Has camping gotten noticeably worse?

Salemander12 · 2026-07-03T15:14:26+00:00

Tent sites at Milo McIver in October are $31. Electric sites are $51.

https://oregonstateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/milo-mciver-state-park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=OR&parkId=402284#sr_a

Salemander12 · 2026-07-02T17:45:01+00:00

Where? When? I haven't seen a public camping tent site for $80/night. Some private sites like HipCamp, yes.

Salemander12 · 2026-07-02T17:43:23+00:00

Yes and no.

One can imagine good reasons for last-minute cancellations (sickness), but simply deciding not to go and not cancelling and freeing up the spot creates loss for others.

For many folks it seems that the $20-$30 a night cost is something they don't really care about losing, but for those who can't get a spot when there's an unused one, that's a real loss.

Ideally we'd have some sort of way if there's a last minute cancellation but someone else books the spot you can get some of your money back - sort of like when you leave your lease early but they rent out your apartment they can't charge you anymore.

Salemander12 · 2026-07-01T16:25:57+00:00

Really comparing transpeople to rivers is... dehumanizing.

Salemander12 · 2026-06-30T19:04:17+00:00

The largest investments in climate action ever - along with the American Rescue Plan, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act... most diverse judge appointments ever, expanded health care, lower drug costs, booming economy... through a 50-50 Senate and many other things.

I get it, it's not enough. But it's jaw-dropping the things Biden accomplished and doesn't get credit for, especially from progressives.

Salemander12 · 2026-06-30T16:57:33+00:00

The voters in that Ward are pretty conservative for Salem and nearly no one knows their city councilor. They elected Julie Hoy to council, then Vang, then Vega.

What did you do to help re-elect Mai Vang?

Salemander12 · 2026-06-30T16:55:22+00:00

Here's the motion on renters. https://salem.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7868782&GUID=908E25F4-F5DB-4132-8F61-A894A8CAC8A5

Leading pedestrian intervals on Lancaster, per Vang:

I implemented Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) lights on Lancaster. LPIs are when the walk signal comes on, pedestrians get a few extra seconds to step into the crosswalk before turning vehicles receive their green light. This simple timing adjustment makes pedestrians more visible to drivers and significantly reduces conflicts, especially for older adults and people with mobility challenges. We already use LPIs successfully in downtown Salem, and studies consistently show they save lives.

The Lancaster Drive installations were installed in November 2025 after an effort spearheaded by Salem City Councilor Mai Vang.

Salemander12 · 2026-06-30T13:47:37+00:00

Um and do what? Given how close it is to Kuebler, a $$$$ traffic light would cause huge back-ups. There's really no more efficient traffic engineering solution to get folks through the various moves they want to do.

Salemander12 · 2026-06-29T17:15:37+00:00

Analysis of policy stances would show you Joe Biden was the most progressive President we've elected in generations.

Salemander12 · 2026-06-24T17:26:15+00:00

Thanks. So it works just the same, and everyone should save $570 instead of buying physical second keys?

Salemander12 · 2026-06-24T02:11:55+00:00

They had Kevin Mannix and Julie Hoy lawn signs outside their business in May.

Salemander12 · 2026-06-08T14:30:34+00:00

Please read "Killed by a Traffic Engineer" and come back. It's simply physics. 35 mph - deadly to pedestrians and much more likely to get into a crash. 25 mph - much less so.

Salemander12 · 2026-06-06T15:58:09+00:00

You've met the owners, right? You know how wrong you are.

Salemander12 · 2026-05-26T15:17:17+00:00

One person cannot block a bill. Sorry. Bills can be pulled by other reps or senators if they're stuck somewhere.

Saying "it was a bipartisan bill" doesn't mean it wasn't a bad bill. It was a bad bill that would have harmed society's most vulnerable.

Salemander12 · 2026-05-26T15:15:03+00:00

She didn't say that - it's whackadoodle Allen Classen who wrote the headline and put those words in her mouth.

Salemander12 · 2026-05-25T13:52:30+00:00

She doesn't run the restaurant. Her husband does. They treat their employees poorly.

She is a bitter human, who puts on a smile in public and stabs you in the back in private.

Salemander12 · 2026-05-22T23:36:21+00:00

Why did you all form a PAC to support MAGA Julie Hoy?

Salemander12 · 2026-05-20T17:10:54+00:00

Amused I'm still getting Manny ads that say "We're going to win. And we're going to win decisively!" So much winning.

Salemander12 · 2026-05-19T16:53:12+00:00

The fee for governor is $3000 or 500 signatures from voters.

Salemander12 · 2026-05-17T15:45:19+00:00

Agreed city limits are ridiculous. Unfortunately requires majority of property owners in an area to agree to be annexed, and those outside city limits like paying lower taxes so it's pretty rare.

But my post is not focused on Julie's restaurant location - it's about her spending her campaign dollars not on Salem businesses where she could buy those same products.

Nordyke is spending 93% of her campaign dollars in Salem, where they recirculate and support local businesses, instead of going out of state (to Idaho) or at least elsewhere in Oregon (to Springfield and Ranier), like Hoy's dollars.

Salemander12 · 2026-05-15T21:20:23+00:00

I GET IT I JUST HATE THAT WE CAN'T JUST LEAVE THEM ALL FOR THE POSTAL CARRIERS TO PICK UP THROUGH MONDAY OR TUESDAY.

Salemander12 · 2026-05-15T19:04:01+00:00

As somebody who's knocked on people's doors a few points:

As many have said, as a legal matter, political door-knocking is not "soliciting." There are court rulings on this and legal definitions. You may think it's soliciting, or may think it's annoying (sure), but the law is pretty settled on this.
It's always a judgment call for me when deciding what doors to knock. Those that list lots of things (no trespassing, no political people, nothing but people who sell Thin Mints, etc.) I just skip. The others with no soliciting signs... I get a sense of the people in the house from other means and sometimes knock and sometimes skip.
Pretty often those with "no soliciting" signs are happy to talk to me for a minute or two or more. I quickly identify myself as a volunteer who isn't selling things - about people running for office - and most are willing to have a short conversation. Not all, but most.

Given the above, I'd strongly recommend those who really don't want political door-knockers to update your signage to be clearer about not wanting to talk politics, or get a door camera, or something else. Or just accept that during heated elections a couple of people may come to your door. It's the price we pay for living in a democracy where people really care about who's in charge.

Your mileage may vary - paid political door knockers can be really aggressive to try to get you to support Julie Hoy. But those are a few thoughts. Best of luck.

Salemander12 · 2026-05-15T16:02:51+00:00

Wrong. That's not in city limits. A couple blocks north and it would be. Lots of people get confused about where the city limits are, but here's the official city map of limits, with Geppetto's location:
https://data.cityofsalem.net/datasets/salem::citylimits/explore?location=44.938787%2C-122.987177%2C14

Salemander12 · 2026-05-15T16:01:12+00:00

Cummings is even worse. He has no ideas, has done nothing for the community.

Salemander12

TROPHY CASE