Holiday Crowd Answers Call of the Campgrounds

Gerri Sakata understands why people flock to the Lake Casitas Recreation Area campgrounds. Though she is decidedly not an outdoorsy person, she fell in love with the sparkling turquoise lake after her husband convinced her to try camping there 13 years ago.

The Sakatas, both recent retirees from Redondo Beach, have camped at this spot frequently over the years and have seen their share of busy holiday weekends--but nothing that compares with the crowd that is expected to fill the park to capacity this Labor Day.

Sakata, 61, said she doesn’t mind sharing the lake with fellow campers, “but I’ll be looking forward to Monday, when everybody else pulls out,” she said, smiling.

The Sakatas are among an estimated 4.63 million Southern Californians expected to travel during the Labor Day weekend, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California. That number is down slightly from last year’s figure.

Campgrounds are among the most popular Labor Day destinations in Ventura County. Cars and trucks were already lining up early Friday afternoon to enter the campgrounds at Lake Casitas. Park rangers said all of the camp’s more than 400 spots had been reserved for the weekend. And in Los Padres National Forest, a ban on open campfires and charcoal barbecues hasn’t deterred campers from clamoring for campsites in Ojai and near Santa Barbara, said forest spokeswoman Juanita Freel.

Other popular getaway destinations for Southern Californians this year are the central California coast, San Diego, Las Vegas, San Francisco and the Grand Canyon, said Carol Thorp of the auto club. People across the nation seem to be sticking close to home this year, possibly as a result of the Sept. 11 attacks, Thorp said.

“For the most part, the usual spots maintained their popularity, but there was more of an emphasis on what we call ‘discover America’ trips this year,” she said. “Overall ... the most popular vacations were closer to home.”

Gasoline prices are expected to rise slightly, which is common on holiday weekends. Thorp said regional prices would likely rise about 2 cents per gallon from last week, to an average of $1.62 in the Los Angeles area and $1.71 in Santa Barbara County.

Still, many holiday weekend travelers plan to drive, and the increased traffic may cause some bottlenecks along Ventura County thoroughfares.

“Plan on some pretty substantial delays,” said Steve Reid, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol office in Ventura.

The CHP typically boosts its patrols during holiday weekends, and last year arrested 24 drunk drivers throughout the Labor Day weekend. This year, the agency plans to have 80% of available officers on patrol in an effort to curb drunk driving and watch for seat belt violations, Reid said.

Vacationers in Ventura County can look forward to sunny and warm weather this weekend, said Stuart Seto of the National Weather Service bureau in Oxnard. The weekend forecast calls for low clouds and fog this morning, then mostly sunny weather through Labor Day.

That is great news for Sakata, who plans to go fishing with her husband, John, soak up some sun and generally enjoy the second month of her retirement.

“It can get pretty crowded [at the campground], with people everywhere,” she said. “But just getting away from the city is very relaxing.”