Hi everyone,

Okay, I am going for a first time visit, I need some help/advice. Okay, my friend is located on A-Yard at CTF. I'm going to be coming from King City (my old home town, I'll be in California visiting for a week, so I wanted to meet my friend at CTF who I've been writing to since Christmas).

I have some questions...

First, for when to arrive to be processed, I'm reading horror stories of people camping outside to make it in "first". I don't care to be first, but I don't want to arrive there at 6:30 and wait until 11 to be processed. I'm in poor health, and I can't handle being away from proper food or a bathroom for any length of time. I'm on my own, my friend who I'm travelling with isn't approved to visit, so no one can keep my place in line if it's a very lengthy wait.

I'll be headed from King City, and I know where to go and all that... I've been to CTF before, passed by, etc. There used to be public transit between King City and Salinas, and they stopped there. So no major problems finding the place...

I need to know some things... about food. What kinds of food can we buy in there? I'm diabetic (but will be okay without insulin for my visit, provided I can eat what's available). I have difficulty digesting solid foods... chips, candy, sandwhiches, and conventional junk food is out. The only universal thing I can have at every restaurant/place is SOUP. I eat mostly vegetables and fruits, soup, anything cooked really well or in very small pieces, and some high protein sources which I know they will *not* be serving at CTF. Mostly I eat anything that is near liquid when I swallow it. I know foodstuff is forbidden, so I need to know what options I have when I get there, I do not want to suffer insulin shock and then pass out because I can't digest an "emergency vending machine snack."

Also, for getting there for processing... is there a time when I should arrive that would be less busy? I pressume everyone is showing up first thing to get in first. If I arrive at 10 a.m. after the early birds and overnight campers all get through (which I understand people waiting to do, to make the most of their visit), would I be getting in more quickly because I came after the crowd?

How does it go when we have to wait? This is really important... because of my poor health, I will not be able to stand and wait for long periods of time without access to a restroom, or being able to sit down. I'm not sure if I should contact CTF to make special arrangements or anything, but it's very rare that my health causes me this kind of inconvenience... I don't go out much, and I don't have this problem in the places I go.

Thanks in advance...
Sapphyre

Hey Sapphyre. I visit at Salinas, so I can't answer any questions about food and such at CTF, but as for the car line, it's true, people do start waiting there around midnight some of them. I usually get there around 4:30, and get a pass between 40 and 80, which puts me in by 9:30. However, I also made a mistake and had to basically go to the end of the line after they started giving passes at 6:30, and ended up with pass 181, which got me in before noon. The good thing is, if you don't need to visit for all 6 hours, you can just show up at 6:30 when they give out passes, get at the end of the line, and then you're able to leave and come back in a few hours when it's closer to your processing time. At least, that's how they work it at SVSP, so I hope I'm not wrong here about CTF. Hopefully one of the CTF gals will be along in a while to help you out more.

Stephanie

I sent you a PM hopefully I answered all of your questions.
Megan