Crash Kills 1; Holiday Camp Sites Clogged

The holiday weekend got off to a deadly start Thursday after a woman died in a head-on collision near Fillmore, police said.

According to police, the woman died of severe head injuries after her car collided with a motor home on California 126 near Timber Canyon Road shortly before 3 p.m.

The unidentified woman, who was thrown from her car, was transported to Ventura County Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead about 4:30 p.m. The passengers in the motor home were unhurt.

The crash snarled traffic and delayed holiday travelers en route from the Santa Clarita Valley to the Ventura County coast. The California Highway Patrol closed the highway’s westbound lanes for about six hours while they investigated the cause of the crash.

Despite Thursday’s traffic death, the Fourth of July weekend got off to a rousing start throughout the county as celebrants from across Southern California flocked to the area to observe the nation’s 221st birthday.

But for county residents who are thinking about packing up the kids, dog and whatever else they need for a weekend at the beach, forget about it.

From border to border, campgrounds are clogged with boxy motor homes and holiday revelers aiming to spend the long weekend frolicking in the surf and basking in the sun.

The National Weather Service predicts clear skies, with the mercury hovering in the mid- to upper 70s along the coast and reaching the high 80s inland.

“We are packed, totally full,” said a winded McGrath State Beach ranger, Scott Cramolini, in a spare moment before making another patrol of the 174-site campground. “There’s nothing available anywhere.”

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From Leo Carrillo State Beach near the Los Angeles County line to Hobson State Beach near Santa Barbara County, posted signs say it all: “Campground Full.”

“We had to make reservations last January when the last thing in the world you wanted to do was spend a day at the beach,” said Brea resident Kathy Dimeo, who is spending the weekend with her family and a group of friends at McGrath State Beach. “But hey, you can’t beat the beach.”

North of Ventura, along the two-lane Rincon Parkway, more than a mile of motor homes and buses were parked Thursday, with barely a foot of room between them. Some, like 44-year-old Darrin Phelps of Lancaster, didn’t mind the close company.

“I knew it was going to be crazy out at the beach,” he said while unfurling Old Glory on top of his oversized camper. “I never planned to be getting away from it all anyway, I just wanted to relax.”

Darbe Tocts drove more than 200 miles to spend the holiday at a place near and dear to her heart, Faria County Park.

The 41-year-old Apple Valley resident said she has been a regular at Faria since she was a toddler. This year she is spending it with her family and a group of about 20 friends.

“We love it here,” Tocts said. “It’s fun, it’s small and it’s good for the guys because they can look at all the girls.”

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However, some holiday campers, like the Wiluckys of Palmdale, weren’t so fortunate.

After heading to Jalama Beach, just west of Lompoc, Daniel, Cora, their 2-year-old daughter Megan and some relatives were forced out by the howling winds. They too went to Faria, where they have spent five Fourth of July holidays, and managed to finagle a spot after a heated argument with another camper.

“This is a good beach for the kids,” Cora said while sitting in a beach chair in the shade of the stars and stripes. “It’s smooth and sandy and it’s fun to run on.”

Even those looking west toward the Channel Islands for a weekend respite from the rigors of the civilized world will find little room.

Amber Kindsvogel, a national park official, said almost all of the five islands’ campgrounds are full, with only a few scattered spaces available on Santa Cruz and San Miguel islands.

“It’s pretty busy out there right now, but I’m not surprised,” she said. “It’s a great place to spend your time.”

But holiday celebrations didn’t just revolve around the sand, surf and sun.

Between Moorpark and Simi Valley, 63 squealing, overheated children raced through the dusty air of Oak Park after pitching their tents as part of a Camarillo family YMCA overnight camping adventure. And now they were roasting.

“Can you squirt me?” a flushed, tow-headed girl pleaded with Tonya Gomez, a YMCA child-care specialist.

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“We knew it would be hot--we just didn’t know it was going to be this hot,” Gomez said.

The kids spent the evening munching on hot dogs, charring marshmallows and telling stories around the campfire.

“My favorite part of it is that I don’t have to go home,” said 6-year-old Hannah Cohn.

Hannah’s mother, Chandra Cohn, said she was looking forward to an evening with her husband. After making sure that Hannah and her sister, Amy, were safely settled, the parents planned a visit to Magic Mountain.

“The kids will have fun and I’ll get the night off,” she said.

However, if Oak Park was bustling, the Happy Hollow Campground, hidden in the Santa Monica Mountains high above Thousand Oaks, was virtually deserted. And that suited Gevin Fax of Los Angeles just fine.

“I’m just getting some R & R,” she said, lounging in the back of her van as a breeze ruffled the hot, dry air. “It’s been wonderful. I like it when no one’s up here.”

The holiday was also celebrated in more ways than pitching a tent under the stars.

More than 1,000 children from Drifill Elementary School in Oxnard marked the holiday on Thursday by attending an educational performance by a Los Angeles-based acting troupe called the Imagination Company.

A cavalcade of actors led the children, each sporting a red, white and blue hat, in a number of spirited skits and songs, all seasoned with a patriotic theme.

Principal Bertha Perez hoped the show taught her students that the holiday means more than just fireworks.

The children also held an art show after the assembly that featured patriotic essays and artwork.

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But while most are taking the weekend off and looking up at the exploding rounds of multicolored fireworks, the Ventura County Fire Department will be hard at work.

Fire officials are ready for what they fear could be a busy weekend. After the abrupt end to the winter rains, the county’s grass and brush is as dry as kindling, warned Public Information Officer Sandi Wells.

“We’re looking at conditions that we would normally see in September or October,” she said. “We’re hoping we’re going to be safe, but that’s up to everyone out there.”

Information officer Joe Luna said that although the department would not hunt for people with fireworks, it would not hesitate to cite those caught with cherry bombs and M-80s, which are punishable as felony possession of an illegal explosive.

In the last two years, he said, the department responded to 34 incidents caused by fireworks, including brush fires, roof fires and injuries.

“It does happen--there are injuries,” Luna said. “And the unfortunate part is, the majority of those are kids.”

Times correspondents David Baker and Kimberly Lisagor contributed to this article.