Quartzsite: A boondocker's Nirvana

RVers in the West who have spent more than a few days on the road have heard of Quartzsite. Not all have visited it yet however, but the saying goes that if you are an RVer, you will visit Quartzsite before your last tire goes flat. It is an experience n

ear the top of the RVer's lifetime To Do list.

Quartzsite's wide open desert with plentiful camping possibilities on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land lures hundreds of thousands of snowbirds to the weather-friendly desert in winter. Most RVers call this kind of camping boondocking, i.e. "in the boonies" though in Quartzsite, you could end up as crowded as a hook-up campground. But the beauty of it is that the choice of where and how sociable you want to be is yours.

The options include groups of friends circling the wagons much like the early pioneers did on the Oregon Trail. Though the pioneers chose this method mainly to protect themselves from marauding Indians, today's RVers seek social camaraderie instead, putting tables, chairs, and a communal campfire in the "hub" of the circled wagons. You can choose to camp in close to town

and have neighbors, or move further out and have your group area all to yourselves, a definite advantage if you are nudists or practice strange rituals or ceremonies.

Several hard compacted dirt roads lead off into the far reaches of the LTVAs where campsites of

hard "desert pavement," resembling tile or cobblestone paving capable of supporting even the heaviest rigs, are readily available. Camping in any of the seven LTVAs in California or Arizona

costs $180 for the season, September through April, or $40 for two weeks. You can move between

LTVAs within the time period.

The other option is to avoid the designated LTVAs and find your own campsite. You will not have to pay the LTVA fees, though the BLM limits your camping period to two weeks, then you have to move at least 25 miles from your previous location. You can take your chances on staying longer but you risk getting a $50 ticket (maybe more since the last time I was ticketed).

Check out my ebook, BOONDOCKING: Finding the Perfect Campsite on America's Public Lands, on this page for the complete guide to boondocking.

Deming: New Mexico's snowbird destination

Are you looking for winter snowbirding destinations? Tucked down in the southwest corner of New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment state, you will find the lowest elevation in the state, which statewide averages 4,700 feet. This quiet corner is also where you will find the warmest winter weather, the area around Deming, Silver City, and Las Cruces, where the elevation is about 400 feet lower than the average. Days usually warm into the mid to upper 50s, which will seem warm to RVers escaping the snow and cold of the Pacific Northwest or Midwest.

Population numbers are low, humdity is low, and rainfall is low. Sunshine is plentiful. The displays in the Luna-Mumbris Museum are plentiful (this is a "must see"), and Hispanic and Native American sites are plentiful, many within an easy day trip from Deming. State parks (see photo of Rockhound State Park near Deming), and campgrounds are abundant, as many RVers think this winter snowbird roosting spot is the state's best kept secret. You can learn more at the city's Web site.

Rails to Trails: Transforming railroads to hiking/biking trails

By Bob Difley

The Rail to Trails Conservancy has converted over 15,000 miles of old, abandoned railroad track corridors--more than 1,500 preserved pathways--that form the backbone of a continually growing hiking and biking trail system that spans communities, regions, and states throughout the country. Some of these trails pass through congested urban areas, others skirt by rural towns and historic villages, and some wind their way along otherwise inaccessible rivers, through deep forests, and over unpopulated public lands.

Boondockers know that opportunities for finding public lands to

boondock on are more plentiful in the West than the East or South, however, with a little searching you can find the right spot, or at least an uncrowded forest service or other public land (state forest, wildlife refuge, etc.) campground close to a rail trail. Fortunately for you RVers traveling in these parts of the country, more rail trails exist here than in the West, and many provide miles of pristine scenery, access to historic sites, and wilderness adventure.

Rail trails come with various surfaces, some with crushed limestone, some still on rough ground, but most are paved and provide level trails free from difficult hills or canyons to cross. Think of the type of route the railroads

needed to travel.

The non-profit Conservancy's Web site has made it easy to find a rail trail and a trail head or access point near where you are camped anywhere in the country. And if you get lucky, you may find a trail head parking area large enough for a night or two of boondocking, enabling you to get an early morning hike to enjoy the awakening wildlife and birds, as well as starting your day with some healthy, vigorous exercise. What could be better than that?

Stay warm this winter

Winter is coming. Snowbirds are migrating. The desert's population increases. Wonderful sunshine, blue skies, no rain or snow. But don't forget, it still gets cold in the desert, especially after the sun dips over the yardarm. No humidity. No daytime heat retention. Big temp dips overnight. Running your forced air furnace will quickly drain your house batteries. For boondockers this means either one more quilt, running your generator to power furnace, waking in the morning with dead batteries, or changing to a catalytic heater.

Advantages of catalytic heaters: no fan, no electricity usage, runs on propane right from your tank, heat comes from a chemical reaction, portable installation can be self-installed, costs pennies per hour, no battery draining. Disadvantages: no fan for quick heat distribution, takes longer to heat interior, must leave window open slightly for fresh air. Hardly a big trade0ff for the advantages offered. Check out Olympian catalytic heaters at RV supply stores.

Desert boondocking destination: Lake Havasu City south

By Bob Difley

After you've spent your allotted 14 days in Craggy Wash (see Oct. 14 blog below) the BLM requires you to move on. Luckily, there is another boondocking location called Standard Wash about the same distance south of the city as Craggy Wash is north. Head south on AZ 95 toward Parker. You will climb gradually up a hill and cross over just past Sara Park.

Your first boondocking opportunity is on the left (east) just past the Welcome to Lake Havasu City sign and the park entrance. You will see a flat, wide entrance leading to a slight hill. This is a favorite spot when the pyrotechnics convention comes to town in February since they do all their fireworks shows from Sara Park. The down side is that it is then crowded and near the highway noise.

Once over the top of the hill, look to the east (left) and you will see a BLM sign and vehicle tracks. Turn in here and choose your spot. If you haul an off road vehicle around with you, this is your place since it is a favorite weekend off-roading spot for locals.

However, if you require quiet and solitude instead, continue down the road to past mile marker 172 and just before MM171, about 50 yards before the Vista Point parking lot on your right, a desert track heads perpendicularly to the left. If you are towing a car, pull in to the Vista Point and unhitch first. The road, is a bit rough in places, but has a firm surface. Just take your time. Between 1/2 and 3/4 mile up you will find half a dozen hard, level, "desert pavement" surfaces ideal for campsites. These spots have excellent views and you will seldom have no more than two or three neighbors, if that.

Further on, the road dips down into a wash. Don't go there unless you have a 4WD rig. The sand is soft and you could get stuck. But the wash leading up this canyon--a favorite jeep route, including several branch canyons, provide lots of hiking and exploring opportunities.

For services, an RV repair facility is just down the hill inside city limits on the east side of the highway and a new Basha's supermarket another mile also on the east side. You can dump at one of the RV resorts or at Lake Havasu State Park two miles east of London Bridge.

Desert boondocking destination: Lake Havasu City

By Bob Difley

In my previous blog I wrote about desert boondocking sites near city services. A good example are two BLM land areas at Lake Havasus City, Arizona. The first is north of town, about ten miles from the city center, but only a mile from the Home Depot and a couple miles from a gas station with a dump station.

It is adjacent to the end of the runway of the small Lake Havasu airport and is a BLM "dispersed camping" area called Craggy Wash. From the wide mouth of the wash the road winds up the canyon, the further you go, the fewer campers you will find. Look at the spur roads that turn off the main dirt road for nice nesty spots nestled up to the cliffs or hidden spots behind low hills.

A host is usually on duty, when the BLM can find one, to answer questions and to be an official presence. Lake Havasu has good restaurants, paddle wheeler lake cruises, a jet boat tour up Topock Gorge,  good fishing, and major supermarkets, and RV services.

Desert boondocking close to city services

By Bob Difley

Just because you enjoy boondocking in nice, natural, and scenic locations doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be out in the boonies miles from services and civilized (as against nature-oriented) entertainment.

In the desert southwest, many towns and mini-cities are planted smack in the middle of BLM land where you can boondock for two weeks at a time. This makes it convenient to visit and explore many desert communities while camping conveniently just outside of town.

Arizona publishes a state road map (they call it an Arizona Recreation Map) that shows the public and private land use areas in various colored shades so that you can get an idea how close--or far away--you would have to go to boondock and still have the convenient proximity of a population center.

This works also for the national forests in Arizona. For instance, look at the city of Prescott--the first territorial capital of the state--and you will find it sorrounded by green shading indicating national forest land right up to the city line.

In the desert, the BLM land is indicated by a light tan shade. Usually you will not find signs that indicate the boundaries between private and BLM land. Instead look for unfenced areas, dirt roads leading off into nowhere, and a lack of No Trespassing signs. This will be BLM land and you can start looking for a good boondocking spot.

At some desert settlements, the BLM land comes right up to the town limits, but the larger the community, the more likely that the city-owned land has pushed the BLM border further out from the city center and will be indicated by fenced off areas. But beyond the fences (and/or prohibitive signs) you can legally camp. But remember, after two weeks, you must move at least 25 miles away and cannot return for another two weeks.

For a complete guide to boondocking, check out my ebook, “BOONDOCKING: Finding the Perfect Campsite on America’s Public Lands,” at www.rvbookstore.com under New Arrivals.

Boondocking safety tips

By Bob Difley

Many RVers express concern about personal safety when boondocking, especially when choosing a spot beyond sight or sound of another rig. First, remember that thieves do not hang out in the boonies, though you should consider the following safety tips to thwart the “thief through convenience” if you make it too easy.

Boondocking Safety Tips

• Never open your door to anyone you don’t know after dark. For instance, once a couple knocked about 8:00 on a winter night in the desert and said their car ran out of gas. I told them (through the window) that I couldn’t help them (I had no sympathy for them if they actually let that happen).
• Don’t tell strangers that you meet in town, even those that seem perfectly harmless, where you are camped. If you want to socialize, do it in town until you get to know them better.
• Lock your door when you leave (I admit that I don’t always do this). You don’t want to come back and find a homeless person inside your rig.
• Boondock with friends or with club members. Many solo RVers belong to solos clubs (such as Loners On Wheels) and often camp together.
• Bury some land mines around your rig to protect yourself from intruders. (Wait! Don’t call Homeland Security, that’s a joke.)

Theft Prevention

• Don’t leave stuff lying around outside your rig when you leave. Camp chair, table, rug—OK. Portable generator—put in a locked compartment, or make sure you chain it up with a heavy duty chain, not one a simple bolt cutter could cut through .
• Close your blinds and drapes so the curious can’t see what you have inside.
• Lock all your outside locker doors.
• Re-key your lockers. Most RVs have the same key to open lockers, which is easy for a would-be thief to acquire.
• If you still feel uncomfortable, buy a simple red LED light and mount it near your entry door, operated by a switch on the inside. When you go out, flip the switch. The red light looks like you have a burglar alarm that is set.

In all my years of RV boondocking I have never had a problem or felt in danger (even from the couple who ran out of gas), and the only theft was out of a campground.

Loners on Wheels: Boondocking for singles

Many single RVers that I have talked to tell me that they are concerned about their safety when boondocking alone on the desert. Though statistics show that you are quite safe boondocking, I understand the trepidation for those who have not tried it.

A good answer to this quandary is to consider the group Loners on Wheels (LOW), a nation wide group of single RVers, what today you might call a social network, that meets regularly and widely to socialize, trade RVing and boondocking information, have monthly campouts--many of those boondocking in desert locations in winter, take caravan trips, hold rallies, to provide a support network, and to sometimes just act a little silly. LOW has been operating for 40 years, has 51 regional chapters with 2,200 members. It is a fine way to learn boondocking with an experienced and friendly group. Contact Loners On Wheels for more information and for their schedule of events, where you can attend as a guest for a  first hand experience.

For a complete guide to boondocking, check out my ebook, "BOONDOCKING: Finding the Perfect Campsite on America's Public Lands," at www.rvbookstore.com under New Arrivals.

Wintering in the desert

By Bob Difley

Days become shorter, nights crisper, and the sun lacks the warmth of summer days. Like migrating birds, RV snowbirds are feeling restless, anticipating the annual migration to the warmer and drier winters of the southwestern deserts. If you haven’t tried it before, spending a month or more boondocking on the open desert can turn out to be the maiden voyage that launches a lifelong love affair with the desert environment.

The low elevation of the Sonora and southern Mojave deserts can seem like another planet, at first barren, lifeless, monotone. Maybe what you notice first are the long views, unfiltered by humidity and air pollution, or the way the colors of the sunset linger long after light has faded.

Arriving in late fall, you may think that stories of explosive wildflower blooms, cacti with impossibly bright neon flowers, and the stumpy desert trees bursting with actual green leaves are all just fantasies of a sunstroke victim.

And recollections of wildlife surely sound like those of addle-brained miners in search of the Lost Dutchman‘s mine. What animals or birds could possibly live in such a bleak, dry environment?

But, as any experienced desert boondocker will tell you, take a second look. The desert is, in fact, chock-a-block with life. It is just different than what you may be accustomed to in the pine woods of the Pacific Northwest or the deciduous forests of the northern plains and eastern states. Shrubs and other desert plants hibernate in winter, losing their green leaves and flowers to await the conditions needed to bloom in Spring. Cacti hoard whatever water they can find, anticipating the return of bird, bee, and bat pollinators that bring hope for the continuation of their species.

Snakes, desert tortoises, and scorpions also hibernate in winter, while jack rabbits, coyotes, kit foxes, burros, and big horn sheep blend to near-invisibility within the landscape, or sleep during day to hunt or forage after the sun dips below the horizon.

This is the living desert you will see once you have settled into your boondocking campsite, away from the paved-over desert of the cities, away from night lights that dim the spectacular Milky Way, away from the cacophony of civilization, that covers the scratching of a foraging kangaroo rat, the yipping of a coyote calling to its mate, or the graduated whistle of a cactus wren perched on a saguaro snatching insects on the fly.

Check out my eBook, BOONDOCKING:  Finding the Perfect Campsite on America's Public Lands at RVbookstore.com.

New boondocking blogger says hi and suggests Southwest destination

By Bob Difley,

I am pleased and excited to take on this boondocking blog starting today. It will be a challenge to live up to the great boondocking information provided by Russ and Tina DeMaris, whose experience and expertise has helped many RVers develop their own versions of the RV Lifestyle. I have been RVing for more than 35 years, ten years in the RV industry in rentals and sales, and 17 years as a fulltimer, boondocker, and snowbird. I am a regular contributor to MotorHome, Trailer Life, and Highways magazines as well a seminar presenter at The Rally, a former instructor at Life On Wheels RV Conferences, and have written the eBook, Boondocking: Finding the Perfect Campsite on America’s Public Lands which is available on the sister Web site, www.RVBookstore.com.

I will start off with one of my favorite desert towns and boondocking locations.Patagonia is the name of an outdoors clothing manufacturer, and the name given to the southern tip of South America. But for RVers, Patagonia is a small town of barely more than 800 people in southeastern Arizona, 20 miles north of Nogales and the Mexican border. Settled at the end of the nineteenth century as a supply center for surrounding ranches and mines, the town now attracts artists and artisans because of its active arts community. Several of the studios where the artists work are open to visitors.Another good reason is the Sonoita Creek that flows just outside town where you will find both the Nature Conservancy's Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve and Arizona’s 5,000-acre Sonoita Creek State Natural Area, the state’s first designated natural area, and one of the premier birdwatching areas in the country. The visitor center is in Patagonia State Park six miles south of the town.

The Coronado National Forest lies to the east of town, accessible by Harshaw Road, and has multiple good, level boondocking campsites along the creek, some spots under towering cottonwoods. About three miles from town the historic 800-mile Arizona Trail crosses on which you can hike north to Utah or south to Mexico. At a cooler 4,000 feet of elevation, Patagonia is an excellent choice for the fall and spring, but may be a bit chilly during mid-winter. Happy travels.