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Forum
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RE: What do I need to boondock in my travel trailer?
Depends how much money you have to spend. I would start with two golf cart batteries and a quiet generator like a Honda or Yamaha 1000. I would also convert all the lights to LED lights which you should be able to find off EBAY for about $15 each. I wouldnt get the cheap ones. Do the lights first and then the batteries. If you have patience you might be able to find a used Honda or Yamaha 1000-2000 generator at the right price. If you are only going to be camping 2-3 days and you are going to be using lap tops you might get away with two good golf cart batteries.
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Keith M
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03/22/13 08:45am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Are we cold yet??
It was a cold winter in the desert southwest if you are just looking at December, January, and February. The last three month winter period that were this cold were in 1965-66. Since the first of March weather has returned to normal. By friday most of the SW might be in the low 90's.
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Keith M
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03/11/13 05:59pm |
Snowbirds
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RE: Oregon to Arizona Routing - November
Its rare for snow to hit before mid-November but even if it does it wont be that bad. Just pull off the freeway and spend the night in an RV park. The next day dont leave until you see the semi-trucks leaving. Once you get to Redding you usually wont run into bad weather. I liked running i-5 into California and the switching to hwy-99 in Sacramento and then 58 at Bakersfield. Its slightly longer than running over the Grapevine but the options of pulling over and parking for a while in the high desert or at an RV park are better. A lot of snowbirds run this route with their favorite stops.
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Keith M
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03/04/13 08:35am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Has this been a cold winter or what in the desert?
It looks like winter will release its grip on the desert southwest. It looks like the coldest December-February since 1978-79. This morning might be the last freeze for Tucson. With some warming we might see our first 80 degree day on Sunday. Last time it hit 80 was early December.
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Keith M
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02/26/13 09:08am |
Snowbirds
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Has this been a cold winter or what in the desert?
Back in mid-December the heat turned off out here. I am in Tucson it hasnt reached 80 degrees since early December. There have been three major cold spells including the one we are in now. Two days ago Tucson got an inch of snow. It was 34 degrees in the middle of the day. Since mid-December its dropped to 40 degrees or less 46 times by my count. I admit Tucson isnt the greatest snowbird destination but running 4-5 degrees below normal for almost three months makes you wish for someplace warmer.
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Keith M
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02/22/13 07:43am |
Snowbirds
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RE: Boondocking with a 40' DP
Since you are going to San Diego a logical stop would be Borrego Springs. You can dry camp at Peg Leg or nearby Clark Dry Lake and use that as a base for jeeping. Lots of people do that. Heres a video of jeeping out at the Squeeze.
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Keith M
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01/10/13 07:09am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: just really don't believe this can this be really happening
Probably time to move to another spot. Have you ever thought of moving over to Ogilby Road or Pilot Knob? Expecting quite hours in an area that off roaders use might be too much. I did not their quiet hours are 10pm-6am. The Hot Springs in Holtville are another option along with the Slabs. All pretty close. I would probably move over to Ogilby Road.
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Keith M
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01/10/13 06:53am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: how much snow on fiver roof is okay?
I had four feet on mine and regularly 12 to 18 inches. Lots of RV's are left outside all winter and no one removes the snow. I wouldnt even try getting on the roof. In my opinion the danger of falling and getting hurt is much worst than any possible damage to an RV.
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Keith M
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01/04/13 06:40am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Ajo Scenic Loop-Off the beaten track
Yeah -- you found one of the good places.
Its almost a secret but if you talk to hardcore desert boondockers most know about Ajo. Its tight though. I havent figured out how many really good spots there are. Maybe less than 10.
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Keith M
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11/26/12 06:00pm |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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Ajo Scenic Loop-Off the beaten track
After 11 years of snowbirding I decided to buy a place in the desert. Still nothing beats boondocking out in the desert. The scenic loop around the town of Ajo and the copper mine I have always thought is one of the best boondocking spots in the desert. Also Ajo along with Borrego Springs are the two best desert towns in the United States. They are both off the beaten track and both are pretty much the same as 30 years ago. I drove out to Ajo on Thanksgiving and drove the scenic loop. I counted only 3 rigs out on the BLM. By New Years I would guess the area will fill up.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a60/borregokid/111.jpg]http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a60/borregokid/111.jpghttp://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a60/borregokid/113.jpg]http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a60/borregokid/113.jpghttp://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a60/borregokid/115.jpg]http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a60/borregokid/115.jpg
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Keith M
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11/26/12 06:57am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Joshua Tree National Park
I would recommend parking outside the park on the BLM property about one mile north of the freeway. There are great views from their plus its pretty easy to find a spot. Joshua Tree camping was designed for tenters and small RV's. Unless its the middle of the week I think snowbirds with large rigs should stay outside the park. Its hard to find a spot in the park on weekends and if you do you are probably taking a spot away from a family or climbers who are tenters.
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Keith M
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11/26/12 06:25am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Winterizing yet in Western WA?
Almost to winterizing. The weather has been different this year. We have had daytime highs of 59 and lows of 19 here in Cle Elum. It hasnt been cold long enough at night though to freeze anything. More typical of 19 degree temps at night would be low 40's in the day.
Wait a few more days in Western Wa.
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Keith M
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10/05/12 10:11pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Arizona Reservations
Tucson the parks fill up in February for the Gem Show. In March the parks fill up in Phoenix for the first three weeks. By the third week of March a mass exodous starts. If you decide to not have reservation for example for the first week of March its still possible to get in. Some of the parks have 1200 or more spaces. People will leave or cancel reservations just like hotels. As an example Pueblo El Mirage one of the biggest parks had no spaces a couple of years ago on March 1. Two days later 5 spaces opened up. As Revumps said you dont need reservations in the desert. If you are in Q you can wait till a space opens up. The month of March can also have higher rates. I paid $785 for the month of March at the Pueblo.
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Keith M
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09/20/12 10:25am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Solar panel
No. If you want to charge batteries at night then look at a small wind generator that is quiet.
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Keith M
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09/17/12 07:15pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Used Cardinal
I think if you buy a used rig the tires and brakes are "suspect" and unless you pull the wheels and check the brakes they are also suspect. A 2000 rig probably hasnt had the brakes replaced and they are likely to be thin. Its probably on its second set of tires which are also thin. As far as leaf springs and shocks a lot of people never replace them. You were in Needles where the inspection and replacement was done. That is a problem right there and even if the repairs were legitimate a lot of people would be supsicious of any desert repairs. Desert gas stations in the past were notorious for replacing a lot of stuff.
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Keith M
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09/16/12 08:58pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Where 2 find Quality 5th wheel units ???
Most of the quality manufacturers are out of business. The trend has been to go with light weight and somewhat flimsy units that many are using as snowbird rigs. Excel and New Horizons have been mentioned and I would take a look at those first. You really couldnt go wrong with a New Horizons but you could with a lot of other stuff out there.
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Keith M
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09/14/12 09:53pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Thoughts for Noob Thinking About a Fiver
Fifth wheels are typically designed for couples. The most common use of a fiver is with older retired folks who are out for a month or more at a time. Most are better built than TT's with fiberglass caps, front and rear and extra insulation. A fiver is preferable over a TT for making a long haul south of 1500 miles or so that many snowbirds do. A TT is almost a rare sight in any upscale RV Park. If you are making short trips and hauling stuff in your pickup then the TT makes sense, also if you have kids. If you are over 50 with kids out of the way then look at the 5er.
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Keith M
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09/14/12 09:44pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Desert Boondocking
Clark Dry Lake is a special place in the desert. Most people pass by and dont realize it even those that stay up by the road. If you get closer to the lake you notice that you are surrounded by mountain. Villager Peak is about 5800 feet, Rabbit Peak 6600, and Toro 8200 and the closest small peak Coyote 3400.
One of the best things about the Dry Lake is how dark it is at night at least for about two weeks before the moon is out. You can time your days out there by where the moon is and where the sun comes up in the sky. The Dry Lake is one of the darkest and also quietest places in Southern California.
There is an indian inspired sundial in the sand within a half a mile of the Tamarisk trees. It was built with an arrow showing the location of the sun on the first day of winter. My wife pitched a tent out there once and spent three days out there. One year we hauled two pickup loads of garbage out of the drylake area including stuff from the Tamarisks trees. We also burned a lot of stuff and then buried anything left that couldnt be hauled out.
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Keith M
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09/13/12 08:35am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Desert Boondocking
I recognized the spot you were camped in immediately as Clark Dry Lake. That particular spot had quite a few Tamarisks until about three years ago when the State Park decideded to cut down all the Tamarisk trees that were outside designated areas. 10 years ago or more that was a very popular winter camping spot. Then it fell out of popularity. Why was that...cell phones!!. In the last few years most of the winter campers have stayed near the road and cell coverage.
The Anza-Borrego park acquired about 320 acres of the Dry Lake near the road last year. There was talk last year that they were going to start regulating the camping at the Dry Lake. That could make it a bit more crowded if they force people into regulated spots and the last of the private lands. From now until Christmas is a great time to be out at the Dry Lake, especially after it cools down. If the Escapees werent there at Thanksgiving it would be pretty quiet. They stay up by the road though.
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Keith M
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09/12/12 09:24am |
Truck Campers
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RE: New Snowbird--Looking for tips.
That was a good post from Tatest. I would echo the same thing as far as money and what you plan on spending and what your interests are. For many snowbirds winter is their summer. Probably half or more of snowbirds are happy to return to the same park and the same activities year after year. If not in the same park then many will have the same routine of parks and camping off the grid in areas like Quartzsite, Slabs, Borrego Springs, Ajo, etc.
Palm Springs is expensive but if you have the money isnt a problem then find a park and make a reservation. In Phoenix I have stayed at the Pueblo El Mirage several times. If you spend four months at the park its affordable.
If you have a generator, solar panels, batteries, and can solve water-dumping problems then staying out in the desert might be preferable to staying plugged in.
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Keith M
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09/10/12 07:43pm |
Beginning RVing
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