Southwestern Desert Destinations: Lake Havasu City

By Bob Difley You might not want to visit Lake Havasu in the summer when temps stay above 100 degrees for months, sometimes reaching 110 degrees or more for days at a time. But in winter you will find a warm, sunny winter destination popular with snowbirds. And if you just planned to pass through Lake Havasu City on your way south to the Parker Strip, Yuma, or Quartzsite, pay a visit to the Lake Havasu Tourism Bureau, at 314 London Bridge Road (enter from the parking lot, not from London Bridge Road) and pick up theior multiple page list of the extensive activities available during the temperate winter months. That alone may tempt you to stick around for awhile. Because of its fine restaurants and cultural agenda, Lake Havasu City has attracted upscale winter visitors as well as year round retirees. As a result you will find a surprising list of events and activities, quite unlike the summer’s line up of rowdy LA basin fast boat owners and personal watercraft users. Several upscale RV resorts and campground lie within city limits for easy access to the area’s activities. Locally produced little theater plays and musicals are surprisingly well done, with several programs offered during the season. The new Lake Havasu Museum of History, next door to the Tourism Bureau, has on display historic artifacts and archives dating from the earliest Colorado Indians through the reconstruction of Robert McCulloch’s London Bridge. In addition to cultural events auto shows... Read more

Desert boondocking 101

If you follow the rest of the snowbirds to the southwestern deserts in winter, you will find that most of them stay in he same RV resort or campground for the entire season. A small number of RVers decide to so some boondocking in the open desert to really experience the desert in its wildness and beauty. As you roam around and talk to other boondockers you will find more desert boondocking locations than you ever imagined. Many are just places where an RVer has pulled off onto an unnamed, unpaved desert track and found a nice spot behind a hill, overlooking a wash, or hidden in a grove of desert willow or mesquite trees. Others become popular simply because one boondocker spots another and decides to join and soon there are half a dozen RVers, though they space themselves apart from each other, but still enjoying the proximity of other boondockers. Iff you would like to try this open desert camping, here are some of the basic rules and tips you need to know. The BLM allows free camping for up to 14 consecutive days out of every 28 days on open land. After 14 days, you must move at least 25 miles away from your current location and cannot return for another 14 days. Camping is legal except where specifically prohibited by signs or fences. No camping within 300 feet of a man-made watering hole or tank to allow wildlife access. Use existing routes and trails. Camp at previously used sites. When there is no danger of rain or flash flooding, camp in washes where signs of camping will... Read more

Quartzsite 2012 RV Show Dates Announced

Every January something happens that is hard to believe, unless you have seen it! Heading to the Big Tent at the Quartzsite RV Show. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved According to the Arizona Highway Department, as many as 750,000 to 1,000,000 people, mostly in recreational vehicles, converge on the sleepy little desert town of Quartzsite, located just 20 miles east of the California border on Interstate 10, for the rock, gem, and mineral shows, plus numerous flea markets and the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show. “If you’re looking for anything related to RVs, you’ll find it at the RV show in Quartzsite,” says Kenny King, show promoter. There will be several hundred new and used RVs on display in 2012 and over a dozen service bays will be offering immediate installation, repairs, and service on many of the items that will be exhibited at the show. This phenomenon started over 35 years ago and is now billed as “The Largest Gathering Of RVers in the World”. The inaugural Quartzsite RV Show opened January 28, 1984 at the corner of Highway 95 (now Central) and Business 10 (now Main Street) in Quartzsite, Arizona. With just 60 exhibitors and a small tent, the “new show in town” was still very popular since the majority of the people in Quartzsite were RVers. In 1987 the show, now re-named the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show, moved up the street to the Quartzsite Trailer Park which was situated directly across from the major attraction... Read more

RVs Pose Carbon Monoxide Dangers

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas that is toxic and the number one cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the United States. Carbon monoxide can be particularly dangerous in recreational vehicles. The Associated Press recently reported that five people were found dead inside a rented camper at a Tennessee motorcycle festival that raised money for sick children. Investigators said the victims appeared to have been overcome by carbon monoxide fumes that leaked into the camper from a generator. Recreational vehicles are part of a broad spectrum of products called “after-market, modified, or incomplete vehicles,” which also includes limousines, ambulances, conversion vans, and handicapped-accessible vans, reports InjuryBoard.com. These vehicles are either purchased as an incomplete chassis from a major automaker and then assembled into a different finished product or cut apart and modified from their original factory configuration. Unlike original equipment manufacturers (OEM), these non-OEM manufacturers may not be held to the strict design and testing requirements to which original manufacturers are held. In fact, these manufacturers may not even be held to the minimum federal requirements under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). RV manufacturers may not properly seal or vent sources of carbon monoxide gas (either from the engine, exhaust, or generator). In other instances, the equipment may be installed, but a manufacturing defect (like a... Read more

Southwestern Deserts: China Ranch, Anza Borrego

By Bob Difley How to find desert boondocking campsites, the subject of last week’s post, dealt with finding and getting to a boondocking campsite and how to avoid problems. So this week let’s take a look at what to do and where to go after you find the perfect campsite.  This includes lots of different venues, such as historic sites, ghost towns, oases, towns, cities, national parks, state parks, nature destinations, birds and wildlife, events, water sports, rock hounding, and road trips. There is a lot more to see in the desert than a first time visitor might think. Miners and ranchers have been exploiting the desert since before the gold rush, and cattle rustlers, horse thieves, gamblers, dance hall girls, stage robbers, railroad workers, preachers, and gunslingers have traveled the Old Spanish Trail as long ago as 1776, though a viable route was not established until 1829 when Santa Fe merchant, Antonio Armijo, led 60 men and 100 mules to the San Gabriel Mission in Southern California by combining trails blazed by various explorers including mountain man Jedidiah Smith and John Fremont. China Ranch You can wiggle your toes in the same sand along sections of the trail from the China Ranch Date Farm where the trail crosses the Amargosa River (photo) a mile south of the ranch. The history of the ranch is a unique slice of Old West history and the current owners (in the same family since 1970) have built a museum and hiking trails through verdant vegetation along... Read more

Southwestern Deserts: How to pick a boondocking campsite

By Bob Difley Getting mugged, having your rig burglarized, or late night visits from would-be thieves are not the areas of most concern for boondockers. Most thieves and other nefarious characters would rather prowl places where there are multiple and easier options to pick from than lone boondockers out in the boonies where options are few. In last week’s post I wrote of the many options for desert camping for snowbirds, from manicured RV resorts to true boondocking spots where you have no amenities and few–if any–neighbors. And those neighbors that you do have will not be of the nefarious persuasion. However, what boondockers in these locations do have to be concerned about are those natural–not man-caused– situations that could get them into trouble. This is how to tackle those “natural” situations: Don’t get stuck When picking a boondocking campsite, the first characteristic to look for is the make up and condition of the access. If you’ve been to Quartzsite or any of the BLM’s LTVA dispersed camping areas you will notice how firm and compact the road surfaces have become from all the heavy vehicle traffic. On this type of surface you won’t find much soft sand that your wheels could sink into.  Look for the same type of road surface in areas less traveled. Usually a short walk along an access road will reveal whether it is solid enough for you to drive on. But you need to take it a further step if you plan... Read more

Southwestern Deserts: Options for RV snowbirds

By Bob Difley A kinder, gentler climate, the driving force behind the snowbird migration, is not the only consideration in choosing where to spend the winter, free from ice, snow, cold winds, rain, sleet, and window-rattling storms. RVers choices for a winter roost though, are as diverse as their choice of rigs. In last week’s post I wrote about the variety of climates among desert areas, now let’s look at  other considerations when choosing a winter destination. At the glitzy top of destination possibilities are the full-service resorts with teams of gardeners that maintain the manicured grounds and have pages of amenities like swimming pools, hot tubs, and recreation rooms, planned activities like line-dancing, exercise classes , bus sightseeing tours, and golf tournaments, and abundant classes and workshops in rock-hounding, photography, ceramics, wood-carving, painting, jewelry-making, and more. These parks often fill up for the entire season and command the highest rates, and they will keep you busy non-stop. You will find them around Yuma, greater Phoenix, and Tucson in Arizona, and the Coachella Valley, California, towns of Palm Springs,  Palm Desert, and Indio. At the opposite end is the RVing boondocker, who seeks a more natural, back to nature, desert experience (photo above). This RVer is willing to forgo conveniences like hookups, cable TV, and the activity schedule of the resorts for a solitary campsite with few or no neighbors. But this type of campsite... Read more

Southwestern deserts: An introduction for wannabe snowbirds

By Bob Difley Every winter RV snowbirds flock to the American Southwestern Deserts in search of sunlight on their faces and a warming of their bones. And many don’t see much more than that, and then they go home in the Spring. But if you take the time to learn something about the desert (actually four deserts) you may find that they can be quite fascinating. This post is the first in a short series to familiarize you with the desert and prepare you for what you will find. All four of North America’s deserts lie in the Southwest between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Range. They can be divided into three hot deserts (Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan) and one cold desert, the Great Basin, covering most of Nevada, southeastern Oregon, southern Idaho, and western Utah, where more than half the annual precipitation falls as snow. The Great Basin’s climate does not attract hordes of snowbirds. The Mojave of Southern California–the smallest of the four–owns the record for the highest temperature (134 degrees) and the lowest elevation in the US, both in Death Valley. (photo – Joshua Tree National Park in southeastern California). The Sonoran Desert occupies the southern part of Arizona, with two-thirds of it in Mexico. Characterized by the saguaro cactus–which grows naturally only in the Sonoran–this... Read more

It’s the little things that make a boondocking lifestyle – Part 2

By Bob Difley Last week’s post (of the same name) triggered the unlikely discussions of electric blankets and the CPAP (sleep apnea) problem for boondockers. But it was more than that, it was a discussion of what is important for our personal enjoyment. So let’s dig some more into how to cope with our individual quirks and idiosyncrasies (Qs & Is) when boondocking and exploring those destinations way off the beaten path. I’ll start with my wife’s Qs & Is (since I don’t have any). As a health and fitness nut enthusiast, a most important requirement for her is access to fresh fruits and vegetables (FFV). Let me emphasize fresh here. It was never a question of whether we would orr would not continue to eat FFV when boondocking, but how would we accomplish it off in the depths of the primeval forest way out in the desert where we liked to camp–miles from the nearest organic food or farmers market. Supermarkets were few and far between in most of the places we explored and they usually left her dissatisfied and the local stores were usually deficient in the FFV category–especially the fresh part–if they had any fruits and veggies at all.  The longest we could eke out the FFV supply before they withered into the inedible class was five days. As a result we had to build into our schedule and finances long trips to the nearest urban center for restocking. So off we would go, driving sometimes as far as 50 miles one way, and... Read more

It’s the little things that make a boondocking lifestyle

By Bob Difley I asked in one of my boondocking classes what was the biggest reason that kept them from not boondocking more. A woman responded that she  could  just not give up her electric blanket. How perceptions can differ from one person to another on what is necessary–her deterrent was something I didn’t even own. In reality, it is most likely not a technical item that is required to enjoy boondocking, but a perceived convenience item–the electric blanket–designed to keep one warm but required continuous 120-volt electrical current over an eight-hour period, something that a non-energy-requiring extra blanket or quilt would accomplish just as well. So when you begin setting up your rig for boondocking, it may be just as important to consider exactly what will make you comfortable and enhance your boondocking experience rather than just filling up your cart with boondocking “must have” items at Camping World. Spend just as much time on  how to achieve personal warmth, comfort, cleanliness, healthy meals, and enjoyment of the great outdoors as you do on whether the inverters, solar panels, generators, tank capacities, battery capacities, and amps + volts + watts will accomplish those desires, and whether all that stuff is really worth the expense compared to, well,  just throwing on another blanket. With my wife and I, our boondocking trips are based on fresh water more than any other factor. We are physically active, exercising–running,... Read more

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