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Politics & Government

Dos Picos Park Adds Two New Cabins

The county park in Ramona now has camping facilities available for people with disabilities, donated by the nonprofit group Cabins by the Lake Inc.

Dos Picos Regional Park has two more reasons to attract campers to the popular campground in Ramona. The nonprofit organization Cabins by the Lake Inc. donated two cabins that each sleep up to five people and are handicapped accessible.

The cabins were dedicated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 9, hosted by San Diego County Parks & Recreation and its director, Brian Albright. A special guest at the ceremony was Doris Stimson, of San Marcos, one of the donors for the cabins.

The cabins are named “Doris” and “Betty” for the two donors. The other donation came from Elizabeth Wilson, who is now deceased.

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“I think it’s wonderful,” Stimson, 87, said, beaming with the pride she felt at having a cabin named in her honor. A plaque at the entrance to the cabin attributes the donation to Stimson and her late husband, William.

“This is a park that everybody uses from all over,” County Supervisor Dianne Jacob said. “This is such an exciting addition, available to those in wheelchairs and have disabilities. There aren’t many places in parks that have facilities like this.

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“The County of San Diego can’t do it alone,” she continued. “As a government agency, we do our best to provide for people in our region and from outside our region. These will be enjoyed by people, by families, for generations to come.”

The 200-square-feet cabins have a double bed and three bunk beds, table and chairs, bathroom and a porch. Fire pits and picnic tables are located outside each cabin. The cabins are available for use by handicapped and non-handicapped campers.

Cabins by the Lake Inc. was formed as a nonprofit agency by Mike Dunlap, who was inspired by his handicapped sister-in-law to provide camping facilities for disabled persons. She required the use of a wheelchair for many years and always looked forward to when her family was able to camp in a park with a similar cabin in Wisconsin.

John Sawtelle, chief operations officer, represented Cabins by the Lake at the dedication ceremony. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to establishing handicapped-accessible cabins for San Diego County regional parks. The Dos Picos cabins are the eighth and ninth to be located in North County.

The location of the cabins at Dos Picos Park was also made possible by the Sunrise Rotary Club of Escondido and the Legacy Endowment Community Foundation based in Fallbrook.

Each cabin rents for $65 a night and can be reserved online at www.sdparks.org or by calling (877) 565-3600. The cabins are in addition to the park’s existing tent and recreational vehicle camping sites. The park is located at 17953 Dos Picos Road, off Mussey Grade Road.

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