An ANN Guide For First Time OSH Campers

by ANN Correspondent Mark Sletten

Thinking of camping at Oshkosh for AirVenture? Me too! In fact, I'm camping at OSH for AirVenture '06. How did that happen you ask? Well, it's a long story, but suffice it to say I opened my big mouth again. You'd think I'd learned better in basic military training...

When I was offered the chance to be an Aero-News Network stringer this year, naturally I leapt at it, figuratively speaking, of course. Rarely do I, in fact, actually leap anymore, but I digress.

The call went out for story ideas and I suggested that AirVenture from a camper's point of view might be fun. "Good idea, we'll even pay you to drive your camper up there," was the response. Echoes of the childhood refrain, "suuuuckerrrrr" reverberated through my brain as I realized my mistake.

Actually, I like to camp, and we just bought a nice slide-in camper that fits perfectly in our pickup, so this wouldn't be such a hardship. Unless it rains, or is really hot, or there're lots of bugs, or my camping neighbors like to party late or… stop being so negative, you're at Oshkosh for Pete's sake!

But, there are lots of benefits too:

1. You can be at the show as early as you like. (Translation: you'll hear the first engine start of the day, whether you're awake or not.)
2. You can cook in your room. (Translation: You get to do the dishes.)
3. You get to BBQ every night. (Translation: You learn a lot about fire safety.)
4. You don't have to deal with traffic or parking. (Translation: Buy good walking shoes.)
5. It's cheap. (Translation: You have to walk on grass and/or gravel to get to the shower.)

I'm really getting myself psyched for this!

So I packed up on Thursday and hit the road on Friday morning. The truck's humming along, the weather's great, I've got a good cup of coffee, someone else is paying for the fuel (thank God, three bucks a gallon, gulp) and my XM radio's cranking out the best of the 70's -- we're off like a herd of turtles! I drive from the St. Louis area up through Rockford and Madison, then Fond du Lac and... finally... Oshkosh!

The drive took only eight hours, no sweat.

The first thing you'll do on arrival is proceed to the registration gate. There you'll pay for every day from your arrival date through the end of the show. If you want to leave early you can get a refund, but you'll have to pay for at least three days. You can pay for as many 20 ft by 30 ft spots as you want, at $18 per day per spot.

Obviously, far cheaper than any hotel room you'll find within walking distance of the show!

You'll get a sticker to put in your vehicle's window so you can get in and out of the campgrounds. You'll also get a sticker for your camper, presumably so they'll know you registered. You'll also get a locator card on which you can identify your camping spot allowing anyone that's interested to find you -- so blow that part off if you happen to be on the 10 most wanted list.

There are no water or electric hookups for your camper -- more on this later. If you have a water tank to fill you'll need to drive around to the other end of the camp to the dump station. Be careful which hoses you use, some are only for cleaning and shouldn't be used for drinking water. This seems like a really important point to keep in mind.

Once you've paid, gotten your pass and watered your camper, it's time to find a spot. The first thing you'll notice about Camp Scholler is it's big, I mean really BIG! EAA expects 40,000+ campers this year; Camp Scholler has never been completely filled -- it's THAT big.

My priorities in searching for a spot were: near a shower, near an entrance and not in a low spot (in case we get one of those gully-washer type storms OSH is famous for). I suggest you (unlike me) take a good look at the map before you set out on your campsite hunt. You can get lost in there, ask me how I know.
Camp Scholler has a couple of special areas. Ordinarily, you can't run a generator between 10:30pm and 6:30am. If you have a medical requirement for electricity there is an area set aside for 24 hour generator use. There is also a separate area for pet owners, although pets aren't allowed on AirVenture grounds.

If you don't get there early (a month early in some cases) you probably won't find a spot that satisfies any of the above mentioned priorities. As you drive around, you'll notice that many spots seem to be "reserved" even though sites are supposed to be first come first served. Apparently it's legal to pay your money (every day from the day you pay until the end of the show), find a spot, mark it -- stakes and ropes seem to be the most popular - therefore "holding" a spot until you are able to park some sort of shelter on it.

And don't think you can just move any rope and stakes that happen to be inconveniently located for you; some of these folks guard their spots like prospectors guarding their claims, with shovels and pick axes (just kidding... about the pick axes).

Luckily, I arrived on the Friday night before the show, so I was able to find a good location meeting my three priorities.

So I finally got parked and had the camp set up by 8:30pm -- just in time for dinner! I BBQ'd a couple of bratwurst (hey, I'm in Wisconson), and opened a bottle of Cabernet. Hey, one has to keep one's humanity, even in the boonies. Besides, you'd be surprised how well Cabernet goes with bratwurst... especially if you drink (most of) the Cabernet while the brats are cooking!

After dinner, it was time for a shower before bed. The shower facilities are fairly nice, but apparently some jugheads in the past have left the water running, so none of the taps (including the showers) will run without a hand holding it open. It makes taking a shower an interesting little logic puzzle -- I can spray here while I rub with this hand, then switch hands to spray there -- you get the picture.

Getting ready for bed, I started to set up the coffee maker so it would be ready for the morning. Then it hit me, NO ELECTRICITY! That means, the horror, NO COFFEE! AHHHHHHH!

Did I mention how much I love camping?

FMI: www.airventure.org