Directions to Ponderosa Camp:
The fastest way
to camp is this… Take Hwy 1 to Castroville, turn left and drive through Castroville.
Do not get on Hwy 156. Instead, drive all the way through town and turn left
1 mile east of town, onto Espinosa Road. Stay on Espinosa for ~3 miles until
it hits Hwy 101. Go south on Hwy 101 all the way to King City. Just before
the highway swings left and over the Salinas River into King City, you’ll
see a turnoff for Jolon Road on the right. Go right (south) on Jolon Rd for
about 18 miles to the road crossing of Jolon. Here you’ll see a sign for Fort
Hunter-Liggett to the right. Go right (Mission Rd), entering Fort Hunter-Liggett
and continue for 3 miles. If you go too far, you’ll see the headquarters of
the fort. Instead, turn left onto Naciemento-Ferguson Rd. Soon you’ll cross
over a bridge over the San Antonio River. Continue on for another ~11-14 miles,
rising through the foothills and eventually into the canyon of the Naciemento
River (more like a creek). Keep an eye out on your left for the sign for Ponderosa
Campground. Turn left into the campground road, crossing over the
creek and you’ll see a big parking lot on your left. Continue on, through
a narrow slot canyon and opening into a dell and the main campground loop.
The loop rises steeply to a few campsites with good views to the south and
west. This is where we’ll camp. If you get there before me, make sure you
secure the flat, open campsite at the top of the loop. That’s where I’ll camp
and I’ll put the telescope. Look for
my purple ’97 Toyota RAV4. The campground has running water, outhouses. No
showers.
Food:
I should get there around 5pm or so on Friday.
I’d like to fix dinner at 6pm so we can be observing by the time it’s dark.
I will pay for 5 campsites. If you want more, you're welcome to buy your own
when the ranger comes around Saturday morning. Get to know your new friends!
I’ll be bringing a coleman gas stove, but we could use a second stove to make
sure we get everything cooked quickly. If you have a 2-burner camp stove,
please bring it. Save a tree – you
bring your own knife, fork, spoon and plate!
Breakfasts: I’ll make you a nice French crepes breakfast
on Saturday morning! This will include fruit to stuff inside! Bring your own beverages. I’m happy with
just good pure water myself. On Sunday I’ll have another delicious hot breakfast.
Lunches: You’re on your own. Same’s true for late night snacks around
the telescope or during the graze.
Dinners: I’ll fix a pasta dinner one night and a rice or pasta dinner
the other night. This will include sauce and some vege’s. Maybe we can get
some volunteers for salad fixings for Saturday? If you want desserts, feel
free to bring them.
Pt. Gorda is the closest place you might find
a micro-store to buy things, that’s a few miles down the coast from where
Naciemento-Ferguson road hits the coast. So, plan to bring what you need.
Clothes:
I can’t stress
enough – bring WARM clothes! Yes, it’s not winter, but you’ll be under dry
clear skies and the radiation temperature of dry dark skies is well below
the air temperature. And, you’ll be standing around as opposed to exercising.
I always bring all my warm clothes and often end up with 2-3 pair of pants
and 3-4 layers and jackets along with a wool cap within an hour or two after
dark. Almost every trip I see students shivering from not enough warm clothes,
even when the days are hot. Living in Santa Cruz we are spoiled by how much
the ocean acts as a thermal capacitor and evens out the day/night temperatures.
We'll be over the ridge from the ocean, and the day / night range will be
larger.
Other things to bring:
Tent
Sleeping bag
Thermarest or
ensolite sleeping pad
Pillow
Notebook
Sun lotion, visor
Usual toiletries
Your own plate and
fork, spoon.
Binoculars
Telescope, if
you’ve got one
Flashlight or LED
headlamp. Should be RED in color, to preserve our night vision