sunset1123

I like to think of my bike as a kind of "carbon footprint loan" that I get to pay off. After all, the materials used to make it were made in factories running off of electricity coming from fossil fuels, it was put on a massive ship to cross the ocean to get here that runs on diesel (no idea the MPG on those things, but it's a 3,000 mile trip), and was then loaded onto trucks/trains (also diesel) to cross the county to make it to my LBS which is lit/air-conditioned with electricity coming from (once again) fossil fuels. When you consider that my family doesn't even own a car and we ride almost everyday, we may yet pay off our "carbon loans" eventually.

So I figure I've got a whole lot of riding to do in order to pay that back/make a difference. I remind other people of this occasionally when they get too "holy" about how environmentally friendly riding their bicycle is.

Ah well... I'm really not an activist. Just do my part and keep it simple, living on what I need. People get all bent out of shape in both directions. Best to step back and take a more objective look.

To the OP, I would say if you are going to be riding and camping, then a Tent-only site sounds perfect. Usually quieter and more secluded. Everyone else can find their own places to put their vehicles... you lean yours against a tree somewhere.

sm1960

I believe I would say no problem, and have them put it out of the way. I don't get what the big deal is.

maxine

Not sure how things are out in OP's neck of the woods, but around here, most state and national parks (I've never camped in a private outfit) allow one vehicle per individual campsite, maybe a few for a group campsite, with an "overflow" parking lot somewhere for any extra vehicles. I had assumed that one of OP's relatives wants to park a single car in his unused car spot, instead of in a more remote location. Not something that, under those particular circumstances, I'd probably get too fired up about (unless maybe my relative was going to engulf my site with a huge dual-axle, full-crew-cab, long-bed pick-up, or a giant Hummer, or something like that.)

Re: RVs and monster tents and generators and portable kitchens and the like . . . meh, I'm happy to see people at least mininally enjoying the outdoors, rather than being parked at the mall or wherever, but it's definitely not my thing. I always seek out "tent-only" sections of campgrounds, so that cuts down on a lot of that "McMansion-away-from-McMansion" effect.