areas... I'll have to actually dig a little deeper, maybe even call on a few that have interested me.  From what I see, all the ones listed in your link are main ones... and may be overcrowded anyway.

That list is for all Wisconsin State parks. There are 3 different base rates, depending on "demand, amenitites, uniqueness, location and more"; either $16, $18, or $20 per night. Which is still a lot less than the average hotel or motel room, don't ya think?

Is all camping only at state parks?  Now I really need to do my homework, don't I?

No, not all camping, just the places on the list that I posted.

What places have you camped.. whether for free or for a fee?

I have camped on the shore of Lake Ontario in New York State, across the lake from Toronto (about 5 miles from Niagara Falls), on an island in the Delaware River (the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey; in Amish country in PA, in the Pocono Mountains, also in PA, near the New Jersey Shore (a couple of miles from the Atlantic), as well as several other places as a kid with my family; in my backyard, and on a family friend's farm. The last 2 were the only free places. The farm had a spring bubbling up from the ground for fresh water, and a creek with a swimming hole surrounded by woods.

I haven't done much camping... not one for crowded tourist spots or camping areas that you pay to be crowded into.
Like Tater said...the backyard is free. lol

I do remember one time of camping that I really enjoyed. It was a quiet spot and I was pretty much left alone for a weekend. Made friends with a chipmunk. That was SO long ago that I have no idea where it was or if it even costed any money.

The important question is, have you kept in touch with the chipmunk?

Isn't there anywhere over there that you can camp for free besides your back yard? We very rarely camp where we have to pay a fee. And the places are mostly never overcrowded except at Christmas, New Year and Easter. Not that there is anything wrong with camping in your back yard.. (-:

Tater Salad wrote:The important question is, have you kept in touch with the chipmunk?

Oh my goodness! It's been a while! Should I send a post card?

lorry p wrote:Isn't there anywhere over there that you can camp for free besides your back yard? We very rarely camp where we have to pay a fee. And the places are mostly never overcrowded except at Christmas, New Year and Easter. Not that there is anything wrong with camping in your back yard.. (-:

How long are you willing to wait for a totally accurate answer?

I am a very patient person.. lol... Forever, if that is what it takes.

I believe I already answered your question in this thread, Lorry. There are a few places you can camp for free here, but except for private land where you get permission from the owner, we are limited mainly to federally owned wilderness areas, which are remote areas where access is difficult (you may have to hike for miles just to get there), there are no amenities whatsoever, and in case of emergency, you are on your own.

This says free and cheap camping...
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"...it is amazing how little you really need and camping in the bush shows you just how self reliant you can be."

I don't mind roughing it once in a while, but I would prefer having running water within a reasonable distance for cooking and washing, etc.

And I found out the hard way that now that I'm not a spring chicken (rooster?) anymore, one thing I wouldn't go camping without is a pillow.
Is that too much to ask?

I am no spring chook either... lol.. and need my pillow. Camping doesn't need to be "too" roughing it...

Mind you, I don't need an air mattress (although that would be nice), but my head is too hard to rest on solid ground, know what I mean?