We live in the quiet part of town, two blocks from the beach with no ocean view. In general our street is very quiet except for locals and tourists walking by or the lost ones driving by looking for beach access. This past Labor Day weekend turned into a chaotic mess as folks took to the road and headed to the coast. Our community is located in a gorgeous recreational area that contains picture postcard ocean vistas, beaches and amazing redwood forests. The area is also rich with private, local, state and federal parks that contain numerous cabins and camp ground facilities. There are also vacation rentals, AB&B, B&B’s, and hotel options. For as long as I can remember, reservations are required for all but most definitely to reserve a camping or RV site. For years the camping reservation system has been accessible online as well as by phone. It’s easy to book a site and also very clear when it’s sold out. Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends are notorious for selling out months in advance. This is true around the west and I suspect nationally. This is no secret.

Saturday morning our neighbors who live along Edwards Street (the bay side of town with a stunning view) awoke at 6:30 am to witness a cluster of 13 camping rigs/vehicles who either came unprepared without a local campground reservation or just didn’t care and planned to sleep inside their rigs along the street. Our neighbors reported waking up to horns honking, traffic confusion, and urine running down the street. The City of Trinidad is small, with a reported 367 permanent residents. We are literally what I call “a spot in the road.” The City contracts with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office for part time law enforcement. Here are the pics our neighbor posted online Saturday morning.

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The Guardian recently published an article about stir crazy Californians heading out to camp wherever they could. But it’s not just Californians, on this Labor Day morning’s walk I saw people camping in vehicles (RVs, rental RV’s, cars and a refurbished bus) parked along the street and at the beach with NY, Florida, Iowa, Oregon, and CA license plates as well as one RV with no plate. There were less campers remaining this morning than reported earlier in the weekend. Sadly, there were visible signs left behind of the urine that had run down the street.

There are a number of reasons that campgrounds, other accommodations, and housing stock in recreational areas are limited. Most notably is human impact and long term sustainability. There is also another important factor here. Trinidad Bay is a protected piece of the CA coastline and the newest member of California’s Coastal National Monument. Trinidad Bay is also classified as an ASBS location, an area of special biological significance. The water in the bay is of the highest possible quality and residents and businesses are required to have regular inspections of their septic systems. The HSU Marine Lab and the City must also comply with strict regulations on their water discharge system on the pier. So urine running down the street is not just unsightly it’s potentially corrosive to the health of the bay. I guess the bigger question is, do we all want to or care to protect the very thing (beautiful CA coastline) we seem to value? Enjoy the pics below from this morning. #iluvtowalk #baxteronthego #humboldt #trinidadcalifornia

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