On Tue, Sep 29, 2009 at 9:46 AM, Donna Skarloken <dskarloken@gmail.com>wrote:

>   Yosemite, as someone mentioned, is just
> too crowded.  I live in California, was born here, and don't expect to move
> anywhere else except possibly Nevada, but as someone also pointed out, it
> is
> an extremely crowded state, depending on where you go, and I think there
> tend to be more weirdos here just because there are more people.

  California is very crowded.  Camping there in primitive settings isn't
something I choose to do there very often.  Too many flakey people around.
The state parks and formal forest service campgrounds are probably
safer...Many of the 'rangers' I've talked to in California have had law
enforcment training and are more like cops than forest rangers.  In Anza
Borrego state park, for example, over New Years holiday they have 60,000
visitors and 4 murders..They bring in Law Enforcement reinforcments from
surrounding communities to supliment the usual park staff during "High
Motor-head hollidays"
  Camping backcountry or BLM you are likely to encounter homeless or
illegals or some of the agricultural underground who grow dope in out of the
way places around that state.  Weekends you will see innercity people
invading the countryside with the false idea that they are "all alone" and
can get really silly stupid...They often do just that, and can be pretty
problematic.
  I always travel California prepared to deal with confrontation..
  Don Hanson