Posted on 07/01/2009 3:23:44 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
LOS OLIVOS, California (AFP) The plans for Michael Jackson's funeral remain uncertain, but that did not stop Desiree Crossley and her family from camping out for hours outside of his Neverland ranch.
Reports that the King of Pop would be laid to rest at his sprawling fantasy estate prompted a near stampede here to the rolling hills of Santa Barbara wine country, with hundreds of media satellite trucks parking outside the gate.
As newscasters broadcast live in multiple languages and traffic crews hurriedly erected no-parking signs, Crossley waited with a friend in foldable chairs, her two daughters sitting in the car.
"There've been mixed messages about what's going on, but you've just got to be patient and wait," said Crossley, 49, who drove up before dawn from Lancaster in Los Angeles County, 250 kilometers (150 miles) to the south.
"We're just trying to enjoy the atmosphere. He was the King of Pop," she said.
Further down the road of cattle ranches and elite estates, Belen Morales and her two brothers from Los Angeles spent the night camping out in a tent. For breakfast, they had Lucky Charms cereal with milk from their cooler.
"It was really cold last night. But this is definitely worth it," said the 14-year-old girl, wearing -- aptly enough -- a T-shirt for Michael Jackson's song "You Are Not Alone."
Hotel owners said that their phones started ringing moments after reports that the 50-year-old pop icon could be buried at Neverland, a 1,050-hectare (2,600-acre) ode to childhood that once had tigers, giraffes and an amusement park.
With hotels booked up, some local entrepreneurs smelled business.
Debbie Pollard, who works at a nearby grocery store, drove through the packs of journalists with her window down, offering a "guesthouse' on her property for 500 dollars a night.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Makes you wonder if somebody offed Jacko on purpose.
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