OK....I just gotta jump in on this one. I've been a local property owner since the 1970's. Does this give me the right to do whatever I want since I've been around a long time? What I do is follow the USFS guidlines regarding access to the Deep Creek area. Yes...at one time I lived at Deep Creek Hot Springs in 1975 for a couple of months. Oh yea.... I forgot about that time I stayed there in 1973 during the Pacific Crest Trail construction. But that was then and this is now. Can I just do what ever I want because of this history?
I know and have respect for the local Ranger, Brad Burns. I sure would feel pretty stupid if I were to run into him some evening while camping at Deep Creek. I have to strongly disagree with serenety now in regard to camping at the springs. It's an ongoing problem and the fine can be much higher that $35 if caught. I remeber whan John Cote' was cited. His fine was over $200 and they confiscated all of his camping gear. As far as the fires go, I have been working on my firebreaks for two months now. Drunken slobs starting campfires are not favored by the locals. I seriously hope these fools get citations. I wonder If Mike Castro would be willing to close his gate at sundown? Also, he could be held liable for the behavior of his guests should a fire start as a result of lack of supervision in his campground.