Mud Creek | National Forest | Utah

 

This is my view of some of my neighbors after a storm that included 3 episodes of hail and lots of rain.  The storm lasted until late in the evening, but even before that, my site was full of muddy areas.  The photo below was one of my campsites.  This is National Forest land and locals usually bring in their RVs days before the weekend.  They will leave them until the weekend, and then come in on Friday or Saturday.  They bring boats and 4 wheelers for the trails.  On weekdays, it feels like a ghost town.

 

 

It's a pretty area.

 

 

I love to see the lake, which is Strawberry Reservoir, and this is  shot from my other campsite.

 

 

One of the other campers told me that the dirt road up into the aspens ended with a very large camping area, so I took a drive up there.  The further I drove into the aspens, the more the dirt road got rougher, with some big ruts.  I didn't want to drive my truck any further up, and I certainly didn't want to even think of taking my 5th wheel up there.  It sure was pretty up there though.

 

 

I took a drive around other areas of the neighborhood, very pretty.

 

 

Quite a few of the BLM camping areas have cattle on them.  Most of the time, the cattle are separated by a fence.  My cat has to see what's happening outside and loves the critters.  I think the cows are the largest animals she has seen. 

 

 

An entire herd of them were in the campground this day, well maybe only a partial herd.  They started moving down the hill in a large group, mooing all the way.  I knew someone had to be herding them, and soon, I saw a man on horseback with his dog.  The dog was having a great time, and doing a wonderful job also. 

After they invaded my neighbor's campsite, they moved on down the road.

 

 

Sawtooth Canyon Campground | BLM | Barstow | California

This was my campsite at Sawtooth Campground, a BLM camp as well as a destination for rock climbers in the area.  This particular BLM is no fee, even though they have the fire pit and table shelter shown, as well as a BBQ that is out of the photo.  Most BLM areas charge a fee if there are any type of amenities, but I enjoyed the free part.  I ended up staying here about 8 days since there were lots of days with high winds and I don't tow in those conditions.  The day before I left, there were high winds all afternoon, some predicted to reach 60 mph.  Seems that the entire area was under wind alerts.

I talked to a few of the climbers and found that there is actually a guide book of the area called New Jack City.  Back in the 1980s a few climbers came out to the area and set up areas that could be climbed.  They put in connections so that people could climb up and clip a safety line as they go.  Obviously I didn't get all the lingo correct!

On this wall, there are two people climbing, with their spotters below, keeping a tension on their lines for safety. 

As they go up, they search for tiny ledges to grab with their hands as well as pushing up from ledges with their feet, they have special shoes. 

In the photo below, there are 3 people on this wall, and one in the foreground taking a photo of one of them. 

Totally unrelated to climbing, this man came in my last day there with his RV - a man powered little rig with more solar panels than I have!

Boondocking | Check it out first!

 

Free camping!

 

 

Most of us like free camping.  Sometimes it's National Forest land or BLM (Bureau of Land Management) where there is usually a 14 day stay limit.  The limit is not a problem for us, we enjoy it while it lasts.  What may become a problem is finding good roads into these areas you never really know until you get into it.

 

Recently, the internet was full of photos of a triple-axle toy-hauler fifth wheel that looked at least 40 feet.  It was stuck on some boulders in an area that looked way too rocky to be driving anything into!  There have been multiple photos posted of this person's problems and it was quoted that it cost $3500 for multiple tow vehicles to get the trailer to safety. 

 

I have always checked out boondocking areas before going into them with my rig.  I have seen some roads where I wouldn't think of towing my fifth wheel.  In some areas, there  is no room to turn a truck around, let alone a truck and any type of trailer.  Sometimes, as shown below, there has been a tree that has fallen on the road.  You might be able to turn around in this area, but if it happened in a forest that was more dense than this, you might be in trouble.

 

 

Sometimes, especially during rainy season you'll find muddy pools that you might be able to go around, but sometimes not.  Going through some of these muddy pools will create other issues - they may be too deep and you'll bog down or you may create ruts that will ruin the road for others trying to use the area.

 

It's not always easy to check out boondocking areas, it requires time and extra fuel cost.  I love to find a great road to get into a spot - not one that requires miles of rutted or washboarded dirt roads.  I am possibly a little too cautious where I want to take my truck and fifth wheel - but it is my home! 

So, RV friends, be careful trying to find the perfect boondocking spot - sometimes it's not easy!  Try not to recreate that scene from Robin Williams' movie "RV"!

Boondocking | National Forest Service | Arizona

The photo above shows how the Forest Service gets ready for a burn.  I don't know if this entire area will be a controlled burn, or if they are just clearing the area of deadfall.  I have been helping in my own little way by gathering wood for campfires while I'm here.

I have been boondocking in the National Forest near Jacob Lake, Arizona for the past week.  I found this site on a website called freecampsites.net.  The site I am camp at is just about 1 mile from the main road road headed to the north rim of the Grand Canyon.  There are many others in the area along Forest Road 461, but this one was the easiest to get to.

The photo above shows Jacob Lake.  I was expecting something more picturesque since the area is named for this lake.  It is totally fenced in and there are signs that say no trespassing.

This is the restored original Forest Ranger post from the early 1900s.  Unfortunately I never got to see the inside since it was always closed.

When I first got here it rained for about 4 days.  I did find out you can see a rainbow in the middle of a forest, as you can see below.

I have been told by another camper that there is a resident hawk flying around, but I have not seen it. I've been trying to get a good picture of the local squirrel.  This squirrel is only seen in this area of the north rim of the Grand Canyon and he's very distinctive since he has a big fluffy white tail.

I am so glad that campers share the good camping areas they find so that others can enjoy them.  And, it's great to have the technology to be able to share this information on a large scale.

Zion National Park | Boondocking Areas

A friend and I had driven to Zion National Park for a day trip and planned to come back for a longer visit. While we were in the area, we decided to visit a few areas that may be suitable for boondocking.

We didn't find much on the internet, except along a road called Kolob Terrace Road.  The boondocking there is along a little river, but more suitable for van campers and tents.

You will see signs posted by BLM on the south side of Route 9 stating that these are "Your Public Lands" and you'll see quite a few dirt roads, including one paved one in this area.  Some of these roads are better than others, as usual for BLM land.

We noticed a few rigs quite far from Route 9 on the south side, as well as a few dirt roads leading into the area. The area we chose to visit was actually labeled with a street sign. We turned into Sheep Bridge Road and followed it for a couple of miles. We found a couple good large camping areas about 1.7 miles in, at 37° 11.836'   113° 13.177' .   There is a low cable over the road, but my 5th wheel, about 12 feet tall, made it under OK.  Going out, just use the left side of the road.

I have a small 5th wheel and my friend has a small travel trailer, so we picked the smaller site and stayed for about a week. The area was not heavily used while we were there, but does have some traffic. There were people with bikes as well as ATVs.

The scenery is quite good in this area, the typical desert foliage and some nice rock hills. There are a few pullouts along the road to where we camped, but they are right on the road, so it was nice to have our own little area.

 

It's about 10 miles to Hurricane, Utah, and about 15 to Zion National Park.  We found very little trash in our immediate area, but while driving around we found a campsite that was left with all sorts of trash.  I'm sure that situation was not caused by RVers, but please be sure to keep these areas clean.  We are lucky to have this vacant land to camp on without fees, I would hate to see them fenced off because of a few people who litter.

 

Three States - One Day!

 

I had been boondocking on BLM land near Lake Havasu City until today.  I have had a friend staying with me for a while before she continues on her way to the Pacific northwest.  The last two days have been steadily cloudy and rainy, so we were really getting tired of it. 

 

 

 

In spite of the rain, we did have some good scenery, like the awesome light and rainbow in the photos above.  This was as the sun was headed to the horizon, and below shows the sunset.

 

 

 

When we left today, we went from Arizona to a small RV park in California on the Colorado River.  That was a trip of only a few miles, but at least it's a change of scenery.  After we set up camp, we got in her truck and went looking for a little truck camper or travel trailer for her trip.  That took us on a side trip to Laughlin, Nevada.  Laughlin is basically a casino town lots of giant casinos, some of which you can see below.  It's right over the river from Bullhead City, Arizona.

I love this next photo, since I'm sure there would be more people in the Losers' Lounge than in the Winners' Lounge!  If they even had a Winners Lounge!

 

This riverboat casino is cheating, since it's built totally on land.

 

Driving back home, I noticed this sign.  It's the type of place I try to find if I'm having technical difficulties!

OK, no major traveling today to be in three different states, but it just struck me as being mildly humorous.  And it's great to be in a different location!

Lake Havasu City | Again

I set off yesterday to camp at a site just over the border from Arizona into California.  When I arrived at the planned campsite, I was not impressed.  Not with the scenery or the area.  I sat for a minute and then thought - this is why I have wheels.  I decided there was a camping area not too far away that I visited last year.  I could just run up there and I know I'd be getting a nice place.  And it was on my way to where I wanted to end up eventually.  So, I set off and went up to Lake Havasu City.  The scenery was great on the way, I could see the Colorado River between rock formations, so I was happy I had decided on the change.

 

 

This is the view from my camp and I'm really intrigued by the rig on the right.  He has lots of toys in there.  Last year, there were campers who had a campfire every night and the man played guitar and sang.  I was hoping that they would be there again, but unfortunately, they have either left or were not in the area this year.  However, I met a few of the campers, and their dogs, and everyone seems very friendly and nice.  Of course, that's typical.  This is boondocking again - love the price!  Of course, this is why I bought solar panels!

 

 

 

I set up camp and later found that my fridge was in the hot sun all day.  This morning, I decided to turn the rig around so it would be in the shade most of the day.  It's really not that hard or time consuming when you have no hookups to deal with.  I also learned that my level gauge on the outside is off by a little.  I went in to see if the fridge was level and it was, regardless of what the gauge says.   I want to make sure my fridge stays happy - they aren't when they're not level and they're very expensive to replace!

Campfires!

 

One of the best things about boondocking (living without hookups in your RV) is the campfires you're allowed to have in those areas. Most RV parks will not allow campfires, although I have been in a rare few where they've had a group campfire area. Most of the RV parks have the sites spaced too close together anyway, it would be dangerous to have a campfire.

A few weeks ago I was camped with 2 other solo female RVers in the National Forest near Durango - almost 9000' elevation. We had a heck of a time getting the fires to burn as they should. We had a nice large metal fire ring that was probably over a foot tall, with a grill we could flip on or not. We finally decided that the lack of oxygen at that elevation was partly the cause. Nevertheless, we had a campfire almost every night - with marshmallows!

I have since moved to another National Forest campground and have made a few campfires here, at 7000' elevation. I do believe I've had an easier time getting it to start burning and to continue burning without alot of fanning and adding kindling. The fire ring here is the strangest one I've ever seen. It's shallow and small, with the back half permanently covered with a metal lid, from which you can flip a grill down over the front half. It's not conducive to having a nice full fire, but I've been cooking on it a few times. I guess I should try some baked potatoes and corn on the cob in the back half that never gets any air, but probably retains lots of heat.

I never eat hot dogs except when I can put them on a long fork and toast them over an open campfire. Same thing with marshmallows - I will never eat a raw one (except the tiny ones in ambrosia salad), and you can't get me to eat that white stuff in a jar.  Do they still make that?  But, get one on a long stick over the fire - just lightly toasted - perfect. I have been toasting the new square ones lately - they're easy to toast and you can pull off the first crusted shell and toast what's left. They are much more manageable than the giant round ones I tried last spring.

 

 

I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of setup my next site will have. 

 

Disclaimer - photos done with cell phone.

 

National Forest Hiking - Flagstaff, Arizona

Since I've been camping in the National Forest near Flagstaff for a week now, I'd like to share some of my hiking experiences. Most all the roads in the Forests are dirt, very few that are paved. This region has quite a bit of hard red dirt except when it rains and gets muddy, and that's when vehicles make ruts in the roads. Unfortunately, quite a few of these rutted roads are just about impossible to safely use for any kind of trailer or Class A motorhome.

For hiking, they're perfect. There are multiple varieties of wildflowers in this area.



I found a wonderful split-rail fence that zig-zagged along the road.

Unfortunately, in one area, I found trash that people bought out and left - a love seat and a full size sofa!  In my own campsite, I found an old truck radiator behind some bushes, as well as the usual litter people leave. I think this is probably locals who just come out to dump and think it's a nice, quiet deserted area. I have a hard time believing it would be RV people!

　

 

There is beautiful scenery and numerous types of trees, even ones that still stand stately although they are no longer alive.

 

There is an endless supply of firewood with no signs saying we can't use it. A chainsaw would be helpful.

 

 

And lots of petrified cow patties - some with mushrooms growing in them!

 

There is new growth here, this pine tree was full of it.

 

 

It was very relaxing wandering through the forest, there was an old water tank with a pipeline that ran to a watering trough.   I don't know what the answer is to the littering, I wish there was some way to combat it.