Introductory post

[OnTheHill]

First and foremost a huge thank you to all participants....I'm up to page 47 of the archives and the treasures that have been left behind for my benefit have been invaluable.

I'm a SoCal boy living in the mountains in Idyllwild. If you've ever been to Palm Springs it's that snow capped mountain directly to the west. Moved up from the San Diego area 45 years ago and have yet to find a place that I'd rather be.

For years before Idyllwild I was a truck camper....so often in the Sierra Juarez of Baja California....Laguna Hansen, Mike's sky ranch, Puertocitos, Colnett and many others. But after moving to the mountains it became backpacking. Since I never could get my pack (comforts) under 45lbs it simply is more effort than I care to put out anymore. So it's back to car camping and the comforts that come with more gear.

I'm no kind of tough guy....I'll camp down to freezing at night, but if the days don't warm up then maybe next week will be just as good. I camped near Borrego Springs last week, up coyote canyon to a side canyon (sheep canyon) that only got a few hours of sunlight each day without appreciable heating. I consider that an error in judgment. But I have a huge desert nearby with sunlight galore.

Since I live over mile high we will have snows from time to time, so the Subaru Outback that gets me around in the snow and ice serves so well in the desert that dispersed camping is easy peasy, but I will try a campground with "others" around I tell myself. (someday)

I'm in the same boat as so many of you that my particular circle of friends doesn't include many campers. I do enjoy a little rockhounding out around Wiley's well (very little geology training) I have a book, I'm learning.
So in time I'll learn the SoCal contingent and for those of you that do camp in the Idyllwild area I'd be glad to take the time to enjoy your company for a few moments.....who knows?, we might even enjoy each other. A little backup never hurts.

So if anybody has the time to run down the tale of HogSnapper I'd enjoy hearing about that.

I'm looking at a propane refiller on Amazon:
http://amzn.to/2i4tuKE
Any experience or comments would be appreciated.

That's about it for the moment....again thanks all for all the time and energy that you've gathered together here for my education.

OnTheHill.

[Irate Mormon]

Re: Introductory post

Socal. Sorry about your luck!

[OnTheHill]

Re: Introductory post

SoCal....Yeah, it's crazy.....we have new laws that make it much more annoying to buy ammo....the upside is that we get to smoke pot while we wait. (I wonder if there's a deeper reason behind that one).

OnTheHill

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Introductory post

Still haven't camped in any part of CA but you've certainly perked my interest .
Welcome and keep on posting.

[MacGyver]

Re: Introductory post

As far as that fuel adapter goes, look at the sentence in all caps in paragraph one here:

https://adventuresinstoving.blogspot...refilling.html

I don't know if that's just the author's way of putting out a disclaimer for legal reasons and it certainly doesn't mean it's gospel truth just because it's on the Internet, but it does make sense to me to at least exercise a LOT of caution if you're gonna refill.

[OnTheHill]

Re: Introductory post

Still haven't camped in any part of CA but you've certainly perked my interest .
Welcome and keep on posting.

I've been living in the mountains (pine, cedar, and oaks mostly) for the last 45 years and backpacking here as well. So the getaway aspect of camping remains the same, the change of scenery aspect comes into play. Leaving the hordes of humanity to the west and the merging of deserts to the east. For many (myself included at first) the desert is an acquired taste and carries the stigma of "struggling to stay alive".

But as nature will do it reveals it's treasures in smaller increments. Seeing a Palo Verde growing along a wash die out and then magically regrow into an even larger tree out of the same trunk is amazing. Last time out I saw what appears to be a barrel cactus cluster.....I've never seen them cluster like that before. The cholla gardens at Joshua tree are pretty amazing. And with a little geology background you can practically watch the mountains grow, rupture, and wear away.

Rockhounding is fun and we allow ourselves to imagine a gem find (it does happen) of interest or value. Or to come across a piece of quartz "float" with a fleck of gold in it and then try to trace that rock back to it's vein of origin.
The bottom line is that you would love it. (in time) Diversity we have in spades.

OnTheHill.

[tplife]

Re: Introductory post

SoCal....Yeah, it's crazy.....we have new laws that make it much more annoying to buy ammo....the upside is that we get to smoke pot while we wait. (I wonder if there's a deeper reason behind that one).

OnTheHill

Welcome Onthehill, we're practically neighbors here in SoCal and big fans of Stone Creek Campground. We're about an hour west of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and it's high season, LOL...Pot was of course legalized to provide the few Republicans (and others capable of independent thought) left in California with a way to cope with the loss of their Civil Rights as our State works to secede from the Union. :penguin:

[OnTheHill]

Re: Introductory post

When a cop arrests a drunk they're pretty much aware that ending up in a fight is a definite possibility. When a cop arrests a stoner that thought doesn't even occur. Can you imagine that they'd like to keep us docile? Ok the thought did occur.

Stone creek might be a little cool this time of year....But if you already camp in the Idyllwild area you know the drills. Can't really count on nighttime being much warmer than freezing this time of year...a 40* night is a little balmy.:he: That said...give me a lookup when you're in the vicinity....you'd likely score a free lunch. And if I ever spy a prius with a trailer hitch mount cargo box the chances are high I'd rattle your cage a might.

I've read a lot of your posts...so for all the contribution...."thank you for your service". Being a Vietnam vet about 2 years ago somebody (actually an Iraq vet) said to me "thank you for your service" in my mind I replied "You mean I'm not an *hole any longer". So thank you for your service always makes me laugh....Groovy huh!

I am a grateful kind of guy....worked as an electrician (local and residential) so that I could stay in the environment that I love and the small town thing works well for me. If I do car camp in the local area it won't be until it warms up a bit and definitely not bug month (June). In any case I recently retired and am teaching this old dog some new tricks.

OnTheHill.