A sad travel note from berkeley,CA

[RevyRev]

Originally Posted by Sharee100

I was born in Torrance. My family moved to Orange County in 1964. I lived in Orange County until 2 years ago. I am in NC right now, getting ready to go "home" in my shuttle bus that is in the process of conversion. Now I am worried. Is it really that bad? I will be staying out by Victorville most of the time while my son, his friends, and I finish converting my shuttle. Then I want to travel. Looks like avoid northern CA coast. Is Oregon ok? And I want to see the Space Needle in Washington.

I decided to drive around Berkeley this morning near the entrance to the highway and near the Bay and its parks.

I saw homeless camps, men walking with all their things in bags, mattresses next to buildings with belongings scattered. I also saw a lot of vans with reflectics in the Windows. The most obvious were all the older model motor homes and class c motor homes. There are 5-10 on most streets. I saw two skoolies as well. One looked like the two guys were in the process of converting it and the other a good looking short bus with tinted windows.

I have a room in a "nice" area on the hill and I have seen some vans and a few class c's. I am not sure about the laws. I saw a news story yesterday that the folks using drugs and living in the streets have become a public health and tourism concern. Unfortunately, us nomads get clumped in with all the homeless.

I wish you the best. If you do come to Berkeley, please look me up.

[Sharee100]

Will do. As I get closer to time I will set up a place and time.

[RevyRev]

Originally Posted by Sharee100

Will do. As I get closer to time I will set up a place and time.

This morning the police were on the street around the water front areas. Not a motorhome in sight. That may speak of the laws and/or tolerance

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by RevyRev

Unfortunately, us nomads get clumped in with all the homeless.

My observation has been that if you live in a $250k RV you are a "full timer" if you live in $10k RV you are "homeless".

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by PNW_Steve

My observation has been that if you live in a $250k RV you are a "full timer" if you live in $10k RV you are "homeless".

and if you travel in a converted bus with three or 4 people and 30 sleddogs, you're insane?

[Sharee100]

funny. Probably true?

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

and if you travel in a converted bus with three or 4 people and 30 sleddogs, you're insane?

Yup.... Even worse than the "cat lady" down the street.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by PNW_Steve

My observation has been that if you live in a $250k RV you are a "full timer" if you live in $10k RV you are "homeless".

As an outsider it seems like folks are kinda silly. "homeless" people should probably find a less expensive region to live. Put a bit of that beer/heroin/meth money toward a greyhound ticket to somewhere that doesn't have the highest standard of living in the country.
Folks live in Hollywood Ca and complain about the housing prices!

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by PNW_Steve

Yup.... Even worse than the "cat lady" down the street.

some of the people who race sleddogs drive some VERY expensive rigs, and to someone that doesn't know better, competing with someone with that kind of money can be intimidating - one of the tips given to novices on the race circuit is, 'don't worry about the people in the fancy rigs, but be VERY aware of the guy who drives a rusty old pickup, because they spent their money buying good dogs' - now I'm planning on showing up at races driving an OLD bus - I must have spent a lot of money on my dogs - lol

[Sharee100]

I lived in Orange County. The Civic Center in Santa Ana is overrun with homeless people. There were so many of them there that the last time I went to the Civic Center I couldn't find the front entrance. And I used to work there. And the embankments along the freeways are filled with homeless people and tents. In the laundry rooms at my condo complex homeless people sleep; and they lock the doors at night so no one would bother them. They camp out under freeway overpasses. Orange County, CA has a very high cost of living. But it is easy for homeless people. They are allowed to set up tents on public property. Local stores such as Saks 5th Avenue distribute name brand shoes and clothing for free. Local churches provide free haircuts. Some local organizations provide free food daily and free showers and free motel rooms if it gets cold or rains. I have seen some organizations deliver personal grooming supplies, pre-paid phones, and even hand out money. Poorer areas of the Country can't supply them with so much. The Police even patrol those areas 24 hours daily to make sure the homeless are not harassed by employees in the area or people who have business in the area. OK, I'm done with my soapbox. I still want to travel in my shuttle bus/RV and see all of America. But my son wants me to carry a gun. Because I am from CA, I want to believe in the good in everyone and look forward to meeting everyone else in an RV/camper/Bus that I meet along the way.

[Sharee100]

And I plan to travel with my 2 cats and an aggressive parrot.

[RevyRev]

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

and if you travel in a converted bus with three or 4 people and 30 sleddogs, you're insane?

Hahaha!!! I think you are right.

[RevyRev]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

As an outsider it seems like folks are kinda silly. "homeless" people should probably find a less expensive region to live. Put a bit of that beer/heroin/meth money toward a greyhound ticket to somewhere that doesn't have the highest standard of living in the country.
Folks live in Hollywood Ca and complain about the housing prices!

I think we paint who is homeless with one brush. There are those who are homeless who don’t do drugs at all. I have been homeless twice in my life and I am a second from homelessness again. I don’t even drink wine! Although, I should.

Now, I choose to move to this high priced hell for work, but there is a housing crisis happening here. Some of these folks work two jobs and live in their car, van or RV. They were out priced in their rent when the tech companies came paying their employees those six figure salaries. It’s happening everywhere in America. I just read an article about it happening in Philadelphia. Young adults went to Philly to work because the rents were cheap. Now, they are going up, lower salary earners are being displaced from their neighborhoods. The stories I have heard are unbelievable.

[PNW_Steve]

I lived and worked for 6+ years with no home address. I lived in my bus.

I joke about having lived at Walmart for 3-4 years as that was the most common place for me to spend the night.

Was I homeless? I don't think so.... My home was on wheels.

[EastCoastCB]

I've helped a homeless man from this very site back to his feet.
He's been alright but recently stole a few lil things from me.
Seems pretty standard, really.

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

I've helped a homeless man from this very site back to his feet.
He's been alright but recently stole a few lil things from me.
Seems pretty standard, really.

I have had a similar experience. I invited a man to stay in my home until he got on his feet.

He stole from me. He stole from my neighbors and finally I had to invite him to leave.

Through a fluke I ran into a guy that had just bought a new car and wanted to give away his old one. I spent a full day at DMV getting it transfered into my name.

I gave him the car and gas money to get back to his family in OR.

Then I had to supervise as he loaded the car as he was loading up MY stuff.

He left and two months later I go a letter telling me that "my" car had been impounded in OR.

A month after that I got a post card, return address OR Dept of corrections, from him asking "can we still be friends??

I have given support to a number of people in distress. It is dissapointing to see how many abuse it. Sad...,

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by PNW_Steve

I lived and worked for 6+ years with no home address. I lived in my bus.

I joke about having lived at Walmart for 3-4 years as that was the most common place for me to spend the night.

Was I homeless? I don't think so.... My home was on wheels.

Labour Day 2019 will make 50 years that I've lived where I am - raised my family here, 6 kids, been deaths and marriages, births and engagements, and the odd party - seen graduation dresses made and carburetors fixed on our old oak able and likely tanker trucks worth of coffee shared with friends at the same table - we had horses, sheep, pigs, and a jersey milk cow named 'April' - I learned to ski at our local ski hill 8 minutes from our door and the kids all ski raced on the same hill - there are few places within 25 miles where people don't call me by name - I do have a large appetite for adventure and have traveled far and wide to compete with the horses and now with the sleddogs, but somehow it seems I'm tied to this piece of property almost by an umbilical cord and it always draws me back

[o1marc]

Born in Berkeley, lived in Sunnyvale at the time in a brand new $12K home. We then moved into Berkeley for a year. Our $12k house recently sold for over $1m.

[2kool4skool]

This is downtown of the town I now call home. It's in the county so no city govt. to pay for. No street lights, no curbs, nothing but skunks, birds, coyotes, cows, Javelina etc. Low prop, taxes and a starry sky. Our little neighborhood is about 6 miles away on an old sheep ranch.

[Tango]

“I am for doing good to the poor, but...I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. I observed...that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.”


― Benjamin Franklin



He came to this conclusion after studying the many ways & means that European nations dealt with poverty.