I just gotta vent about Granite Bay

[kb]

Ok I had a couple hours to kill this afternoon and ran out to Folsom about noon. There is one lane open and it is being manned by the iron ranger. The cars were backed up down the hill and I sat there for 15 minutes while these kids stuffed (or tried to stuff) money into the machine. Now is this what we expect when we buy our annual passes for the state parks????

I sat there so long I called the state parks office and was transferred to the head ranger and you guessed it got his voice mail. I was just wondering why they can't open up one of the other two lanes for annual passes and shouldn't they have someone in the kiosk instead of using the self pay machine at noon in mid May????

Am I just getting old and grumpy like Dee or is this making any of the rest of you mad as well? I think we can call the state parks at (916) 988-0205 every time we are sitting there with our annual passes waiting to get in the gate and maybe they will get the message.

Oh and IF I ever win the lottery I will buy the biggest, baddest, loudest sound system for a boat that money can buy and play the 5 cd Hank Williams Sr. box set up and down the lake just to aggrivate those little punks as much as they aggrivate us. The next time one of our tournament directors gets a talkin to about his morning sound system you should remind them or we should start using wakeboard boats as blastoff boats cause nobody would say they didn't hear the director.

Ok I am done (well at least until Saturday at 5 am)
kb

[biteme]

I was thinking the same thing last time I was out. I saw the lane with all the cones and was like WTF!

[Skeeterman]

I was out their two Sundays ago I was about the 9th truck in line just sitting their than some guy got out of his truck moved the lane blockers out of the way. He than yeild out poeple with passes use this lane so we did.When I looked back I couldn,t see the end of the line.I sure would li8ke to know where your tax money is going?

[Tony P]

Isn't that the ramp I met you at many years ago when that idiot decided to show me the bottom of the lake?

Tony P

[g-man]

Just move the cones, thats what I do. People should just pull forward so other guys can get by!

[Gator]

I have felt your pain kb - I have experienced the same thing when trying to get out for a quick afternoon trip. I have moved the cones once, when there was a group of about 9 kids out there dancing and fooling around in the area of the iron ranger instead of trying to get done as quick as possible. I would not advise it as a regular thing though because I could see one of their revenue generators (oops, Rangers) writing a ticket for it!

[Calistar]

And while we are at it, it would be great if they could elevate the Iron Ranger just a tad...for those of us that do not have an annual pass (and pay each time) and drive a truck...that thing is too low. I have to completely get out of my truck to reach the dollar slot.

Last time I checked out the parking lot, it is mostly trucks...why not make it more convenient.

[JimmyReese]

K.B I am with you man! It really stinks when you head to the lake trying to sneak in some self relax time and you find out spring break is holding up the launch ramp, that happens all the time on Clearlake!..............NOT!..........and those launch fees are getting rediculous, they are similar to clearlake ..............NOT!............My annual pass on Clearlake cost me,........ I figure close to 85 worms ,2 crankbaits, a few hooks and a bunch of fish stories. ........All given to the kids at the Lucerne boatramp of course! They have better stories of course, a matter of fact this week they showed me how to rip a senko and catch fish!!!
Hey, but I bet your dollars are being used well to keep them outhouses lookin and smelling good! More than I can say in Lucerne........
I like the "move the cone idea" maybe you could call skeet next time and he can come over and move them for ya!
Just my 2 cents!

see ya bud!
Jimmy

[kopper_bass]

Calistar,
Its that low for a reason - it must meet the access for disabilities act. Especially since its state or federal property. if you raised it then those in a wheelchair or with a disability could not access it at all. you probalby note that some of the new ones also have audio, for the hearing impared -thats in there too just for that reason; probably has brail on it somewhere too.

And before you go asking why they cant have a seperate one for disabilities or one that has both a high and low interface, just think dollars. too much money!

I'm sure that someone made the decision that while making it less convenient for 95% of the average users, that this is still better than having a kiosk that cannot be accessed or used at all by 5% of users. (percentages are guesses and not accurate, but you get the point).

inconvenience always wins over seclusion and dollars - anything to save money! This is the motto of every poorly designed device, system, or whatever we use today. Most Americans at the end of the day seem to always chose price over quality no matter how many times its demonstrated that a well thought out product, that meets the needs of everyone, is better and will be bought or used even if it costs more. meet the needs, get paid for it.


Anyway, just wanted to give you my input as a product design engineer 'cause i constantly see this issue and hate that it creeps into everything we have and do. Bad design is everywhere.

Okay, now i gotta get back to work designing better products .

Fish-On,

Kopper_Bass

[Gator]

You are in the FBL and don't have an annual pass?? Come on man, get in the 21st century LOL!! I do agree with you though, they need to raise it up or make an automated machine that will take plastic!!

[kb]

Yea you are right Jim but now that they are saving us from terrorist and closed the dam road pulling a boat through old town Folsom in the afternoon is just an insurance claim waiting to happen.

I really would like to just jump out and move the cones and go around but not one of the moves you can make with a wrapped boat.....it will get some phone calls you really aren't looking forward to!!!

Oh and Reese at least we can drink the water coming from Folsom!!!!

Greg they had to make that iron ranger short for Maes

kb

[JimmyReese]

K.B that is so true!

However I dont think you give Clearlake enough credit for its algae blooms!
Afterall you dont think Mick moved here just for the fishing did ya!

Jimmy

[Barry Watson]

Even though I live across the street ( or road) from Folsom, I gave up on it in the 80's. Not because of the fishing but all the other BS that was growing worse and worse. We decided that the object of fishing was to have a nice relaxing or fun time, and not end the day calling out some idiot in the parking lot and going to " Fistin City"

After all those years, I finally decided to give it another try, not to fish but go to one of Scott's weigh ins at the FBL. I pulled up to the Kiosk and asked directions to the event. DUHH, we don't know what your talking about. O,K. can I drive in and see if I can find it before paying? Well, you can check it out but be back in five minutes. I found it, came back and paid, drove back to the event. Now, I do not have a clue as to why they would not have known something about the FBL event since it has been going on for so long and drawing big crowds, etc. OH WELL.

I do recall getting a warning ticket while parked there years ago. Seems as if my trailer tag was going to expire within the next 6 months so they were kind enough to warn me. DUHHHH.

YOu can tell I'm an old fart by my gripes, HUH.

[NaCl]

"Greg they had to make that iron ranger short for Maes."

I thought you said it was that low for Cole! LOL!

.....NaCl

[Calistar]

Kopper - That is a good point, however I wonder how many disabled people even use that Iron Ranger. If I am not mistaken, they can purchase a lifetime pass for like...$3.50 or something like that? I still think there is a possibility that they just installed it at a level that was convenient for cars.

Gator - To be honest, I don't really visit the lake as much as you might think. 9 FBL events and a handful of fishing trips for me. Its simple mathmatics...I spend about $80 a year paying by the visit vs. whatever the annual pass rate is. Plus, I've just been a bit lazy about buying the pass.

I could buy the pass, but it appears that I would just have to wait in line like everyone else.

kb - That's funny about Maes. I envision Russ Graves having to lift him up so that he can reach the touch screen.

[Joe W.]

At Coyote lake they also have an un-manned kiosk with one of those damn machines. I don't have an annual pass but I cannot stand getting to the lake and then sitting in line for a half hour while the two cars in front of me try to feed the machine only to find out it wont take their money. I finally get up to the thing and it says "No cash, credit cards only" I can't believe I have to use my credit card to pay for parking. Next time I am driving right by that damn thing and I will hand the ranger 5 dollars when I see him. I hate those machines.

[nipples]

Everyone here has some real good points and that is sad. I can see that Folsom hasn't improved in the last three years.

I would love to see Folsom designate separate launches for lake lice and for fishing vessels. Basically a couple of fisherman ramp(s) where the only craft that can launch are fishing boats and the "fish & ski" boats provided they are going out for fishing (no skis nor wake boards on the boat nor in the lockers). And all the ski-doos and ski boats have separate launch ramp(s) (at the main lake body).

I suspect the rangers could dedicate most of their man power at the ski ramp(s), writing tickets and dealing with the teens and drunks. It would only take one ranger or a part time ranger to take care of the fisherman ramp(s).

I would also like to see them restrict skiing to the large area of the lake (around the dam) and protect both arms of the lake (no ski-doos nor ski boats in the arms). The last few times I fished Folsom there were 3 to 4 foot swells and not a bit of wind. It was all ski boats creating that chop.

I stopped fishing Folsom 3 years ago and refuse to go back until I hear things have improved. After a few launches where I waited in line for 2+ hours and years of having to deal with the idiots out there, I gave up on the lake. Folsom is far too small for all the idiots it attracts and I got tired of dealing with it. Let the lake lice kill themselves, I don't care to be around to watch it.

Now I spend my quick trips in the Delta. Yeah, there are a ton of morons out there too, (running huge boats in tiny sloughs), but at least I can get away from them and run to a clean area. I wasn't able to do that in Folsom. There is the wind to contend with in the Delta, but I'll take wind over drunks any day. I can use the wind to my advantage, the only thing I was able to do with drunks was beat them up, steal their wallets, and throw their keys in the lake. (ok, I'm just joking about stealing their wallets...or am I?... lol)

That's my 2 cents.

Good fishing,

-Paul-

[SABP]

Went out to Folsom yesterday and what do you know.

New rules. Those with passes get to enter on the left without waiting and the lake lice without a pass go to pay on the right.

Went right in around all the nuts.

Glad someone was listening.

Great job KB

[brambo0311]

I have one of those diabled vet passes to get into all state parks free. It was like 2 bucks and 3 more to laminate it. The iron ranger doesnt take the numbers for it, so you get to leave it on the dash for the dirt bags to break your window and steal. As far as the cones go, I just run them down and pull them out of wheel wells at the ramp.