If you think the facilities at Big Basin and Castle Rock are looking a little ragged, just stand by. Next year’s proposed state budget cuts state parks funding by 30 percent. A press release from the office of state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, says the senator’s going to visit Castle Rock on Sunday to try to drum up some interest in preventing a $181-million budget cut.

The annual cost to maintain the system is about $185 million a year,” said Simitian, “but the state budgets just $67 million a year, which means that with every passing year the problem gets more than $100 million worse. Worse still, the State’s failure to reverse this trend means the situation deteriorates. Small problems become big problems ñ with price tags to match ñ adding even more to the billion dollar backlog.”

Well, you have to admit, the campgrounds will be less crowded if they never fix up the bathrooms.