Olympia Campground

Stayed here on and off for a summer, and spent a couple of winters here as full-timers. Nice enough setting for a weekend. The pool has been out of commission for years.

1. Due to poor drainage, most sites flood during heavy rains. Rain boots are a must.

2. The sewer/septic backs up on occassion, sometimes spewing from another sites pipes. The owners will clear it out eventually.

3. The combination of flooding and sewer issues mean you should keep your boots on. No walking barefoot.

4. They advertise 30A service, but the grid cannot handle it. Breakers flip often, especially in the colder months when campers are trying to stay warm. They urge campers to use their propane heaters and not use electricity. We were berated for using "close to 30A", because if too many neighbors are using electricity, youll have a blackout. Bigger rigs should be forewarned.

5. Laundry services are fair, but get an early start. Some of the tenants will bring wagons of laundry and take up all the washers and dryers.

6. The bathrooms and showers are okay. Plenty of hot water. Again, keep your shoes on. In the cold months smokers will smoke cigarettes in there, but I never saw anybody tweaking.

7. Several sites are taken by tenants who are on a monthly agreement, as we were for the winters. Most people are decent, but my recommendation would be to keep to yourselves. There's your standard mix of felons, gossipers, judgers, potheads, and a tweaker or two. There's even a "high-school" clique you don't want to get mixed up with. Another reason to have some boots due to the amount of b.s.

8. If you have a nice rig, people will assume you are rich. Keep your doors and basement locked when you are not around or sleeping. Things get stolen, including fuel.

9. Don't bother making any complaints to management. Whether about peeping Toms, black water spills, loose dogs, domestic violence, careless drivers, or the welfare of children, there are only a few responses. Laughter, denial, or accusations of being dramatic. Also, if they approach you about your complaint, their security staff will record you with a cell phone.

10. Most of the employees are tenants, and the rest are relatives. If there is an issue with an employee, such as rude treatment, they will side with the employee every time. The employee tenants seem to have a different set of rules at the campground. It's all good if you can accept that.

11. Security patrols at night and will deal with immediate concerns such as power outages. One of them arms himself with a handgun. If this bothers you, dont camp here. This never bothered us, but I doubt that this is a job requirement or accompanied with training and certification.