We went camping this past weekend in a national forest service park campground. The first few nights were pretty quiet--the campground was mostly empty; obviously the gas prices are pretty prohibitive for a lot of people. But the last night people started to roll in, and by the middle of the night (like, 2 a.m.), the campground had filled up. And I developed some rules for staying in a public campground:

1. If you are going to come in really late (like, after midnight), consider changing your travel plans and possibly staying in a motel the first night. It's pretty much impossible to set up camp quietly.

2. If your dog barks at other dogs, unfamiliar people, strange noises, birds, trees, leaves, dirt, etc., leave the poor thing at home. You won't have to shush it the whole time and your camp neighbors will thank you.

3. If you are musically inclined, have a large stereo, or are a hippie, think twice about serenading your fellow campers. Despite your talents, you may be surprised to learn that not all your neighbors really want to hear your version of "Brown-Eyed Girl".

4. While some small children enjoy camping, you may consider the impact they'll have on the campground before taking the family on that trip. Do your children have any kind of volume control? Are they likely to barrel through other campsites while trying to catch fireflies? Do they like to poke their heads under the doors of restroom stalls even in the filthiest campground conditions? Take the kids to a motel and go to Disney Land instead. At least in a motel there are walls between your children and your neighbors. In a campground, all your neighbors have for protection is their nylon tent. Save the camping trip for when they have a little more self-control.

5. Don't be an early riser. Even if you normally get up at 5:30 a.m., try to sleep in. If you simply can't sleep any longer, bring a book to read, and don't start shuffling around your campsite until your neighbors begin to stir. If you absolutely need to get up early because you have a schedule to keep, pack up what needs to be packed the night before, so you don't make as much noise in the morning.

6. Conversely, don't be a night-owl either. Your lantern lights up the whole campground, and even the flickering flame of your campfire can be a distraction to neighbors trying to get some sleep. If you think you and your friends are whispering, you aren't.

I'm sure there are more rules that I will think of later, but take these to heart if you are planning a camping trip soon...