I have no idea if this gatekeeper was indeed the oft-heralded MC, who i never have met before. All I know is that he had long hair, appeared to be about 40-45, was inside the house at the gate, and that in the end he let us all (three cars, at least three of us came out of our cars to talk with/at him) go with no charge. I was merely letting people know that this situation can happen and to be ready for it so as not to either over-react to what is, after all, possibly what Bowen Ranch meant all along with their day-use signs (and it sounds like over-reacting to MC might not be a wise choice) OR to position themselves elsewhere than Bowen Ranch, maybe using this off-road option I read about here (but can't take advantage of since I only have a standard car). I have no beef with this gatekeeper guy, who from the looks of it, made on a weekend day a whopping $25 in parking fees, which these days will just about cover gas on a few trips into town. I'm aware that the very existence of reasonable alternate routes keeps his prices low, but I for one am thankful that there is even just a way in and place to park for those of us not blessed with 4x4s. I should think the party crowd would also be grateful that the wire doesn't come up always at night, if previous postings here are right. Personally, I think the party crowd has no business whatsoever at DCHS, there is plenty of better access to water and places to riot around in down below the spillway. But that's probably just me being an old fart, maybe if I was in my teens and growing up in Hesperia/Apple Valley, i'd be out there too.
probyn