Thanksgiving weekend is a busy time here at Mission Bay RV Resort. We remembered how busy it was last year, but it didn’t compare to this year. Last year, the last row of sites on the south side of the park was closed for construction, eliminating about 50 sites. And there were still some open sites scattered throughout the park.

When we checked back into the park on Wednesday, we were told the place had sold out all 253 sites for the Thanksgiving weekend. I watched people pull in and set up all afternoon. At one point, an SUV with two adults and two kids pulled into the site next to us. They got out and were milling around. Donna jokingly asked if they lost their trailer.

He was a deputy with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office. He told us they had a group coming – they  had reserved three adjoining sites west of us and three more sites behind them. He was waiting for delivery of a rental RV unit. Of the six sites in their group, three would be occupied by rental RVs.

With kids on holiday from school, many families from southern California choose to spend Thanksgiving weekend camping. Mission Bay RV Resort is more of an RV parking lot (with hook-ups) than a campground. The location is nice though and we had a park full of families “camping out.”

After the group of six set up next to our site, they moved the picnic tables to the grass between the back-to-back sites and put up a line of EZ-Up canopies. This isn’t the usual way to set up. The grass is meant to be a buffer area between sites.

They were a boisterous bunch. They all had kids – I’m guessing the ages ranged from four or five to 15 years old. They started out early with everyone at the back of their RVs eating breakfast at the tables. The kids were running wild. They ended the night with the adults sitting outside and partying.

With every site occupied, there were plenty of kids riding bicycles and skateboards around the park. Amid the constant noise, we reminded ourselves that they were having family fun and building memories with their kids. Besides, it would only be for a few days.

I took a walk through the RV park and shot a few pictures. Every type of RV imaginable was here. Many weekenders choose smaller travel trailers for their occasional use. These are generally less expensive and easier to maneuver than a larger RV. Of course, there are exceptions like Airstream travel trailers for example, which can be pricey and many full-time RVers use them. Smaller travel trailers can be pulled by an SUV or light pickup truck.

Another type of towable RV is the fifth-wheel trailer. These are larger trailers with a raised front that usually serves as the bedroom. They are connected to the tow vehicle with a pin mounted under the front of the trailer. The tow vehicle has a plate over the rear axle that receives the pin. With the trailer pivoting on a pin over the rear axle of the tow vehicle, fifth-wheel trailers are very maneuverable for their size. Nowadays, most fifth-wheels have slide-outs to create more interior space. Fifth-wheel trailers require heavy-duty tow vehicles.

There are three classifications for motorhomes – class A, class B and class C.

Class C motorhomes are usually built on a cutaway van chassis. Most are powered by gasoline engines, although some are diesel-powered. They range from 20 to 25 feet long in most cases and have a gross vehicle weight of 10,000 to 12,000 pounds. They are characterized by an overhead space (usually sleeping quarters) over the driver and passenger compartment.

Class B motorhomes are less common. They are camper vans – usually with a pop-up roof. They are usually under 20 feet in length and weigh less than 8,000 pounds.

Class A motorhomes come in a wide variety of lengths, weights and powertrains. They can be built on a heavy-duty truck chassis, a custom motorhome chassis or a bus chassis. Nearly all of the Class A motorhomes built in the last ten years or so have two to four slide-outs. Class A motorhomes include the largest and heaviest RVs.

On Sunday, the activity in the RV park ramped up as everyone prepared to leave. Rigs pulled out all morning. Some people packed their belongings in their cars and left their rental unit behind. Some of the rental companies provided delivery and set up and pick up at the end of the rental period.

By the time I was watching the afternoon NFL games, the park was quiet with many open sites. I shot another picture from the back of our coach looking west.

It’s nice and quiet here now. Today, the forecast calls for cloudy skies with a high temperature of 70 degrees. I’ll need to dump and flush our tanks and do some shopping this afternoon. The weather guessers are predicting 100% chance of heavy rain tomorrow. If it’s true, we’ll hunker down indoors tomorrow.