Apologies to The Killers for paraphrasing some of the lyrics of a great song.

Ok, you are in a run-away Toyota. Do you shift into neutral – no, “I was afraid the car would flip.” Are you an idiot? Did you really apply the brakes with both feet at maximum pressure? Did you turn the engine off? No, not until the California Highway Patrol told you to while you were going up a hill at 55mph.

And the Press. Yesterday’s reports were that the CHP slowed the car by blocking it – NO! The CHP pulled their car in front of the stopped Toyota to make sure it did not take off again. The Press do have an excuse in the initial reports so I will cut them some slack.

But Mr. Sikes? No slack for you or the many other Americans caught up in what history will show is mass panic just like when one kid gets sick in the cafeteria and many others get sick also.

Is there a real problem? No doubt. But hysteria seems to be the norm now.

Having been slightly challenged for the last couple of weeks, things are coming together again.

While washing the Sprinter, my cell fell into the bucket of water. Although I quickly rescued it, all it would do is flash on and off and make a high pitched noise not unlike an electronic scream – kinda like when the bad guy in the Terminator fell into the molten steel. I actually enjoyed not having a cell phone for a while but finally was pushed to get a new one by “relatives.”

Then, last Friday, my computer decided it would turn off and on all pretty like, but what ever program I clicked on it would tell me, “I’m sorry Keith, I can’t do that.” After spending an afternoon (for me) with a nice person from India I had to surrender and reinstall Windows.

For any of you who email me or call me (and read this), you need to do it again so I have your address. Unless you go back to before September 2009 – I have everything before that. So, Rick, Stu, Nick, Larry, my friends at SOCOM, my nephews, Lynn, David, K2, Trish, “Here come the Judge”, Kent, email me. Jim, Cliff, Billy, Robert, Ben, Peav, Pam, Martin – youse guys are ok. Everyone in my VA group(s) are ok too.

This is totally cool!

(Click the play button to view video. Firefox users please click here .)

I wanted to put this out early so you could pencil them in and start planning.

Northern California Sportsmobile Meet and Greet
May 8 or 15*
The Lost Coast (about 4.5 hours N. of SF)
For us usually a 3 day event.
Class 2.

OurExcellentAdventures
May 26-31
Grand Canyon North Rim*
Class 2.

Weekend Adventures for Weekend Warriors
(SMB and Sprinter owners)
June 12 and 13
Crandal Peak Trail – between Vallejo and Strawberry
2 hours to the trail, and 2.5 hour home the next day from the end of the trail.
Class 3.

OurExcellentAdventures
August 28 – September 5
Glacier National Park*
Class 2.

* Awaiting confirmation.
Class 2 – High clearance vehicles preferred but not necessary.
Class 3 – High clearance 4WD preferred but any high clearance vehicle is acceptable.

Well, beat the drum and hold the phone – the sun came out today!
We’re born again, there’s new grass on the field.
A-roundin’ third, and headed for home, it’s a brown-eyed handsome man;
Anyone can understand the way I feel.

Come on all! Where are you Bay Area Sprinter fanatics? And you can also come if you are having the SMB built or even thinking about an SMB!

So far: Me+2, Charlie+1, Mike+1

Time is getting short! I need to know by Monday the 8th.

Oh, put me in, Coach – I’m ready to play today;
Put me in, Coach – I’m ready to play today;
Look at me, I drive a Sprinter!

The US Forest Service (FS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) (and other state and local agencies) allow dispersed camping on most of their land – which is a lot!

Dispersed camping means you can drive along a FS or BLM road and basically pull off, drive a few feet and set up camp. As long as the area is not posted “no camping,” and 20′ from the forest road, you are good to go with just a few rules to follow:

• Camping at any one site is limited to 14 days per visit.
• Pack out what you pack in.
• Avoid camping within 200 ft. of any water source.
• Do not leave campfires unattended.
• Whenever camping outside designated camp sites please practice the following minimum impact style camping:
  • Camp at previously used sites, if possible.
  • Fire pans or stoves are recommended.
    Avoid building new fire rings.
  • Use only dead and down wood for campfires.
  • Do not put cans, bottles, or aluminum foil into a fire ring.
  • Burn campfire logs to ashes, then douse with water. CAMPFIRES OF ANY KIND MAY BE BANNED DURING HIGH FIRE DANGER PERIODS.
  • Dispose of human waste properly. The use of portable toilets is highly recommended. If no portable toilet is available, solid body waste and urine should be buried in a hole six to twelve inches deep. The disposal site should be located well away from streams, campsite, and other use areas. Toilet paper should be placed in a small plastic bag and put into your camp trash bag.
  • Pack out your trash (and a little extra).

Check the website of the particular national forest or BLM area you are going to be in or (better) stop at the local NFS or BLM office. Each national forest will have “localized” rules and suggestions.

One other note. If you are going to have a campfire in a FS dispersed area camp you will need a campfire permit (good for one year) and available at any National Forest Office.

For us, this is easiest and best way to camp. And don’t forget, Tread Lightly!