No camping - Flood? What a joke

Do you think they should have closed the campgrounds?

  • No, let the camper decide

    Votes: 5 71.4%

  • Yes, Close them all for safety reasons

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Close only the ones that are flooded.

    Votes: 2 28.6%
  • Total voters
    7
R

rblanda

Explorer
Feb 6, 2003
108
0
Winslow, NJ
www.eblanda.com
I had scheduled a camping trip for today, Thursday July 15th. I have had this day planned for two weeks now, along with the rest of my friends. We got some rain and they close ALL the camp grounds. Our intention was to go to Godfrey's Bridge. they said it is all flooded and you can't even get back there.

Don't test me.

So I hop in the Tahoe and take a look for myself. It's perfectly fine. This is a joke and now we must camp illegally in an unnamed spot. (our secret spot). I think the Superintendent that made this decision (I forget her name) should strap on a pair of balls. Big ones. I can't tell you how pissed I am. This woman's probably never even been camping before.

Godfrey's was never under water and the water was only 12" higher than normal.

Strap a pair on, Lady.
 
bobpbx

bobpbx

Piney
Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
14,715
4,898
Pines; Bamber area
Now you see here young man! Its our job to protect you from all the evils in our state forest and you'd better get used to it. We have a sacred duty to do this. Its in our charter and you had better listen to us! :argue:

I agree with you. That is overbearing nonsense to tell you the water is too high. The state refuses to let people be adults. This world is made, no begging, to be explored.
 
Teegate

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
26,002
8,768
They most likely are trying to protect themselves from somone drowning or some other lame excuse.

Guy
 
N

NewSchoolPiney

Explorer
Jun 16, 2003
138
0
Boston, MA
www.pinemind.com
Lawyers yes, but we wouldn't have lawyers without the sick cycle of excessive human wants and greed propelling them to action.

I got in trouble for camping illegally in the middle of the woods (Wharton) about a month ago. We have been camping there since high school (about 5 years). It's a great spot that isn't even accessible by a sand road. You have to walk a good 15 minutes through the woods to get there. The rangers woke us up at 9 am all serious acting like we were terrorists or something. We had all of our trash cleaned up from the night before and the fire (which was miniscule) was more than put out. They seemed very "surprised" that we had cleaned up our trash the night before. Voluntarily, we would go out to this general area of Wharton at least once or twice a year to clean up the trash that other thoughtless folk had strewn about. You put in your time, and you can't even get a little bit of unsupervised freedom in nature . . .

It really irks me that because some people can't take care of a fire or take out their trash, we cannot do true wilderness camping. If I ever rise to some position within the Division of Parks and Services, my first goal is to get a small wilderness camping area set up in that huge section of the Batona Trail between Batsto and Washington.

There are adults in this world, but most of them choose to act like children, and therefore like children we shall all be treated.

Peace,

Justin
 
P

Piney1125

Scout
May 1, 2004
65
0
Cherry Hill, NJ
Outrageous

Aw, don't worry about the superintendent, she just loves exercising her power on everyone she can, just like everybody else in this world. It's a damn shame people don't have priviledges even when they do do good things. :swear:

P.S. And about the fact that most kids act like adults, I disagree with that. It's the <1% that do behave like kids and belong locked up that ruin it all for the greater 99+% of us. It's sad that nobody can be trusted nowadays.
 
Teegate

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
26,002
8,768
Yes it is a woman. I was standing right next to her for a short while, and was watching her closely. It was at the Carranza ceremony two years ago. She was standing in line getting set up to place the "rangers" wreath at the memorial. She poked her hand with the metal portion of the wreath and I was watching her reaction. She actually seemed nice....my first and last impression so far.


Guy
 
BEHR655

BEHR655

Piney
Feb 19, 2003
2,707
8
Merchantville, NJ
www.behr655.smugmug.com
NewSchoolPiney said:
Lawyers yes, but we wouldn't have lawyers without the sick cycle of excessive human wants and greed propelling them to action.
Click to expand...

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? :D

In this case I would say you are right, greed came first. However I truely believe that it is the lawyers that perpetuate the greed. It is the way they make their money and the more the plaintif gets the more they get.
What ever happened to people taking responsiblity for their selves? If I slip on a wet floor, should I not have been more careful? How smart do you have to be to know not to put hot coffee between your legs? It's just way out of hand and it is costing us too much. When will the madness stop? </rant>

Steve ~ who doesn't think all lawyers are egg sucking dogs, just most of them.
 
R

rblanda

Explorer
Feb 6, 2003
108
0
Winslow, NJ
www.eblanda.com
Who knows - letter?

I'd like to write a letter about my dissatifaction with her decision. Also, I looked her up, and it only looks like she's superintendent of Bass River State Forest? That's what an article on courier post said.

By the way - we had a great time camping last night at our secret spot. Was a beautiful day with no flooding :)

Her name is Flo McNelly. I'd love an address - which station is she normally at?
 
R

Robin Hood

New Member
Jul 16, 2004
1
0
You know, they don't close the beaches when the tide comes in, and the purpose for the beaches revolves around the water. I never heard of anyone drown from cooking a hotdog over a campfire. I can't fathom a good reason for shutting down the campgrounds. At least they could have had the decentcy to limit campers to those campgrounds that are no where near water. We all pay for those rangers to watch over the land, not kick us out of it.

-Steve
 
N

NewSchoolPiney

Explorer
Jun 16, 2003
138
0
Boston, MA
www.pinemind.com
pinelandpaddler said:
justin,

How much was the illegal camping fine/other fines?
Click to expand...

Well, because we had a bottle of wine out there with us, we got two fines apiece. We were told each one was $50, but when we went to pay, Shamong Twp. told us each one was $72. When I told them what the rangers told us, she got all bent out of shape saying,"We always tell them it's not $50." Apparently, the rangers get $50 and the rest goes to whatever township it occurs in.

So to answer your question, $144 apiece. Really, really sad. I refuse to go camping at a giant field where most of the people pull up with giant RV's and bring out all the modern conveniences in an outdoor format (turkey fryers, gas powered blenders, etc).

This hasn't deterred me, as we are just using online GIS web apps to search the aerial photos, topos and dirt roads for secluded places to get away from Big Brother.

Now that I'm working in the GIS field, I have direct access to great GIS data for which to explore with.

If anyone knows any good spots they're willing to share, PM me. I have a good one up my sleeve as well, but it requires a rope swing to get across the Mullica . . . fun times.

Justin
 
Teegate

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
26,002
8,768
Do you drive vehicles into the area's you camp at, or walk?

Guy
 
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