By Chuck Woodbury
FOUNDER AND PUBLISHER
How can a tree or trees at your campsite be a friend or a foe? Let me count the ways:
FRIEND AND FOE: A tree is your friend on a hot summer day to shade you from the hot sun. On the other hand, a tree is not a friend on a cold winter day when it blocks the sun.
FOE: A tree, if it is a pine tree, can be a foe if its sap drops onto your RV or tow vehicle. You will regret parking under it when later you battle to remove the sticky stuff!
FRIEND: A tree or, better yet, trees, are your friend when they tower magnificently above you, providing a beautiful canopy to your campsite.
FOE: A tree is not your friend when it is the local squirrels’ favorite place to chew and then drop pine cones, acorns or fruit pits on your RV’s roof.
FOE: A tree is not a friend when a flock of birds settles on the tree above you to roost after you have settled into your campsite. The poop on your roof the next morning will be a lovely addition to your rig (not!).
FOE: A tree is not your friend when it towers above your RV on an extremely windy night. The thought of it toppling on you might make sleep a problem.
FRIEND: A tree is a very good friend indeed when it attracts visiting birds, providing entertainment to you as you marvel at their beauty and have fun trying to determine species you do not see back home.
FOE: A tree is not your friend in the fall, when its colorful leaves drop onto your roof, and then after a soaking rain stain it red, orange or yellow.
FRIEND: A tree overhead with a thick canopy could be your friend in a bad hailstorm.
FOE: Trees are not your friend when they block or otherwise interfere with reception of your electronic devices.
FRIEND AND FOE: A tree is an RVer’s friend when it is a fruit tree with ripe fruit that can be picked. Apple trees might be the most common. A tree is not your friend when it drops overripe fruit onto your roof. The impact can sound like a bomb, and the fruit can leave unpleasant stains if not quickly removed.
FOE: A tree is not your friend when a low branch punches a hole in your RV as you enter into your campsite. And a tree, even in death, can still be your foe when you bang into its stump while backing up.
FRIEND: One particular tree, the Redwood, will inspire you for its height (a few hundred feet), its age (as old as 2,000 years), its diameter (as wide as a house), and its beauty.
Now it’s your turn!
What can you add to this list? Please leave a comment.
BELOW: MORE TO READ FROM CHUCK:
- Mystery solved: Car won’t start with vanilla ice cream around
- Tour Las Vegas in the world’s only street-legal shopping cart
- Visit Stonehenge replica along Columbia River
- Amazing inflatable motorhome is too cool to fathom!
RVT1223
I love and loathe trees. Loathe because I’ve seen what damage a tree can do – they’re heavy! In fact we had to have an entire wall replaced on our RV because a tree branch swung down and whacked a ladder punching a hole in the wall.
We also camp without hookups a lot so trees block solar and trees also interfere with Starlink.
But I do enjoy breathing clean air and trees are pretty, just not in campgrounds.
Thanks for “branching out” in this article, Chuck!!
FOE: A tree, if it is a cottonwood tree, can be a foe if its cotton seed fluff drops onto your RV, tow vehicle or campsite. You will regret parking anywhere around it when later you battle to remove the cotton fluff!
….to say nothing about cleaning it out of your radiator and AC evaporator coils! An air compressor is a big help if it puts out enuf air volume and pressure.
Love the smell of evergreens!
Hi, Herman. That reminds me of a huge cedar tree (about 300 years old) in my back yard. Some of the branches hang down on the ground. I told my folks many years ago that there’s nothing like the smell of fresh-mowed cedar.🤣 (It’s true!) Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
A friend when it blocks the view and softens the noise of the loud neighbors in the campground.
A foe when it hinders my already less-than-good skills backing into a camping spot.
Trees have no downside for me. I kinda like the oxygen they provide.
Thank you the listing, Chuck!
Foe: When it prevents getting into a campsite because of placements coupled with the angle, dimensions, and placement of the site.
Foe: When it inhibits driving the campground road to your assigned site, or leaving your assigned site.
Friend: When all campground traffic must drive at or below the posted speed in order to safely pass by the tree.
Foe: When the tree is dropping its fruit/nuts onto the RV’s roof and the resulting small explosion sounds terrorize the travel pets.
Have a great week and safe travels!