OCTOBER IN THE RAILROAD EARTH

[jeff]

[/font]OCTOBER IN THE RAILROAD EARTH

The Annual Fall Campout at Frost

October 2-3-4 2009

We will be camping along the BNSF Cajon Sub in Victorville, Californiain the county campground, Mojave Narrows Regional Park,overlooking the flyover at Frost. The area has been a favorite of this railfan (and many others) with dramatic scenery at the Narrows (about two miles to the east) and at the flyover from the overlook at Gray's Hill. Other nearby landmarks would be the Victorville Amtrak station, the Portland Cement facilityand the Mojave River bridge at East Victorville. Further easttowards Barstowwould be Oro Grande, Helendale, and Hodge. The typical Cajon Pass spots are about a 30 minute drive to the west.

The campground features HOT showers, CLEAN restrooms nearby, fire rings with grilles, picnic tables, snack bar and bait shop (did I hear Bass Bait ??). I have reserved an RV spot, the Ultimate Railfan Campsite #21. Tent camping sites can be reserved in advance. The RV campsites are gravel with paved access, and most have patches of grass for pitching a tent. One tent is allowed on an RV site, but an RV must be present on an RV site (no tent only on a hook-up site).



Overview:
Originally, this campout was organized through the CalRailFans Yahoo Group, but has not been on their calendar since Ed Greenberg's work load prevented him from organizing and attending at the event. I think the last year was 2004 with Ed... Maybe 2003 ?? One year, the late Chard Walker was the guest of honor, and on another occasion, Gary Gray gave a historical review of Frost and the surrounding ranch area.

Typically, we use the campground as a base camp for railfanning the Mojave Narrows area and beyond. Some attendees have hiked to nearby locales, and some drive to railfan further away. Or, if you are like Marshall, you drive everywhere, regardless of how close something is. I am hoping to have ATCS running again at Camp Bass, under the BIGblue awning.

Weather has been unique each year, with a sand storm one year, and a good rain storm another. Last year we had hurricane like winds that folded up a few tents rather nicely. None of the weather related incidentsruined the event, but ended up making them very memorable. Prepare for some cold weather, as it gets quite chilly at night, but gets comfortable during the day.



Day Visitors:
Day use railfans are welcome to join in the event. In years past, we've had many day visitors participate at Frost. As the weekend approaches, we should have some sort of time line in place for planned activities. On previous events we've had campfires, and plans for slide shows that never materialized.The in-bound gates close at 8:00pm, but you can exit at any time. The day-use fee is $5.00 (I think).

There are several places to park within the Mojave Narrows Regional Park near the campgrounds. There is alarge day-use parking lot on the east end near the tracks, (closest to the crossovers at Frost, as opposed to the flyover). Motels are available somewhat nearby, as are typical fast-food restaurants.



RV Campers:
Full hook-up sites available. Each RV site may have one tent as a guest.Attached isa PDF map of thecampground that gives a good lay of the land. The hook-up sites MUST have an RV on them, but a single tent maybe added as a guest at no extra charge. Max of three vehicles per RV site, with trailers counting as a vehicle. Max of six people per site. Campground fees for the hook-up sites are $25.00 per night. I have been able to secure the ultimate railfan campsite, number twenty-one (#21). Reservations can be made by calling (760) 245-2226 during business hours. I spoke with Jennifer, she was very helpful and answered all of my questions. Nearby RV sites would be #22 (next door) and #23 (across the street from #22).




Tent Campers:
Adjacent to the RV sites, the park has a good selection of tent sites available. The fee per night for the non-hook-up sites is $15.00. Last yearsome tent campers had to pitch their tents a good distance from#21. I would suggest making a reservation. The max of six people and three cars also apply. The tent sites are just down the hill from site #21 near the pond. There are two different restroom/shower buildings nearby. While not contemporary, they are clean and provide a nice hot shower.




Park Websites:

[b][u]http://www.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/parks/mojave.htm[/u][/b]

http://www.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/parks/narrows.htm




[b]Directions:[/b]

[font=Tahoma]I suggest pulling up a map on mapquest or google maps.
The address is:

Mojave Narrows Regional Park
18000 Yates Road
Victorville, CA 92393
(760) 245-2226


I-15 north (east)to Bear Valley Road, at the end of the offramp make a right turn (southeast) approx 3.5 miles to Ridgecrest.

Ridgecrest is the first traffic signal after you've crossed the BNSF tracks.

Go left (northeast) on Ridgecrest about 2.0 miles, at which point you willdrop down from the ridge and begin a sweeping right hand turn. The Frost Flyover will be to your left as you coast down the hill. The campground entrance will be on your left once you are heading east. At this point, Ridgecrest Road becomes Yates Road.




~ ~ ~



I think that covers the basics... Whatcha think ??

Feel free to add comments, suggestions, observations, photos, etc...

I hope to see you there !!


~ jeff



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a. A meet at Frost with the campground seen between the train and the pond.





b. The Portland Cement plant at East Victorville.







c. Close to sunsetat Frost.

[randy]

Drat, I'll be chasing trains and shooting old railroad sites in Arizona. :angerwall:

Someone needs to lead a trip from Stoddard Wells Road to the north side of the Mojave Twins Bridges. Kinda new territory since I don't think a lot of people shoot from there. Especially good for shooting westbounds in the late afternoon.

Here's the spot, Stoddard Wells Road is to the east: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...&z=18.

Oh yeah, don't forget about shooting from the old Highway 18 bridge. It's also accessible from Stoddard Wells. There are shots both north and south.

Have fun!

[mkstarks]

Whoa... I was expecting it to be November.

Miramar Air Show is that weekend and I'll be there covering that. Unfortunately I'm out which sucks because I love Frost. :censored:

[jeff]

Marshall, you will be missed as you and Mike have been a big part of the camp-outs and related Roam-n-Foam events.
November will be The Pilgrimage on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

~ jeff


photos:

a. Marshall setting up his campsite.

b. Tent campers row.

c. Camp Bass with a Marshall bon-fire. Who will build the fire this year ??

[mkstarks]

For anybody that's on the fence about attending, don't hesitate. It's a complete blast with great company, and plenty of trains.

[chris_wlkr]

Will miss ya Marshall.. of course that means we wont have any wind.

How come my tent is not in the picture?

I should note that NONE of those tents were standing Sunday morning because the wind took em' out Saturday or early Sunday.

Mine made it through the night but suffered damage on top of damage that it got from the Ludlow trip in 2008.

I suggest a low profile well staked tent. Big cabin tents and cheapo backyard tents should not be expected to be used... just my suggestion.

[YouTubr198]

I'm stumped?? :ahhh: I was on the website of the paark and if you want to camp, there are 2 options. One was with hookups and one was without it!!! Can someone help me out please???

[YouTubr198]

And also can you give directions on how to get to the campsite???

[TrainGirl858]

This looks like alot of fun!!! Maybe I'll go....

[jeff]

YouTubr198 Wrote:I'm stumped?? :ahhh: I was on the website of the park and if you want to camp, there are 2 options. One was with hookups and one was without it!!! Can someone help me out please???

The hook-up sites are the RV sites and require that they be occupied with a travel trailer or motorhome or similar. The non-hook-up sites can be used for all types of camping... car camping, tent camping, RV, motorhome, trailer, or whatever...

If you are planning to sleep in your car or tent camp, then the non-hook-up site is what you need to reserve. I suggest you call and talk to the park rangers. They can guide thru the reservation process, all that I have spoken to over the years have been very helpful and understanding, even about railfanning !!

The address is listed at the bottom of the first post, with simple directions as well. It may help to do a google map (or whatever your pref is on mapping websites) and let it plot out the course for you.

~ jeff