After leaving Oceanside, a quick trip across the California desert finds me caught in the American government shutdown. In the middle of vast stretches of BLM land, military bases and very close to the Mexican border, the government shutdown has had a big impact here.
I’m on a serious mission now and spending some time with Mike in CA is always a positive thing. When it’s dark, any light is welcome. I got some work I needed to to while I was there that you can see on the watermanatwork YouTube page. I got some other work done and left Oceanside with a plan to do as much as I could with the time that was left.
It’s not a super long drive from San Diego County to the Colorado River, but it can be challenging. Of course it’s mostly desert, but there are some mountains as well. On this day, it was very windy, making driving through the narrow mountain passes a challenge.
Out of the mountains, the wind continued into the desert. I drove through several dust storms and a dust devil hit the truck while I was driving.
I got to Yuma and started checking around. I had not planned on coming here this winter, but my options are more limited all the time. During the couple weeks at Mike’s house, I knew about the government shutdown, but this time it’s different.
I drove out to the long term camping area where I have spent several winters. This area has been closed in the past, mainly due to basic mismanagement and probably corruption as well, but only the agency offices were closed. The public land managed by the BLM remained open. This shutdown, the offices are closed, the BLM squatters who live on the premises rent free are gone and the maintainence contractor and his on site home and garage are gone as well. Some people bought permits before the government shutdown. They are out in the desert with no restrooms or services. State troopers evict people who attempt to camp there.
This is the first time I have heard of state police enforcing what amounts to unpaid permit violations for permits on federal land that are not available for sale. After all, this is supposed to be public land. If the government is unable to manage the land, what right do they have to close it down? There are a lot of questions.
I went to the local BLM field office to see about buying a permit and asking some questions, the office was closed. A note on the door basically said they’ll reopen when the government does. The BLM website is not updated regularly and there is no information available.
The BLM manages thousands of acres of desert in this part of the United States. It is a very popular spot for winter tourists, sometimes called “snowbirds”. Retired people in motorhomes or RVs are a common sight here. The snowbirds, who have been coming here for decades, bring a lot of money to the local economy that is not going to be here this year. The snowbirds are dying off or staying home as the BLM caters to a younger crowd with more money; off road vehicle users. This year nobody is staying here with zero money into the local economy. The last chapter of the “American Dream” will be a sad one for some elderly people.
Dozens of camping areas closed and thousands of acres of desert closed to the public has put a lot of people in limbo. Apparently, no camping is allowed anywhere the BLM charges a fee. Same for boating and fishing on the Colorado River, boat launches are closed during the best time of the year for fishing. I am camping on BLM land, but it’s one of the few places they do not charge a fee. It’s a gray area, I guess. Everybody at the BLM is gone, no information available, who knows what’s going on? I’m not breaking any rules, the worst they can do is kick me out.
It’s a beautiful spot. I’ve camped here many times. This is one of the first spots I came to following the semi accident I was in many years ago. Unfortunately, recent heavy rain has led to a massive mosquito outbreak. From dusk until after dawn, swarms of mosquitoes attack. It’s like an Alfred Hitchcock movie. I have full mosquito netting, but it’s not too comfortable. Normally, I would not be here at this time, but there are limited options.
I’m right in the middle of it again, so check back soon.