warning: Skamania County money grab in effect at state parks

[Guy]

I am rather surprised you were able to park, change shoes, cinch up your pack and stride out into the forest without one of the park rangers racing into the parking lot, skidding to a stop and wrestling you to the ground. They must be slipping. Perhaps it must be a mid-week slump on their behalf. I can't even get out of my car before they have the pass-sniffing dogs on me, and even when I do hold up my pass they look at it like it must be a forgery.

I've stopped going there unless one of those rare free days falls on a Sunday and I've got nowhere better to go!

[squidvicious]

I really don't get why you had to send them a check for more than your ticket...?

Unless the process has changed in the last 2-3 years, I'd gently suggest that's yet another misunderstanding.

It seems so. I took a look at the form. In lieu of paying the full fine (which from the OP was $99) the options are

• if you just forgot to display the valid pass you already had, send in a copy of that, plus a $15 administrative fee
• if you displayed the wrong pass (eg, NWFP), send in a copy of that plus a reduced fine of $59
• if you bought an annual pass after receiving the ticket, send in a copy of that plus a reduced fine of $59
• any other reason, send in a reduced fine of $75 plus your explanation. They'll either settle for that, or reduce the fine further and refund the difference.

So the most I can see that they require you to pay on the disputed $99 ticket is $75. I guess arguably if you decide you really do want an annual pass to use in the future (and thus could have qualified for the $59 fine), but you also want to dispute the ticket, it's a $16 gamble in the hope that they'll refund you more. Though really I'd expect you could still just send in the $59 and your explanation of why you think even that should be reduced/refunded.

[Chip Down]

Well, the official site for that park is actually http://parks.state.wa.us/474/Beacon-Rock and the need for a parking pass is clearly stated. Not sure why they're using us.gov, rather than one under the wa.gov TLD, so I'm curious what page you're referring to. But anyway, it's a Washington State park. WTH? They all require a Discover Pass. Pretty hard to see a local, especially one who's hiked that park many times before, not being aware of that.

Here's the webpage I looked at: http://parks.state.wa.us/DocumentCenter/View/5664 Okay, not technically a .gov site, my boo-boo. But it is an official sanctioned page. And yes, I have no doubt that thorough research elsewhere would have been fruitful, but cripes, if the official page for a trailhead doesn't state that there's a parking fee, I don't think I should have to keep looking. As for my woeful ignorance that all WSP require the Discover Pass, I guess I just don't have anything to say about that. Maybe I'm a moron...but that's not really the subject at hand here.

I think it's a state money grab (state park), wouldn't blame this one on Skamania County. Isn't there a sign where you turn off SR14? The welter of confusing options once you get the ticket combined with the gambling nature of it is ridiculous. Somebody should do some kind of open records request to see how often, if ever, people who send in that note get the reduction.

My citation was through Skamania County Court, so they're the target of my wrath. No, pretty sure there wasn't a sign there. I suppose it's possible. When I'm driving at a junction, especially when turning left, I tend to be watching for other things. But I don't think there was. After getting the citation, I went looking for some sign that I might have missed.

I know of one person who was cited, sent in a "bite me!" letter (sans check), and never heard back. Only other time I've heard someone respond rather than cower.

Love it!

I am sorry that you received a ticket, but also find it ironic given our discussion over the Mt. St. Helens TH question.

I figured somebody would mention that. Glad it was you, and pleased you're good-natured about the whole thing.

... kudos for finding a very appropriate usage of "kafkaesque" - it does seem apt for this.

Cool. I was wondering if some pedantic twit would explain why my plight has nothing in common with that of Josef K.

Squidvicious (post above) seems to have summed up the labyrinth of options pretty well. I bought the $30 ($35) pass, recognizing it's essentially mandatory, and then discovering* the appeal form when I was searching online for clarification of who I should make my check payable to. So at that point I had an option of sending in an additional $59 with no chance of a partial refund, or an additional $75 with the possibility of a partial refund. What steamed me was the ridiculous complexity of the whole thing, and the fact that they didn't even reduce my penalty to $59. Makes me wonder under what circumstances they grant a refund (maybe they never do, as somebody else was wondering above).


* see what I did there?

[Water]

tell me more about this mt st helens TH thing pls

[Chip Down]

tell me more about this mt st helens TH thing pls

BigBear was alluding to this discussion: http://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewt ... =9&t=25593

[Christminster]

Sure enough, Beacon Rock is the only place where I've actually seen the guys giving out tickets. There were two of them, in case there was any trouble I guess, because-- there was some. A guy was sputtering and yelling at them how "communistic" it was.

[kepPNW]

A guy was sputtering and yelling at them how "communistic" it was.

[retired jerry]

and he'll be posting here soon