Holiday Crowds and Highway Patrol Out in Force

Chris Beattie and his brother Gregory had been up since sunrise Friday, scouring the beach for shells and plotting elaborate trenches where they would anchor their bright kites, shaped like a falcon and a toucan.

The Beattie brothers, 10 and 8, of Moorpark, had dug in for a long holiday, just two boys in a sea of visitors who by midweek had jammed into all 115 RV spaces along Rincon Highway to enjoy the Fourth of July weekend.

The area’s lingering June gloom didn’t seem to dampen the determination of vacationers. Some made their reservations six months in advance to secure a spot.

All seven state campgrounds and seven of nine county campgrounds were filled up by Friday. A county parks employee said some spots still were available at Foster Park in Ojai, at $14 per night, and at the Riverview area of Steckle Park in Santa Paula, at $8.

The National Weather Service was calling for highs in the 70s on the coast and in the 80s and 90s inland, with low clouds and fog in the mornings giving way to afternoon sunshine.

Fireworks shows near the coast Sunday were expected to be diminished only slightly by evening fog. Displays inland were expected to be clear.

Half a dozen fireworks shows scheduled throughout the county were expected to be well attended, according to officials. Use of fireworks by anyone other than licensed pyrotechnics experts is prohibited throughout Ventura County, with the exception of Fillmore, said Sandi Wells, Fire Department spokeswoman.

Setting off or illegally possessing fireworks without a license is punishable by fines up to $1,000 or jail time.

Expecting heavy weekend traffic, the California Highway Patrol will be in “maximum enforcement” mode through midnight Monday. Although there won’t be any checkpoints in Ventura County, officers will be looking for drunk drivers, speeders, tailgaters and motorists driving without seat belts or child safety seats, said CHP Officer Steven Reid.

Last July 4 weekend, the Highway Patrol made 25 drunk driving arrests and responded to 15 traffic accidents, one which resulted in a fatality.

Reid added that officers will be ticketing drivers who pull over to watch fireworks on the freeway--especially along the Ventura Freeway. The shoulder is for emergency stops only, he said.

The Beattie brothers said they were looking forward to seeing fireworks Sunday, but also had been enjoying their mother’s hot dog and hamburger cookouts on the beach, followed by ice cream or s’mores.

Chris Beattie said his mother has used mealtimes to quiz the boys on the meaning of July 4. “She talks about the flags and wars and independence,” he said.

Farther down the beach, Vietnam veteran Richard Bebo was keeping a promise to remember his friends killed during that war.

“We got left by our country, left by our officers. The only thing we had left was each other,” Bebo said, occasionally wiping tears from his eyes. “We made a pact not to forget, not to leave each other.”

For years, the 54-year-old freight driver from Simi Valley said he has headed to the water each Independence Day to pay tribute to those friends. At noon, he climbs on top of his RV amid waving flags and sings “The Star Spangled Banner” as loud as he can.

During the rest of the weekend, he looks out over the water. “I lift ‘em up, pray for ‘em,” he said.

For years, Bebo said, his trips to the beach to contemplate life left him with more questions than answers, stirring up war memories.

Three years ago, Bebo said, he began attending church. As his faith grew, his despair began to subside.

On recent Independence Day celebrations, Bebo’s meditations on the beach have been healing.

“I wade out and I listen to the ocean and each wave that comes is like a wave of release, a wave of relief,” he said.