Deer Creek & The Illinois River

TOY350 · 05-31-09, 11:08 PM

For the select few of you that know this spot. You can no longer cross Deer Creek. It is a federal closure now. You can hike and camp on the north side of Deer Creek but no motorized vehicles allowed. This also mean you can not turn off of Illinois River Road out of Selma and come down to Deer Creek (this side has been closed for a long time but people have made a trail around the boulder). We got warnings instead of the $250 citation that I would have fought hard against since we came in from a side with no signs or barriers. They were hoping we came in from the north side to able to site us but after convincing them we crossed the creek and also letting them know about our club and that we respect the laws outdoors they were cool. One of the guys is the one that gives the lecture at the O'Brien store prior to the TLCA McGrew run. He recognized me so hopefully figured out that we obviously like to respect the few places we are still allowed to go. The creek crossing is the most fun part of the trek out there but it's a no go now.

jmkfj60 · 05-31-09, 11:18 PM

Can you still get to that bitchen camp spot. I don't know the area but would like to camp there and fish.

gnob · 05-31-09, 11:32 PM

we used to camp in that spot, but we came in from 8 dollar mountain road.
the last two times we were out there almost ended violently so we havent been back.

the first time was a run in with locals, actually regarding their right to cross the creek and access illinois river road. they had something in their mind about owning all the camp spots from that swimming hole camp spot above that one all the way to the crossing. basically tried to run us off. so we camped at the crossing and I blocked their access with my mini... that came to a head with some words and nearly went to blows.

the other time we were trying to get in there when 8 dollar was closed due to tree huggers and that BS with not wanting to cut the burn, so we were going to access from illinois road, well my brother and i were written fraudulent tickets by that fucking clown who i wont even consider an "officer" his name is Geiger. wrote us both for flaps, which is chicken shit but legit, the other citing was for failure to maintain a lane, which in the book is two lines down from reckless driving. long story, but even after i confronted him and told him he knew damn well i was never outside my lane he still wrote it. needless to say we went to court, where he was able to appear OVER THE PHONE what BS. i straight up punked him and we skated. but thankfully the law doesnt have to pay me for my lost time and wage to fight a BS ticket

i pretty much have no desire to return to one of the most beautiful ares i know because of the clownshoes on that end of the valley. which is sad, my fam camped there for like 15+ years.
i wish i could buy that plot and gate it for myself.

:rant off:

its really really too bad

TOY350 · 06-01-09, 01:20 AM

Camp spot available by foot. Better camp spot further up river where vehicles are allowed. Illinois was catch and release but may have changed recently, like past year or two.

Sorry to hear all the trouble Aric but I can completely understand. There are idiots everywhere and some of us got to witness them firsthand at Sourdough about a year back. Area is great but gets tons of use of which is mostly locals and can be as Aric described.

We always have entered from 8 Dollar side which is more fun. We used to be friends with the guy that owned the cabin at the large mining area half way in from the 8 Dollar side. We even stayed there back when I was in grade school. Cabin is long gone, I can remember the huge wooden sluice set up near the cabin. He was our neighbor and showed my Dad all the good fishing spots and would take him deer hunting too, that's when we first moved up in '77.

retrofive · 06-01-09, 08:08 AM

That is really too sad :(

knoll0351 · 06-01-09, 11:42 AM

That blows! Does anyone know why they've decided to close the area? The camping was pretty good up there. But the locals were a bit.....off. Sorry to hear about your very poor experiences man! The first time I went down there with G double Tizzle there were some locals up river that were makin' too much noise and we showed them what noise really sounded like

ahhh good times.

gnob · 06-01-09, 11:46 AM

we have had the pleasure of running people off before too.
with my kid and wife around these days, the risk outweighs the reward.

i have been trying to talk people into turning the 8 dollar road into a two lockers required road to keep the transient tweakers out of there so real people can enjoy it without having to deal with the twits out there.

anybody in?

TOY350 · 06-01-09, 01:07 PM

The "more earthly" Fed of the two said that there were endangered plants in the area specific to 8 Dollar only and that the area closed off was a major part of their habitat. Hmmm, I doubt they are growing on the road that has been there well before I was or even my Dad was born. We are still allowed in on foot so basically the areas off of the road are susceptible to the same amount of traffic as before the closure. The more official Fed that issued the warnings said the whole area from 8 Dollar Road to Illinois River Road was on the chopping block for closure but he as well as others wanted to keep south of Deer Creek open. He is quite aware that there is a choice few giving a very bad name to the people that actually use the area with respect. He could have just been blowing smoke but who knows.

I placed a geocache on the other side of the Illinois requiring swimming to get to it and someone got it the next day. I talked with them via email and they said they had been going to the area for over 30 years and what amazes them is that the area could be closed. They pointed out that all the major mining that was done down there and all the displaced rock and such hasn't had an effect on the vegetation. Plant life is abundant and growing after the mining basically raped the area and NOW they want to close it because of vehicle traffic on the roads!

I just don't get it, close off areas we can use for recreation because maybe a plant is endangered? Plants? Really? What are they trying to protect or better yet what are they trying to gain from these closures? Shit for that matter might as well close all the coasts because people camp and litter on the edge of our continent too! Hmmm... /rant off

TOY350 · 06-01-09, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gnob

we have had the pleasure of running people off before too.
with my kid and wife around these days, the risk outweighs the reward.

i have been trying to talk people into turning the 8 dollar road into a two lockers required road to keep the transient tweakers out of there so real people can enjoy it without having to deal with the twits out there.

anybody in?

Double locker run to a swimming hole

Yep, I'm in!!!

gnob · 06-01-09, 02:20 PM

sweet, i am going to polish up my picks and shovels.

and i agree about how ridiculous it is wanting to shut stuff down over an alleged endangered plant.
i could see them wanting to close it for the sake of litter, God knows we always have to pick up a grip of trash before we set up camp down there.

i personally think theres a little more to the story than anyone is telling us. the cop that cited us was very, very suspicious to say the least. those guys work on some kind of gold ol' boy action out there. i wouldnt be the least bit surprised to find out they are trying to divert traffic for the sake of some huge meth operation.

i mean the whole car theft ring is straight out of tecelma and they all know it but wont touch it, seems fishy to me.

Kief · 06-01-09, 11:44 PM

What kind of plants are they trying to protect? Are these really valuable plants perhaps?

TOY350 · 06-01-09, 11:53 PM

He wasn't specific, I said "like the pitcher plants on the McGrew" and he said no, way more endangered than those. I'm guessing poison oak?

gnob · 06-01-09, 11:59 PM

thats what i mean, why cant they be specific if they are doing it for a purpose.
if you are trying to close an area for a reason you'd better damn well know why

Kief · 06-02-09, 07:20 PM

If there are such plants, then they have no reason not to disclose that information.. They are a public agency. However there are many things that they don't (for good reason) want us to know about. There are many archeological sights they keep under wraps and who knows what other resources or geological wonders they don't want us to know about. I have heard of a geothermal lake out there (IV/Kalmiopsis) and someone I knew almost found it according to her map(which she lost) but was redirected by some rangers in the middle of nowhere who said that it didn't exist....

Imagine getting paid to work out in the woods, monitoring/supervising- I think after a while they feel some sense of ownership and when empowered with authority, control. I suppose that anyone that is 4WDing is a menace to them and our government who wants us within the reach of their arm of control.