RV~Boondocking~News

Yesterday, RVers and other campers in several Arizona State Parks got a big shock. Settled in for the long weekend, they were surprised when park rangers appeared, telling them they had to saddle up and go. Back in the state’s capitol, state legislators were getting ready to do a little camping of their own: Overnighting at their desks while their fellows hashed over a budget that would keep the state operating.

California, with the largest number of state parks in the US, has its own set of woes. A battle is brewing between the Governor, who threatens to close hundreds of parks, and the feds, who say if it happens, they’ll step in and take possession of some closed parks in a dispute over the use of federal funds. Evidently, states that take advantage of US Land and Water Conservation funding to make park improvements or purchases can’t close parks that have benefited from those dollars.

From across the country, state parks are a hot topic:

New Hampshire has raised the ire of Granite Staters by suggesting it may close, lease, sell, or give away up to 27 of its parks and recreational properties.

Farther south, Florida has jacked gate fees an average of $2 per entry, and camping fees an average of $4 per night.

Like several other states, Pennsylvania is struggling to get a budget in place. Yesterday, it appeared that state park workers would be asked to come to work–without pay. It’s possible they’ll get half their paycheck–two weeks late. Meantime, the Keystone State is considerding shutting the gates at 35 of its parks.

In Ohio, park lovers and environmentalists are having fits as the state figures on covering its own budget shortfalls by allowing oil and gas drilling in several of its parks. In a move to save park budgets, officials have curtailed garbage pickup service, and are instead handing out trash bags to campers. Apparently, you really can take it with you–at least in Ohio.

Washington State, too, is facing its own park realities. A state legislator is set to convene a “town hall” style meeting to discuss the closure of one Western Washington park at Lake Sylvia, while several other of the Evergreen State’s parks are in contention for closure.

Where does this leave RVers, looking for places to stay and enjoy nature? First and foremost, if you’ve got a state park on your travel plan, best you should call ahead before you get there and make sure you’ve still got a place to stay. Those folks in Arizona who suddenly had to pack and leave may not have been the victims of a freakish phenomenon. As the fractious economy continues to put the squeeze on governments, you can surely expect to see more of this. Alternate plans look to be the order of the day.

Where might you stay if suddenly confronted with a closed state park gate? Remember that for the most part, US Forest Service Lands offer free “dispersed” camping. That means no amenities, but for the boondocking RVer, that’s not usually much of a problem. Other possibilities? National parks are still hanging in there. And some federal Wildlife Refuges allow camping.

Meantime, legislatures everywhere are banging heads, tweaking dollar figures, and generally having a jolly time trying to extricate themselves from a rather large mess. Where it will all end remains to be seen, but happily, for those equipped for real self-containment have a flexibility that their lawmakers don’t have the advantage of.

photo by mikebaird on flickr.com

We recently were delegates to a convention in San Diego. The thought of hacking the high cost (and hard beds) of a hotel or motel made us shudder. But where, we wondered, could anyone actually boondock near San Diego? A bit of research led us to a delightful park just a few miles away from our convention site at QualComm Stadium in the heart of the city. Situated on a bluff overlooking a fresh water reservioir, you may find Lake Jennings Campground just the ticket the next time your RV takes you to the eighth-largest city in the country.

While staying on at Lake Jennings isn’t free, it does offer a quiet, wooded (Southern California style) spots to stick the rig. Even non-boondockers can appreciate the park–there are sites that provide full hookups or water an electric. But if your rig is on the smaller side and you can do without those “amenities” some of the best view sites are “primitive.” After having spent weeks in the desert heat, the relief of not having to worry about keeping cool was great. Just crack a roof vent and a window, and those ocean flows flow right up the hill from the ocean to the west.

If you’re a nature lover, you’ll find plenty of wildlife: In a short while we spotted plenty of doves and rabbits. And roadrunners outnumbered those we’d been looking for in the desert country. Want to ‘dip a line’? Night fishing (with mandatory lantern) is allowed on specific nights on the lake below the campground. Bass and catfish are the typical angler’s target here. Got kids or grands with you? A shaded playground appeals to the pre-teen (and maybe ‘tween’) set.

Formerly operated by San Diego, the operation has been taken over the local water district. A flock of camp hosts takes extremely good care of the sites–ours was even raked on arrival. A great “straight shot” dump station makes it easy to maneuver even a large rig through without worrying about scraping the rig up when negotiating into the dump port. A scant 20 miles from ‘Dego on Interstate 8, check out the Lake Jennings Campground website.

Admittedly, no RVer in their right mind would want to spend any more time than necessary in a truck stop. Trucks are running in and out, 24/7, and “reefer” units sounding off can just about kill even the hopes of the deepest sleeper. But hey, sometimes that’s about all that’s available to the weary wanderer. But are they a safe place for us?

We’ve spent our fair share of nights in truck stops, and we know plenty that have. How safe staying in a truck stop often depends on the attitude of the commercial drivers who bring those big rigs through. Witness the case of Dave and Shirley, who rolled their motorhome into a big truck stop one night. They got a rude–and jarring–awakening at around five in the morning. Their car alarm was bleating like a sick sheep, and Dave, bailing out of the motorhome, watched a rapidly retreating semi-truck skating for the exit–just moments before he spotted the remains of the rear end of his toad car, lying in a number of pieces in the parking lot.

Witnesses told Dave that a semi-driver had looped around the rear of the toad car, which had been neatly mounted on a tow dolly. The trucker caught the rear of the car, working hard to yank it of the dolly. The driver then stopped–presumably for a better look–and then headed out of the lot. The mystery hit-and-runner was never caught. Dave’s insurance company paid the freight for the trucker, and the couple were toadless for several days while the car was repaired.

So is the moral of the story, “Don’t park in a truck stop”? Not necessarily. Commercial drivers mention that drivers rolling into truck stops are often tired out, bored, and under pressure to get their mandated off-road time done. Paying attention may not have as high a value as getting paid. If you park in a truck stop, try and find a quiet corner. If you have a rig you can back in (obviously out for Dave), you’re probably better off putting yourself in a back-in spot. Don’t park on a “corner spot” where your rig will be exposed to the danger of every passing rig making too close a cut.

Where truck stops–like Flying J for example–have a designated “RV” parking area, avail yourself of it. Nothing “chaps the hide” of a long-haul driver when he rolls into a truck stop that has dedicated RV parking and finds that instead of taking advantage of it, RVers are needlessly parking in the big-truck lot, which may already be crowded. All it takes is a hot-head with a grudge and 65,000 pounds of mass and 300 horsepower to ruin your whole day.