Enthusiast II
Leave it better then you found it...
For the trails and campsites we use, that motto should be a given... Any of us who were Boy Scouts should have adopted that philosophy at an early age.
What about the towns and campgrounds we visit? Should we not try to leave them better then what we found them as well?
The little campground where I am this summer is a prime example. I found this gem last year... Two years ago BC...'before covid', we camped close to here but since 2020 the off-grid campground closed down and still hasn't re-opened, and yet the seclusion of this little town on the furthest tip on Manitoulin Island keeps drawing us back...mostly for the peace and quiet it offers.
So what? It's just a little town...a small campground... population 56...
I want to keep coming back here, I want the residents to keep welcoming us back..not just campers but Overlanders in general but what can I do? What can you do to make some place better?
I took a stand, I am willing to sacrifice a little time and a little money to make it happen. I have a unique skill.. I am a blacksmith, so this long weekend I packed my forge up and moved parts of it to town and am going to put forging demonstrations on, hopefully for 2 weeks.
In doing this I hope to highlight the town of Meldrum Bay, try to keep some of the travelers staying a day or two longer then what they would normally do. Maybe they will eat at the one and only restaurant, or stay at the Inn...or at the campground and Marina.
Maybe when the general store re-opens people will buy some souvenirs, or restock supplies. This pandemic has hurt many small businesses, so hopefully my small act will put a dent in some vacationers memory and they visit again next year.
Yes, any trails I use I treat well...any camp sites I leave better... But this town, the town that my wife and I have fallen in love with...well I hope we leave this town better, and hope that it's residents welcome not only us but everyone who visits back with open-arms.
For the trails and campsites we use, that motto should be a given... Any of us who were Boy Scouts should have adopted that philosophy at an early age.
What about the towns and campgrounds we visit? Should we not try to leave them better then what we found them as well?
The little campground where I am this summer is a prime example. I found this gem last year... Two years ago BC...'before covid', we camped close to here but since 2020 the off-grid campground closed down and still hasn't re-opened, and yet the seclusion of this little town on the furthest tip on Manitoulin Island keeps drawing us back...mostly for the peace and quiet it offers.
So what? It's just a little town...a small campground... population 56...
I want to keep coming back here, I want the residents to keep welcoming us back..not just campers but Overlanders in general but what can I do? What can you do to make some place better?
I took a stand, I am willing to sacrifice a little time and a little money to make it happen. I have a unique skill.. I am a blacksmith, so this long weekend I packed my forge up and moved parts of it to town and am going to put forging demonstrations on, hopefully for 2 weeks.
In doing this I hope to highlight the town of Meldrum Bay, try to keep some of the travelers staying a day or two longer then what they would normally do. Maybe they will eat at the one and only restaurant, or stay at the Inn...or at the campground and Marina.
Maybe when the general store re-opens people will buy some souvenirs, or restock supplies. This pandemic has hurt many small businesses, so hopefully my small act will put a dent in some vacationers memory and they visit again next year.
Yes, any trails I use I treat well...any camp sites I leave better... But this town, the town that my wife and I have fallen in love with...well I hope we leave this town better, and hope that it's residents welcome not only us but everyone who visits back with open-arms.
