Strolling Amok

Pops goes on tour.

Archive for the category “Campsites”

07 May 2013

Plan the Work…

"The Jail Tree - From 1863 to 1890 outlaws were chained to this tree for lack of a hoosegow... escapes were unknown"

“The Jail Tree – From 1863 to 1890 outlaws were chained to this tree for lack of a hoosegow… escapes were unknown”

Originally posted 4/8/2013

Checking the weather forecast for today shows a cloudy and high wind day, with wind gusts up to 50 MPH. Much of that wind will be from the south, directly onto the driver’s side of the trailer. That means I had better angle the solar panels down and strap them, as well as anchor the wheel chocks in case the trailer itself is tempted to shift. Done. This simple procedure took about an hour this morning, and unstrapping later will take more than that because of the poor quality of the cheapo Chinese ratchet strap mechanisms. The straps themselves are also wearing because of fluttering in the wind. Time to revise that system, probably with something rope-based.

My “action plan” this week is to get the trailer back up onto its feet and end the ongoing spate of problems with wheel bearings and tires. Since the remaining three old tires are potentially fragile, they must be replaced. With the wheel bearings in doubt, any road crisis involving use of the Axle Crutch would require severely overloading the remaining tire on that side. Doing that to an aged tire already at its load limit would  Read more…

Posted in Campsites, Daily Life, Mod Squad and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
07 May 2013

I’m…Somewhere!

It only took ten tries to get nicely wedged in for proper solar panel exposure.

It only took ten tries to get nicely wedged in for proper solar panel exposure.

Originally posted 4/4/2013

After a false start, I made it to a rather remote area that’s somehow just a few scant miles from Wickenburg, Arizona. I’m camping in the same area as Bob Wells, intrepid VanDweller, and three others. We’re up high on a ridge overlooking a wide wash where 4WD enthusiasts go to wear out their machinery.

The false start was to not go far enough down a rather interesting mix of pavement and washboard dirt in order to get to a BLM (Bureau of Land Management) area. I had dutifully gone my 2.8 miles, watched an AWD station wagon have to get pushed out of a deep sand area (which I was about to descend into with the trailer) and turned around, figuring I had missed the turnoff. I really didn’t want to have to boondock again at North Ranch though, and didn’t want to try to locate Box Wash just a few miles away.

So, I cranked it around again and went for broke. Seems I needed to go  Read more…

Posted in Campsites and tagged , | Leave a comment
07 May 2013

Goodbye for Now…

Basically, it all fits only one way. I printed this photo out to use for reference for this week!

Basically, it all fits only one way. I printed this photo out to use for reference for this week!

Originally posted 3/31/2013

This may be my last post for a few days.

Tomorrow, Monday, begins the chores of hittin’ the laundromat with a BIG load, refilling a couple of propane tanks, filling the emergency fuel jugs with diesel, and securing the Command Deck (office area) for travel. That means placing things where they won’t be vibrated off to break during towing, and pretty much ends the use of the office until I locate and set up my next long-term campsite. The solar system gets unplugged at the end of the day, and every tire on this combo gets checked for pressure and adjusted.

Tuesday is a big day, labor-wise. It calls for dismounting and stowing those big solar panels into the passageway leading to the office, packing the truck bed to the brim with storage bins and fuel jugs, and basically stowing everything in the trailer to avoid breakage. I then tow the trailer to the camp’s Read more…

Posted in Campsites, Mod Squad, Travelin' Man and tagged , | Leave a comment
07 May 2013

The Bee’s Knees

Most diehards down in Quartzsite aren't waiting for the forced march on April 15th.

Most diehards down in Quartzsite aren’t waiting for the forced march on April 15th.

Originally posted 3/24/2013

Camping like this is a commune with Nature to some degree. Tenters and vandwellers are really communing with Nature. They are immersed in it, and revel in it. By comparison, I have more of a nodding acquaintance with nature. When it’s hot, I’m hot. When it’s cold, I’m a bit cool but okay. Depending on wind direction, I may or may not be able to fire up the hot water heater. If it’s overcast, I monitor my use of electronic gadgets. I can hardly brag about going back to Nature. But it is a simple life, or at least can be as simple as you desire to make it.

John Burroughs wrote, “I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” Yeah, he makes a valid point, though I’m doubting that Mr. Burroughs ever camped in the Quartzsite LVTA in late Winter/early Spring.

I was walking the half mile trek to some campground dumpsters, lugging about 25 pounds of unused ruled paper pads and other garbage in two plastic shopping sacks, when I heard a loud stereo buzzing sound. Looking up from the rocky gravel trail, I saw a swarm of bees almost upon me, coming the other way and following the road. They were spaced about a foot apart from ground to about ten feet up, going about as far across as the 20-foot wide road. I perceived this as non-optimal, and wondered if they were killer bees disturbed from their nest. Several of them hovered close around me for several seconds and I instinctively  Read more…

Posted in Campsites and tagged , | Leave a comment
07 May 2013

Rearranging the Food Chain

A deceased rattlesnake.

A deceased rattlesnake.

Originally posted 3/19/2013

Well, so far, I’ve had a giant spider and a scorpion try to get cozy in my mobile bungalow. I’ve watched a bobcat saunter past the truck, and today was driving to the dump station when I saw a guy beside his quad ATV looking around on the ground as if he’d lost his keys. Turns out he’d seen a young rattlesnake crossing the dirt path and decided to readjust the risk to the many dogs (and people) in the area with a long crowbar. He was now looking for its head, which he was afraid would interest a passing mutt. I don’t know if he ever found it, but I’ll be watching the ground around the trailer just a little more carefully when I groggily stumble down its tilted steps!

Posted in Campsites and tagged | Leave a comment
07 May 2013

Sweaty Mans!

Originally posted 3/14/2013

thermometer-burningNot that I’m complaining, but it’s actually hot down here in Quartzsite, and it’s only mid-March!?! Today hit 93 degrees, and tomorrow is supposed to hit 97. In Chicago-speak, that feels like about 87 and 91, probably. Nightly lows hover around 60. What? Nobody feels sorry for me? Whatsa matter? Snowblower wouldn’t start?

One of the local vendors who’s stuck around claims it’ll be 100 by the end of the month. Being a newbie at this, that statement and this little heat wave prompted me to check my return route against the monthly average temperature history at wunderground.com. Oops. I may be dead by the time I leave here April 15th, and not recovering much at the boondocking sites I’d had planned. Time for a little readjust.

See, I was going to be boondocking for six weeks at the start of my trip back, in two-week stints, then begin a “rapid” one-week drive back to the Midwest, a 2,000-mile jaunt in total. At 10 miles per $4.20 gallon, now you know why I whimper pitifully whenever I see my trip fuel mileage drop a MPG or two, and do a lame victory dance when I gain one.

So, I’ve devised a more leisurely return that will get me up to altitudes that will get me much cooler days, and propane-burning mornings when I wake up. If anything, it may be too cool. Eight weeks instead of six. If I hang in until April 4th and leave then, I can spend two weeks in  Read more…

Posted in Campsites and tagged | Leave a comment
07 May 2013

A Day

Five days ago, this ultralight passed directly overhead at not much more than 100 feet altitude! Fun!

Five days ago, this ultralight passed directly overhead at not much more than 100 feet altitude! Fun!

Originally posted 2/22/2013

A day, just like any other day, only more so. The National Weather Service-based Internet weather predictions for this area are even less accurate than they are for the upper Midwest, if that’s possible. As forecasts, I’ve found them to be fairly accurate to only 2-3 hours forward at the very best, and even then, current conditions of “partly cloudy, 10% chance of rain” can disagree with what you see out your window.

Once the weather settles in for some serious rain, the view looks like this.

Once the weather settles in for some serious rain, the view looks like this.

A high winds weather alert isn’t something to dismiss, because there’s a slight possibility that any error might be in the other direction – the direction you don’t particularly want. Naturally, this alert came as a surprise to me, since I’d figured it was finally safe to  Read more…

Posted in Campsites, Mod Squad and tagged , | Leave a comment
06 May 2013

The Party’s Over…

A club of Lazy Daze motorhome owners gathered for a few weeks in the LVTA, and recently thinned out to half in just one day. Movin 'on, I guess.

A club of Lazy Daze motorhome owners gathered for a few weeks in the LVTA, and recently thinned out to half in just one day. Movin ‘on, I guess.

Originally posted 2/4/2013

After a very heavily-attended opening weekend, with parked cars clogging the roadway shoulders and visitors clogging the Big Tent, attendance at Quartzsite’s Big Tent Show declined by half on Monday and was a trickle by Friday. You can refer to my earlier article to find out what the heck the Big Tent Show is about. Two days later, the vendors cleared out on schedule. The La Posa LVTA where I’m staying had a nice pack of motorhomes jammed into the northeast corner for easy access to the shows. That started to peter out after the show ended, and not too many of these extra vehicles are left a week later. I’m still seeing more campground action overall though, with RVs rolling in here or there to stay for a few days or a week before leaving.

At the busiest time, groups of campers moved in together, and then departed together. That's popular.

At the busiest time, groups of campers moved in together, and then departed together. That’s popular.

Also popular are ATVs or quads. They're all over out here, and now and then you'll see a conventional tube-frame dune buggy. They like to go out in groups to tour the area, and Quartzsite allows them on the city streets as well.

Also popular are ATVs or quads. They’re all over out here, and now and then you’ll see a conventional tube-frame dune buggy. They like to go out in groups to tour the area, and Quartzsite allows them on the city streets as well.

One thing that hasn’t thinned out is the airspace. Three ultralight fliers have been buzzing around for a few weeks, and appear to be encamped east of Quartzsite. Once every second or third day, I hear one or two buzzing the campground on its way to  Read more…

Posted in Campsites and tagged | Leave a comment
06 May 2013

It’s Showtime!

Everybody likes window shopping.

Everybody likes window shopping.

Originally posted 1/20/2013

The campground finally saw some action a day or two ago as RVers with money to burn rolled in and clogged the smallest area of the La Posa West LTVA that was closest to the show tent next door. Other areas show a little more density, and even my section now has a large fifth wheel and travel trailer on one side, and a mixed group of four units circled like a defensive wagon train. They each have an assortment of ATVs and/or trail bikes, and enjoy touring the area. Still, I’d have to estimate that as a total site, attendance must continue to be way down from prior years.

Surrounding the Big Tent were still more purchasing opportunities, and a place to see many big-ticket products not available elsewhere.

Surrounding the Big Tent were still more purchasing opportunities, and a place to see many big-ticket products not available elsewhere.

That doesn’t seem to stop the vendors so far though. The “Big Tent”, a huge vinyl structure was still packed with vendors and visitors, and the range of alleged health products, RV-related equipment, camping resorts, and prepared foods was impressive on opening day. As always, the sheer number of dealer’s  Read more…

Posted in Campsites and tagged | Leave a comment
06 May 2013

What Price Knowledge?

Cap't Bob guides the discussion at a previous meeting.

Cap’t Bob guides the discussion at a previous meeting.

Originally posted 1/13/2013

As I mentioned at Thanksgiving, there’s a group of campers, the vast majority full-timers, who’ve gathered together for camraderie, friendships, and knowledge. Nearly all of these folks make me appear to be Mr. Luxo Tubby in my 26′ travel trailer, because most dwell in vehicles ranging from class-C motorhomes, to smaller travel trailers, to converted small cargo trailers, to converted vans. They’re more than willing to trade a lifestyle based on affluence and comfort for one of freedom of choice. That’s a vast simplification of course, but each person I talk to has a depth of presence and satisfaction that’s hard to find anywhere else. Most folks are waiting and planning for the day that they might be able to do what they like, and perhaps experience living rather than merely putting in time for the day when they can. There’s a sense of joy and enthusiasm in this bunch, even among those whose  Read more…

Posted in Campsites, Navel Gazing and tagged | Leave a comment

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →