Yesterday I decided to go have a look at a really nice boondocking site I located some years ago. I was not pulling the camper this time. The site is located about 30 miles above the small mountain town of Kernville California. It is more or less just a large wide spot in the trees along a small creek. No facilities, just boondocking at its finest. So off I go heading up into the mountains. I passed many campgrounds along the way, but all were blocked off and closed. I went through the small town of Kernville and headed up the Kern River canyon. I needed to go 25 miles up the canyon to the turn-off which is 4 miles passed the town of Johnsondale. But when I got about 5 miles north of Kernville on the narrow mountain road there was a sign that read "Road closed 21 miles ahead at Johnsondale". Since that is the only road through the canyon I had no choice but to just turn around and head back down. On the way back home I decided to check out another out-of-the-way place I knew off just off Highway 178 near Weldon California. Again, it was a narrow paved mountain road with a fairly steep climb up the mountain. I got to the turn off and heading in that direction. But once again, 200 yards down the road was a sign on the bill-board that read "Recreational area temporarily closed". Again, I turned around. I then just found a wide spot in the trees and had lunch.
Man I hope it doesn’t happen here. NF roads are just starting to melt out. Spring sunshine always makes me antsy. Took a drive yesterday still lots of snow.
"Misery Loves Company" as the old quote goes an it's apparent here that most of us are miserable, I know we are having now missed 2 trips with another possibly cancelled in May or June. On the UP side, traffic is almost non-existent and gas prices are really WAY down here in FL $1.45 a gal., the problem is no place to go. My DW hasn't cooked this much at home in years and we get to spend more time with the DD's when they're done with their on-line classes and the DW is not involved in an on-line meeting. Please EVERYONE out there STAY SAFE and HEALTHY as with all things this will pass and we'll all come out on the other side telling stories about our time in the Spring of 2020.
We have talked about getting out to state parks, but I've been worried that some accident would put us in a rural hospital, exposed to the virus. Axes, fires, and tow vehicles are all risks. But your point is more apt. I hadn't thought about the exposure we'd face just using the restrooms. Regardless, we've stayed out of the campgrounds since March 1. Not happy about it.
Smart. I work in what’s probably the best rural hospital in the country but we are not equipped to handle a large influx of patients. The NPs are closed here and all early summer events are canceled but if people start to come anyway it puts us all at risk
Think he means all are things that could injure you and send you to the hospital. I’ve personally hurt myself with two out of three.
They all present a risk of accident. Ordinarily, the risks are not great enough to cancel a camping trip because hospitals provide a safety net. But rural hospitals can handle very little pressure, and they're not much of a safety net during a pandemic. So rather than risk a nasty cut or burn or highway accident that puts me or my wife or both in an overburdened hospital, we are not camping.
Yeah, NY is shut down, but b/c we set out at the beginning of March, none of the campgrounds around here were even open yet. Finding any place open at that time of year within a day's drive from our house is a challenge. We've been able to get to a KOA outside Cincinnati, OH that is open year-round that we stay at our first night out. They've winterized their water lines and seem to have semi-permanent residents. Works for what we need it for. Our second night out is usually far enough south that we can find SPs to stay at. From what I'm seeing now, it looks like NY SPs are not going to be opening their campgrounds until some later date.
I had to cancel a tent camping trip this month with our boy scout troop that we had reservations for in Hickory Run state park, PA. In May we have reservations for the scout troop as well at Stokes State Forest here in NJ. If schools here are still closed we will most likely cancel that trip. Our first family trip with the pup is Fathers Day weekend down in Cape May. We are hoping that is not going to get cancelled!!
I know just where you were going, but I am curious: Along Mtn 99 that runs along the Kern River, there are numerous "dispersed" camping areas - wide spots between the road and the river, obvious camping taking place in the past, some of them even named- was anyone camping in these dispersed spots? On one of my flyfishing boards, this picture was posted: The Tulare County line is just outside of Kernville.
I only went about 5 miles up Mtn 99 from Kernville. I don't remember seeing many campers along the river. I did see a YouTube video the other day made by a guy who was living full time in his van camper. He was trying to find a spot to self isolate around the Lake Isabella area and going up Hwy 395 north of Little lake. He said that he was approached by a Warden and told that he could not camp in the area at this time. He ended up leaving California and going into Nevada to find a place. On my way back home I went East out of Kernville and went past a place called Henning Flat. I drove around in there for a while and found two campers hidden in the trees. One was a couple in a tent and the other had a large travel trailer. There were no facilities, just wide spots around the trees. During high water in the lake, that area is under about 10 feet of water. I may take another ride up there next weekend to see what the status is now. I wouldn't mind spending a few days hidden in the trees. There is nothing to do there. It's even a long walk down to the lake to fish. I don't' fish, so this is just my kind of spot.
Planet Georgia still has SPs open. Whether that's a wise move, I will allow future historians to decide. What I want to do right now is spin a cocoon and come out when a vaccine is available.
My experience was a little different. Last week of March DW and I went to Elkmont in GSMNP. Had to rsvp and pay online only, campground personnel wouldn't have contact or take payments. Visitor centers closed, road to Clingman's Dome doesn't open until April 1st, wx permitting. Very few campers, which is really strange for Elkmont. (Also really nice for a change). Cherokee NC was a ghost town, Gatlinburg had people and traffic, but nothing like the usual. On our second evening (Sunday) we saw notices posted on bathroom doors that campground was closing at noon Monday. We cut the trip short and returned home. Park personnel was closing the gates at the entrances as we left. I'm glad I went, but still a bummer.
