Is the Camping "Family" dying off?

[JimM68]

I wave.

When I'm riding my honda ( a restored stock 1974 CB750k) I wave at all on a motorcycle. Many harley riders (tractor with 2 missing tires...) are too good to wave back, most others do. I don't care, I wave anyway,

Jeep... all jeepers wave, period.

vette... before I sold it, yup, we all wave.

'68 Camaro convertible... when I'm driving this I wave at all musclecars, and they all wave back. So do most young women, all boys, many people mowing their lawns... the camaro gets a lot of attention.

Motorhome... I wave at all RVers. Often i cannot tell if they wave back due to windshield glare, etc. But I always wave.

passing and such... I always give the ICC switch a double-tap, even though I have to lean way forward to reach it (who ever monaco hired to do cockpit ergonomics should simply be shot...)

[Rmiscoord]

I see lots of families in smaller Park Service, Forest Service, and State Park camp grounds and on the hiking trails. Here in the Pacific Northwest, all ages go hiking and camping.
As to waving, one problem is that there are so many Jeeps, RV's, etc around now that often I just miss them. I always wave in my Jeep but with so many around my area I know miss some which may leave bad taste with some. I rarely get a wave from RVs, interstates are soooo large that even without glare I can hardly see the driver - thus the habit does not get reinforced. I think many just give up with no recognition.
I always light blink with or without recognition unless they are blowing past me with no intention to pull over
So yes culture is changing but so are lots of other things, numbers, distance, traffic, newbies. So maybe we all need to try just a bit harder to bring back smiles

[MickBrennan]

Originally Posted by Chuck 1935

I always wave. It makes me feel good. As far as Over the road truckers go, they are a whole new breed these days. If you go into a truck stop for fuel and go inside to pay. It looks like National Geographic. Most of the drivers have more wool on them than a sheep ranch. When they talk it sounds like they are trying to cough up a hair ball. It's a New World out there my friends.
However, I'm holding up my end with the waving and good buddying on the CB I'm still hanging on to the old. So if you see a maniac hauling down the Highway waving like a madman you can find me on CH 19, just call out for the Groundpounder. I'll give you a howdy and wave.
__________________
NOTE; I am not responsible for typos, poor grammer or misspelled word !
04 Itasca, Meridian 34H, 330 Cat/2003 CR V Toad
1933 Ford 3 Window,as seen in Bye Bye Birdie
Pvt. E1 Retired, Shadow Hills,Ca.

Chuck, you are killing me with this. So funny!
Is it Kelsey Grammer or Tracy Grammer?

[Lincolnboy2]

Originally Posted by anjsupply

I've camped for many years and I recall as a kid, that when we passed another camper on the road, they ALWAYS waved. When I first married and my new wife & I only had a tent strapped to the top of our car, even the largest Class A's waved at us. We now camp in a tent with our son in Boyscouts, a pop-up with our grandson in Cubscouts and a Tiffin Class A as a family. NO ONE out-on-the-road ever waves anymore unless it's someone we know! Have times changed so much or is this something we can resurrect together?

I think it is a symptom of the current electronic isolationism that is flourishing. Email/texting/gaming/computers/internet/wifi/etc. have allowed us as a society to be able to step back from face to face or voice to voice communications. This in turn leads us to de-humanize many things in our individual respective 'bubbles'.

When I was younger, growing up in SW Ks., everyone waved at everyone on the roads, in town, etc. Even traveling to Colorado, same thing, mostly farmers and local folks, always waving. I go back to Ks today, and many people no longer wave at all. It is this way everywhere I believe. I think it is a symptom of our ability to withdraw from human interaction, but we don't recognize it. Its been a slow and long withdrawal, say over the past five years or so.

Ever notice close life long friends or family not being so close feeling anymore? Kind of like deaf ears? The slow withdrawal into our respective (I say our, because I too am guilty of this) 'bubbles' seems to be going further out than just people we know, it seems to be our society almost. In talking to others of this, they feel the same thing. Maybe not for the same reasons, but certainly a withdrawal of caring, empathy, compassion, and just basic humanism, if you will.

Maybe its just that we are an individual driven society and I am just overly sensitive. Maybe I'm just gettin old. Whatever it is, it is a definite, tangible thing I've come to realize the past couple of years though.

So that's what I think is a symptom of what you are talking about, no waving, no human interaction where there used to be. We have to battle it and go out of our bubbles to say hello, wave if we can, let others know we do care, and we do exist outside our own little bubbled world.

I already have to battle a weak version of fear of leaving my 'safe zone' if you will (agoraphobia, but not quite). Thank the Lord my motorhome is in my bubbled world, because it fights that by allowing my safe zone to travel, see others, and take a version of my 'safe zone' which includes my babies, with me.

And now I'll close with this:

[Lincolnboy2]

Originally Posted by dogpatch

From a different thread:

Hi my name is Les. I stand before you and say "I am a waver". In fact I'm already on the 12 step program for waving. It all started as a child waving at all the truckers and people my dad passed on the road. Then it graduated to waving at girls. I think this was when it started to get out of control and I recognized I had a bit of a problem. I waved at other bikers when I had a bike however many bikers didn't wave back and I started to get a complex. Once I got a boat, then it seemed like I waved more. My wife often told me she thought I was a bit obsessed.
Once we got the RV though, I found myself almost waving at everyone and everything.

If it moved, I waved at it.

I would be careful though If my wife was watching, I would try to sneak a wave in whenever I could so as not to raise any alarm.
She could tell when I had been waving heavily by the perspiration marks on my shirt when she did my laundry. I found her starting to watch me when I flinched to see if I was going to wave. She said she thought I needed help. I had now become a closet waver. Waving discreetly while wearing disguises. That is till my wife caught me and said "Either it's me or the waving, you make the choice" so, being the smart man, I picked her. That was 4 years ago now. After being in the program, I have a lot better control over my waving. I just wave at RVers now. Other vehicles will pass and My wife will look over at me and we smile at each other knowing I pretty much got this licked.

: laugh:


Wonderful! Love it!!

[TAZ]

Originally Posted by Bigthee

I live in northern va and our fellow jeeps wave all the time. Keep doing it and be positive and it will come.

Same here. We have probably waved at each other.

[ARTWERKE]

I still see lots of campers,some in tents,us sometimes, some in TT & other Rv's When waving, it's hard to tell across 30' of median. Lots of us still wave here in Texas, lots use the Texas finger wave , Not that one! I mean lifting your index finger off the top of the steering wheel. Usually only noticeable on 2 lane rds.

[Theberrys]

Originally Posted by baraff

Us British sportscar owners ALWAYS wave at each other when we pass. More of a "you're just as crazy as I am" kind of wave.

Dick

[Meandering Retiree]

I wave on two lane roads to other campers and as a Mini Cooper driver, I always wave to other Minis. I will flash my lights at the truckers, but I also watch their mirrors to see when they are checking the distance. Most will flash and thank me if they see my lights. I also thank truckers for signalling me that I can return to the slow lane. I am sure that truckers have flashed their lights at me and I have missed it as I am concentrating on the traffic around me, but I will often flash my lights to thank them even if they do not flash to help me return back to the slow lane.

[Chuck 1935]

Originally Posted by Meandering Retiree

I wave on two lane roads to other campers and as a Mini Cooper driver, I always wave to other Minis. I will flash my lights at the truckers, but I also watch their mirrors to see when they are checking the distance. Most will flash and thank me if they see my lights. I also thank truckers for signalling me that I can return to the slow lane. I am sure that truckers have flashed their lights at me and I have missed it as I am concentrating on the traffic around me, but I will often flash my lights to thank them even if they do not flash to help me return back to the slow lane.

And don't forget to flash your lights to warn the oncoming truckers of a Smokey up ahead.

[Gadget63]

recently in a few states people have been issued summonses for improper use of headlights for warning oncoming motorists of speed traps and "smokeys" ahead. As I understand it, so far in Florida the summonses have been thrown out on the basis that the motorist was exercising their right to free speech. The judge stated that if the intent of law enforcement was to promote driver safety then the "offending motorists" were doing their part in warning oncoming drivers to slow down to a safe speed. If the intent of law enforcement was to just generate extra income for the municipality, then that constitutes a speed trap which is illegal. So be aware that you may get a summons for warning people of smokeys, but that doesn't stop me from doing it and using my C.B. radio to tell drivers to slow down.

[baraff]

Originally Posted by Gadget63

recently in a few states people have been issued summonses for improper use of headlights for warning oncoming motorists of speed traps and "smokeys" ahead. As I understand it, so far in Florida the summonses have been thrown out on the basis that the motorist was exercising their right to free speech. The judge stated that if the intent of law enforcement was to promote driver safety then the "offending motorists" were doing their part in warning oncoming drivers to slow down to a safe speed. If the intent of law enforcement was to just generate extra income for the municipality, then that constitutes a speed trap which is illegal. So be aware that you may get a summons for warning people of smokeys, but that doesn't stop me from doing it and using my C.B. radio to tell drivers to slow down.