To the park?

[DocBear]

We're fortunate enough to live pretty close to Lake Michigan and a rather nice adjoining park. There are always Farmer's Markets, Festivals and events going on down there, plus we just like going down for the afternoon and spending the day on the shore.

Have any of you taken your AS out as a day long "basecamp" option? Do you have difficulties in setting things up? Are there broad restrictions on such things I should know about? (Milwaukee does not seem to have a problem with the idea, we see trailers all the time parked along the lake, but I know how much it can cheese-off other drivers when you take up 3-4 spots.)

Any feedback would be welcome.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by DocBear

We're fortunate enough to live pretty close to Lake Michigan and a rather nice adjoining park. There are always Farmer's Markets, Festivals and events going on down there, plus we just like going down for the afternoon and spending the day on the shore.

Have any of you taken your AS out as a day long "basecamp" option? Do you have difficulties in setting things up? Are there broad restrictions on such things I should know about? (Milwaukee does not seem to have a problem with the idea, we see trailers all the time parked along the lake, but I know how much it can cheese-off other drivers when you take up 3-4 spots.)

Any feedback would be welcome.

I would try to park at an angle, so as to keep the parking spot occupation (and the cheesing off ) to a minimum.
As long as there are no "NO RV PARKING" signs around, you stand a good chance of not geting into trouble.

[Chaplain Kent]

Welcome to the forums.
We have checked into taking Chummy to the fireworks on the 3rd of July at the lakefront in Milwaukee and were told we needed a permit. We do use Chummy for day trips around the city and a favorite trip is to take a load of kids to see the Christmas decorations at Candy Cane Lane. I do not think it is any different than when we are travelling to other cities and visiting their points of interest. Milwaukee does have an advantage in that it is so easy to drive around in and the traffic is relatively light.

[uwe]

Originally Posted by DocBear

Have any of you taken your AS out as a day long "basecamp" option? Do you have difficulties in setting things up? Are there broad restrictions on such things I should know about? (Milwaukee does not seem to have a problem with the idea, we see trailers all the time parked along the lake, but I know how much it can cheese-off other drivers when you take up 3-4 spots.) Any feedback would be welcome.

Airstreams make great base camps. We used to take ours to the beach for the day. It is nice to have a refrigerator and a place to clean up other than the public restrooms...yuk. Bringing lunch is typically healthier than eating fast food. Having the fridge to safely store the food for a family bbq by the beach is nice, too. It's also a nice place to change clothes, and put on lotion, or get out of the sun for a while, in my case.
Setting up depends on how you want to use the trailer. If you're running the fridge or use the plumbing, then it should be levelled. Not always easy on parking lots or streets. I used to turn on my fridge on electric to cool it down the night before, then switch to gas when we're taking off.
Other than that, it depends on where you go and what teh infrastructure is like. I would never take my Overlander to a crowded beach with difficult parking. However, our state beaches and parks usually have large parking lots, where it is easy to park the rig out of the way of impatient visitors that need front row everything.

[DocBear]

Originally Posted by Chaplain Kent

Welcome to the forums.
We have checked into taking Chummy to the fireworks on the 3rd of July at the lakefront in Milwaukee and were told we needed a permit.

Do you recall who you contacted? It would be a big help!

Thanks for the feedback, all!