Bureau of Land Management land is available for camping. It is less popular than more refined campgrounds because it is less refined. The least refined lands are classified as ‘primitive’. They are merely bare land without any facilities. There is no fee for camping on primitive Bureau of Land Management land for as long as two weeks monthly.
It was tempting. I noticed a few locations for such camping while vacationing in the Southwest during the past two weeks (while I neglected to post on this blog). I made the same observation while vacationing for two weeks in the Pacific Northwest about a month earlier. After all, while away from home, I was essentially homeless.
Furthermore, I did happen to indulge in camping for a few days while in the Los Angeles region. It was not within a campground though. It was in the backyard of my colleagues home. Both the weather and the situation were splendid. I could have stayed in a hotel, but there was no need. Actually, I could have engaged in more camping if accommodations had not already been arranged at my various destinations.
So, why is such camping so socially acceptable while houselessness is not? Houselessness is not vacation. Nor is it typically a choice. For most, it occurs within their home Community, where they formerly lived within homes, worked and paid taxes. While vacationing, I choose to go to regions where I have never lived, worked or paid local taxes, and am unhoused while I do so. I essentially exploit local resources. No one seems to mind.
Perhaps I should indulge in primitive camping on Bureau of Land Management land as an alternative to more refined accommodations. Now, I am wondering how many of the unhoused do so as an alternative to stigmatized houselessness.