US Gov't Shutdown Impacts RVers at Federal Parks

[scottyb]

Since the Feds are closed, we decided not to waste the fuel driving to UT. We have booked spaces in two state parks in AZ, River Island (Parker) and Dead Horse Ranch (Cottonwood). Both look very nice and we are looking forward to spending time there.

A friend of mine that owns a share of a houseboat on Lake Powell was supposed to have one of his weeks there now. He was told that he can only go out to the boat, since it is his property, but can not leave it's mooring, and the Lake is closed.

 

[ucwinters]

ucwinters, Kerrville-Shreiner is a nice park. I like the section that is across the highway from the office because it is quieter. It is wooded and the sites are mostly pull throughs. The other side is closer to the highway so you get road noise.

Mike, that is the side that we always camp on (usually on Deer Field Loop w/ full hookups). Years ago we were over on the other side (in an A-Liner) and had constant noise from the highway. Looking forward to the cold front coming through tomorrow and hopefully no burn-ban so we can have a campfire.

 

[pegmikef]

Mike, we are always available to and fro as we are in the Piney Woods of East TX. We may be a bit out of the way, but the price is right. Nan and Paul

Nan and Paul. Thank you for your kind offer, but I am going to tough it out and just go up to I-20 and drive straight thru. I was hoping to avoid the DFW cluster, but oh well. Thanks again and I am looking forward to seeing you both next week. Mike and Peggy

 

[vakthund]

..the Lake is closed.

The lake is closed? The fed's own the lake? Man, we are in worse trouble than I thought.

 

[dave10a]

This a quotation from a park ranger: “It’s a cheap way to deal with the situation,” an angry Park Service ranger in Washington says of the harassment. “We’ve been told to make life as difficult for people as we can. It’s disgusting.”

 

[JanAndBill]

Since the Feds are closed, we decided not to waste the fuel driving to UT. We have booked spaces in two state parks in AZ, River Island (Parker) and Dead Horse Ranch (Cottonwood). Both look very nice and we are looking forward to spending time there.

A friend of mine that owns a share of a houseboat on Lake Powell was supposed to have one of his weeks there now. He was told that he can only go out to the boat, since it is his property, but can not leave it's mooring, and the Lake is closed.

I hope you are joking about the lake being closed. I did however go out and pull it up on google and it looked like they only bordered the lake on one side. Then I blew the map up and discovered they own a TINY sliver of beach all the way up the other side.

 

[scottyb]

The whole lake is considered a National Recreational Area. This is from the NFS website.

Due to the lapse in agency funding, the sale of all types of permits (i.e., recreation, firewood, forest products, mineral materials for example) are suspended, recreation.gov reservations are suspended, and all federally owned recreation sites are closed. All offices are closed. These services will be available once funding is restored.Law enforcement, fire suppression, and other essential services will continue without interruption.This web site will remain available for public safety announcements and updates such as for wildfire, floods, and so forth. We will attempt to make timely updates about public health and safety on these web pages as appropriate. We sincerely regret this inconvenience.For general information on Forest Service shutdown procedures, please visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/contingency-plans/.​

FYI, This is from a newsletter from the Grand Canyon Association. Closing the Grand Canyon? I bet people like the late Harvey Butchart ("The Grand Obsession") are rolling over in their graves.

​

In an effort to keep friends of Grand Canyon National Park updated, Grand Canyon Association will send updates to the park closure as we receive them. Highway 64 Closed in Grand Canyon National Park Grand Canyon, AZ - Grand Canyon National Park has closed Highway 64 within the park boundary. Beginning at 8 am on Thursday, October 3 visitors planning on using Highway 64 are advised to make alternate plans for traveling between the towns of Tusayan and Cameron. Grand Canyon National Park, like all 401 National Park Service units, closed the park on October 1, 2013 as the result of the government shutdown. Highway 64 initially remained open for thru traffic and all overlooks and pull-outs were closed to the public as part of the park closure. While the two lane highway remained open many visitors ignored the park closure order and removed barricades at overlooks and pullouts, parked cars, tour buses, and RVs along both sides of the highway and in the middle of the roadway, completed dangerous U-turns, and pedestrians ran across the road in front of moving traffic causing several near misses. Highway 64 is now closed to all non-resident traffic for the safety and protection of travelers, staff and the resource.

​

 

[Grampafish]

We are currently in Montana where we had 3" of snow and temps in the 20's. We lucked out and went into Yellowstone the day before it closed. We had planned to drive though Yellowstone to the Grand Tetons and then down to Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon on the way to Temecula, CA for the regional rally. Needless to say, we have changed our plans. We spent another day in Montana and the fishing on the Madison River was great with snow on the banks and temps all the way up to 40! We'll just drive at a leisurely pace though Idaho, Utah and Nevada to get to southern CA. We've never been to Laughlin so maybe we'll spend a couple days there. We feel lucky to be able to be flexible.

 

[dave10a]

I see the governor of South Dakota reopened the highway that the Feds closed to Mt Rushmore. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/ariz-gov-rejected-offer-reopen-grand-canyon-20466154

 

[wdk450]

I hope this post is not considered "political" but I heard a solution to our annual budget adoption problems from the Prime Minister of Israel on CBS's "Face the Nation" program this morning. He said that Israel has adopted legislation that AUTOMATICALLY provides all funding on a month-by-month basis at levels equal to 1/12 of the previously adopted budget, if no budget is adopted by the due date. If no budget is adopted in 6 months from the due date, AUTOMATIC PARLIAMENTARY-WIDE ELECTIONS ARE TRIGGERED. That is to say that the ENTIRE elected government is kicked out of office.

 

[jmgratz]

I hope this post is not considered "political" but I heard a solution to our annual budget adoption problems from the Prime Minister of Israel on CBS's "Face the Nation" program this morning. He said that Israel has adopted legislation that AUTOMATICALLY provides all funding on a month-by-month basis at levels equal to 1/12 of the previously adopted budget, if no budget is adopted by the due date. If no budget is adopted in 6 months from the due date, AUTOMATIC PARLIAMENTARY-WIDE ELECTIONS ARE TRIGGERED. That is to say that the ENTIRE elected government is kicked out of office.

Sounds like a plan to me.

 

[kowAlski631]

I hope this post is not considered "political" but I heard a solution to our annual budget adoption problems from the Prime Minister of Israel on CBS's "Face the Nation" program this morning. He said that Israel has adopted legislation that AUTOMATICALLY provides all funding on a month-by-month basis at levels equal to 1/12 of the previously adopted budget, if no budget is adopted by the due date. If no budget is adopted in 6 months from the due date, AUTOMATIC PARLIAMENTARY-WIDE ELECTIONS ARE TRIGGERED. That is to say that the ENTIRE elected government is kicked out of office.

Good by us. These guys need to remember they represent their constituents' wishes, not their own.

 

[Lynn1130]

"Highway 64 is now closed to all non-resident traffic for the safety and protection of travelers, staff and the resource."
This little bit of information, for what it is worth, is not totally correct. Highway 64 from I-40 to the gates of the park is not closed and the fact that the Feds could not get that bit of information correct is causing the merchants all the way up 64 some heartburn.

 

[dave10a]

http://www.wtop.com/959/3479186/Crowd-storms-World-War-II-Memorial

 

[jmgratz]

I passed by a US Forest Service Park (Double Lake, Coldspring, TX) today and it was locked up tight.

 

[dave10a]

I wished I was there --- http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/10/13/Barricades-moved-WH?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter