Date:         Tue, 2 Aug 2011 17:47:20 -0700
Reply-To:     Robert Fisher <garciasghostvw@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Robert Fisher <garciasghostvw@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Strange Herd behavior..
In-Reply-To:  <8FF8E7A2-848C-49AE-89F6-FB3AD8E6857B@gmail.com>
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I wonder if it isn't ignorance of what's available, and that people think
they're safer from marauding biker gangs, supremecy groups and wild mountain
men. You can drive up the road by the Kern River here in the middle of the
summer and the developed campgrounds will be completely full. Some of those
"campsites" are just spots with a fire pit where the smaller rocks have been
cleared out between the larger boulders, and nary a tree for 50 feet in any
direction (which is important considering the temps there often exceed
100F). There are three or four campgrounds in which the entire campground
is like that; pavement and rocks. Those sites are $18 a night, plus an $8
per night reservation fee at Reserve America (I hate that company), if one
"reserves" a site.

A little farther up the river you can find free dispersed campgrounds. Some
of them have dumpsters and portable outhouses at one end, some of them have
nothing at all but the fire pits (but you could walk or take a quick drive
to one of the former, if you wanted to). We tent camp out of a pax van, and
we have a system worked out where we can go five days without "support", as
it were. All you need for the dispersed sites is a fire permit and a
porta-potti in some cases. Many of them are completely empty; every once in
a while you'll actually find 3-4 families, maybe a couple of those in travel
trailers.These are maybe five miles up the road from the crowded campgrounds
that can cost up to $182/week.

We know of one very nice developed campground about 18 miles up from the
main ones that has vacancies at any time, especially in the middle of the
week. We unfortunatley don't feel comfortable being that isolated any more
because of my health issues, but the family loved it. We were once the only
people in the entire campground (which can be kind of weird) on a Monday in
August. These people came in and drove the entire loop, then came back
around to where we were. They settled in the site one over from us. I really
think they would've moved in next door if I hadn't been standing there
watching them. An entire empty campground of very nice sites and they had to
be right next to us. Weird.
Cya,
Robert

'87 & '86 Auto GLs