Visit our Popular Forums

Blu_Hwy_Lady · 05-10-2007, 02:30 PM

We're just back from the wonderful Casini Ranch rally and I wanted to report an awful incident that really soured us on California state parks and to find out if anyone else with a vintage rig has had a similiar experience of being kicked out. It happened at Sunset Beach outside Santa Cruz, which according to the book we now refer to as "The Useless RV camping guide" was ranked a 10. We were shocked when we drove down into it. It was quite literally a parking lot

All the amibience of WalMart on the beach. $35 a night and not even hookups. But, we'd done too much dawdling it was late, we didn't have a Plan B, so what the heck...After we'd backed in and un-hooked, the "Campground Host" came scurrying up and said, "The end of your trailer is over the line". He pointed to a white line painted on the parking lot. Indeed, one small corner of the bumper was about 4 inches over the white line. I said "come on, it's only about 4 inches." He snapped, "well, then you'll only have to move it up 4 inches." and walked off. So, we hooked up the truck, moved it up a few inches. Unhooked and started the set-up process, Bill lighting pilots, me lowering the stabilizers and setting up the gray water tank. When we were about finished the "Campground Host" came back and said, "You can't use that!" pointing in horror to the blue boy tank. I stated the obvious, "Well, we don't want to dump on the parking lot." Then he pulls out the campground rules list that says all trailers must be self-contained. He said that meant no external tanks. Then the ulitmate insult that any vintage owner can relate to...."your rig looked nice so we couldn't tell that it was..." his voice trailed off without sayin POS, but his expression said it all.
So, we got kicked out. Drove down the road to a KOA. They wanted $75 +tax a night and it wasn't even on the beach. So, we started driving inland and finally found an little out of the way state park with no "Campground Host".
So, has anybody else had this kind of experience? How did you handle it?

Silvertwinkie · 05-10-2007, 02:33 PM

What a joke, someone was on a power trip.....

Hope you got a refund.....

maxandgeorgia · 05-10-2007, 02:54 PM

Let's all join in on a forum group RASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSpberry for this camp host and vow never to frequent his location. Ready now, one. . .two. . .three. . .GO!!!!!!!!! ~G I don't know about the rest of you, but now I feel better for Airyelle and Blu Hwy Lady!

Radman · 05-10-2007, 02:58 PM

That is most sad. It seems like many places in our area are slowly turning into a parking lot. Sad but true.

Having lived in this area for far too many years, I can tell you that I am also surprised. 99% of the people in the Santa Cruz area are quite nice and caring people. I think you just got some guy that got his corn flakes peed on that morning and took it out on you guys. Oh well, there is an idiot born every minute.........

Fyrzowt · 05-10-2007, 02:59 PM

I've camped at Refugio SB (Calif) with my blue tote, I was right across the road from the host - no problems.
I suspect it was an overzealous host, not the norm. I hope.
Dave

tin sista · 05-10-2007, 03:00 PM

I am so sorry that you had that experience. How awful!

Joining Georgia in the raspberry salute...That campground hosts' 'generosity just exceeded his good looks' as grandma would say...what a drag after all that work of setting up...glad you posted their info here.

doorgunner · 05-10-2007, 03:03 PM

This kind of crap really po's me. I hope you waited for the sherriff to throw you out , not the POS campground host.Sounds like a reall butt head. no common sense just by the rule book, I can't tell you how I would have handled it on line, but when some dork decides to turn on the Marine Corps side of my brain things get real exciting real fast. After meeting you at Casini and seeing your nice AS I'm totally shocked you were treated this way. BUT then again you were in Santa Cruz where they charge the business owners a fee to use the storm drains each time it rains. And so it goes, what a shame, nope I'm really excited about this , some little pencil neck geek on a power trip, screwing up the deal for honest law obiding citizens- this really stinks.BTW a lot of the beach area's are parking lots, not for me. Did you file a formal complaint of some sort? I hope the rest of your trip thru Ca. turns out better, there really are some wonderful people and places out here.So kick out the nice people but let the loud rowdy drunkards stay. BS, Hang de landlord.

Fyrzowt · 05-10-2007, 03:08 PM

It just occured to me - if it ever happens again, strap the blue tote to the undercarriage or bumper. Once it's affixed, it will be fully self contained.
Then in the morning on your way out, you can stop by the host's campsite.....no I guess that wouldn't be nice. Never mind.

Blu_Hwy_Lady · 05-10-2007, 03:12 PM

Thanks for the support guys. I gotta tell ya' Doorgunner....Your reply really made me smile and warmed my heart. We were so shocked and humiliated and angry we couldn't even be the rebels that we normally are. Plus, the place was just so awful and such a contrast to our nice stay at beautiful Wright's Beach about half an hour from Casini. We just sort of slunk off with our tails between our legs. As a matter of fact as we were driving away, Bill said to me, "I wonder how Doorgunner or one of those other military guys from the rally would have handled that."

Maybe the "campground host" needs to have a battalion of vintage Airstreams invade his stronghold.

doorgunner · 05-10-2007, 03:18 PM

I'm still fumin about this, got a pic of this creapazoid? how about a name, I'ld love to take a drive to visit with the magot. I have no problem talking with the "law" ask anyone that knows me. Glad Wrights beach was good to you, just goes to show you some peoples kids are nice others are not. I'm really agitated , yup really, welcome to Ca. now park between the lines or get out, I woulda parked him between the lines then run over his lame tail a few times. DG I gotta go take my meds

Coastalview · 05-10-2007, 03:37 PM

Sorry to hear of your ordeal. There are very few places I recommend to camp in my area, and this location was just added to the list. I work for a public agency and will be e-mailing our local state parks office with your message in it. There is absolutely no reason for a host representing public property to act in this manner. With previous issues I have had with our local state parks, they tend to take notice when they get complaints from other local agencies. Jeff

Tom Nugler · 05-10-2007, 03:49 PM

Well... That sounded like a fun time.
I normally just let everything dump into the one tank if I'm only out for a day or two. Just need to be a little more careful hooking up the sewer hose.
Once again this topic begs for a pinned thread on campgrounds that refuse entry or make life for vintage owners difficult, if not impossble to use. Seems like every year there are 2 or 3 posts about some place with arbitrary "rules" on age, condition, length, ect.
There is a campground heading on the left side of the page which highlights the better sites. How about one that warns of "unfriendly" campgrounds? Maybe just a line or two from the offended party telling of their experience.

Just a thought, Tom.

Lotek · 05-10-2007, 04:05 PM

I'm sorry you had that experience. Every once in a while you run into a real knucklehead.

When I was traveling through Arizona I was refused entry to an ugly, paved RV park. The octogenarian clerk told me my rig was too old, that they didn't allow anything older than ten years.

I asked her if she, personally, saw any irony in that!

sd90mac · 05-10-2007, 04:09 PM

Rassssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss pberry to them. There are many good places to go, I for one will never go there. Chalk it up to really bad manners on his part and let it go. he will get his comeuppance when the time is right.

Hang in there. Many places will welcome you. I agree with the idea of doing a thread or listing of the bad campgrounds. I'll contribute.

Marie

Blu_Hwy_Lady · 05-10-2007, 04:09 PM

The time we spend 'streamin' is very precious and we try to make every moment memorable. It was like we were on a high from being with all the great NorCal folks at Casini, a relaxing day at Wrights and then blamo...a jerk of the highest order and we were blind-sided, sucker-punched, totally unprepared for battle. But jeez, why should we have to do battle?

Let me elaborate a little more on the "white line" incident. There was a split rail fence that separated the beach from the parking lot...er, campground. About 4 to 6 feet from the fence was a painted line. I considered it more of a spotting line than some sort of uncrossable boundary, you know to keep people from backing into the fence and to make sure there was room to walk behind the trailer. Plus, there were no signs that said, "don't park over line". When I said in my previous post, one corner was four inches over, I am not exaggerating. The trailer was not perfectly straight and one very small corner of the bumper was about 4 inches over the line. I tried to be good natured and joke with the jerk about it only being about four inches, because I thought he might be kidding...it seemed so ridiculous. But then, when he snapped, "Then you only have to move it 4 inches!" I knew we were dealing with a power-tripper. And, I did make a feeble argument about the external tank that, indeed, we were "self-contained" because our gray water was "contained" in the tank. I mean Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is the difference between the dishwater going into a tank under the belly pan or into a tank under the trailer?

It was the end of the day. We were looking forward to setting up the chairs, breaking out the chips and beverages and letting the flamingos get a little exercise. It was humiliating to have the reference to the trailer like we were some kind of trailer trash...so we just left. And yes, he did angrily, peel off $35 from a wad of bills when I asked for a refund. There wasn't any indentifying personal info certifying he had any authority. He just came out of an SOB in an obviously semi-permanent site with a golf cart.

It almost seems to me that the rules at that park are a discrimination against people who can't afford a fancy rig--or like us, prefer vintage. I can see private parks that have their "standards" about how old the trailer can be etc. They are their own little snobby fiefdoms. But state parks? Places where families are supposed to flee urban hell holes for recreation. Places that are paid for with tax dollars? Plus, $35 for no hook-ups? It's outrageous. We paid $6 a nite for a beautiful state park in AZ that had electric. I guess it could be argued: so, camp in cheap states. But we like the beautiful places in California. And, Arizona doesn't have a beach.

**Stefrobrts** · 05-10-2007, 04:16 PM

Amazing! I have to say, we've not had anyone turn us away, but I've never been to a park without hookups that had it's nose that high up in the air!

janetb · 05-10-2007, 04:17 PM

Are you sure you were at Sunset and not Seacliff? Were the sites right on the beach? Either way, so sorry this happened to you in our neck of the woods...

Airhog1 · 05-10-2007, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fyrzowt

It just occured to me - if it ever happens again, strap the blue tote to the undercarriage or bumper. Once it's affixed, it will be fully self contained.
Then in the morning on your way out, you can stop by the host's campsite.....no I guess that wouldn't be nice. Never mind.

My thoughts exactly!!!

G

rgesch · 05-10-2007, 04:20 PM

Pine Acres Resort in Raymond, NH gets the "BONE-HEAD Award on the east coast. Rented us a couple of leaky boats to fish out of on their little pond. A thunderstorm came up so we pulled them up by our campsite and ran in the trailer to dry off and wait until it stoped to return them.

Next thing we know we get a Mad Hatter in our campfround screaming they were not "returned by dark" so the Big Bonehead called the police cause as he said "we stole them".

No common sense in that area code. Not exactly a blue boy story but the same guy must be working there.

Coastalview · 05-10-2007, 04:20 PM

Maybe everyone chiming in on this thread should call these guys;
Sunset State Beach
Santa Cruz District is looking for enthusiastic camp hosts to fill any/all of April, May and June just in time for whale migration! The forested campground sits atop 200' high sand dunes and looks over the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary. The host site is developed and has full hook-ups. Please contact Mike Selbo or Cris Sanguino at (831) 763-7064.