April 21, 2020 Dispatches from the Pandemic - How can we re-open the parks?

Pondering the return to what might resemble normal life, because what else can we think about right now? Our brains search for some sort of predictions of the future - we want to be able to land on something. We need to be able to imagine our future.

Form a hike in February

I'm thinking that here in Northern California, we could start by opening county and municipal parks,  local places to help ease the burden of SIP.  Devise some system to limit the visitors -- odd numbered license plates on odd numbered days, even numbers on even days, as they did in the days of gas-rationing.  Or by location: you can visit parks within your county or city,  or within 5 miles or 25 miles of your home  - different locales might have different rules.  Cops can issue tickets of $1000 to violators when they run the plates. Maybe we can get the DMV revved up to send out special stickers to each county? Or randomized license plate numbers?  Run this over a few weeks to see how it works. People have to have some room to roam. And I think they'd be willing to stay local and wear masks and practice physical distancing for the privilege of a long hike. I know I sure would - I crave the vistas of a long hill before me, the feel of waves pounding on the shore, the call of those pesky darn gulls.

Heard some places limit attendance by letting the parking lot fill up - then the next cars have to keep driving, maybe to another park or return home. This doesn't help the small kids in the car, antsy to get out and run.  Hmmmm. Another tactic - hiking in one direction on loop trails, so you only have to worry about folks who pass, not oncoming hikers.

But what about the bathroom problem? Even if opened up, will people be too spooked to use the bathroom or porta-potty? Would they decide to go out behind a bush? or sand dune? That sure can't be sanitary.  This argues for staying close to home - or wearing adult diapers.

Think about how we can possibly live with this disease for the next year or two, until immunity is built. What safe practices can we build into our lifestyles? What strategies will we employ?

Below the Fold

Drumpgf got his knickers in a twist today because some people want to vote him out of office.
Well, duh, that's how politics works. If he doesn't like the hot water, he better jump out of the pool. Seems like he dropped by the show Morning Joe and heard some "hatred and contempt."  If  hatred and contempt from a few opponents bother him, then what is he doing in politics? Go back to the business world, where people toady up, if that's what he likes, because if he's in public office, he's gonna be called names and he's gonna have opposition. That is what we do. Really, we don't care if his feelings get hurt. My heart does not bleed one teeny tiny little bit for him. Not even a nanometer.