Hang Up and Drive
“I thought we banned cell phones while driving? Well, will somebody tell these kids that? These kids drive all over town just talking, talking, talking into their cell phones and hardly paying attention to their driving. And most of them aren’t even good drivers anyway. It makes me crazy. Why aren’t they getting pulled over?”
RED PHONE
Caller, you’re right, California was the fourth state to ban motorists from holding cell phones while driving to prevent driver distraction. In September 2006, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed SB 1613 into law which prohibits people from driving while using a hand-held cell phone. However, he law does not go into effect until July 2008. New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Washington, D.C. have similar laws.
AB 1613 is a step in the right direction, but further studies have concluded that the distraction caused simply by talking on a cell phone while driving, whether it is a hand-held or hands-free phone, is the real problem.
One step at a time, I guess … one step at a time.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS ARE CALLING
“Our family is new to the Morgan Hill area and we are not familiar with local camping spots. We would like to stay relatively close to home for now, since we have small children and would feel more comfortable staying within a short driving radius. What does this area offer in the way of camping accommodations?”
RED PHONE
Caller, you open a huge can of worms when you say “camping.” This could entail sleeping on the ground with a blanket, tent camping, car camping, cabin camping, RV’ing, or hike-in on the trail camping (backpacking). The Red Phone is going to assume since you have little ones that you are interested in tent camping near the car.
Well, you’re in luck. The park systems in our county are top notch and offer many activities including hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, boating, photography, birdwatching, climbing and exploring in 28 regional parks encompassing nearly 45,000 acres of land. Add Henry Coe State Park just east of town with 87,000 acres of wild open space, and you have more than you can ask for.
Out of these, the Red Phone suggests you consider three close-to-home parks:
MT. MADONNA COUNTY PARK
Located in the coastal mountain range west of Gilroy, Mt. Madonna offers lots of shade, day-use picnicking, hiking, a walk-through archery range, equestrian trails, ranger programs, and an enclosed deer pen for viewing local wildlife. Overnight camping is available in designated areas. You can also visit the ruins of the old Henry Miller homestead located along the self-guided nature trail.
COYOTE LAKE-HARVEY BEAR RANCH COUNTY PARK
Lining the western coastline of Coyote Reservoir and extending well into the rolling hills of San Martin, Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch offers hiking, boating, water skiing, jetskiing, fishing, sailing, equestrian trails, mountain biking, ranger interpretive programs, day-use picnicking and overnight camping near the water. The park contains newly-added lands to explore with trails extending from just off Roop Road to well north of San Martin Avenue. Just a few minutes of hiking from any trailhead takes you away from civilization … or at least it feels that way.
HENRY W. COE STATE PARK
If the Red Phone was wrong, and you are rugged at heart and your tastes lean toward the more rustic with very little frills, and want to hike to your camp site, Coe is the place for you. Once you get past the Visitor’s Center, ranger program area and parking lot, you are definitely hoofing it into some beautiful backcountry in the mountains that separate Morgan Hill from the Central Valley, so don’t forget your camera. Located 13 miles east of town on East Dunne Avenue and once the home of the Ohlone Indians, Henry Coe is the largest state park in northern California. The park offers miles of trails to cover. You could, in theory, plan a week-long backpacking trip, cover ten miles a day and camp in a different site every night.
To encourage hikers to explore the park, the overnight fee for backcountry campers is $3, with no vehicle entry fee. If you care to visit Henry Coe Park, remember to bring plenty of water… it can get pretty warm up there.
Further information concerning all the county parks can be found by visiting
the county’s Web site at www.parkhere.org. State park information can be found at www.parks.ca.gov.
Things don’t seem right? Got a question? Remember the Red Phone is here to help. Contact us at (408)
779-4106, ext. 206, or e-mail redphone@morganhill
times.com. Remember to leave a name and phone number when you call or
e-mail. The Red Phone will not publish this information and will only use it for verification purposes.
