Since moving to the beautiful North Coast almost four years ago, leaving behind the Sacramento Valley where I was born and raised, I've been amazed at how I feel like this is where I always should have been. Not only because we're immersed in natural beauty and diverse wildlife, but the whole area seems much calmer and safer than my former home.However, this past week, I unfortunately experienced not only the good, but a little of the bad and ugly of the Smith River area. The bad was my friend's car was vandalized in the parking area at Pelican Beach. Those familiar with that beach just south of the Oregon border, know the parking is tight surrounded by thick woods. I was vandalized there a couple years ago and never parked there without being in sight of my truck again. I'm also aware of two other friends who suffered the same fate. Sad in many ways because it's such a perfect spot for a short walk to the beach.The ugly is that when I do go there to sit and just take in the view, I see the garbage people just dump on the ground. Sometimes a lot of garbage. I once filled three lawn bags full from just one small area. I would advise people not to park there and leave your vehicle. It's so special to be able to call Smith River home, but unfortunately we're not immune to a little of the crime of bigger cities. Thank heaven there are plenty of safer places close to enjoy nature.#placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');Rick McNamerSmith River googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });