As I write this, we are now just 2 weeks away from our much anticipated QRP weekend. Starting on Friday, July 20, those of us who want a taste of self sufficiency, a chance to get away for a short time and an opportunity to go up to an elevation of over 4,000 feet and operate flea power Amateur Radio stations from batteries are going to have that chance.

Figueroa Campground at Figueroa Mountain in the Los Padres National Forest is beckoning you. This will be your opportunity to get out of town and climb up to where the air is rarified and pure, where the smell of pine needles on the tall conifers wafts through the air and into your nostrils and where the smell of bacon sizzling as you climb out of the sack in the morning makes you glad you are alive.

In addition to all the fun you are going to have working all those stations from that prime elevation location, think of all those other campers who will be totally blown away by all the antennas that they see. These other campers will be bringing their kids, who, for the first time in their lives, will be exposed to Amateur Radio. You just might be the one who got them hooked into the world's best hobby!

You will need to bring with you everything that will sustain you for the weekend -- your shelter (car, van, tent, tarp), sleeping bag or blankets, air mattress, your food, eating utensils, cooking apparatus, first aid, all your radio gear (radio, key, microphone, earphones, coax, coax switch, antenna tuner, antenna, batteries, SWR indicator, misc. coax adapters, laptop, scratch paper, pen/pencil, license -- you know the routine.

Oh, and one more thing -- Don't forget to bring your Adventure Pass. We will be in the National Forest and they require the Pass. The cost of the Pass is $5.00 per vehicle per day. So if you came up on Friday afternoon and left on Sunday afternoon, it would technically cost $15.00. However, if we talk to Park Ranger Helen Tarbit there, she might let us stay for just $10.00. If you enjoy these outings, you can purchase an Annual Pass for $30.00. You show your Pass as you enter the campground or when a Park Ranger comes around.

Certain of the above locations will cut you a deal on the Annual Pass. In other words, you can buy an Annual Pass for $30.00 and a second one for just $5.00. Then two of you can split the $35.00 and have use of the forest for a year for only $17.50 apiece. Such a deal! I suggest you call ahead to see if they make that deal. That will eliminate the concern over our weekend.

In case you have forgotten how to get to Figueroa Mountain, take Highway 154 (San Marcos Pass) to the little town of Los Olivos. Take the road to Figueroa Mountain from there. Remember, the campground takes no reservations -- it is on a First Come, First Served basis. I would suggest that you leave as early as possible on Friday and stake out the best site for us. Keep in mind, some of us will be putting up dipoles, some will be guying up verticals -- in other words, we will need space.

I hope I have whet your appetite for this great time. We have been talking about it on the QRP Net and now the time has finally come. What a wonderful experience it will be -- in the outdoors in the summertime playing radio. WOW!