One of the best parts about camping is eating in the open air. Enjoying a meal in the outdoors is something you rarely do in everyday life. I like to stop at roadside rest stops when I travel. The picnic tables there are usually nice and sometimes even cozy. City, county, state, private, you name it, they all provide free use of their tables.
For more than a two night stay I pitch my dining canopy over the picnic table. It’s to much work to put it up for one night. The table becomes my central area for activities in the campsite. It works out well to have a cover over the table. Some people eat their meals in their RV’s. I like the panoramic view from the picnic table.
I like eating my own food whenever I can. I think this sets me apart from most travelers. Everything is so accessible these days that people don’t use the tables at parks much. I have come to believe that most will stop at a gas station and get a snack before they will throw something in an ice chest to eat on the road. I sure they don’t take their food with them. When I throw my banana peel and tea bag in the trash can I’ll look inside. I mostly see pizza boxes and fast food bags and empty energy drink containers.
I usually have all the tables to choose from. Even the busy rest stops will have lots of cars but not to many people using the tables. A few people do but even then they won’t be fixing up a meal or a snack like me. I guess it all comes back to planning. Even without knowing where I’ll stop I will put “road food” at the top of the ice chest. Then I can stop anywhere to break bread.