I am seriously considering a #tripreport if I take good pictures and the weekend goes well. I'm hoping the fact that it's offseason will help ensure a less-crowded camp area. I picked a campsite close to the bathrooms deliberately, without realizing it also made me much closer to potential neighbors. However, it should be in the 50s-60s F here, and windy, so the families shouldn't be interested and we'll be done with weekend beachgoers for the most part. The water will be much too cold for swimming and even for lolling about in, I expect. I have been discouraged from camping alone, although I have my own resentful theories as to why that might be. The point stands that if one is alone and injured far from civilization and without a cell phone, one could be pretty much screwed badly. Car camping I think is a great start towards a "more-solo" camping career, or my "taking the lead" camping career, because I get to pack totally everything I can think of without worry about weight or leaving things behind. I would like to go backpacking and do longer-term camping in the future, but one step at a time.
True 'nuff, ease yourself into it. The camping aspects of a backpacking trip I find pretty much the same; just a little more thought into what you need to take; but the opportunity to get further away from things appeals to me infinitely more. I'm aware of the risks of solo trips which is why I don't do silly things when I'm out there. Haven't had to hack my own arm off. Yet. Then again I'm someone who regularly SCUBA dived solo off the coast here which you absolutely, expressly and utterly should not do - especially at night, which is when I liked it the best.
Get to bed early and get up early. You'll feel amazing. REMEMBER TO MAKE SMORES.