At 5:27 +0000 10/11/2004, nvrockhounds wrote: >Yup, sounds like you were in California, when you should have been on >the East Coast, no way would it take a half million to clean-up the >rusty junque. Since you didn't try to stay around other people, can I >ask why? Dogs? Drinking problems? Did you ask Leonard or anyone else >where to park?
I traveled 3000 miles cross-country to the Slabs since I had heard all these great things on this list and on the SLABS list; I was looking for a warm, dry, and cheap location where my arthritis wouldn't bother me. After only a day there, I was bitterly disappointed in the place, so spent the rest of my stay looking for other parking/camping locations in the SW. I arrived late at night on 3 October, parked near the guard house along the main road. When daylight came, I stepped out of my trailer and my first sight was a pile of rusty cans, some discarded RV parts, and some unidentified metal things; spread around the ground were many, many pieces of broken beer bottles. I drove down the road, stopped at the bulletin board where there were some announcements, but no information about what might be available. The only map I had came off the internet, so I used that as a guide. There was a sign along the road stating "info", but nobody home, so I stopped at a nearby RV which was obviously permanently parked and asked about where a newbie could park. He told me to "F**k off", so that conversation ended rather abruptly. I don't know who Leonard is, but of the several permanent Slabs residents I talked to (or attempted to talk to) during my stay, only two were friendly: a Mexican youth who was hitchhiking into Niland and the guy living in t he stripped-out mobile home on the corner who seems to be in charge of the junk recycling dump; at least he didn't bite my head off. I'm a very active Scouting Volunteer and am used to people who are not anti-social and are friendly; I also try to be friendly and non-confrontational when approaching people, so having people try to hand me my head without justification didn't go over very well at all. It would require major construction equipment to police up the rusted and burned out derelict RVs and vehicles alone not to mention the labor to clean up 640 acres. But, as I said, that was just an estimate; it might require several million more dollars if it's determined that there is groundwater and soil contamination. EPA would could become involved if it were to be declared a Toxic Waste Site resulting in many more millions for clean-up. I have a 3.7 kw generator and I am very sensitive to the noise pollution created as it is running. As my signature indicates, I'm a ham radio operator and I need the power for my radios, so I try to keep the noise as far as possible from others so I can minimize the disturbance to them. I even carry a noise reduction enclosure made from foam rubber padding to minimize the noise. For this reason, I usually look for a location where the generator's noise will disturb as few people as possible or nobody if possible. While there were some barking dogs nearby, they didn't bother me at all, not as much as the loud drinking parties at the same site across the road (maybe 200 meters away). I'm not a partier nor do I drink although I don't mind others having fun as long as it doesn't get too rowdy. Yelling, screaming, and whooping at 3 AM is too rowdy. >Where are you camped now? Go up to Rice, CA and stay on the old >airfield slabs, there, not that far back to Parker, AZ or Blythe, CA, >and you will be by yourself for the most part. I'm at a delightful tiny (40 units) RV park west of Phoenix which is clean, quiet, and populated by other retired professionals who also have generators. We all get along like the proverbial peas in a pod. And I still have a noise shield around my generator. -- 73 de Fred K2FRD, VO2FS http://homepage.mac.com/k2frd/K2FRD.html Free Subscription To OCARG EAGLE, a newsletter for ham radio Scouters http://homepage.mac.com/k2frd/ocarg.htm for info. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free! http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/z1TolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To reply to this message, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Boondocking/post?act=reply&messageNum=7503 Please do not reply to this message via email. More information here: http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/messages/messages-23.html <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Boondocking/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
