My grandchildren wanted me to take them camping at Caesar Creek, which is only about ten miles from their house. One of the big attractions for them was the lake and I know there have been some issues with water quality, so I called in advance to make sure everything would be good for the weekend.

The office was manned by a couple of mopey teenagers who didn't seem to understand the concept of customer service. The site pad was tiny (and I'm lousy at backing up my trailer), and sloped very severely. The sites were packed like sardines, and there was almost no shade. The buildings were old and poorly maintained, and what maintenance had been done was done sloppily.

We suffered through Friday night knowing that we'd have a fun Saturday at the beach. However when we got there we found a permanent sign saying the bacteria levels were too high for children. They couldn't have told me that when I called?!?!?!

I have been extremely disappointed with Ohio State Park campgrounds. They have been congested, poorly maintained, badly landscaped, and staying at one felt like I was set-up in the middle of a mall parking lot.

However, Dillon has been a completely different experience. The people in the office are very nice, the pad is almost perfectly level, the grounds are well kept, and the buildings (while a bit long in the tooth) are well maintained.

I haven't made it down to the lake yet, but so far I'm a happy camper.