Naked Man, For myself, I have not stated on any post that I know of, that I feel that it is Mike Castro's " responsibility " to weed out the " bad " people at his gate. As you say, it is really impossible to truly know the true intentions of people who pass through the ranch. People are very good actors. Some people would want us to think that the folks who opt to go around the Bowen Ranch are necesarily somehow persons with questionable character or intentions. The mix of people who go around or through the ranch is the same. Mike has his own reasons for turning away people at his gate. It is his agenda. Maybe some of these people are turned away because he just doesn't like them. Whatever his reasons that is his business but the general public should have a reasonable option of access to DCHS that does not depend on the agenda of a local landowner. I am satisfied with the open routes as they are. I would like to know who is doing the vandalism out there. In truth the people who access the springs around the ranch are a very small fraction of the total visitors. Reaching the areas to hike from route 3 and 3N59A requires extra driving on an unmaintained road and most people will always seek the convenience of the Bowen Ranch situation so I would say that the open route ways of access will never rival, in terms of usage, the amount of folks who will continue ( in increasing amounts ) to access by way of the Bowen Ranch. Route 3 and 3N59A are the last remaining open roads that can bring the public to points of reasonable access to the springs besides the Bowen Ranch. For the reasons discussed above they should remain open. Now if only they were safer :-(
