The Five People You Meet in Campgrounds

We do meet some fascinating people on our trip. Some we give a wide berth to, and others we think about for a long time afterwards. Sometimes, both. I can still picture the war-injured Vietnam vet who is traveling across the country photographing our national forests. There was the tiny man who was tending many pots of petunias, pink and purple, outside his RV. A couple traveling with their pet had him tied to the picnic table, but he liked to climb on top. It was a goat! I especially liked the crusty old guy who used a chain saw to get his firewood just right; later I saw him playing chess with another weathered veteran camper. Perhaps my favorite was the music fan who not only played opera at full-blast, but sang it at the top of his lungs for all the campground to enjoy(?). I really liked the Mississippi shrimp boat captain, who, while not a camper, taught us more than we ever thought we'd know about commercial fishing on the Gulf coast. I feel that I lead a very sanitized life compared to many of these eccentric, interesting people. But it is one of the best parts of a trip like this, learning how wildly different this country and the people who call it home are.