How do you close a Forest?

"DynamicWeight" (dynamicweight) 11/07/2016 at 12:38 • Filed to: TruckNo

0

21

So as I mentioned to a few of you, my plan this weekend was to go to Big Sur to go camping this weekend. The plan was to take and post a plethora of beautiful pictures of my truck majestically posed at the top of a mountain over looking the ocean. Instead, I learned that Los Padres national forest is completely closed to camping because of the Soberanes fire.

So instead of driving up a mountain to perch on top of an ocean away from almost everyone, we were stuck camping in the parking lot of a over full campsite right next to the road.

I have to say, I’m pretty pissed. I checked out all the websites and such and nothing explicitly said the whole forest is closed. We weren’t even allowed to go up the road to hang out. No one in the camping area was allowed to have fire of any kind... even in the fire rings! We still had fun, but it was a huge let down.

Anyway, lesson learned, we’re taking it North next time until they can figure out how to reopen Big Sur. Have a conciliation picture of my truck posed semi-majestically.

OPPOsaurus WRX > DynamicWeight 11/07/2016 at 12:40

0

that thing looks looonnnggggggg

DynamicWeight > OPPOsaurus WRX 11/07/2016 at 12:44

0

It is sooooooo looooooooong. I love it though. I thought about the access cab but just couldn’t give up a back seat. So now I back into every space, the back up camera really helps with that.

DynamicWeight > DynamicWeight 11/07/2016 at 12:47

0

Also, for anyone who read all that and wants even more: Fuck people who don’t put out their camp fires. That is what caused the fire down here and cost the state $200,000,000 to put out. It’s why none of us can have fires anymore. I always bring six gallons of water to put out my fires and don’t let them smolder through the night. Please be safe when you make a fire.

A panorama I took on the trip for your time:

OPPOsaurus WRX > DynamicWeight 11/07/2016 at 12:49

0

My buddy got the access can and it seems like it would only fit toddlers or amputees

Future next gen S2000 owner > DynamicWeight 11/07/2016 at 12:51

0

Two questions: Manual?

How is the 3.5 at sea level? It is a bit wheezy at altitude where I live.

vicali > DynamicWeight 11/07/2016 at 12:55

1

So your complaint is that the most costliest fire in US history (~236 million), that burnt 57 houses, started in July and wasn’t contained until Oct, burned over 136,000 acres, and killed a firefighter, ruined your chances at taking some pictures and having a campfire.. interesting take.

Oh, and it started from an illegal campfire.

I don’t think you understand how forest fires work.

Nice Tacoma though.

TheRealBicycleBuck > DynamicWeight 11/07/2016 at 13:30

0

I test-drove a double-cab long-bed. It was like driving a cave. I couldn’t see a thing out of it.

DynamicWeight > TheRealBicycleBuck 11/07/2016 at 13:53

0

Whoa, Kinja posted my reply to some else to you... let me see if I can fix it.

DynamicWeight > OPPOsaurus WRX 11/07/2016 at 13:54

0

Exactly. I like the look of the access cab and the maneuverability, but I just can’t swing it as “an adult”.

DynamicWeight > vicali 11/07/2016 at 14:06

0

Well, I made a reply post to my own post about the fire. For one, I am very careful with my own fires and follow all the rules. I always bring a lot of extra water to put my fire out and I never let it smolder.

Two, it is not the Soberanes fire that is stopping me from camping. It is people. Just because there was a huge fire, does not mean that there is currently any greater risk of fire than there was before in an area that is not connected to the burned area. Besides which, they have also stopped “legal fires” so I can’t have a fire in a campground in a metal fire ring either. The websites are also not very clear about what I can and can not do. I researched for about 20 minutes and didn’t see that they closed the whole forest so that I can’t even visit. The campground in the forest was listed as open. On top of all this, it was misty and wet. It all smacks of “We don’t know what to do, SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN”

So since they did not clearly lay out what I can do and where, my vacation, which I took time off work for and spent money on, was partially ruined by my having to scramble around trying to find a place to sleep when I was hours away from home. That wasn’t the fire’s fault. That was people’s fault for not listing things clearly.

Had I known all that ahead of time (which should have happened since I researched the area and specifically about the fire) I could have just gone somewhere else.

Or do you think no one should ever be allowed to camp there or have a fire ever again?

DynamicWeight > Future next gen S2000 owner 11/07/2016 at 14:10

0

Automatic. I need other people to be able to drive the truck.

I wouldn’t call the engine powerful at any altitude. I’ve had it from sea level up to at least 7,000 feet. It seems to me to do just fine. For moving the truck around but never exactly slams you into the back of your seat.

vicali > DynamicWeight 11/07/2016 at 14:26

0

I think that too many people get hurt going into areas they shouldn’t..

There are a lot of things going on in a fire event, long after the flames are out. Mop-up is still going, hot spots will probably be burning for a while. Not to mention damaged trees and unstable soils that can’t take people driving/biking/hiking all over them. It makes more sense to say, “Sorry, park is closed” and let things settle for a few months than to spend another million in liability lawsuits when little johnny gets squished by a danger tree.

It sucks that your plans had to change, I feel for you on the vacations that don’t go the way you wanted. Sounds like you had an alright time, and still got some shots by the ocean.

RallyWrench > DynamicWeight 11/07/2016 at 14:30

0

What campground and road are you talking about? There’s a real concern about landslides since the fire stripped so much vegetation and we just got the first rain of the season. With the ground as dry and unprotected as it is, a little water can cause some serious damage, it’s happened before. They did the same the last time we had a big fire up there some years back. It’s not the whole forest, just that district. Some friends were at Plaskett last weekend and it was great. The closure order is on the Forest Service site for Los Padres here .

Birddog > DynamicWeight 11/07/2016 at 15:46

0

Uhh, they don’t close Florida..

Sounds like you made the best of it anyway.

DynamicWeight > vicali 11/07/2016 at 16:13

0

Yeah, I’m with you on the cleanup. But the area I was in was really far away from the fire. The Los Padres Forest is not anywhere near where the fire was.

Here’s a map, the orange is the official map of where the fire was. The red circle is where I was camping. I mean, I get that they had to shut things down, but as you can see... I’m like 40 miles away from where the fire happened. On the face of it, as I was leaving, the idea that they would shut things down where I was seemed silly.

DynamicWeight > RallyWrench 11/07/2016 at 16:17

0

The place I wanted to go is “Above” Plaskett. You drive up Naciemento Ferguson, then go on the dirt ridge road. The campground has no name. There is no host or bathrooms or anything. There are just a bunch of spots to camp, some with fire circles. The fire was 40 miles away from Plaskett. Here’s a map I made for someone else:

The orange is the fire, the red circle is where I was staying.

Also, if you look at the link you sent, it specifically says the road I go on is “open” but when you get there this is a huge sign that says “Open to thru traffic only” with some pretty steep fines listed. So since the place I wanted to camp had no name, I looked at everything, saw it was 40 miles away, and that the closest campground and the road it is off of are open. I figured it, too, was open. I don’t think that was a dumb thought on my part. I think it was poorly explained.

vicali > DynamicWeight 11/07/2016 at 16:26

0

Up here, (in BC), during the summer they usually put a fire ban on, if it’s bad fire season they’ll close the bush completely. As in no off-road travel, camping, or anything.

A lot of the times they’ll have all of the firefighters working full blast from July to Oct, they ship them out to other Provinces or States that need help. Or if they are working somewhere like the Okanagan and the Cariboo has a fire there aren’t enough resources to fight both.

Because of the beetle and fuel loading here the entire forest is dead standing ready to burn.. It’s bad enough just dealing with natural lighting starts, but there are usually a dozen fires started by people- and you still see people throwing butts out their window.

DynamicWeight > vicali 11/07/2016 at 16:33

0

Yup, I am all about fire safety. I don’t smoke. I bring plenty of water for the fires I do have. I don’t light off fireworks. I pay attention to fire bans. Clear space. Get my fire permit before I go.

This one was just, IMHO, communicated poorly. Sucks that so much gets closed down around you because of irresponsible people.

The Compromiser > DynamicWeight 11/07/2016 at 21:28

0

This will do it.

DynamicWeight > The Compromiser 11/08/2016 at 10:52

0

The Compromiser > DynamicWeight 11/08/2016 at 13:27

0