theboondork's RV blog

A mild government rant

10/10/2021

Roses are red, violets are blue, my pics don't show anything new..... But you can click them anyway

A Sandhill Crane stretched out in flying mode offers a very aerodynamic shape for such a clunky looking bird.

Well, I'm camped overnight at a nearby State Park. I've already dumped and washed out my tanks, and I will winterize my water system when I work up some ambition.

Colorado State Parks are becoming more and more of a ripoff in my eyes. I paid $41 to stay here for one night, and on top of that, I had to pay a $10 entrance fee for every day I stay at the Park. $51 a day for a local to camp at a State Park?? Only in an emergency, and as far as I'm concerned dumping my tanks is an emergency. But I've all but given up on camping at Colorado State Parks. Part of that $41 camping fee is the fee that "Reserve America" charges to make the reservation, and the reservation is mandatory, the amount of which is not even listed on my reservation receipt, so I don't know if "Reserve America" is charging $1 or $10 to make the reservation. I can see why they wouldn't want anyone to know.

Of course, there's probably nothing that can be done about the outrageous pricing system for Colorado state parks; the State Parks are packed to the gills for most of the year, so they can charge anything they please. Young people are paying the price without blinking an eye. Older folks like me don't like it, but nothing can be done about it because the State Park has plenty of customers now, and doesn't even need us Geezer RVers anymore since RVing has become the in thing to do for the younger folks.

It appears that the parks system, at least in Colorado, has changed from the reality that parks are the people's land, and the public should be able to recreate on them either for free or for a small amount of money just to pay for the upkeep. But I believe the young folks have been brainwashed into believing everything belongs to the government, and the public should have to pay whatever the government demands.

And when that happens, you end up with a situation very similar to what we have now where a billion-dollar company such as "ReserveAmerica" which has plenty of money to influence local politicians that are always on the lookout for more money that doesn't require passing a tax increase with their name on it. So we end up with a publicly owned campground that charges about the same amount as commercial campgrounds that have taxes to pay and mortgage debt to service.

theboondork

Milky Way picture I took while in the San Luis Valley.

Farmhouse dwarfed by the Sangre de Cristos

Sandhill Cranes flying in formation.

12 Comments

OFM

10/10/2021 04:05:37 pm

I knew a fellow that was in your situation at a relatives home. He used a macerator pump and a garden hose to the nearest home clean out for dumping his tanks.

Tom

10/10/2021 05:16:52 pm

That's a good idea Barney, I've read those macerator pumps will even pump it up hill for a fair distance. I'll have to check in the basement to see if I can find a cleanout, I know the main water shut off valve to the house is down there so the basement would be a logical place to put it, although it would be somewhat difficult for me to get to in less it's in the yard someplace..

Thanks for that Barney
Tom

Ted Shupe

10/10/2021 07:15:46 pm

I'm staying in my 5th wheel while I'm building my new home. I contacted the local porta-jon company that suplies work-site toilets. They will come to my place and pump out my camper for much less than $50. It's certainly easier than towing the camper to a campground that you don't want to visit. Just an idea for next time.
Happy trails, Ted

10/10/2021 08:02:42 pm

I know in places like Quartzsite Arizona where there's a lot of boondocker's, trucks will come around and pump-out your tanks for a fee, but for some reason the thought of anyone else doing that never crossed my mind, so I consider that a brilliant idea, in fact the idea is so good I can't believe I didn't think of it myself. When I get back to Denver next spring I will definitely look into that.

Thank you Ted.

Tom

Linda

10/11/2021 11:26:21 am

Do look for a company that does port-a-pots not septic systems. I've hear the septic system pumps can be strong enough to collapse your black tank.

10/11/2021 01:11:44 pm

Your definitely right Linda, there's a big difference in pumping out a 500 gallon septic tank and a 50 gallon porta potty.

Technically the roof vents that your black-water and gray-water tanks have should prevent the suction from collapsing the tank.

But like everything else in RVs, you've got expensive sturdy tanks, and el cheapo tanks made from the same plastic used to make Walmart gallon water jugs. And since the vent pipes are all about the same size I imagine some tanks would collapse if subjected to the full suction of a septic tank pump. And this is based on personal experience of my last two houses having septic tanks.

Tom

Darrell

10/11/2021 05:42:42 am

Hello Tom,
I agree with you. Colorado priced me out of their state parks a few years ago. I had stayed at Boyd Lake State Park two times while visiting Rocky Mountain National Park. The park was perfect for me since I liked entering the park through the Thompson Cut and always visited the statues in Loveland. But, a couple of years ago, I started to reserve a campsite there and was shocked at the price. I went somewhere else and Colorado lost my business. There are a couple of states doing the same thing. Shameful.Be safe out there.

10/11/2021 07:59:25 am

I hate to say that about my own state, but it's true, and I don't blame you one bit.

I fear that Colorado is going in the same direction as Oregon, and Washington state. People from States that aren't doing very well because of their particular political leanings are flocking to Colorado. It's been happening for years, but these last couple of years it's hard to miss, or deny what's been going on. Were being taxed more and more, and the population of Denver, is growing to the point where it controls the politics of the entire State.

Why is that? Whenever the flat-Landers, and city-slickers hear anything about Colorado it's mostly about Denver, so that's where they want to live when they come to Colorado. And instead of joining in with what made Colorado such a great place to live, they bring their misguided political philosophies with them, and vote accordingly. And just like Oregon and Washington state, Colorado is changing from being a place where folks came to fish, hunt, farm, ranch, mine, and be free, and is being turned into a place just like the flat-landers and city-slickers left behind.

Sorry about the rant Darrell, but there's just some things I feel very strongly about, but powerless to change, and difficult to endure.

Tom

John

10/11/2021 09:46:29 am

Wisconsin has the same expensive state park campgrounds, thanks to our conservative legislature and former governor who decided in their infinite wisdom that the state parks should be entirely self-supporting, eliminating 28 percent of their budget. The only way to accomplish that was to cut staff, raise fees, and outsource the reservation system. I don’t have much confidence in politicians on either side of the aisle.

I stayed at Boyd State Park in June and was not impressed. Coin showers, tight sites, and all of the change machines were broken. Next time, we will stay at Horsetooth Reservoir. It also has the a daily fee, but I prefer the hiking there.

10/11/2021 11:39:39 am

Unfortunately not all politicians who call themselves conservatives are actually all that conservative. Conservatives have long had a name for these folks and its RINO, Republican In Name Only.

The State and National Parks have long received short shrift when it comes to their budgets. It's easy for politicians to cut their budgets because there's just not enough people that care about their State and National Parks to have much effect on who is or isn't getting elected.

I'm old enough to remember when some State Parks and even some National Parks were free. Tax money was budgeted to pay for the parks and the upkeep, because it was the people's land and the citizens of this country had a right to use it without it becoming a cash cow for greedy politicians of either stripe.

But my memory is once the Johnson administration came up with the war on poverty in 1964, and a few years later in 1968 when the Johnson administration did a paper shuffle that allowed budgeting Social Security in with the general fund, It was easier for Congress to use all of the income tax and other income funds to spend on their pet projects which at the time was mostly fighting the Vietnam war, and paying for welfare, which meant cutting things Americans cared about such as keeping the infrastructure repaired and the parks open.

So it didn't take long for the roads and bridges to start falling apart, and the State and National Parks, watching their budgets slowly whittled away over the years come up with any means possible to keep the picnic tables painted and the weeds out of the campground.

Wow! That was a long rant, I should've made that my blog post for the day. But thank you John, I enjoyed that comment.

Tom

Larry Steve Worsham

10/11/2021 05:50:12 am

When home I use a macerator attached to a 1" water hose to the house cleanout. It works well. I bought the macerator from a boat supply place and mounted on a board with a circuit breaker and switch. It attaches to the coach battery with modified jumper cables. A 3" slip hose fitting attaches it to the rv sewer hose and I picked up 100 ft. of heavy duty 1" water hose to reach the house from my parking spot. It takes a longer to dump the tanks but does its job. I did this several years ago so the prices I paid wouldn't apply today but at the time it was much cheaper than the kits that were for sale.

10/11/2021 08:08:32 am

Thank you for that Larry. That macerator concept sounds like it does just what I need to get done. And the key to it working for me would be finding a suitable clean-out location outside the house that I can use.

So it sounds like between being able to call a Porta Potty company to pump out my tanks, and a macerator to pump my waste tanks to a sewer clean outline, maybe I won't have to visit a Colorado state Park again unless I actually want to, which at this point in time would be a blessing.

Tom

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A mild government rant

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