Keeping my commitments is a pretty big deal to me, especially after everything that I’ve been through.
I feel like I need to prove that I can keep commitments.
That all of the running away isn’t me. It’s the trauma.
But I’m not sure if I can keep this commitment. I’ve officially started applying for jobs that start immediately, as well as jobs that start in the fall.
I’m alone here all the time. I’ve made an effort to communicate my needs, and my boss has made an effort to fulfill my requests.
But we just aren’t on the same page. I tell him about how in Yosemite, there were books for volunteers in all the kiosks and ranger stations, and how we were encouraged to stop by and hang out on our time off if we wanted to.
So he brought me some books, and I got upset.
I told him I wanted to come to the office. He said there’s not much to see.
Every time I text him about being lonely or not interacting with enough rangers, he sends one out to see me.
It’s really obvious because it’s always like one hour after I text him.
I feel like I’m asking him for an opportunity to be in an environment where I can make friends naturally, and he’s trying to assign me some friends.
Like he thinks he can just pick my friends for me. I’m sure his intention is that he thinks I’ll hit it off with this person or that person.
But the reality is that he doesn’t know me well enough to know, and he’s sent me a bunch of goodie two shoes.
I can’t directly request stoned bi big boobied baddies with dark hair, tattoos, and piercings.
All of our efforts to make this work have just been so misaligned. I’m alone here all the time.
The isolation has had such a terrible effect on my PTSD that I’ve been having a lot of really intense suicidal thoughts and compulsions.
This isn’t anything new for me, but it hurts really bad to be relapsing on these thoughts when I felt like I had them under control for so long.
Last night, I went for a sunset hike with a hiking group I found on the internet.
The hike to the summit was challenging, and the run down alone was even harder.
But you know how running clears your mind.
I want to keep this commitment so badly. I wanted to stay in one place for two seasons.
But being here is hurting me. My boss just can’t give me what I need. And he almost definitely knows someone who is eager to replace me.
If NPS would have me back, I’d run back in a heartbeat.
He watched me brush my teeth like it was a TV show.
He said, “I might come talk to you later if that’s okay. It gets lonely out there on the road.”
But that was before he watched me brush my teeth. Sitting in his van in the driveway of his campsite.
I couldn’t see below the dash, but I couldn’t shake my suspicion of what was going on down there.
I try to make sure everyone has access to me at least twice a day. I put on my uniform, and walk around the whole campground doing things that take a long time.
I say hi to anyone who looks my way. I try to be very approachable.
As the season goes on, I become less amenable to being approached at my campsite.
This is my only private space.
He came back this evening, and looked for me way too aggressively. He must have called out “Hello?” 30 times.
I was super still. He walked around my tent several times, then walked away and started a car.
Whew.
I took out my phone, started playing a game, and leaned back in my chair.
“Hello?” Right behind me.
He re-parked his car and snuck up on me from a private path that cuts directly from my campsite to the restroom.
At this point, he must have had some sense of the fact that I was avoiding him on purpose.
He walked the perimeter of my tent so closely that he had to walk around each individual guy line.
He stopped in front of the obstacle course to my door and let out a frustrated sigh.
I was so scared he was going to unzip my tent. But I reminded myself, I have cameras in here, and there are lots of people around.
I stayed still. He stood at one end of my tent and looked deeply inside, trying to see a shadow move.
I’m sure he can’t see me in the center of the tent. I’ve checked. I’ve run experiments.
If he stood outside my tent much longer, maybe another camper would call the cops to report suspicious activity.
Am I being a terrible volunteer for thinking that the (extremely modest) campground fee does not include a date with me?
I try to be good at my job. I try to keep the bathrooms clean, I do my best at the lawn maintenance, I always try to use my customer service voice, I’m always on top of the reservations…
I understand what it’s like to be lonely. I’m so lonely it physically hurts. Sometimes I cry myself to sleep.
Of course I feel bad for old people. Of course I think that everyone should do their best to try to help other people.
But I’ve also had so many people choose not to help me or to walk away from my case or whatever. I honestly feel a little entitled to do the same sometimes.
I don’t love hanging out with single old men. I know a lot of women my age do. A lot of women my age think that old men are harmless and adorable.
I’ve just had too many bad experiences.
I’m not trying to be a bad ranger. But this man getting so close to my tent feels like a big red flag to me.
I feel like he’s showing me how entitled he feels to come into my private space and walk directly over my clearly laid out boundaries.
It’s not all men. There’s another single man the same age camping here who I’m getting along with. He left me a note this morning, and it made me smile.
He’s a windsurfer. He seems innocent to me. Maybe because he’s always on the go. Maybe because he’s never come within ten feet of my tent.
It’s the loneliness and air of desperation that really scare me.
Just because I also feel loneliness shouldn’t obligate me to console this lonely man.
Two wrongs don’t make a right.
(Right?)
There was this night in Yosemite, maybe about a year ago.
I was sitting in the kiosk in the dark at midnight with my head on the journal when M came in.
She was the midnight bear ranger. She came to my kiosk looking for a private space.
“I have to tell you something,” she said.
A tourist started knocking on the window.
We ignored them, but they wouldn’t let up.
M rolled up the window fast, slamming it open.
“Is this an emergency?”
“No, we just want to check in.”
“Do you see how the blinds are all closed and the lights are all off? That means no one is home.”
She slammed the window shut and said, “Sorry.”
So, I shouldn’t feel bad about just ignoring someone every once in a while, right?
One of the hardest things about being unhoused is the lack of privacy.
And that hasn’t really changed.
I got whacked in the eye by a branch this morning. Like, directly in the eye.
An unhoused person had driven through a barrier I had set up to a closed off area, so I decided to roll some logs uphill to create a new barrier.
One of the logs rolled over a branch in such a way that the branch just flew instantly and directly into my eye.
It hurt really bad, even after I napped, took 2 Tylenol, and showered. And it triggered my PTSD pretty badly to feel punched in the face like that.
So I just wanted to be alone. And everyone came looking for me.
The family who I wrote a note to asking to put their fire pit back in order, decided to raise hell instead.
“Excuse me. EXCUSE ME. HELLO. ANYONE HOME?”
Then they came back and said, “Housekeeping!” That one actually kinda makes my blood boil. It’s like the equivalent of snapping your fingers at me while I’m waitressing.
I don’t think of myself as Housekeeping. I think of myself as customer service. But now you won’t be getting any of that.
I ignored them and pretended not to be there.
So they decided to bring their kids down to ride bikes in my driveway for literally about two hours.
They tried to call for me at least six times. I felt like they were stalking me. (There is a number posted that they can call if I’m not there.)
I was thinking, these toddlers are gonna have to pee at some point. I know I do.
The second they went to the bathroom, I bolted to my car with my shower bag.
But before that happened, the ranger and law enforcement both came looking for me, too.
And while it’s possible that they might have been there to support me in some way, I was already triggered and having a ranger show up unannounced just made it worse.
I know that sounds weird, cause I want to be a ranger. But I’ve had some really bad experiences with cops in the past. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to interacting with them like it’s normal.
I once had a cop tell me he’d take my baby away if I called 911 on my ex beating me up, and I’m now estranged from that child in real life.
So maybe the law enforcement officer didn’t mean to scare me or trigger me or make me double over in tears in the shower. But she banged on my whole tent and yelled my name and yelled ‘law enforcement!’
Also, I had just been smoking. What do you do when law enforcement walks into your fresh weed cloud?
Play dead and pretend not to be home is what I did.
Why can’t they just give me like a fifteen minute warning?
One of the least intelligent things that angry drunken campers do is to flash lights at my tent to see whether or not I’m still awake.
It’s so silly. It makes the camper stand out to me like a sore thumb, and doesn’t help them see me at all.
It’s actually really creepy sometimes, though, because I don’t even notice that people are watching me– until I notice how many fires start immediately after I turn out my lights.
Like…. wait… how long were they watching and waiting for me to turn out my lights?
I just went to ask a site to put out their camp fire a little bit ago, and they argued that their fire is not a fire.
I’m sorry, what?
“This isn’t a fire. It’s propane.”
Like the fact that they have a giant tank of propane fueling the fire makes it better? Pretty sure that makes it worse?
I had to calm down to realize where the confusion must have come from. Propane camping stoves are allowed.
And since I used to work at a country club, I can completely wrap my head around how a rich old white man (such as the camper in question) could interpret that to mean that any fire is okay as long as it’s started with propane and used to cook food.
No.
Okay, I have so many tangents to write about.
Why do men walk by my site after I ask them to follow the rules they’ve been breaking?
I think the most innocent reason is to make sure I’m someone with some authority. The uniform isn’t enough. They want to know my specific title, and whether or not they have to listen to me.
Some may be trying to intimidate me, but I think these are in the minority.
Some want to see if there’s a man around they can argue with. Some just don’t like to be told what to do by a woman, and if they can find a man to argue with, they’ll do so.
Like when I used to work at Office Depot, I literally had an old white man say to my face, “I want to speak to a male associate, you don’t know what you’re talking about cause you’re a girl” when I was trying to help him with his computer virus.
(I called our worst male associate to come help him, and then stood ten feet away explaining everything to that associate over the radio where the old guy could see, it was hilarious)
Tonight’s camper in question invented a man with authority over me. He said, “They just said I could! I just called him!”
Genuinely shocked, I said, “You just talked to who?”
He surprised me by capitulating. “Alright. I’ll put it out.”
I am talking about a WHOLE FIRE in the fire pit over which they were all roasting marshmallows at the same time. There are signs everywhere that say “no camp fires.”
I’ve already been evacuated once this season. I’m not getting evacuated again so you can have smores, Mr. Jones.
Well the funny thing is, I wasn’t asking who he talked to as if no one else has more authority than I do.
It’s just because I know how short staffed we are right now.
I don’t even have anyone to call. How could he?
So to recap: A fire big enough to roast marshmallows which fills up the entire fire pit isn’t a fire, but an imaginary ranger said it was okay as long as a propane tank is attached to it.
I can’t even.
They keep walking by my tent to see if I’ve gone to sleep so they can start their fire back up.
Guys, I do this every night. Don’t try to play me.
My boss is literally away on firefighting duty right now.
And these fools are pretending he said they could have a fire 😆
I’m in the process of applying for a park ranger job and the following survey is now part of the application. I can’t even:
The following four narrative questions provide an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)). While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question. Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot.
6.How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? Provide a concrete example from professional, academic, or personal experience. (limit 1,200 characters)
7.In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes. (limit 1,200 characters)
8.How would you help advance the President’s Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired. (limit 1,200 characters)
9.How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Provide one or two specific examples, and explain how those qualities would enable you to serve effectively in this position. (limit 1,200 characters)
10.I certify that the above responses are in my own words and I did not use a consultant or Artificial Intelligence (such as a large language model (LLM)).A. YesB. No
The thick blue journal that I bought to create a Camp Host Diary here– like the ones I used last year in Yosemite– was accidentally soaked in Kombucha.
Can’t keep paper soaked in sugar in the tent. Mice would come for it.
Besides, I wasn’t feeling motivated to write about the daily occurrences in this campground. There barely are any.
But I guess we can start with last week’s drama.
Last year, in Yosemite, I had so much more authority. If someone made too much noise, I would turn their music down myself.
Out here in between the city and the country, things are different. As everyone keeps reminding me, this isn’t a national park.
When I see someone disobeying the rules, all I can do is go politely remind them of the rules. If they argue or refuse to comply, all I can do is walk away and call for backup.
This is what happened last weekend when a woman who I’ll call Ashley (not her real name) got cheeky with me.
People were speeding to and from her site at high speeds, which is a huge no no around here.
Remembering a tactic I learned in Yosemite, I looked up the name of the registered camper, and asked to speak to her straight away.
“Hi! Do you happen to be Ashley?”
“Yes!”
“Hi, I’m Sylvia. I’m the Camp Host. I just needed to talk to you about the cars speeding to and from your site.”
“What cars?”
“The black Ferrari.”
“What black Ferrari?”
“I have a video.”
“Okay, well, I can’t control how other adults drive.”
“You actually are responsible for the behavior of anyone you invite to your site. That’s one of the rules you agreed to when you made your reservation.”
“Oh my God, I’ll take care of it. You didn’t have to tell me five times.”
“Okay. Have a nice night.”
She had a great night. She and her teenagers kept the whole campground up till 4am.
The next day, an entire posse of rangers descended on their site to lecture them. They reminded them to quiet down, clean up their trash, stop blowing air horns, and behave better in general.
A few hours later, I was changing the toilet paper rolls when two teenage girls who were camping with Ashley entered the restroom.
One of them said, “You know what we could do to her?” And then she whispered something to the other.
Here’s what they did: they filled a bucket full of raw sewage from their RV, and then dumped it all over the handicapped stall of the women’s restroom.
I’ve been damn near burning out. I’m only a few days away from my vacation. I’ve already taken enough literal shit from campers.
Here’s a question to campers doing things like this: do you want the campground to shut down? We’re already short on volunteers. Don’t push me.
Ashley left several bad reviews of my campground, specifically warning people to watch out for me.
My boss is the one who power washed the sewage out of the restroom, so, he knows Ashley is (literally) full of shit.
I’m not the least bit worried about her reviews. But you know what is concerning?
I found her LinkedIn, and it turns out she’s a Commanding Officer in the Army. Isn’t that the shittiest part of this story?
A friend of mine who works in maintenance told me I’m very lucky to have a boss who would help clean up my mess.
When I registered this site, I was expecting to post several times per week.
I thought I would write detailed posts about all of the places I eat, camp, hike, workout, etc., and all the gear I use along the way.
But between going back to work for the first time in seven years and dealing with continuous housing insecurity on top of multiple unresolved health issues, I just haven’t had the energy for it.
I’ve wanted to be able to put more effort into writing better posts, but, when it’s an hour long effort just to get somewhere where there might be internet– and then half the time, there’s no internet, or the place is closed unexpectedly, or whatever–it’s been hard.
I’ve been getting shuffled around from one employee housing unit to another, so I haven’t been in any one place long enough to set up internet. Where I’m staying right now, I have to walk a mile each way just to get a chance to maybe upload a few pics.
I wish I could write a lot more detailed posts about the places I’ve been living in Yosemite, but that will have to wait.
I’m hoping to write a few more travel posts, but in the long run, I’ll probably just keep most of my reviews on Google and Yelp, and go back to using this thing for mostly poetry.
Which, based on my stats, seems what people want to read from me, anyway.
Frankly, I’m just not that good at travel blogging, and don’t see myself becoming much more motivated than I am anytime soon.
There are two campgrounds named ‘Peninsula Campground’ in Northern California.
Most locals probably know about the privately owned campground near Rollins Lake. They are somewhat infamous on Yelp.
This review is about the other, perhaps lesser known Peninsula Campground– the government-owned Peninsula Campground, which is part of Folsom Lake SRA (State Recreation Area).
Peninsula behind the Ravine as seen from the Oaks Nature Trail
It’s located adjacent to a prominent peninsula on Folsom Lake, which is actually closer to Pilot Hill than to Folsom.
Driving from Folsom, the directions to Peninsula are fairly straightforward. Take Salmon Falls Road all the way to where it ends at Rattlesnake Bar, and then take Rattlesnake Bar all the way to its end at the campground.
Geese with goslings in Folsom Lake
From a boat, it’s even faster– my friends said it only took them a few minutes to boat to me from Beals Point, but the drive takes nearly an hour.
There are two boat ramps at Peninsula: one in the day use area, and one in the campground area (for registered campers only). Both are listed on Google maps.
Oaks Nature Trail and Folsom Lake
Registration at Peninsula has been the easiest of any campground I’ve stayed at so far. Trips that are at least two days out can be reserved online.
If there is space in the campground, then same-day camping is permissable.
Blooming buckeye on Oaks Nature Trail
I find it easiest to register with the camp hosts at the kiosk, but there are also self-service envelopes for those who arrive after hours.
Park rangers patrol the campground at all hours. They are not strict about noise, but they are super strict about smoking and drinking outside of the campsites.
The Oaks Nature Trail at Sunset
Great hiking trails in or near the campground include Oaks Nature Trail, Darrington, and Salmon Falls.
The Oaks Nature Trail is only one mile long, and is located entirely within the campground. It’s mostly shaded, and follows the outer edge of the peninsula through oak woods.
A very, very old oak tree seen from the Oaks Nature Trail
Several longer, better hikes are just a short drive away, down Salmon Falls Road.
Darrington Trail can technically be accessed from the campground, just across from the kiosk.
Blue trail marker on overgrown side of Darrington Trail
However, this side of the trail is wildly overgrown with tall grass, and is chalk full of ticks and rattlesnakes.
Rocks that look like they may be the ruins of a gold miner’s cabin
Most of the time, it’s practically impossible to tell if/when you’re stepping on some kind of nest.
Tall, unkempt grass on Darrington Trail
So, if you’re able to, and if you’re not dead set on hiking the entire 8 miles, I would suggest taking Darrington from the other entrance, which is located down Salmon Falls Road.
This side is much more nicely maintained, is more shaded, and has better views of the lake.
Darrington Trail head at Salmon Falls Road entrance
Camping fees at Peninsula include day use parking at any California state park. Just make sure your pass is visible in your window before you leave your car.
The Salmon Falls Road entrance for Darrington is also close to several other great hiking trails, including the South Fork American River trail, which is one of my favorites in the area.
Darrington Trail
I only had time to hike the first few miles of Darrington, but I loved it. I definitely want to come back to finish it when the weather is cooler.
The views are similar to the views from the South Fork or Brown’s Ravine trails, but not exactly the same. Each trail features unique flora.
For example, on Darrington, I saw some shrubs I’ve never seen anywhere else before. They were blooming with tiny red and yellow flowers.
Shrub with red and yellow flowers on Folsom Lake
On the other side of Darrington, I found some Sierra Checkerbloom.
Sierra checkerbloom on Darrington Trail
I thought this sign was funny. It would not be fun to fly off this cliff on a mountain bike.
Sign that says ‘Caution: walk your bike next 100 yards”
Each of the campsites at Peninsula are unique, and I had the opportunity to stay at several of them.
Campsite 80
The first site I stayed on was 80, which I’d hand-picked after driving through the campground. I thought it looked like the most ideal spot, since it was the closest to the lake.
Campsite 80
It was absolutely gorgeous, and, if you don’t mind noise, then I would highly recommend this spot.
On the other hand, if you are even a little bit sensitive to noise, I would pick a different spot.
View from my tent window at campsite 80
What I didn’t realize was that this site is on the edge of the boat mooring area. People come here to park their boats and chill.
Some of them peed right in front of me, not realizing that I was only about a hundred years away.
On the night of Mother’s Day, a group of college aged kids camped on spot 79, which is so close to 80 that they may as well be the same spot.
They were clearly camping pros– they had all kinds of expensive equipment, including a Jackery with huge solar panels.
Sunset at campsite 80
It was peace and quiet until 10pm, which, ironically, is when quiet time starts. At this time, they began blasting horror movies from a movie projector which they had set up several feet away from my tent.
Sunset from my tent window at campsite 80
Rather than asking the rangers to ask these kids to quiet down, I asked to be moved to a different site.
Campsite 60
I had noticed that my first choice spot, spot 60, was unoccupied and unavailable on the website. Upon inquiry, I found that it was an overflow “buffer” spot reserved for campers with issues.
The rangers were more than happy to move me to site 60. They didn’t give me any grief about it at all.
Looking down on site 60
But, site 60 turned out to be wildly overgrown with baby lupine and golden poppies. I felt terrible stepping on them, and it was hard not to.
The broken raccoon box at site 60
Plus, the raccoon box was entirely broken, and there was a healthy little sapling growing in the fire pit.
A sapling growing in the fire ring at campsite 60
So, the next night, I switched sites again, one site over, to spot 59. Apparently, I failed to take pictures from this site, but the views are almost exactly the same as from spot 60.
Sunset view from site 60
The next time I came back to Peninsula, I ended up on spot 20, because it was the only one available!
I was lucky to get a spot at all, since it was Memorial Day Weekend.
Site 20 turned out to be my favorite one so far. It’s set off kind of by itself. I was just above the Oaks Nature Trail, on a cliff by a ravine.
Buckeye bloom on the Oaks Nature Trail
The ravine was full of salmon, which made the area a hotspot for quiet early morning fishermen.
The salmon themselves were unbelievably noisy.
My first night at Peninsula, I almost thought someone was dumping bodies in the water 😂
Oaks Nature Trail and Folsom Lake
All throughout the night, at least once per every few minutes, I could hear a salmon jump.
They like to jump up to six feet in the air, and then flop down on their full side, which creates a loud splash.
(Apparently, scientists think they do this to dislodge body lice.)
Site 20
I had read in another review that the upper loop of the campground doesn’t have good views of the lake, but that’s just not true. I loved my view from Site 20.
Due to being directly underneath a huge blue oak tree, this site was mostly shaded for most of the day. It was right above a yellow wildflower bloom, which the herons seemed to love.
The giant oak tree looming above my tent at site 20
To compensate for being slightly further away from the lake, most of the upper spots have beautiful stone grills. Some of them are falling apart, but they still work.
The stone fireplace at site 20
I didn’t use my stone fireplace, but I did use my camp stove to up my outdoor cooking game, from boiling water, to boiling things in water.
I had picked up some of my favorite ravioli from Trader Joe’s, which I had for both dinner and the next day’s breakfast.
Upping my cooking game at site 20
After a few nights, someone else reserved spot 20, so I moved to spot 47. But, whoever reserved spot 20 never even showed up.
Spot 47 was my least favorite. It was super sunny, and everyone driving in or out had to drive by that spot.
To make matters worse, this site seemed to be a deer’s home. He marched loudly through my site in the middle of the night, and stole some trash that I had forgotten to put away.
Native ground cover succulents on the Oaks Nature Trail
Once the temperature started rising above 80 degrees, I had to go. It gets hot in a tent really fast.
I packed up early in the morning, and headed back to the mountains.
Heart of SF Sculpture in front of the upper Lyon Street Stairs
The Lyon Street Stairs were on my Yelp list (aka collection) of things I wanted to try in San Francisco, so, on a recent day trip to the city, I decided to stop by.
A plaque describing the Hearts of San Francisco
Located between the Presidio and Cow Hollow, nestled in between billionaire bungalows, there are a total of nearly 300 steps.
The lower Lyon Street stairs
At the bottom of the steps is a beautiful courtyard full of succulents, featuring one of the Hearts of San Francisco.
View from the bottom of the 15th Avenue Hidden Garden Steps
I climbed all the way down and back up the stairs. The views were pretty, but were nothing compared to my favorite Hidden Garden Steps on 15th Avenue, which is where I headed next.
Some of the Hidden Garden Steps
While the 16th Avenue Steps just up the road are better known, I think these steps are actually prettier.
More of the Hidden Garden Steps
The steps have become a semi popular tourist attraction, but they started as a private community project.
More Hidden Garden steps
Each and every tile was hand crafted by local artists Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher. There are over 75,000 glass fragments in each staircase.
More Hidden Garden steps
In my personal opinion, these are probably the most beautiful stairs in San Francisco.
After hiking down and back up the Hidden Garden Steps, I walked back over to the 16th Avenue Steps.
Most of the houses on 16th Avenue have extraordinary, immaculate succulent gardens. There are hundreds of collectors species in the neighborhood.
My favorite front yard garden on 16th Avenue
The mosaic steps are also surrounded by succulents, many of which were donated by the San Francisco Succulent Society.
Gorgeous succulent garden on 16th AvenueBeautiful front yard succulent garden on 16th Avenue
Best of all, it seemed like everything was in bloom.
Another gorgeous garden of giant hens and chicks
In all honesty, I enjoy the walk between the sets of steps as much as the steps themselves.
After walking up and down the 16th Avenue Stairs, I had a hunch.
Considering the distance between the 15th and 16th Avenue Steps, I was willing to bet that if I walked a few more blocks, I would find even more steps.
Sure enough, I present: the Upper 16th Avenue Steps:
While these steps are not an official tourist attraction, they seem like a natural continuance of the other flights.
These steps also featured immaculate succulent gardens meant to support native pollinator species.
The best part about these steps was that there were no other tourists up here- I had them all to myself.
The top of these steps, or even the top of the 16th Avenue Steps, is one of the best places to watch the sunset in San Francisco.
I think of Beals Point as my “home campground,” since it’s the closest campground to where I lived in Folsom for fifteen years.
ADA Site #1 at Beals
It’s also one of the first places I ever went camping outside of Yosemite, although I never camped there during the entire fifteen years that I lived there as an adult.
Recent circumstances made it convenient for me to spend a few nights at Beals.
There have been times that I’ve had to come into town to check my mail or get things from my storage, and it’s usually easier to just spend the night in Folsom before I take off to my next destination.
Duracell lantern from costco
Beals Point is a very large campground, but it fills up quickly. It’s not uncommon for weekends to sell out far ahead of time, even during the “off” season.
As compared to other state campgrounds, the sites here are large and private.
There is some variation from site to site, but the online pictures are fairly accurate.
I may be biased, but I think it’s a beautiful area. The campground is located right on the edge of Folsom Lake, but is still close enough to town to make an emergency trip to Walmart if you need to.
Fire
Folsom Lake is very popular for boating, camping, and hiking. You can also kayak or paddle board, although it would be safer to do these a few miles away at Lake Natoma.
Beals Point serves as the terminus for the American River Bike Trail, which is one of the longest and most famous bike trails in the world.
The trail runs thirty two miles along the American River from Folsom to Old Sacramento. It’s also possible to continue on riding to Davis or San Francisco.
Site 1
I’ve personally ridden about 20,000 miles on that bike trail, so, you can see why I’m having trouble moving on 🤣
It is common to see deer, coyotes, bobcats, rattlesnakes, king snakes, bunnies, western gray squirrels, blue skinks, skunks, hawks, herons, and bald eagles along the trail.
The sites at Beals Point are pretty standard, with picnic tables, fire rings, and bear proof trash receptacles nearby. Most offer partial shade.
If you are looking for a more private or quiet site, I would recommend staying near the camp hosts or amphitheater. The sites closest to the lake are known for partying.
Site 1
This campground is better patrolled than most. Either that, or the Folsom Police are watching me 🤣 Every single time I’ve stayed at Beals, I’ve noticed a heavy police presence.
There are showers at Beals, for a fee. I believe it’s either 4 quarters or 1 shower token (which can be purchased from the kiosk for $1) for five minutes.
Technically, I’ve used the showers at Beals, but it was over twenty years ago. All I can remember is that I kept asking my mom for more quarters.
The bathrooms are not terribly dirty, although they are full of bugs, and do not have soap dispensers.
Site 1
As much as I hate the town of Folsom, I actually love this campground. It’s wild and rustic, the fees are reasonable, and the staff is great.
Like most California State Parks, sites can be reserved online two days ahead of time. Sites that are not sold online can be sold in person on a first come first serve basis.
In the rare event that there are still sites open after the kiosk has closed, self registration is possible.
Fire is allowed at Beals, as long as you purchase your wood in Folsom. Bringing wood from other forests is said to transmit pests which threaten native trees.
Fire
Firewood can be purchased at the ranger station for $10/bundle. Gathering firewood from the campground is prohibited.
When I read that Mineral Bar was a first come, first serve campground, I immediately wanted to check it out.
Day use area
I was hoping to find something similar to Bootjack Campground in Mount Tamalpais. What I found instead was an absolute mess.
According to the website, there would be self pay, first come first serve campsites. Additionally, there would be a kiosk staffed with a ranger.
When I arrived to the campground, it was almost completely empty. Only two other spots were occupied.
Campground sign
But, a busy weekend was coming up, so I wanted to secure my spot as early as possible.
I was hoping to prepay for at least a few days, so that I could leave early in the mornings to go hiking.
There was no ranger at the kiosk. A sign on the window said, “online reservations only.”
New Zealand mud snails
The problem?
Reservecalifornia.com locks most campsites 48 hours ahead of time. I couldn’t pay online for a campsite for the same day.
Even though the entire campground was empty, the sites were locked on reservecalifornia.com
Truss bridge
Irked, I called the Auburn Recreation District Office. I said that I wanted to camp there, and the campground was empty, but I wasn’t able to reserve a spot.
They told me that I could camp there. They told me to call Reserve California, promising they would help me out.
They didn’t help me out.
Meanwhile, a ranger had pulled up. I overheard him tell another camper that they could self register using the iron ranger.
Self registration station
I hung up the phone, and did the same thing. I put money in the envelope for three nights. The next day, a sign with my name on it showed up on my campsite.
So far, so good. I was on site 11, and I liked it a lot. The sites in the back row are kind of close together, but well shaded.
When the weekend rolled around, I wanted to pay for three more nights. But, this time, the ranger told me I could only pay for one at a time.
Toxic algae warning sign
I asked if I could leave the money in the envelope for him, because I wanted to leave early to go hiking. He told me that, no, I had to come back at noon.
I explained that I have a disabled pass because of an anxiety disorder. There are a thousand reasons why I need to be able to leave early, and be gone all day.
I specifically asked if I could pay early as an accommodation for my disability. Again he said no.
Every time a man came up to pay, the ranger made me wait while he helped the man first. After he did this several times, I got irritated.
Truss bridge
I told him I was going to call Auburn SRA to complain, because I heard him tell another camper that they could just leave the money in the envelope for him.
When I picked up my phone to call, he said, “Wait a minute, I just told you I was going to help you right now.” This was actually the opposite of what he had just told me.
Hike to waterfall across the road
I said, “No, you told me you’re going to help all these men waiting in line first.”
He then said, loud enough for everyone to hear, “I have to help you first, because you’re special.“
He emphasized the word “special” as if to imply that I’m mentally retarded.
The actual reason I wanted to be helped first is because I was there first. I was first in line. I’d been waiting for him since 8am.
Looking over the North Fork American River from the truss bridge
I paid him for that night. I stayed on a sunny site on the upper loop, which I hated. The upper loop was way too crowded.
I had made online reservations to be back at site 11 for the following week, but I canceled them. After that interaction with that ranger, I just wanted to leave.
Crossing under 49 to waterfall
It was also hard to camp there because there was no cell service, no outlets to charge electronics, the toilets were nasty, and the closest town was thirty minutes away.
My favorite thing about Mineral Bar is the location. Stevens Trail in Colfax, which is one of my favorite trails, is just a few miles away.
There was also a small waterfall right across the bridge from the campground. From the road, I had thought it was the waterfall from Stevens Trail.
Lots of boards on the truss bridge
The old wooden truss bridge across the North Fork American River was very sketchy. It had dozens of plywood board patches.
Combined with all of the “river cold deadly and swift, stay out stay alive” signs, it was a little scary. But, after watching some teens march confidently across it, I did the same.
River deadly cold and swift sign
Overall, I love Colfax, but I hated Mineral Bar Campground. It’s hard to imagine myself staying there ever again.
After reading the signs at Noyo Headlands, I was curious about 10 Mile Beach.
10 Mile Beach
I decided that I wanted to hike as many trails as possible between 10 Mile Beach and Van Damme State Park.
After hiking from Seaside Beach to 10 Mile Beach, I moved my car over to the 10 Mile Beach parking lot.
View of sand dunes and ocean from bridge
From the parking lot, there was an accessible trail across the bridge, or a hiking trail across the sand dunes to the beach.
Beginning of hiking trail
I walked about halfway across the bridge to see the view of the ocean and sand dunes, and then went back to the hiking trail.
Berries on hiking trail
The first hundred yards or so of the trail was incredibly dense raspberry and blackberry bushes. This suddenly broke into sand dunes, which were difficult to hike up.
Closeup of blackberry flower
10 Mile Beach was much more difficult to get to than Seaside Beach, but it’s also way bigger. I’m not sure if it actually goes on for ten miles, but I hiked a few miles each way.
Even after hiking for over an hour, the scenery was unchanged. I was walking between sand dunes and shore. The dunes themselves were mostly off limits, as they are roped off to protect the birds.
Snail shellMacro snail shells
There are only a few hundred pairs of breeding Snowy Plovers left, so it’s no surprise that I didn’t see any of them. I just saw lots and lots of seagulls.
Small bird or rabbit bone
In order to help protect the Snowy Plovers, dogs are not allowed on 10 Mile Beach, but they are allowed up the road at Seaside Beach.
Educational sign
I found a few lone pieces of washed up sea glass, but nothing like at Glass Beach down the road.
10 mile river draining into the ocean at 10 mile beach
What I found an unreal amount of was sand dollar shell fragments. None of them were intact, but they were huge, and went on for miles.
Geese on the 10 mile river
There were also millions of tiny perfectly rounded black, red, and orange sea pebbles.
Sand dollar
The best thing about this beach was how isolated it was. The entire time I was walking down the shore, I only saw one or two other people from a distance.
10 mile beach
Historically, 10 Mile Beach marked the end of the Pomo Native American Reservation.
10 mile beach
Pomo lived between this beach and Noyo Headlands until they were force marched to Central California by Fort Bragg soldiers.
Glass and green rocks on 10 mile beach
Imagine living in one of the most beautiful places in the world, and being violently forced to move to an ugly desert. How devastating that must have been.
Glass on 10 mile beach
Today, the Pomo help the park service restore the habitat to its natural status. They help protect vulnerable species, and educate park rangers on sustainable practices.
Shell on 10 mile beach
This beach is about twenty miles up the road from Glass Beach.
Seaside Beach and Ten Mile Beach are neighboring beaches along Highway 1, approximately twenty minutes North of Fort Brag.
A pretty shell at Seaside Beach
Seaside is the smaller, Northern, dog-friendly corner of the beach, while Ten Mile Beach prohibits dogs (because it borders the Snowy plover sand dune sanctuary).
The two beaches are technically separated from each other by the Ten Mile River.
Seaside Beach
Map showing where dogs are allowed
Seaside Beach is much easier to access than Ten Mile Beach. The parking lot for Seaside Beach is directly in front of the ocean.
Entrance to Seaside Beach from parking lot
As opposed to the large crowds at Fort Brag, Seaside and Ten Mile Beach are much more private. The parking lots can only hold about ten cars each.
Rock on Seaside Beach
I walked down to the shore, and turned South (left) towards Ten Mile Beach. I walked the entire shoreline between the two beaches.
Closeup showing blankets of succulents on top of rockRocks on Seaside Beach
On the Seaside side, there were lots of large rocks full of small caves and arches, and blanketed in succulents.
Cliff succulents
Unfortunately, succulent poaching is an issue in this area. Those who are caught face tickets, fines, and imprisonment.
Rocks full of caves and Arches
As a succulent collector myself, I can’t understand why anyone would feel the need to steal these specific plants.
Rock with an arch
There are farms that produce sustainable clones of these same species, but when they are ripped directly from a cliff, it causes damage that is very hard and expensive to repair.
Rock with a cave that you can walk through in low tide
As I kept walking, I found lots of pretty shells on Seaside Beach, and thousands of tiny crabs moving into bigger shells.
Tiny crabs changing shells
I also found one lone jellyfish, as well as thousands of sand dollar fragments (which was only a fraction of the number I saw at Ten Mile Beach).
Shells at Seaside BeachShell at Seaside BeachSand dollar fragments Jellyfish
This is a great beach for hanging out and relaxing, but there wasn’t very much accessible shoreline to traverse.
It only took about half an hour to walk and see this whole beach, after which I moved down the road to Ten Mile Beach.
Camp Host Diaries 