Date: Thu, 19 May 2005 23:08:58 -0700
Reply-To: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
Subject: Re: Vanagon List's Top 10 Camping Sites
In-Reply-To: <0poq815745o3oio6vskm7ev83mdpnp7827@4ax.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I may put these in a logical order later on, but for right now:
Kopachuck State Campground, in (yes, in) Gig Harbor, WA (that's outside
Tacoma). Kopachuck is only a short distance outside of Tacoma, but once
you're there, you are away from it all, or at least most of it. Pretty
lodgepole pines and rather hilly terrain with a trail down to the water.
While it may not really be the nicest place (though it is rather nice)
I've ever camped, it has proven to be among the most fortuitous. Don't
go telling everyone about it - ya hear?
Just off the meadow a couple miles east of Quaking Aspen Spring in the
Kaibab National Forest a few miles outside the North Rim of Grand
Canyon. Free, quiet, clothing optional (at times - who cares). Maybe a
half-hour from some of the most beautiful vistas in the entire world (if
you've only been to the South Rim, you haven't seen the Grand Canyon.
There are other places in the area to park - we just happen to have
found this spot and think it's pretty darned special.
BLM land between Sunset Crater and Wupatki
Big Bone Lick
Gulfstream
Cedar Breaks
Caswell State Park
Mtn range in Wyoming
Poinsettias
Alleghenies
Beach parks in Oregon
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
Behalf Of
> BA
> Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2005 9:58 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Vanagon List's Top 10 Camping Sites
>
> In no particular order, since we haven't been van-camping long enough
> to have ten favorites. We're getting there, though ...
>
>
> Patagonia Lake State Park, AZ. Lovely area - we were there over
> Christmas week. Lots of stuff to walk around and see. There's even a
> small store in the park, which is very convenient.
>
> Gilbert Ray campground, outside Tucson, AZ. It's a nice enough
> (*shrug*) campground with some lovely views. What make it seriously
> rock is that it is quite close to the wonderful Arizona Sonora Desert
> Museum.
>
> Table Mountain campground, Angeles National Forest, near Wrightwood,
> LA. Well-spaced campsites, with a good view a short distance in any
> direction from any site. Located a short way off the Angeles Crest
> Highway, which itself is a visual wonder (and a *hugely* amazing
> motorcycle ride!!!).
>
> Dos Picos County Park, Ramona (near San Diego), CA. Sites are close,
> with no visual privacy. But it's in a nice area with some good
> hiking. And one of the 'kewl'er camp rangers put on a program Friday
> evening during which he taught the younger campers some of those
> nature songs that every kid should know ("Great big gobs of greasy,
> grimey gopher guts ... ")
>
> Dixon Lake, Escondido, CA. Get away from the big city in only a short
> drive. Can opt for a lake-side site (pretend Escondido isn't there)
> or a city-side view (look down on city lights, but far enough away to
> evade city noise). (Simon adds ... but no showers!)
>
> Agua Caliente County Park, CA. Sites are squished together, but it's
> located in the middle of the Anza Borrego desert which is an amazing
> place. And there's lots of hiking around the park. If you can do
> without hookups, you might prefer Vallecito County Park which is a few
> miles up the road. Amateur astronomers tend to flock to Vallecito.
>
> Burnt Rancheria, Cleveland National Forest. Located along the Sunrise
> Highway; nearest town is Mount Laguna. Wanna' look 7000 ft. downward
> from piney-mountain to desert floor? Except, they closed for
> remodeling at the end of last summer. And when we drove up there to
> check them out in early April, they didnt' look "open" yet. But, the
> reservations website shows them as available. *shrug*
>
> Potrero County Park, CA. Sites aren't crammed close, though there's
> not a lot of visual privacy. Its big advantages are the large
> surrounding area (it's the community park for most of the east-county
> area of San Diego), and its proximity to Tecate, Mexico. If you think
> Tijuana is a big tourist trap, you're right. Tecate is still (for at
> least a little while) a real Mexican town. And, you can park just
> north of the border and walk a half-mile to the plaza in Tecate (to
> avoid the need for Mexican car insurance ... do *not* drive into
> Mexico without *Mexican* car insurance!!!).
>
>
> B(&S)
> '87 Westy 'Esmerelda Blanc'
> SoCal
>
>
>
> On Thu, 19 May 2005 17:32:04 -0400, you wrote:
>
> >Great Idea Karl!
> >
> >Here are my personal Favorites, Letterman style.
> >
> >10. Valens Conservation Area. Great facilities, well kept grounds and
> >the home of the True Canadian Winter Bus Campout.
> >9. Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario. It's huge and (mostly)
> >unspoiled.
> >8. The Pinery Provincial Park, near Grand Bend Ontario. Great
> >scenery, good facilities and staff.
> >7. Heber Down Conservation Area, Brooklin, Ontario. Not for the
> >facilities, but because it's the site of Buses Of The Corn. August
> >5-7th, BTW.
> >6. Harper's Ferry KOA in West Virginia. Home of "John Brown's Buses"
> >in October.
> >5. Rustic Knoll Campground, Near Mt. Vernon OH. Great facilities, and
> >the home of the "Dixie Bus Gathering".
> >4. Johnston's Canyon, near Banff AB. I haven't been there in 25
> >years, but it was terrific in 1980.
> >3. Hagan Stone Park, Pleasant Garden NC. Home of "EveryBus" since
1999.
> >2. Haliburton Scout Reserve. Near Haliburton Ontario. Owned by the
> >Toronto Region Scout Group, it's members only.
> >1. Killbear Provincial Park, Parry Sound Ontario.
> >
> >
> >Happy trails,
> >
> >Greg Potts
> >Toronto, Ontario, Canada
> >
> >1973/74/79 Westfakia Conversion **Bob the Tomato** LY3H
> >1977 Sunroof Automatic L63H/L90D
> >1988 Vanagon GL 8-passenger Automatic
> >http://www.pottsfamily.ca/westfakia
> >http://www.busesofthecorn.com
> >
> >
> >On 18-May-05, at 1:57 PM, Karl Wolz wrote:
> >
> >> Perhaps we should take a survey among our membership of OUR ten
> >> favorite
> >> spots. I'll assemble my list and submit it later on today.
> >>
> >> Karl Wolz
> >>
> >>
> >>> -----Original Message-----
> >>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> >>>
> >> Behalf Of
> >>
> >>> Jim King
> >>> Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2005 9:11 AM
> >>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> >>> Subject: Re: MSN's Top 10 Camping Sites
> >>>
> >>> Either that, or they're trying to direct the hoardes of other
campers
> >>>
> >> as far from the
> >>
> >>> "REAL" 10 best campsites as possible!
> >>>
> >>> ----- Original Message -----
> >>> From: Loren Busch <starwagen@GMAIL.COM>
> >>> Date: Wednesday, May 18, 2005 11:40 am
> >>> Subject: Re: MSN's Top 10 Camping Sites
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> I'd guess, from the other responses, that thes might be the '10
Best
> >>>> To Avoid'. I've got a feeling that the people that responded to
a
> >>>>
> >> MSN
> >>
> >>>> survey might not have the same expectations as the average list
> >>>>
> >> member
> >>
> >>>> on the Vanagon/Westfalia lists.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
| 
