My wife and I stayed at the Cliffside Campground, NAS, Whidbey Island, WA, in the summer of 2003. Cliffside had electric, water and a dump station. No full hookups.
We were stationed there in 1957/59. This was our first visit since 1959.
We found it to be the most unfriendly base we had ever encountered.
I shoot trap and skeet on the road. For the first and only time, the gate guards asked if I had guns on board and required me to check them in at security. The based owned a skeet range that was located off base. To shoot there, I had to check out the shotgun, then check it back in after shooting. I understand the base has since closed the skeet range.
At the campground the manager allowed a group of tent campers. They were loud, drunken and generally obnoxious. The group included a mother and son (looked to be about five years old). We watched him play, unsupervised, including playing with matches. There were no fires, however, we were concerned. I talked to the manager. He explained they were a family trying to get back together and could not afford to stay off base. There were several men around, we could not tell who was the father.
A lot of electronic stuff going on at the base. My automobile remote locks would not work. When we were in downtown Oak Harbor, they worked fine. The cell phone battery would last about 12 hours.
The Officer's Club had dinner on weekends only and very few customers when we were there. A very nice building poorly used. It was depressing.
I felt the security presence on the base was oppressive. Very unfriendly to visitors. I have not encountered such unfriendliness at other bases.
If we travel to Whidbey Island again, we'll not stay on base nor visit.
Hopefully, for others, things have changed since our visit in 2003.
Phil Batton
