Showering Variables

Much like the house dweller rates fine dinning, showering when camping is a pleasure to be savored and rated. On the road showers vary by temperature (hot and consistent being the most preferred), pressure (please be more than a trickle), ratio between ambient air temperature and water temperature (i.e. a heated shower stall if necessary), ease of clothing and shower accessory arrangement (a dry, private room for clothing next to the actual shower and a shelf within said shower for holding  bathing items), flooring and drainage (clean mats preferred) and overall cleanliness of the facility. Additionally all of these variables can be 'served' by a variety of methods.

It's only been four days that we've been on the road and so far we've 'enjoyed' three separate types of showers, the coin operated, the solar, and the consistent push. 

The coin operated shower, which we experienced on our first morning at the Log Cabin Resort, is much like gambling. The bather can assess the cleanliness, flooring and drainage, and ambient temperature before entering the shower. But the water temperature, duration and pressure are all unknown until the coins are deposited in the slot. Being the first bathers on a cold morning, a good quarters worth of water passed before I was willing to enter the shower, and the pressure was not consistent. Luckily I had a lot of quarters, and the shower area and dressing area were very clean.

For the second shower, we resorted to the solar shower. Since Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore camping only supplies vault toilets and free water, we had no other choice. The solar showers five gallon water bag warmed up to a lovely 120 degrees during the day so that when we returned from our bike ride, it was ready to go. S.D. strung the bag up in the secluded woods behind the tent. Pressure, and temperature were both very good, as was the cleanliness of the facility. The dressing room was lacking in privacy,there were no facilities for holding bath accessories and there was no control of ambient temperature. However, showering outdoors on a warm day, was fun.

Tonight we're camping at a private campground in Shawano Lake, Wisconsin, and the shower is free. The facilities are clean, the dressing room sufficient, the water temperature hot, and the pressure perfect. It's the type of shower that only runs when the user pushes a button every 60 seconds, but that's just fine. I'm clean and warm and ready to head back to our lovely tent site.