JANUARY 17 TO FEB 7th, 2022
BOONDOCKING - BIG TIME - THIS YEAR!
Since we bought this new to us motorhome last summer we had talked about doing more Boondocking. You’ve heard me mention this term before.
For those that don’t know what that is: Boondocking is camping with no amenities, no hook-ups, no campground.
All on your own.. out living off the land.. like the Cowboys did.
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| A Full Moon Behind the Clouds! |
Except we are using our batteries and/or generator for power or if you’re really lucky using your solar power. Ok... maybe not as rough as the Cowboys had it back in the day but just as beautiful as they saw it!
Now I'm not going to get into all the details here because you'd fall asleep faster than you normally do reading my Blogs. You will get the idea when I say the following:
You simply have to watch what you use and what you dispose of.
There are no garbage cans and you must not litter. Don’t even think of dumping your storage tanks (Grey or Black) out on the land, the fines are huge and it's not a nice thing to do!
You bring your own fresh water and you store it after you've used it in one of two ways. (Grey and Black Water Tanks for storage of used water).
There is no plug-in or electricity so you need to bring your own power too.
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| Our Built In 5500 Watt Onan Generator For Power! |
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| 25 Gallon Propane Tank for the Furnace, Stove & Fridge. |
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2 Qts of Oil & A New Oil Filter for the Generator Oil Change.
Like cars, RV's need to be properly maintained and on-time! |
This generator idea is a big one if you like using the necessities from home like a TV, the Internet, a hair dryer, coffee maker, vacuum or a microwave oven.
We use all the electric components that we use at home so we need plenty of power. Not all RV's have these generators though.
So, you bring all your own water and you basically camp as primitive as you want or as luxuriously as you can afford (solar power setups are very expensive).
Then there is the last item that no one wants to talk about.
There are no out-houses either! We will get to that later!
Keeping the patio to the warm south side.
GARBAGE DISPOSAL:
Well first of all we take our garbage in to town when we go and we find a suitable place to dump it. We often use a gas station that we have bought fuel from and that way we don’t feel bad unloading our residential waste in to their garbage cans. Some of even have dumpsters for us RVers to use.
FRESH WATER:
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| Our new 5 gallon water bladders |
As far as water goes; we have a large 80 gallon fresh water tank on board that holds lots of water and we also bring our own bottled water to ensure we have good tasting coffee in the mornings. I like to drink canned carbonated flavored water all day too.
We’ve also invested in a few 5 gallon water bladders for water storage in case we need it (see photo above). We fill the bladders with purified water. Around Phoenix there's plenty of places to get decent drinking water as their water often tastes salty & awful. We are told it's because it is so hard and full of different minerals.
POWER:
The power storage comes from our two 6 volt lead acid batteries that are strictly for the house portion of the RV. The whole house runs off of these. We may expand these in the future and upgrade these batteries so that they hold more capacity. We haven't decided if we will add a couple more batteries or maybe even go to Lithium Batteries down the road some day. We may even add a solar system one day once the prices become more reasonable for quality parts. Lithium & Solar are expensive additions.
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| Servicing Our House 6 Volt Lead Acid House Batteries |
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If You Need Solar Advice or Help In The Quartzsite Area
These Guys Are Awesome!
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| Lithium batteries are expensive but much better! |
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Solar Power is the way to go.
The panels are the cheap part! |
We found that when Boondocking we need to run the generator twice a day (1.5 hours each) morning and again in the evening. This is usually enough to charge the batteries for our needs. Let it be known while we do have LED lighting we do use a lot of energy because of the TV, our Cell Phones and Computers etc.
In fact one doesn’t normally realize how much power (or water) they do use until you monitor it and live like this for a few days. It's an educational eyeopener especially when I think of all the water that we waste when we are at home.
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| We Finally Did That Oil Change on the Generator... |
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WASTE WATER:
The last one is what do we do with our (what they call) “Grey” & “Black” water?
So for those that don’t know the Grey Water is the used water from the sinks and from the shower. We have 58 gallons of Grey Water storage.
The Black Water is that stuff that no one likes to talk about as it comes from the toilet(s). Some RV's have more than one bathroom. Our Black Water Tank holds 42 gallons of that stuff.
I still don’t know why they call it “black” water because I’ve emptied those tanks a million times and of all the colors i've seen go through there, it's never black? I guess the thought of emptying it is a bit black so that must be the reason! LOL :)
Remember you can not legally dump your your tanks on the ground.
The storage tanks might sound like they are quite large until you have to live with them for a while. One has to remember these gallons are measured in American gallons (not Imperial) so each gallon is only 3.8 liters, not 4.5 liters.
We have a monitor panel that measures how full our tanks are. I don't think it is very accurate but it does help us.
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To Avoid Adding More Grey Water to the Tank
We Replaced the Shower Head With This One
A Better Shower With Even Less Water Used! |
So if your like me you’ll like this type of camping.
I grew up in the Cub and Boy Scout movement and really enjoy being outdoors, roughing it a bit. Boondocking is being somewhat alone in the wilderness with virtually no neighbours at all. If you need "social" every single day then this isn't likely your type of gig!
RV Resorts can supply a lot of nice things including "social" but not this!
We do like the resorts once in a while too. I do have to admit the Boy Scout form of camping wasn’t near this comfortable or luxurious but you know what I mean... I hope!
FREE or FEE?
Boondocking I find is a nice change from the fancy RV Resorts and oh… one more thing, it is usually FREE or nearly free! I like free!
I say free because most of the locations are free if you move around like we do. If you want to stay for longer periods you can find BLM (Bureau of Land Management) Lands (or dispersed land such as State Trust Land) for camping that provides boondocking for longer periods. It's very similar but because you either want to stay longer than 14 days (all winter perhaps) or perhaps you want a garbage can, washrooms and a dump station then you have to pay for those types of BLM camping areas. The fees are very affordable.
We like the ones that don’t have any amenities and no fees. If you want to do it more than 14 days then you have to move at least 25 miles away according to the rules/law before you camp in another free zone. The paid for places are still very economical though with most BLM prices of 14 days for $40.00 or up to 180 days for for you guessed it $180.00. Prices may vary in some cases.
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT:
You can find a lot of info on line about this type of camping and there is a fair bit to learn. One such site is www.BLM.Gov check it out it.
BLM is quite popular down here. I am told the BLM controls approximately 245 million acres of land across the USA and most of it is free not requiring a reservation either! One has to watch though because even some of the free BLM areas have a Camp Host that one has to check in with and register before camping out there.
Now that we have covered some of the basics of Boondocking let's get back to some of our travels!
QUARTZSITE BLM @ DOME ROCK MOUNTAIN - 2022 Jan. 17.
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| Maximum 14 day stay. (free). |
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| Follow this dirt road for 2 miles west to our site. |
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Our new home at Dome Rock near Quartzsite.
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So as you can see we headed back west over to Quartzsite next to the California border. Just because we like it there and it’s quirky. Add to it, this time around is the big RV Show with lots of dealers & part supplies present.
We've never been to this event before and we've always liked Quartzsite so thought we would try it out. Our caution with the Covid Pandemic was that if we got here and it was too crowded we would just leave.
We needed a RV Surge Protector (we sold our last one with our last motorhome). After a bunch of research the one we wanted was going to be in stock at this RV show with Factory Representatives present. This way we could talk with them and buy one without waiting for it to be shipped.
This plan didn't work out so well.
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Our New 50 Amp Surge Protector.
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We didn't get the Surge Protector at the RV Show as planned.
They didn't show up - As they came down with Covid!
We ended up with a better deal tho as a result. An extra 25% off!
Thank You!
MAIL DELIVERY ON THE ROAD?
One thing about living on the road is how the heck does one get mail and will the parcel even arrive before we are leaving a specific area?
We've run into this issue a few times over the years.
Thankfully Amazon USA now has "Lockers" in some locations for delivery & pickup. It's hard to get delivery in the middle of a desert or forest some days LOL!
So we have to research this in each & every area if we want to buy something online. If it's not coming from Amazon then its a whole new issue.
In Quartzsite a little Google research showed us a gift store that offered mail service on the side. They were able to receive our parcel for us with the surge protector (UPS) for a minimal $3.00 fee. So we used their address.
We were Happy Campers again as we needed this thing before we gambled on plugging in at a RV Resort again down the road. You see some places have bad electric issues from time to time and you just do not know about it until it's too late. Some places have been known to have surges and other issues that can badly damage computers and electronic systems in your RV. It can be a very expensive issue costing thousands and thousands of dollars. So it is a mistake to not use this type of protection.
We've been told this Quartzsite RV Show used to be real big.
This year we found it’s losing its flame so I wouldn’t go out of my way for the show again unless something changes and we were nearby somewhere anyhow.
This show used to attract 3/4’s of a million people or so. The town of Quartzsite itself is small with only about 4,000 full time residents. It's quite a site to see and the crowds can cause issues on such a small community.
When you get there you can see RV's camped around this little town out in the desert for miles and miles! It's incredible! Some people live this way full time too.
I have no way of estimating the numbers here this year (much smaller than past years) but it would be in the tens of thousands for sure. Thankfully where we were camped it was not crowded at all. They all seem to want to camp north or south of town, we were South and West.
Like the other years we've come for a visit we camped in an area SW of Quartzsite called Dome Rock Mountain. We pulled off the pavement and went 2 miles down a dirt road right to the end where the sign says "no camping past this sign."
There used to be a Camp Host to sign in with at the entrance but this year no one was there. Likely due to the Covid Pandemic.
Like in many of the spots we found someone had built a nice rock fire-pit but they also scraped out some trails too.
This must have taken them considerable time & lots of work.
I'm not giving exact directions!
Don't be camped there when we come back because we will want this
same spot again, it is perfect! LOL
These camp spots are where ever you can find them or you can make one of your own so long as you don't chop down trees, cactus or bushes.
They aren’t designated spots like in campgrounds but the spots people use are easily identifiable.
Just help yourself!
We always try to find a spot as level as possible to start with and to keep our “absorption RV fridge” happy too.
Like I mentioned don’t be chopping down trees and damaging nature! Proper etiquette says that you leave it better than when you found it.
One does NOT camp near any of the other campers either if you don’t know them. Give them room and they’ll do the same for you. After all that's the whole idea of being in the boonies.
At this time of year I try to place my patio (passenger side of the motorhome) on the south side to get the warmth of the daytime sun. It can get cold in the evenings and if it's cloudy (rare but does happen) it can be cool and you’ll want the sun's rays to keep you warm while enjoying your patio. Depending where you are at it can also get breezy or even windy too once in a while, so keep that in mind. I have an App that shows which way the winds will blow.
There's nothing like a quiet rustic camp-fire out in the desert at night!
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| No need to pay for expensive wood. |
We bring our own camp-fire.
DESERT CREATURES - THAT HURT PEOPLE:
Another good thing about this time of year is some of the scary parts of the desert are still asleep & hibernating. I like that!
It's not as bad as some people believe.
RATTLE SNAKES:
Rattle Snakes are usually still asleep this time of year because it’s too cool for them to come out. They usually come out March to October.
But be careful just the same, one never knows.
Be careful about turning over rocks or where you put your hand or foot. Thirteen of the 36 Rattle Snake species are found in Arizona, the most of any state in the USA! The most famous one here is called the Diamond Back Rattler.
SCORPIONS:
As far as Scorpions go we are told there are 40 to 60 species in AZ depending on who you talk to. Only one is really going to kill you though,
but be careful as they are the ones that like to go into homes - they are called the Arizona Bark Scorpion and they are out and active all year long while the others usually only come out from March to October.
The best way to see them (Scorpions) is at night with a “black-light” type of flashlight which you can buy locally. In all the time we have spent in AZ I have never seen a live in the wild Rattle Snake or Scorpion!
Now that I have said this out loud to you that will probably change real soon LOL!
Enough of that!
SETTING UP CAMP:
Once we found a nice level place to camp we level the motorhome further.
It has 4 hydraulic jacks that we drop down with a switch on the dashboard and then we fine tune them to get the RV levelled. This is important for comfort but doubly important because we have a 2 way fridge (propane and electric) which must be reasonably level.
Once levelled our two slides come out with the touch of another button. They are hydraulic as well and within seconds our living room doubles in size and so does or bedroom. Ahhh Home Sweet Home!
Sure beats Boy Scout Camping of days gone by!
We can set up and tear down easily. All within a half hour (30 mins) or less, even with hook-ups such as water and electric. We’ve got it down to a science, a sequence and we each have our own jobs that we do in a specific order.
Even after taking 2 years off from motor homing (our travels to Mexico in condos) it was like riding a bicycle, most of it came right back to us!
For Rookies it takes a while to learn all the systems and ways of doing things. We were all there once! Add to that each type and brand of motorhome or RV is different in how you must do these things.
So our best advice is to always camp & practice while getting to know your RV close to home for a few nights before going on your first journey.
As I sat on the new patio I privately thought to myself that if we were able to stay here Boondocking for 5 days or a week we would be doing real good.
I thought about that because I remembered and Barb had forgotten she doesn’t really like Boondocking for more than 2, 3 or maybe 4 days at most.
Boy was I in for a surprise!
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| That's our house way, way up there! |
Barb is the one who does most of the researching for camp sites and interesting routes to take on our travels. She loves to spend hours doing this. If it were me I’d be falling asleep within the first hour. She really enjoys it and boy does it pay off for us. I’m a lucky man to have her as my Travel Partner & Co-Pilot!
So like I said, we got all set up, kicked back and relaxed. The weather was perfect nice and warm (high 70’s to low 80’s) in the day and cool for a good sleep at night. Sometimes we even needed the furnace in the mornings.
Yes the desert can get quite cool at night especially in January.
Many times the nights are in the 40 (F) degree range (for you old timers) or even down to the mid to high 30's. Remember that 32 F is the freezing point. For those of you (not me) that think in Celsius then nights of 2 to 5 C are common this time of year outside of the big cities and in the desert.
Besides Patio Life we filled our days with the odd trip into town (10 + mins away or so) and exploring the area.
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| Some days we like to go Off-Roading too! |
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| Apparently one can Off-Road in a 1970 Nova? |
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| We found this old stone cabin! |
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| One can almost hear the voices. |
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Days gone by & lots of history!
THE SAGUARO CACTUS:
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| Saguaro Cactus can grow to over 12 Meters (40') tall! |
These types of cactus have a rich and interesting story. They grow their first side arms at 75 - 100 years old and often live to well over 150 years.
Shopping in Quartzsite:
Leaves a lot to be desired.
There are 2-3 small no-name privately owned grocery stores and it's all over priced due to the remote location. The selection of food and goods is poor at best.
The best store (and I'm sad to say we didn’t try it til our last day) was one
on the east end of main street called Coyote Grocery. If you ever come to Quartzsite make that your first and main grocery store, trust me!
Another good tip is the RV Pit Stop.
Here you can buy propane, dump your tanks and fill with water if you need to. When we left town it cost me $23.00 to dump tanks and add fresh water. Their propane was about $3.00 per gallon.
Even with these expenses it is still much cheaper than staying at a RV Resort.
One day we hiked half way up a little mountain next to Dome Rock.
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This is called a "wash"
basically a dried out river bed. |
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| Incredible rocks for the Rock Hounds |
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| Barb enjoying her time with nature. |
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Another Saguaro Cactus
Close to 100 years old! |
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We made it about 1/2 way up that 1st mountain.
I call these Pimple Mountains - They are everywhere in the south west. |
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| You can see Quartzsite from here. |
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| Barb's on Face-Time with one of our children. |
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| Blossoms are starting to come! |
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| Another Wash. |
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| Beauty in the beast! |
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| Dried out & dead Ocotillo tree |
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| More neat rock formations |
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| You do not want to get lost out here! |
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It's amazing how things can grow here.
It's so hot & dry. Summers hit 120 F! |
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| Another Wash with darker rock. |
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| More little blossoms coming! |
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| Never go hiking without lots of water, a friend & a GPS! |
Other days are spent taking pictures, going for a drive or for a shorter walk.
Most of my photographs are taken on my Iphone as I am too lazy to bring out the Canon Big Gun.
Photography used to be a fairly serious hobby of mine. :(
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| Our camera on a Tripod for Full Moon night shots |
Hardly anyone ever came as far down the road as we were camped and we liked it that way. The most traffic was the odd little OHV like a Can-Am or Razor scooting around the back-country. The odd time there might be 3-4 of them together, it was always a fun site to see.
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| These folks are having fun! |
Most nights were totally quiet. Others we fell asleep with Coyotes howling which is quite common down here too - just like back at home!
OTHER SHOPPING & TOWNS:
If one wanted to explore further west there's a town in California that's called Blythe.
Not real big but big enough to have a decent size grocery store. To the north of us along Highway 95 is another town called Parker which also sits along the Colorado River on the Arizona side. Parker is known for its water sports and a few bars/eateries etc. It even has a WalMart!
We’ve camped along the Colorado River at La Paz County Park near Parker in the past and really liked it. We might stop in later in the spring.
One time when the weather was hot the river was full of boats from both California (on the other side of the river) and here in Arizona. Some were real nice speed boats and others were more of the party or leisure type of boat. They were all having a ton of fun and it certainly kept me entertained just watching them all! I just sat along the water's edge in my lawn chair with a cool refreshment.
To the south of us just over an hour along Highway 95 is Yuma which has most everything but for some reason no Costco?
I don't know why, because the city is large enough and the trading area even bigger plus there are a couple of Military Bases in the area that would provide a ton of customers as well. So Costco Hint Hint - Build a store in Yuma!
We normally pack up with supplies before heading out on adventures like this. Fortunately if you like driving one is never too far from a big enough place to get supplies that you forgot or the rare items not found in the small town of Quartzsite.
Quartzsite has a couple restaurants to note
I'm sure there might be one or two more.
The first one is the odd one and it's called the Quartzsite Yacht Club.
It's a long story how this came to be but suffice it to say that the only yacht around is right in their parking lot. There are no lakes or rivers close by. So having this type of name is a bit of fun.
It's history is interesting but we will leave that story for another time. The food & drinks were good! Later on I found another Yacht nearby! Just to the east of town on the north side of the #10 Highway was a yacht sitting in the middle of nowhere! All by itself, out in the sandy desert! Someone was using it for a house! Weird but true!
Another good place was Silly Al’s Pizza.
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| Pub Like Atmosphere & Busy! |
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| Excellent Bar Food! |
They serve more than pizza and it's always busy here from noon to closing time! Likely the busiest place in town and this is where the locals go when
they want to go out. We had a great meal and good drinks here too.
You may not ever understand my attraction to this town even if you come here some day, but then maybe you will?
But I can attest, that if in the general area you will need to come here at least once in your life.
If you are a SnowBird and like to RV in this general area. Don’t drive for hours to come here! Just stop in if you're in the area, you might stay awhile. It took us several trips here to learn to love the place… we still wonder why?
A NEW BOONDOCKING RECORD!
It's true!
We made it two (2) full weeks Boondocking this time without dumping tanks or re-filling with water etc!
I can honestly say we’ve now learned how to properly Boondock!
Two weeks is a long time with no power, water or sewer!
I was so proud of Barb, she’s such a Trooper!
We learned to change some habits & we learned other new ways of camping. Wow it was fun & good on the pocket book at the same time!
CIBOLA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE - BLM - 2022 Feb 01.
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| Watch for Bobcats! |
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| Watch out for Rattlers too! |
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| A walk through a Desert Forest. |
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| Barren Land to Camp on. |
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Barb Hitchhiking!
She hiked too far and needed me to come rescue her! |
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| Cookin & Chillin at the same time. |
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| The refuge is for Birds too. |
Our next few days were spent down here which is almost straight south of Blythe, California but is still on the Arizona side. We had come down a few days beforehand in the CRV and scoped it out. We also learned a better way to get here. The first time we came in the CRV was all on dirt and sand roads along the east side of the Colorado River and some of it was a bit rough. Hence the new name we call the CRV now! “JJ” which stands for the Japanese Jeep!
There were only a handful of other RV’s in the area, maybe 5 or 6?
So we were basically all alone again on BLM Land. Barb wanted to some down here to see all the birds that come to the refuge which number in the thousands! It is really quite a site. They have a Tour Route where you can drive your car around looking and watching and they also have a walking path which was much more entertaining. If you’re in the area and like birds this is one place to stop for a day or two (or in our case several days).
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| Getting ready for an evening picture. |
By the way, NO it's not true,
Jim is not a Bird Watcher.
Barb is!
We always try to keep an eye on the news and weather as best we can when we travel. It pays off as it did here as we knew the winds were coming and boy did they ever come! In fact some nights it was hard to sleep. The slide toppers (made of flexible vinyl) were flapping and the winds were a howling! This lasted a couple of days and as a result we decided to leave when it died down.
YUMA ARIZONA @ OGILBY ROAD - BLM - 2022 Feb. 04.
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Quick... Turn Here!
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| A big part of RVing is having a BBQ! |
I had decided I wanted to spend a week or more down in Yuma because we’ve been there but never long enough to really get to know the place or enjoy it. The winds down there always seemed to blow us away and we had hoped this time would be different. Barb found us a BLM camping area (free) NW of Yuma that would be about 20 minutes out of town.
The place is called Ogilby Road BLM but where we stayed would be better defined and called “American Girl Road.”
Actually its off of Ogilby Road (Hwy S34), just north of Interstate #8 and west along American Girl Road.
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| Another beautiful desert evening |
There were a lot more RV’s here but not near as many as around the north and south sides of Quartzsite. The location we had was nice and quiet, snuggled up against some mountains and not too far away from town. It was farther west over the California side of the border from where Yuma sits.
We went into Yuma a few times but didn’t spend too much time there this time around. Usually when we get down here we cross over (on foot) into Mexico to the town of Los Algodones. This crossing is just west of Yuma a few miles and just south of Interstate #8 almost straight south by a couple miles of where we were camped.
This trip we decided to keep it simple and not bother going to Mexico. If you don’t know, this little town is the Capital City of Medical Tourism in Mexico. Each day thousands of people (American & Canadian) cross the border to go down & get cheap prescription medicine, eyeglasses or dental work. Been there, done that!
As it turned out we didn’t spend too many days here either. As per usual the winds picked up and blew and blew. About the only thing I did was go to the Yuma Market for a few hours and it had changed becoming a huge disappointment. Often one can see the fighter jets from the Marine Base at Yuma and that was the highlight of my stay every time I've come here.
I'm not sure Barb had any highlights other than the hamburger she had at "In & Out Burger." Those used to be Barb's favorite burgers, I'm not sure that will hold true any longer. A story for another day but let me add that the 2 elderly Mexican Ladies with the Chihuahua just made it all the funnier - Full Stop!
Someday we may return to Yuma, I just hope that if we do we can finally time it when there are no winds!
SADDLE MOUNTAIN - GASSING UP - BLM - 2022 Feb. 07.
Trying to get away from the winds out in the desert this time of year can be like trying not to eat that cookie when your on a diet & starving with no-one looking! It just might not work out so well!
We stopped in Tonopah (west of Phoenix off Interstate 10) to fuel up. We try to keep the gas tank full because the generator runs off the same tank and some days we need it more than others. Add to that back in the early days of RVing I found out where the bottom of the gas tank was on our Bounder Class A. Yes I did, not once but twice! Ok, that’s the end of that story!
We are paying about $3.78 a US Gallon for fuel now. Some days we've found it for as low as $3.67. It’s not getting any cheaper and it will continue to go up I am sure. Therefore we do NOT think about this part of the adventure!
I might add some of these gas stations are too small for Class A Motorhomes especially when you’re towing a car or trailer too.
We are about 55 feet long so it can be a squeeze if one is not careful!
Usually the gas pumps along the highways are nice and big, I try to stick to those. The problem is we like to wander and get into the back-country. That doesn’t help our cause. It’s the one’s inside of a town that can often be very tricky. We actually had to ask a guy to move from his parking spot so we could leave the pumps at the station in Tonopah. Thankfully he had a good sense of humour as he sat there eating his processed sandwich lunch on the tailgate of his pickup truck.
We gave him a wave as we left and he nicely waved back. We find most people are nice/kind and he was just one more example of that, even though he looked a little rough and tough on the outside.
Speaking of tight spots I can remember back in 2011 we got stuck in a parking lot in Ohio with the car on the tow bar behind us. We were half way through a tight turn in this parking lot (a 180 degree turn to get back out) that we just couldn’t make. (we were about 3 inches short) We couldn’t back up (you can not do that with a tow bar) so we had to un-do the car from the tow bar.
Doing this while the motorhome is in the middle of a tight turn like this is almost impossible! The release bars just don’t want to let go as they get all bound up with pressure. Finally a little muscle encouraged it to release but it took a lot of what I don’t have anymore. So being very careful is key! I can’t tell you how many times I was worried we might not get out of somewhere and did by not much more than the width of a piece of paper. Some days you get pretty good at tight spots but one should never gloat that can change in a heartbeat!
In fact when we were looking at buying this motorhome last summer I noted it had a scar on the right rear, right at the back where something scraped along it several inches. I suspect it may have been a gas pump. I didn’t even bother bringing it up as I know how the guy probably felt about it. I just included it in my offer price, knowing it can be fixed. Maybe one day I will?
You see it’s not just where you are going that you have to watch when driving one of these rigs. You have to watch and manoeuvre the whole rig (from front to back) and the longer you get the more important this becomes. Practice in parking lots is very key for the Rookie RV’er in his/her early days.
When pulling away if you are even slightly turning the wheel you have to watch the rear end of the rig too.
A common example is pulling away from gas pumps. If you’re facing the gas station when leaving you have an option of turning left or right. Sometimes you only have one option. A busy gas station with cars coming and going and people running all around you makes for even more fun. It’s best to have a good look when pulling in and assessing where you want to go or perhaps even cancelling the stop all together at the last minute before getting trapped in a spot you don’t want to be trying to get out of. (Remember we can't back up).
As you start to pull away many times you need to start your turn right as you move forward. The rig turns and pivots on its rear wheels. Most motorhomes have a fair bit of overhang behind those rear wheels. Good mirrors are very important. So as you pull forward and commence your turn, the rear end swings out to the opposite side. If that side has something close like a set of gas pumps or safety bars - be very, very careful!
The next time you see a Class A motorhome look at the side(s) right at the back. I would venture to bet that at least 40-50% of them have some damage or scratches from this pivoting. So now imagine trying to balance that pivot with turning & moving forward in a tight spot in a small and busy gas station, knowing you can not back up if you get into trouble! Oh, by the way, add in the length of the tow bar and the vehicle behind it for some extra fun!
When we first started out with a Class A back in 2011 I was very happy to have had some experience with driving large trucks beforehand. Remember: Sometimes there isn’t enough drugs in the cupboard to calm your nerves once you’ve left the scene!
Back to camping!
After fuel we headed back into the desert on the tiny narrow secondary highways. Being on the road is one of my favourite parts of RVing. The sites and things you see just add to it all. We finally found a nice quiet little spot out in the desert on some BLM land and made our home for the next few days.
There was only one problem…
After pulling out all the lawn chairs, the recliners, the tables and setting up the patio carpet and getting a cool drink I was ready for a nice rest in the afternoon desert sun. So were the flies!
Yes… Black flies had also made this idyllic place home too. We’ve run into this before in the middle of no-where but it had been a long time. Thankfully we had some bug spray and it seemed to work. I hate putting that stuff on too but it was a much needed last resort.
Later as I lay there gazing at the scenery I heard a semi truck off in the distance slowing down using his Jake Brake (a loud engine brake). After a couple minutes I realized why we had flies. We were camped where the wild cows roam! Yes apparently as they do back home in Canada this BLM land was likely on lease to a local Rancher to use for his cattle to graze. You don’t have to be a Rocket Scientist to realize that if a cow is grazing, it is eating. The scientific equation for that is: "what goes in must come out!"
There's my answer to the Black Flies!
We roughed it out here for the next couple of days. One day we went into a lil town and stopped at a local bar for a refreshment and some chow. Likely the only local bar for miles. The people and staff were friendly and I’d highly recommend it to you but I can’t remember where it was? Suffice it to say that it's somewhere a few miles south and east of Tonopah.
I just came back from looking it up on my map. It was in a town called Wintersburg and the bar was called the Tin Top Bar & Grill.
If your in this area, drop in and enjoy! If its a weekend you may wanna bring your dancin’ boots too!
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| A fun Pub for lunch in Wintersburg |
Morale of today's story:
"One should look for Cow Patties before setting up camp!"
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We all hope this is not true!
See you SOON! |
(This post is a bit late getting out as spring is now here for most of us!).
