Topic: 10/9 through 10/12 camping trip: Updated Location - Blair Valley Campground

[Celt]

  I will be on the trip, the wife is a maybe.  She's still a little anxious after the Coyote Flats altitude sickness bit.  Maybe if I give her the Margarita before we hit the travel she'll do better.

 Excellent idea....... It will be nice to see you guys again.

[JFanaselle]

"Going" and "Maybe" lists have been updated.

Just an update on the forest closures - the USFS announced this morning that the closures will NOT be lifted before the end of this week's expected high fire danger, which is expected to run through Wednesday. After that point, they will continue with "day to day" evaluation of the situation.

[CAWoody]

Looks like a need to change the number in my part to 6.  My wife finally committed as well as my son. My sister and two kids would like to join in also.  She is working on borrowing a friends jeep to make the trip.  As for the potluck, with this bunch I'll bring the Tri-tip and a side dish TBD (not potato salad).


I looked on he national forest site last night and saw that the camping is still closed.  Joe have you had any insight to that changing before Friday?

[Celt]

  As for the potluck, with this bunch I'll bring the Tri-tip and a side dish TBD (not potato salad).

 Besides having a full stomach, I'll sleep a little better! 

[JFanaselle]

I looked on he national forest site last night and saw that the camping is still closed.  Joe have you had any insight to that changing before Friday?

Unfortunately, there is no insight to be had. They are literally evaluating the need to continue the closure on a day-to-day basis. They're starting to run out of excuses to keep it shut down, as the fire danger hasn't been any higher than a normal year, and resources aren't stretched nearly as thin as they were. That said, I think they want to see a cool down or other change in weather before they lift the closures. It's easier to keep them in place than it is to re-enact them, if conditions get really bad again.

I'm still going to keep my fingers crossed that they are lifted sometime in this coming week. I've tried to call the Ranger District offices to voice my concern (thinking that maybe if enough people complain, they'll lift them), but no one answers. They're all still shut down or operating on limited hours because of COVID. That, and I'm sure there's no need to have the offices open if the forest isn't even open.

[Ghost65]

You know, the smart these computers get the stupider I get.  I cant' figure out how to turn of autocorrect.  I will be on the trip, the wife is a maybe.  She's still a little anxious after the Coyote Flats altitude sickness bit.  Maybe if I give her the Margarita before we hit the travel she'll do better.

Sidebar:  Tim, we've been visiting some higher altitudes in Colorado, and these really helped me with altitude sickness, your wife should try them. (also great for hangovers, another kind of "sickness")

https://www.amazon.com/Zaca-Recovery-Chewable-Supplement-Hangovers/dp/B01AIWD1U0

Joe...nice job organizing another great trip/thread...slinking back under my Yota-Rock. 

[SCUBA_Dale]

Maybe if we all send an email to the rangers, we could all voice our opinion?

[Celt]

Maybe if we all send an email to the rangers, we could all voice our opinion?

  While that is a good idea much of this is up to the main offices. It's been my experience they just sort of do what they want to do when they want to do it. Much like the random closures in the desert named in "Habitat Restoration" by the head ranger of the area. I do believe that one of the goals from the Park Service is to limit as much as they can any human exposure to the outlands. They much prefer everyone go to those regulated big campgrounds where you have to pay ($$$) to be there along with 3,000 of your other closest friends in the "Wilderness" camping 10' away from you on three sides.

[SCUBA_Dale]

Do we have  a backup plan in the event the status doesn't change?  Definitely excited about getting out.

[SCUBA_Dale]

Weather in Borrego Springs is looking pretty nice...Sheep Canyon as an alternative?(pending it's open)

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[Celt]

Weather in Borrego Springs is looking pretty nice...Sheep Canyon as an alternative?(pending it's open)

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 My dad was suggesting that spot. It's going to be pretty hot by day but nice at night. I suppose if we had enough tarps it might not be so bad. Is the water still running up there to get into?

[SCUBA_Dale]

Not like it used to.  A few years ago there was major flooding and changed the whole landscape.  First water crossing is a foot deep at most.  2nd crossing basically got wiped out.  They leveled the hill after the flood and made it extremely easy to get up to, but a year ago more flooding made the hill a little more difficult again, keeping the Chevy Astro Vans at bay.

[SCUBA_Dale]

Just heard back from the state park...Sheep Canyon is indeed open, if we wanted to do that as an alternative.

[JFanaselle]

Well, the good news is that the weather is starting to look really great. Temperatures are dropping more and more each day this week heading into the weekend, and the fire danger is also going down with each passing day. That said, I'm not sure that will sway the authorities to lift the closures yet, as they probably want to see a longer-term reduction in fire danger. If I had to guess, they'll probably keep everything closed this weekend, especially since it's looking like it'll warm back up next week.

I like the idea of looking at an alternate spot. With the temps coming down this weekend, we finally have a few options available that are outside of a forest boundary. Sheep Canyon does sound good, but it could stil be pretty warm during the daytime. With it's higher elevation, I wonder if Blair Valley might be a better choice. The forecasted high in Borrego Springs (the nearest forecast to Sheep Canyon) is 84 degrees on Saturday and 89 degrees on Sunday. The forecast in Blair Valley is 70 degrees on Saturday and 77 degrees on Sunday.

I think I prefer the weather over the scenery, but what are everyone else's thoughts? Blair Valley Campground isn't very "off-road," but that's not really what this trip is supposed to be about anyway. Just an opportunity to get together and sleep under the stars for a couple of nights. There are plenty of nearby trails if anyone does want to venture out and wheel a little.

Thoughts? Or any other location suggestions?

[Celt]

I'm good with either, or but would prefer the cooler temperatures if possible. Anyone know if there is fire restrictions or not down there right now? I'd love to have a fire at night if possible. Main thing I want to do is get the heck outta Dodge.