When cabins go wild
Even though we had a great boondocking spot miles down a dirt road all to ourselves, Kerri continued her map reconnoitering. In the process, she found a cabin. The cabin (I will leave it un-named and un-marked) is open to the public and free to use. Our curiosity was peaked big time, and wouldn’t you know it we were not all that far away from it. So, the following afternoon we set out for a hike to check it out and were surprised to see that it not only existed, but it was empty. Inside, the log book shows that another couple in a van (and two dogs) had just left in the past couple days, and it is usually quite active. The decision was made to bring Big Blue over before sunset and enjoy an evening camped beside the cabin so we could explore the area (which consisted of a few mines and other cabins) the following morning, which we did. Moose even got his first cactus stuck to his face during the walk… I failed to get a photo before he removed it himself.
During our stay I had this constant romantic vision of four-wheeling these roads with a group and staying at one of these cabins, sitting around the camp fire telling the tales of the day. Or, simply unpacking from the van and moving into a cabin for a few days (or weeks – 14-day limit) and spending my spare time working on the cabin, cleaning, or chopping wood for the next visitors use. We did none of this of course as we only had a few days before we needed to roll out anyway, and the barely above freezing temperatures kept us well hunkered down in the van.
There were clear requests that the cabin locations *not* be posted on social media, and I fear the day that some 20-something will do exactly that. Notes posted on the walls tell of a day when they were very abused and derelict and how they have made a come back in recent years. This thanks to volunteers and the very people who stay here, pitching in during their stay. Thanks to these folks, the shelves were stocked with food, utensils, extra water, and even sleeping gear for those in need. We may return here after our commitments in Santa Barbara to live the cabin-life for a few days or a week, who knows.
