Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 09:36:36 -0700
Reply-To: Keith Ovregaard <kovregaard@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Keith Ovregaard <kovregaard@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Ninja Camping (was Wal-Mart parking lots)
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That's the kind of enroute camping I like to do. It takes some
research and/or exploration time, but often pays off bigtime. Some of
the most beautiful, quiet and peaceful camping I have ever done has
been what you call "Ninja Camping". Once I was doing some late spring
travel and got into some snow at low elevation which kept me from
camping at my favorite lake 9 miles off the freeway. So I squeezed the
Westy in between some pine trees next to a day-use area not far from
the freeway (no camping allowed). I had a great view of a lake out the
back and because my Westy is white and it was snowing, it was well
disguised from the local cops.
Unfortunately, many of these places are disappearing. I suspect due to
trash, over-use and some not-in-my-backyard locals. Several places
have access blocked with boulders and new signs stating no camping.
It's a shame, really. So, those of you who frequent places like that,
please leave it cleaner than you found it, keep the noise down, etc.
It's amazing how many of the sites are trashed by previous campers.
Shotgun shells everywhere, garbage all over, trees and limbs chopped
down for firewood, ruts from some jerk driving off the track... signs
of ignorance and stupidity, basically. That's the kind of stuff that
gets these places shut down. But I see some of that happening in the
established campgrounds, too. Noise, trash, and people behaving badly
which makes me shy away from campgrounds, at least during the busy
season. Starts this weekend, by the way. My favorite camping season is
just ending. Now it's time for the masses to clog the roads and
campsites. Just too darn many people. Apparently overpopulation is a
problem that has not been taken seriously (yet).
OK, rants over. Sorry... now back to our regularly scheduled program:
What tires are best for your Vanagon
Cheers,
Keith O
On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 12:00 AM, Scott Foss - Shazam
<scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:
> Canping down hunter trails and such is called 'ninja camping' .
> Depending on the Nat Forest of course.........but in some there is
> plenty of this.
>
> heck.........i just thought of a place on a back road in Washington- two
> lane paved 'nowhere' sorta road, near Mt. Rainer.
> The ideal sort of unofficial ninja camping , You turn off the paved
> road onto the older road..........go a quarter mile so , get to a spot
> out of site of the paved road.......
> where others have obviously camped before.............and your view to
> the non-road side is an open wild river valley.
> Free unrestricted camping. With wild river water view, . and hardly
> anyone around.
> Nothin' wrong with that !!
>
>
> Kim Brennan wrote:
>>
>> Most National FORESTS (as opposed to Parks) have policies that allow
>> you to camp anywhere not visible from a main road (but check the rules
>> as they vary from forest to forest.) My syncro Westy is frequently
>> able to travel down hunter trails into nice quiet camping spots.
>>
>> On May 20, 2008, at 9:24 PM, Slloth wrote:
>>
>>> with you in that we shouldn't spoil the welcoming but...I have thought
>>> about this before. This country is all about freedom. Freedom this
>>> and
>>> freedom that but how many places can you just pull off the side of the
>>> road (out of the way) and just set up camp. Not very many with out
>>> getting hassled by the cops or Highway patrol. We are expected to
>>> seek
>>> out some lame, crowded camp site and pay money to stay there. Now I
>>> know there are parts of the country where you can stay over night but
>>> I'm not talking about the dessert. Sorry. I feel better.
>>
>>
>
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