In response to reader requests, I’ve compiled a list of our 2016 camps in chronological order, grouped by month. Camp fees are included (I use a senior discount pass). I’ve also noted which camps are campgrounds (cg), dispersed camping (dc), state park camping (SP), or boondocks (bd).
I hope you find this post entertaining for review and also helpful as you plan your own camping!
January 2016
- Midland LTVA, Blythe, CA – 1 day x $2.86 = $2.86
- Ogilby Rd. BLM dc, Winterhaven, CA – 13 days x $0 = $0
- Why, AZ BLM bd – 14 days x $0 = $0 (photo above)
- Saddle Mtn BLM bd, Tonopah, AZ – 2 days x $0 = $0
- Midland LTVA, Blythe, CA – 1 day x $2.86 = $2.86
February 2016
- Midland LTVA, CA – 24 days x $2.86 = $68.57
- Buckeye Hills Reg. Pk cg, AZ – 5 days x $0 = $0 (photo above)
March 2016
- Buckeye Hills Reg. Pk. cg, AZ – 9 days x $0 = $0
- Picacho Peak SP, AZ – 1 day x $30 = $30
- Buenos Aires NWR bd, AZ – 9 days x $0 = $0 (photo above)
- Las Ciegnas NCA bd, AZ – 8 days x $0 = $0
- Roper Lake SP,Safford, AZ – 1 day x $18 = $18
- Roosevelt Lake NF cg, AZ – 3 days x $8 = $24
April 2016
- Roosevelt Lake NF cg, AZ – 3 days x $8 = $24
- Roosevelt Lake NF bd, AZ – 8 days x $0 = $0 (photo above)
- Haekel Rd BLM bd, Safford, AZ – 8 days x $0 = $0
- Ridgepark RV Park, Silver Cty, NM – 2 days x $20 = $40
- Big Horn NF cg, Glenwood, NM – 7 days x $0 = $0
- Apache Creek NF cg, NM – 2 days x $0 = $0
May 2016
- El Morro NM cg, Grants, NM – 1 day x $0 = $0
- Bluewater Lake SP, Grants, NM – 8 days x $14 = $112
- Wheatfield, Navajo Ntn cg, Cyn de Chelly, AZ – 1 day x $5 = $5
- Sand Island BLM cg, Bluff, UT – 12 days x $7.50 = $90
- Devil’s Canyon NF cg, Blanding, UT – 9 days x $5 = $45 (photo above)
June 2016
- Devil’s Canyon NF cg, Blanding, UT – 1 day x $0 = $0
- Bradfield BLM cg, Cortez, CO – 5 days x $4 = $20
- Mavreeso NF cg, Dolores, CO – 2 days x $9.50 = $19
- Target Tree NF cg, Mancos, CO – 1 day x $8.50 = $8.50
- Bridge NF cg, Pagosa Spr., CO – 2 days x $10 = $20
- Trail Ridge NF bd, Pagosa Spr., CO – 15 days x $0 = $0 (photo above)
- West Fork NF cg, Pagosa Spr., CO – 3 days x $9 = $27
- Kenney Flats NF bd, Pagosa Spr., CO – 1 day x $0 = $0
July 2016
- Kenney Flats NF bd, Pagosa Spr., CO – 9 days x $0 = $0
- Mogote NF cg, Antonito, CO – 1 day x $0 = $0
- O’Haver Lake NF cg, Poncha Springs, CO – 1 day x $10 = $10
- Salida East NF dc, Salida, CO – 6 days x $0 = $0
- Antero Meadow NF bd, Buena Vista, CO – 2 days x $0 = $0 (photo above)
- Antero Pines NF bd, Buena Vista, CO – 7 days x 0 = $0 (photo above)
- Clear Creek SWA dc, Buena Vista, CO – 4 days x 0 = $0
August 2016
- Clear Creek SWA dc, Buena Vista, CO – 1 day x $0 = $0
- Gore Creek NF cg, Vail, CO – 1 day x $8.50 = $8.50
- McDonald Flats NF cg, Green Mtn Res, CO – 1 day x $6.50 = $6.50
- Clear Creek SWA dc, Buena Vista, CO – 7 days x $0 = $0
- Los Pinos (Rd 12.5) NF bd, Monte Vista, CO – 1 day x $0 = $0
- Beaver Creek NF cg, South Fork, CO – 3 days x $9 = $27
- Park Creek NF cg, South Fork, CO – 8 days x $9 = $72 (photo above, Tucker Ponds)
- Kenney Flats NF bd, Pagosa Springs, CO – 9 days x $0 = $0
September 2016
- Kenney Flats NF bd, Pagosa Springs, CO – 5 days x $0 = $0
- Sims Mesa SP, Navajo Lake, NM – 5 days x $14 = $70
- Red Rock Navajo cg, Gallup, NM – 1 day x $20 = $20
- Lyman Lake SP, St. Johns, AZ – 1 day x $20 = $20
- Luna Lake NF cg, Alpine, AZ – 9 days x $7 = $49 (photo above)
- Wal-Mart parking lot, Taylor, AZ – 1 night x $0 = $0
- Lone Rock, Glen Cyn NRA dc, UT – 8 days x $7 = $56
October 2016
- Lone Rock, Glen Cyn NRA dc, UT – 1 day x $7 = $7
- Ponderosa Grove BLM cg, Kanab, UT – 15 days x $2.50 = $37.50 (photo above)
- Cedar Pockets BLM cg, St. Georgie, UT – 15 days x $4 = $60
November 2016
- Overton WMA cg, Overton, NV – 1 day x $0 = $0
- Poverty Flats dc, Lake Mead NRA, Overton, NV – 30 days x $0 = $0 (photo above)
December 2016
- Poverty Flats dc, Overton, NV – 1 day x $0 = $0
- Las Vegas Bay cg, Lake Mead NRA, NV – 4 days x $10 = $40 (photo above)
- Midland LTVA, Blythe, CA – 24 days x $2.86 = $68.57 (photo below)
Midland Road (Lovekin Rd) and Big Maria Mountains, Blythe, California
The average camp fee during 2016 was $3.07 per day. Camping fees for the year totalled $1,123.86. We camped for free for 186 days.
rvsue
NOTE: To read posts relating to a particular camp, use the monthly archives drop-down menu in the sidebar or do a web search for “RVSue + name of camp.”
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Hi
HI, KAT AND COOKIE DOG! FIRST TODAY!
Thanks, that was a lot of work.
YOU’RE WELCOME, RHODIUM! YOU TIED FOR FIRST PLACE!
Amazing information. Thank you!!! All the best for 2017
YOU’RE WELCOME, GEORGINA AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! SECOND PLACE!
Thank you, that info is really helpful. It amazes me you can camp somewhere for just a few dollars a night. I don’t know of anywhere in NYState that you can camp that cheaply, except for a small handful of boondocking sites I have found over many years of searching. And I have an access pass that will help with costs at some locations.
In your paragraph you explained one of the big reasons why I’m keeping my travels in the West. After all this inexpensive camping, I’d be so cramped up with high camping fees in the East, I wouldn’t be able to drive!
Wow thanks; that’s very helpful!
Hey, 4th…not bad! I’d have been first if I didn’t have to do all that math. LOL!
ACTUALLY YOU’RE IN THIRD PLACE TODAY, JANIS!
This is an incredible list and so kind of you to take the time to put it together for us.
The thought of spending less that one month’s mortgage for an entire year of lodging is very enticing and may make me rethink my retirement strategy! (I realize there is other costs to be considered but still that is awesome)
Thank you so much and Happy New Year!
oops – grammar error – ‘is’ should be ‘are’ 🙂 – hate when I change my wording and forget to fix the grammar 🙂
I’m still in awe of your list – even with other expenses factored in, this is so doable…I have previously reviewed your expenses for your early years but this is an awesome reminder of how affordable full timing can be.
The picture memories in this post are also wonderful. I especially love the one of Bridget and Reggie walking side-by-side along the path by the water. That one really warms the heart 🙂
Again…thank you, thank you, thank you!
You’re welcome, Jan.
What I’d like to do is figure the total number of boondocks, the average daily cost for camping fees, and the total camping fees for each year so far, starting with 2012. I’m quite sure we boondocked for free more often in the earlier years and spent a lot less on fees.
Happy New Year! This is a great post. I’m going to print it out and keep it with my Benchmarks. Thank you for putting this together.
You’re welcome, Marilu, and Happy 2017 to you, too. 🙂
Thanks for the great information. Looks like you can live pretty cheap on the road.
I received my senior pass a couple of days ago. Since there was so much conflicting information as to what was going to happen in 2017, I thought I should get it ordered just to be safe. I’m good to go now.
Take care,
Hi, Karen,
Congratulations on becoming the possessor of a senior discount card! From the list you can see that the national forest and BLM campgrounds are a good deal with the card.
I got my senior pass the very day I qualified for that same reason. I was afraid the newly in charge would get rid of the discount. Hopefully ours would be “grandfathered in”.
Nice list! have you tried the BLM land in Borrego Desert?
Yes, we have, Scamp! I think the crew and I camped there, meaning Clark Dry Lake Bed, at two different times, maybe three, in previous years. I photographed the metal sculptures and took photos of the crew on the green lawn of Christmas Circle in Borrego Springs.
That will be worth a long study later, but what jumped out at me was the intense green in the pictures of Colorado. I haven’t been there, and I haven’t seen that pretty green west of the 35th Parallel.
Hi, Calvin,
Oh yes, Colorado is very green, especially her high altitude forests. It’s a beautiful state. I didn’t photograph some of the most spectacular scenes because I couldn’t pull off the road to do so.
Hi Sue,
Happy New Year. Thanks for taking the time to make a list. I was looking at free camping around the Yuma area and the Fortuna Pond seems to be popular. Maybe that will be my first camping spot. I am just a little over a year away from freedom. Really leaning toward a new 2018 Aliner Sport Lite for my first trailer. Simple and basic.
Wishing you happy travels and camping for 2017!
Norman
Hi, Norman,
Happy New Year to you, too! Fortuna Pond is a small BLM camping area close to Yuma, handy but that is also its downside. It does fill up and locals like to come out there on weekends. The last time I was there it was showing wear and there was trash. Maybe it’s cleaned up now. Just thought I ought to point out that it’s not likely the same as what you see in my old posts.
Alternatives you can research — Coyotes Wells at Wellton (free), Pilot Knob LTVA (2 wks $40), Ogilby Rd west of Yuma (free), Mittry Lake (fire damage but handy)(free), also along the interstate on the east side of Yuma, parking area (free), Casino parking lot along interstate on west side of Yuma and along the road between Winterhaven and Los Algodones entry (free).
You are going to be thrilled when you get your trailer, Norman! Here’s a link to the aliner.com/campers for anyone interested.
Hi Sue and Reggie – Happy New Year. Those were great prices for campgrounds etc. Thanks for all the tips.
You’re welcome, Marieta. Happy New Year!
Hi Sue! Wow! Your rent sure was cheap last year. What great information. Thanks for providing the details.
Happy New Year!
Chris B
Hi, Chris B and Diego,
Happy New Year to you, too!
Our annual rent could’ve been a lot cheaper, but I’m not out to prove anything. 🙂
Awesome list! Thanks RVSue!!!
You’re welcome, Dawn! My pleasure to share it!
I am about to embark full time living in my Teardrop trailer with two Pomeranians. I have sold my home of 19 years and will sell as a vendor art shows across the US. This list is very inspiring although at age 54 I will not be yet eligible for the senior discount. I have no other income so will need to be very resourceful. Thanks for the hope….Paula
Hi, Paula,
Congratulations on your upcoming launch date! I bet your poms are adorable — love that breed!
It is possible to camp for less than what I’ve posted for this past year and still be comfortable. Having to be in a certain area at a certain time, however, inhibits regular boondocking.
It would be great if the art shows you participate in are located where vendors can camp for free or at a reasonable price, like at fair grounds. I would be bold and ask the art show organizers what they suggest.
Since art shows are usually held where people are, like in town… city/county parks can be an option. Some are inexpensive and others are not, depends upon the town’s attitude toward tourists/travelers.
You probably are already aware of all this…. I don’t know your budget but I do know, if you want to make it happen, you will! Happy travels!
I have heard they approved the increase for the senior pass so although it will be more when you’re eligible, still a great deal. I turn 62 on Sunday. So far they haven’t implemented the increase so I’m hoping to squeeze in under the wire. I urge anyone else who is eligible but has not purchased it to do so ASAP.
Hi Sue and Reg
I hope you both had a nice New Year’s.
All I can say is wow!!! your total camping
amount for the year is my monthly amount, I just can’t wait to be able to
down size to just my trailer 😊 that is
my dream ( I have about 13 more yrs.)
My daughter took us on a day trip to Williams Az. Were her father in law camps every summer The Kaibab National Forest and it’s free camping
14 day limit with rock fire pits that people made and there is a small lake to fish
and the tree’s are beautiful, I fell in love with that place the name of the road is Dogtown rd. this will be are new
Summer camping spot for us and I love the town Williams so dog friendly.
I just thought I would bring it up since
I didnt see it on your list of awsome
boondock camping spots.
Hi, Tammie,
Isn’t it fun when you find a camping spot that’s lovely and FREE. Thank you for sharing the name of the camp! I’ve driven through Williams — It is a nice little town, the gateway to the Grand Canyon, I believe.
We have camped in the Kaibab NF, but not where you mention. I’ll look it up in my AZ Benchmark atlas. Rusty, a longtime blogorino and full-timer, has a lot of experience camping in the Kaibab.
I know the waiting can be excruciating, but those 12 years are your advantage. You have time to dream, save, plot and plan. Have fun! 🙂
Top ten?
Aww… Hi, Diane! Nice to see you here!
Hey RV Sue and Reggie Man, this post with the places you stayed and cost is great, it helps so much! As always, thank you for sharing this important information with all of us. Give cutie Reggie a hug for me, safe travels.
Hi, Linda,
Reggie is already curled up in his bed, tucked in for the night, so that hug will have to wait. 🙂 I’m glad you liked this post.
Thanks Sue for sharing.
You’re welcome, Stephanie! I’m happy to share what I’ve found and enjoyed.
Thank you so much for this information. It was very helpful. I pick up my Casita in March and can’t wait to get out there. I loved seeing the pictures that correlated to where you were staying. The picture of Bridget made me happy and sad all at the same time. I love the area around Salida and Buena Vista Colorado so it was nice to see boondocking available in that area. Happy New Year!
Congratulations, Grannysonthego, for choosing Casita!
Thank you for mentioning the photos, especially your reaction to seeing Bridget again. It was tough at times, putting this post together, because I had to sift through old photos. So many of them showed Bridget being Bridget.
Yes, you can camp for free at Salida East along the river. Also the Antero Mountain camps and Clear Lake dispersed camping are handy to Buena Vista. I wrote posts with photos on these areas.
Happy New Year to you, too! I have a feeling it will be… 🙂
This is amazing! Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome, Marysia! Great hearing from you!
wow, wow, wow, All those beautiful site and FREE. good job ! Happy New Year !
Thanks, Alice! Happy New Year!
Amazing compilation, Sue! Thanks so much! I’m saving this list forever! Thank you for your time in putting it together. Makes me realize that I need to do a better job of notating where I stay–I would have a hard time coming up with an accurate list! All I know is that this fall, I was gone for 10 weeks, and I stayed in a campground for only 3 nights. I was pretty proud of myself–and I’m the one who wrote to you several times, asking questions about how you found boondocks. I got my Benchmark books on your recommendation, and I was good to go! Thanks again!
Rhonda, can you please share information about the Benchmark books? Must have missed it.
If I may jump in here, Lori…. I haven’t blabbed about Benchmarks in a while. They are atlases that contain the info needed for boondocking on public lands, finding national forest and BLM campgrounds, as well as state parks and rv parks…TONS OF INFO. I wouldn’t travel and camp the West without one.
There’s an atlas for each state, NM, AZ, NV, CA, OR, WA, ID, MT, WY, UT, CO. Here are a few links.
Colorado Benchmark Road & Recreation Atlas
Oregon Benchmark Road & Recreation Atlas
Wyoming Benchmark Road & Recreation Atlas
When you go to the page, scroll down and you’ll find other Benchmarks.
Awesome! Thanks so much, Sue.
You’re welcome, Lori.
You’re welcome, Rhonda,
I love success stories! Great job with boondocking! Almost 10 weeks…. You are right to be proud! I assume the Benchmarks served you well. 🙂
Where do you go to dump and get fresh water when you are not at regular campgrounds?
Hi, Kim,
Several places where you can dump tanks and get fresh water. The Benchmark atlases that I reference for Lori (above) list whether a campground (National Forest, BLM, or other) has water, a dump station, and other amenities. But you asked for stations when you aren’t in a campground . . . .
In Washington state, the interstate rest stops have dump stations.
State parks have dump stations and you can dump there for a fee without staying overnight.
In Oregon, you can dump tanks at any of their state parks for free.
Commercial RV parks often will let you dump tanks at their station for a small fee.
Truck stops like Love’s (often called “travel centers) along interstates have dump stations. Also some service stations.
LTVAs such as Midland have dump stations.
To find “sanitation stations” you can look online at sanidumps.com or rvdumps.com. Or simply web search for “dump stations.”
Often you can find drinking water spigots at dump station sites. Just make sure it is labeled “potable water.”
Drinking water is also available from drive-up vending machines.
Wow! Missy!! That was so neat. I am not out roaming anymore but you sure did most of the Blogorino’s a huge favor by posting this information. If anyone reading this is smart they are saving this post for future use. You are a trooper to go to all that work. Now, you can take a deep breath, turn the keyboard over to Reggie and relax while he tells us what life is from 12″ off the ground. Thanks again Missy, you made some devoted fans today if they weren’t before.
You’re welcome, Jim, and thanks for cheering me on!
I plan to make a page, accessible from the header, of this post.
Gee, you’re really wanting a post from the Reggie Man! I’ll have to talk to him about it. 🙂
Hi Sue and Reggie!
Thank you for the information!
Hi, Renee! You’re welcome!
OMG this is awesome!! This is exactly what I’ve been doing (albeit painfully slowly) with info from previous years taken from your blog. I loved you before but now I’m ready to propose! Mwah! You’re the best! Yes, I’m using a lot of exclamations points! This is how happy I am!!!!!
Hahaha! I cracked up reading your “Mwah!” First online kiss I’ve ever received! I didn’t even know it was possible! Oh, wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well it’s long overdue!!! You’re such a breath of fresh air in addition to being a font of information for every nomad and wannabe out there. And you deserve all the exclamation points, too!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Sue for that amazing list! That sure helps when you are on a budget to know the facts! I am keeping this for future reference.
Hugs to you and Reggie!
Thanks for the hugs, Linda!
I will put this post on a page accessed from the header. Probably will do that tomorrow.
Another year of frugal beauty. It’s wonderful that there’s still so many places to boondock across the west.
It is wonderful, Jodee. And this country is abundantly blessed with a variety of beautiful places to camp.
Thanks, Sue, I like the way you organized this by month, camp(and what kind),fees and annual cost. It’s so nice of you to be this helpful to all of us, that can’t have been easy or quick to put together. I had fun remembering the photos you chose to use, too. They made putting together your year’s journey easier for my mind and heart to follow -in a brisk look back and move towards today. I imagine that while you had the task at hand you were all business trying to “get it done”. Now that you are, and have been for a few hours, the memories may be washing over you for a while. May the best ones, -and each of your todays’ joys- lift you through the harder ones. I love “being with you ” on the journey.
You’re welcome, weather. I’m pleased that you like the way I organized this post.
You’ve given me an opening to share something with you. Yes, this post and searching for photos to illustrate it did bring back memories. I laughed at how nervous I was about mountain passes when we first encountered them and then how, later that summer, we sailed through Fremont Pass and Wolf Creek Pass like it was flat ground. Ha!
While walking Reggie after finishing this post, I recalled a highlight of our travels in Colorado. It was the time of our first mountain pass. I had bought oxygen in a can to help us through it. We reached Cumbres Pass with no problem. I parked at a viewpoint and we walked around. Then I stood by the open door on the passenger side with Reg and Bridget on the seat. I threw a blanket over our heads, holding the can of oxygen, to make an oxygen tent for us.
Bridget and Reg thought that was very funny. The three of us, with heads close together under the blanket, giggled in each other’s face. I never knew dogs can giggle, but they can! I squirted the oxygen and shortly thereafter the moment passed.
Walking the desert, thinking of that moment under the blanket, I giggled again and then I cried. How very fortunate I’ve been to have Bridget in my life and to have many people like you understanding how special she was.
Thank you for your sensitive message, weather. Don’t worry. The giggles overcome the tears. 🙂
Now I’m giggling, too, and glad that you shared what your reaction to that memory was like. Bridget is too wonderful to be thought of without grateful smiles and sighs. Rest well when you do, with sweet dreams. I’m off to read tucked in with kitty fur and purrs.N’nite
Hi! RVSue, Reggie and blogorinos!
Gr8 Info! Thank you for sharing.
Where is the pull-down menu “Money”? It has gone?
Hi, fuji-maru,
I removed the Money pages because I didn’t keep up with the figures during 2014, 2015, and 2016. Regarding the years before that, much of those budget items are more costly now and I didn’t want people to be misled.
🙂
Wow. These photos show such amazing places. I guess I get lost in the details of the posts and lose sight of how big and glorious the world is out there. Good to see Bridget too.
Hi, Dawn,
It was tough picking only one photo for each month. We do live in a “big and glorious” world.
Thank you very much for your listing of camping spots. I sure appreciate your extra effort in keeping us informed. I think I enjoyed the Colorado views more than others as someone mentioned earlier Colorado is beautifully green and blue, just wonderful to see. Thank you for all you share and I sure wish you a great 2017!
You’re welcome, Rhonda! It’s nice to have one’s efforts appreciated. Yes, the green of Colorado is lovely and very restful. I also think that green places are shown as pleasant places more easily than the arid regions. For me a big part of the appeal of the desert is its openness which doesn’t come across in photos. I do love our travels into green forest with blue lakes though!
Have a great year, Rhonda!
Thank you Sue.
I can imagine how long this took you to calculate. I really appreciate this. This list is the best I could have ever imagined. I will be using it when I travel West. Happy New Year.
Sharon from Fla.
Happy New Year to you, too, Sharon! I’m pleased you find this list of camps useful.
RVSue….
Thanks you so much for your list of campsites and the types. It makes it a lot easier for people who are not yet familiar with the RV life; which is why, I think, so many of them congregate in the commercial RV parks.
I sure hope that the incoming Administration and the new Cabinet members do not do away with the BLM/NFS/NP/BuReclamation camping areas and especially the geezer passes. That would raise the cost of retirment for a lot of us.
Keep on keeping on. 🙂
Craig K7EXJ
You’re welcome, Craig. You’re probably right, that people new to RVing feel more comfortable in RV parks. They are easy to find. They’re usually in or near town or next to a highway with a big sign. Campgrounds and boondocks may take a little more effort.
Other factors come into play. I think there are a lot of RVers with big rigs who want hook-ups. I fear that the demand of the gotta-have-hookups group will lead to the “upgrading” of inexpensive campgrounds because the cost of installing 50 amp sites has to be paid for. Rumor has it that Ponderosa Grove (see sand dune photo) is going to be “improved” with hook-ups. If so, the camping fees for seniors at $2.50 a night will surely be a thing of the past.
A happy New Year! Craig,
I agree with both Craig and Sue.
May the geezer pass (senior pass) come to foreign travelers’ hands when I’ll be turning 62. May the camping fees not go up. May the boondocks remain. May …
Hi Fuji!! Good to see you my friend! Happy New Year!!
Happy New Year!! AZ Jim, Good to see you my friend, too!
I live within 10 miles of US Naval Air Facility Atsugi in Japan. So, we sometimes are thrown into “the sound of freedom.” It’s been the F-16s, No the F-35 seen yet.
I made a mistake.
The F-16s never seen in Japan, but the F-18s seen.
Following is a link to the photo.
F/A-18 Super Hornet belonging to VFA-115 Eagles, flying over Naval Air Facility Atsugi with Mt. Fuji in the background, in Japan
WOW!! Sue! Thank you so much for some great information and all the hard work to put it together. Much appreciated indeed!!
Don
You’re welcome, Don. Thanks for acknowledging my effort.
I was looking at the forecasts and it appears OK is in for snow and lows in the teens, coming soon. Bundle up and stay cozy!
HI Sue & Reggie,
thanks for taking us along on your adventures in 2016, really enjoyed it and hoping you have a great 2017 .
You’re welcome! The positive feedback is appreciated. I hope this new year is one of your best, Jay!
Thank you for your account of camping areas and so forth. I’m actually hanging out in Palm Springs right now. I’ve never experienced any kind of desert living. Now, I know what you’re talking about when the wind gets fierce. I’m not staying in my rv but will be doing some bike riding and am hoping the weather will be be suitable for it. I probably will bring my TT next time my friend and I visit this area.
Happy New Year!
Hi, Cheryl O,
The wind may interfere with bike riding, but it performs important work, as you probably know, like “cleaning” the desert. The sand is smoothed over and dead branches are brought down. Tire tracks are like intaglios and last “forever,” but the rest is swept clean. I have some photos I hope to share that show what the wind creates in the desert.
I hope you do get a chance to ride your bike. I don’t know if you ride the pedal-pushing kind or the motorized kind. Either way, enjoy!
Great job compiling that list!
Just a bit more than 3 dollars a day…the freedom, the beauty, the journey and the ability to pick your neighbors….rock on desert woman!
It’s early in the year…write your mileage down…inquiring minds (mine) want to know!
A happy New Year! Cinandjules,
Me too! And the Fuel Consumption of PTV as well!
Hi, I found some numbers from the February 5,2016 post- “Gunshots, Border Patrol and Drooling Over a Tow Vehicle” and did the math that might save some research and give the answers wanted.
Odometer reading on PTV when purchased in April 2011 was 114,940.It read 158,547 in February,2016. That’s close enough to call it 5 years so she’s averaging 8,721 miles a year.
Her fuel consumption, based on the PTV getting about 15 miles per gallon while towing, averages 581 gallons a year.
You’re a jewel, weather. I’m surprised, with your excellent memory, that you had to look up the figures. 🙂 Thank you!
That is weird about the figures, oh well, at least my memory knew what post you’d mentioned them in, and then you called me a jewel 🙂 Now that’s worth remembering.
Take your seat in the front row Weather. Back in my school days I hated girls who always had their hand up with the right answer. I learned later they are a real asset. Good on ya girl!! Happy New Year!!
Thanks, Jim.Happy New Year to you! Now my hand is up to ask a question. What was the special little Christmas gift you gave to your sweet Detta recently? You’d said that you would tell us and haven’t yet.
You are the only one to ask. My Detta has a severe hearing problem. It is especially bad on the telephone where she cannot read lips. I got her a Captel telephone where whatever the caller says is displayed in captions. She can now talk on the phone without constantly asking for a repeat. It is relatively new system but a godsend for folks who need it. Oh I know probably boring to most, but thanks for caring Weather. *Hug*
Wow, Jim, what a thoughtful gift! To be able to have a conversation is so important.
Now she and those she shares one with can relax and just get on with it. That’s not boring, it’s wonderful! You are an easy(and dear to Sue, me and many others here) couple to care about 🙂
Hug felt, enjoyed, and sent back to you
Well, Jim. I care about you and Detta,too. If I had weather’s memory, I would have asked. 🙂
That is a super gift, Jim…thanks Weather for asking and thanks Jim for sharing…heh, sounds like it might be helpful to me in future too!!
” I hated girls who always had their hand up with the right answer.” Me too!
But I’ve loved one of them.:)
Happy New Year! weather,
Where can I have an excellent memory like yours? 🙂
Happy New Year, fuji-maru! You must already have an excellent memory in order to have mastered English as well as you have. It’s great to have you back on here recently 🙂
🙂
Good morning, Cinandjules,
Okay, I went outside in my sleeping clothes on this chilly morning and checked the odometer …. 166,410 … You write it down, too. That way when I lose it, you’ll still have it. See, I expect you to be here this time next year. 🙂
About the $3 a day… That amount would be even smaller except for a few stays in state parks and the two days in the RV park when I was sick. I really wish I had calculated the early years when I was unsure if I could afford this lifestyle. I’m not as tight with a dollar as I was then. I may go back and come up with the camping fee average. No promises on that…
I do hope that you, Jules, and your crew like your new home and neighborhood. Have a wonderful year, fellow desert woman!
Thanks for da numbers….oh I’ll be here! Are you kidding me…this blog is the greatest!
There is absolutely no regrets with our move to AZ. We have met some wonderful people. With that NY is expecting 2 feet of that white stuff. Rained last night so that means it’s gonna be really heavy!
Had a “silver alert” (missing older individual) just before the New Year. Turns out he lives on the other side of our back cinderblock wall. He has dementia and is on foot. Back in the day..anyone “at risk” we HAD to search until we found them! Apparently not the case here…this isn’t going to have a happy ending. We are on the outskirts of the desert terrain.
If you have a wanderer….they have gps tracking bands…but why his family let him live by himself is beyond me. With his diminished mind…..end of rant
Found him ..just now…in the pond (golf course) across from his house.
At least the family has closure and is able to bury him.
Godspeed.
R.I.P.
What a wonderful list you put together. Thank you! I look forward to the day when we travel full time. Thank you again, Sue for time and effort you put into your blog. It is appreciated more than you will ever know. Happy New Year!
You’re welcome! May you find the list useful. When you arrive at the camps I listed, say hello to all the other blogorinos there. Haha! Happy New Year to you, too!
It has been quite the year!! Thanks for taking us along for the ride. I have enjoyed all the pictures and commentary of places I probably will never see for myself.
Praying that 2017 will be a blessed year for you and Reggie
Lots of Love
Hi, Pauline!
Thank you for being a blogorino and the very best “big sister.”
To use one of Tawnya’s expressions, I love you to the moon! That goes for all the family… 🙂
Happy New Year Pauline!!!!
Very interesting to read this tally thank you. You found more dp/bd places than I could in Colorado.
Was fun comparing your lists to mine. Many same places different timing.
I spent $ more unfortunatly! Lol.
Happy New Year. Hope it will be a good one. Jan and the Salukis
Thank you and good morning, Jan and the Salukis!
At first my brain didn’t connect and then… Oh! It’s Jan and the Salukis, the woman with the kestral! How nice to hear from you again, Jan. I see you’re at Saddle Mountain, a good, free spot when crossing AZ.
Wishing you and your furred and feathered friends a healthy, safe, and wondrous 2017! Do keep in touch…
What a neat post!!! I immediately made a copy and I ntend to make full use of it next yeat. Thank you for this great gift!
You’re welcome, kgdan! Let me know if you meet a fellow blogorino at any of the camps I listed. I have this picture in my mind of a crowd of blogorinos gathered around a huge campfire…. 🙂
Well, I imagine you’re covered up in snow this morning…a winter wonderland outside your window…
Thank you for this helpful information. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into it. The pictures tell the story, too. Hope 2017 is another year of new adventures for you!
You’re welcome, Marcia. Thank you for being a part of my blog. Have a great year!
Thanks Sue for the info. We appreciate it. Oh, I also wanted to let you know that after 3 years of nagging my husband for a dog, we now have a little wirehair terrier mix. She is 1 yr old and the sweetest little member of our family. Thank you for your influence in making the decision to expand our family. Wish I could send you a pic.
That’s fantastic, Janet! I’m so happy for you and for your little terrier. I have a special place in my heart for terriers and sweet memories of a wire-haired terrier from years ago. She would push a soccer ball around the yard with her nose, pop it up into the air, jump up to meet it coming down, and bounce it off her nose, such fun to watch! Better than any soccer game!
Wire-haired terriers are great dogs. You and your husband did good. The love in your house has grown. 🙂
Thanks Sue. We found her at the animal shelter in 29 Palms CA. She is very friendly and loves all the grandchildren even the 10 month old who can be very hands on. Seems the more attention she gets the more she wants from them. Sure has changed our lives though, but for the better.
🙂
One of our awesome dogs was a mix of fox terrier and blue heeler…made her quite interesting looking and very intelligent…and easy to train…she did all sorts of tricks for our middle kid who spent the time training her. Your new doggie sounds just lovely!! So happy for you, Janet…maybe our day will come again eventually!! We hope so!!
How funny u mention the soccer ball chase. I had 2 fox terriers that did that. They were half time entertainment @ son’s soccer games! That for the itinerary post. Most helpful.
Hi Sue!
What an awesome post! I hope this info encourages more folks to get out there and experience “wild camping”. This is a great resource for wanna bees, newbies, and seasoned bees–like me. All the hard work you put in to accomplish this entry is much appreciated. Thank you.
I hope you make it easier on yourself to do this again in a year. Now is the time to start a new file on the ‘puter and begin by recording your mileage and then add each of your camps on a month by month basis as you travel. I just love ya for doing this for us, Sue.
Question: How do you differentiate between dispersed camping and boondocking?
Here’s hoping that the new year brings you and each of the blogerinos more blessings than you can imagine. Peace, good health, and joy to everyone in 2017.—Audrey
Hi, Audrey,
I enjoyed your enthusiastic comment! Thank you for the new year’s wish. I hope the same for you.
I started a “system” last year, old-fashioned as it may be. It serves several purposes. I use a 50-cent calendar from the Dollar Store (pics of butterflies!). It has one-inch squares for each day. I mark when we arrive at a camp and when we leave, also the price. I’ve started writing totals for camp fees and number of free days, too, right on the calendar, when it’s time to turn to a new page. This is a visual aid when I’m planning travel, too.
As for keeping mileage tallies, I seem to have a block or something. Several times I’ve set the odometer’s trip counter to zero when heading to a new camp and I have NEVER remembered to check it when we arrived! I get caught up in experiencing the day and mileage doesn’t interest me enough to remember.
How do I differentiate between dispersed camping and boondocking?
Dispersed camping to me is an area of free camping with no amenities (other than maybe a trash bin). No camp host. Campsites are not numbered, but the area may be recognized by an overseeing entity such as the forest service. People park their rigs wherever there’s a previously established site, identified by a fire ring. The area itself is “established” by frequent use over time. Examples are Ogilbie Rd, Winterhaven, CA or Coyote Wells, Wellton, AZ or Plumosa Road, Quartzsite, AZ.
Boondocking to me is a campsite away from the crowd, and often away from the usual travel routes of RVers. They usually require driving on narrow, dirt roads away from main roads, towns and residences. Boondocks are secluded and private with no close neighbors. No amenities at all.
I admit I blur the lines between dispersed and boondocking.
Happy new year! Nivrapa,
I’m glad you asked RVSue that Question! 🙂
Hi, RVSue,
Your description of the difference between dispersed camping and boondocking is very helpful to me Japanese. My head knew that, but I couldn’t put it into words in English. I added your description on my acient post. Tkank you.
14-Day Camping Area alongside of Ogilby and Sidewinder Rd
Plomosa Road 14-day Camping Area
I’ll be riding the Tour de Palm Springs on my road bicycle. My partner and I hiked the Palm Canyon yesterday with a hiking club. Very nice scenery. I sometimes imagine some of the places you’ve been when I look out at the landscape. Retirement is definitely agreeing with me. I’ll be spending some time routing your year as I find your adventures so fascinating. Thanks for the memories and more to come.
KOFA (Palm Cyn) is a pretty place. Good luck with the Tour de Palm Springs! I’m glad you’re enjoying retirement.
Thanks so much for this post. I’m another one filing this away. I had the same question about dispersed camping and boondocking sites.
I do have a question about the LTVA’s. On the BLM website, I only see a 2 week stay price and then the 7 month. So if one doesn’t buy the 7 month permit, is one able to stay longer than 2 weeks and just pay the daily rate? Also, can one buy a 7 month permit and travel among all the LTVA areas?
I’m still trying to get up my nerve to retire. I really would like to take a long late winter, early spring trip. Take care, Pat
Hi, Pat,
Regarding LTVA permits. There is no “daily rate” permit. You can buy a 2-week permit for $40. You can continue buying 2-week permits throughout the season. Of course, by the time you purchase five 2-week permits (5 x $40 = $200), it would be cheaper to buy the 7-month permit for $180.
You cannot apply money spent on 2-week permits toward the purchase of a 7-month permit. Also, you are allowed to camp at Midland LTVA for 2 or 3 days to try it at no charge. If you do like it and want to purchase a permit, the permit starts at the date you arrived.
Another consideration… The 2-week permit is for 14 consecutive days. The 7-month permit allows you to come and go as you please. For example — You can camp a month at the LTVA, leave to camp elsewhere for a while, return to the LTVA, later leave again, etc. throughout the season.
I hope this is clear. If not, feel free to ask more questions, Pat. As for retirement, I highly recommend it! 🙂
FYI
The “daily rate” permit sets for throughout the OFF season.
From April 16th through September 14th, the fee is $10 per vehicle for day-use, $15 per vehicle for overnight use, or $75 annually per vehicle at La Posa LTVA and Imperial Dam LTVA in AZ.
No “daily rate”(no cost) at Midland, Hot Spring, Pilot Knob, Tamarisk, Coon Hollow, Wiley’s Well and Mule Mountain LTVA during the OFF season.
Now, I can’t access the websites of BLM california from Japan.
Sorry for no links on above LTVAs in CA. Their websites are under renovation?
Thanks for the info on La Posa LTVA. I didn’t know there was a daily rate there during the off season. I’m only aware that Midland LTVA doesn’t have that in the off season.
According to the camp host here, the $40 for 2 week rate applies in the off-season. I can’t imagine anyone coming here in the summer!
Good Morning, RVSue,
I’ll go and camp there in the summer in the future. I wonder if a camp host is waiting there. 🙂
Good morning! No, there won’t be any camp host when the temperatures are over 110 degrees Fahrenheit. 🙂
The signage tower at the former Chevron GS (ARCO now), has showed 105 degrees when I visited Quartzsite, AZ on Sep. 17, 2013.
Photo of the thermometer
Have a good day! and I go to bed.
Sue, you’ve REALLY helped us out. THANKS SO MUCH!
You’re welcome, Andrea. Always happy to be a help!
WOW! This is a great post with a wealth of info for the folks who are out there and looking where to go. As I told you about a week ago (I think that’s when I first commented), I am just starting to look at whether nomadding is for me. I really don’t know and it will take a lot more research and soul-searching, of course. But a list like this is great to have.
I love the photos you used in this post. Mmm, that one of the cactus flowers! Gorgeous and frame-worthy. 🙂
Happy New Year! Can you believe it’s 2017! All the best…
Thanks, Diane, and Happy New Year!
If you like cactus blooms, do follow this link to this post from April 2016… It’s titled “Wow!”
I was stunned by the beauty all around us!
Good luck researching a life on wheels. It’s not for everyone, but for some it’s the only way we want to live. 🙂
Great camp🏕recap. Nice to see Bridget🐾 in August 😃
Thanks, Ronda. That was taken at Tucker Ponds, CO, a high-altitude place where people like to fish.
Bovines! Nothing else needs to be said.
Hahaha! I knew you’d appear, Susan!
First, I created a PDF of this information but don’t see that I’m able to post it. Anyone who wants it is free to email me. Ask RVSue for my email address.
Second, here is a really stupid question. I’ve been busy downsizing and purging. Got rid of a lot of shoes – hope I never have an occasion to need to wear a pair of heels again. But then I got to thinking about what good footwear is for a nomad. Surely athletic shoes, flip flops and (for me anyway) lightweight hikers. But what about Crocs and slippers? Do you wear them or are they superfluous?
Dumb question finished. 🙂
Lori… Please clarify what you mean by “this information” in your first sentence. I removed your email address. Occasionally I become aware of some really creepy people reading my blog and, believe me, you don’t want to hear from them.
No questions are stupid… The number of shoes and types of shoes depend upon how a person RVs. For me, less is better because I don’t want shoes kicking around on my floor or using precious storage space. No crocs, no slippers.
I have a pair of KEEN hiking shoes and a pair of KEEN sandals. The sandals are waterproof so they double as wading shoes. The sandals also serve as slippers. I simply slip my stockinged feet into them without bothering to bring the back part up around my heel. I have shoes meant for swimming that I wear when taking a shower. They’re the crushable kind you can find at Wal-Mart (in season) for a few bucks.
My Bearpaw boots were nice to have. The sole split on one of them from walking on rocks in the desert. I won’t replace them. Two pairs of shoes are enough for me because I don’t go places where dressing up is appropriate.
If you want to look nice in restaurants, places of worship, potential weddings/graduations/etc. you may want more shoes than what I have.
Yeah, after I posted I wondered whether that was a good idea. By “this information” I meant that I took your post about your 2016 camps and put it into a pdf. It was easier for me to print and keep that way.
Ima check out Keens. Thanks. I need something I can easily slip on. Don’t mind lace-ups for when I’m walking/hiking (can’t really call what I do hiking) but when I just have to step out for a minute or I’m lounging around, I’d rather have something I can just slip into.
Sue, love the list…I have been tracking your sites since you left GA…I have been tracking on Google Earth with a different colored camper icon for each year…I was telling my co-workers about the wonderful site I found searching for info on Rat Terriers…one of them suggested pinning a map once you started your travels…downloaded Google Earth that evening and voila…I have used the street view to help us (Partner really enjoyed this part) to visualize the areas (only regret she had – not learning about this type of activity earlier (before health issues took over our lives)…this time last year, we were going back to favorite places using both Google Earth and your blogs…Enjoyment Plus…
I seemed to recall a discussion once you had with a Fellow blogorino that he used Google Maps to map your adventures but I had already been using Earth and didn’t want to redo the earlier years..
I am keeping a copy of your list along with the earlier Money lists (understanding they are not realistic for 2017)…once I have my both of my total knees completed, I am considering a Casita…see those places that Partner came to love through your eyes and the antics of your Crew…and the blogorinos – weather, Rusty, AZJim, cinandjules, Geri and all the Others…our window to the Westereen USA.
Happy New Year Sue, Reggie and blogorinos!
Deena and Miss Mollie
Hi, Deena and Miss Mollie,
Love how you and your partner have enjoyed this blog and our travels. You’ve been an active reader for a long time! Thanks for that!
I look forward to hearing more about your plans (Best wishes for the knee work you’re having done!) for a rig and travel. I don’t know how much camping or traveling by road you’ve done in the past, whether you’ve seen the West or not… Whatever the case, you’ll surely love it! I can tell that by the sustained interest you’ve had in riding along with us. 🙂
Happy New Year to you, too!
Wow! Different colored icon markers for each year? That’s the kind of hyper-organization that I love. I bow to you! 🙂
LOL, thanks Lori. I was highly detailed when working as a surgical scrub technician (20 years) and hospital surgical equipment/supply purchaser (20 years). The fact is that sometimes we wanted to see what Sue’s pathways for multiple years would appear on the earth and sometimes she goes back to an area and so different colors became necessary so we would try to not overlap the icons completely to see more than one. Each site is labeled with site name and arrival date. It is a habit that I do before I read comments. I just might order those Benchmarks to help me see the terrain better.
Keeps dementia at bay, crocheting keeps arthritis bearable an Miss Mollie keeps weight down and heart happy. Have a good day Lori…
Gosh, Deena, I want that! “Each site is labeled with site name and arrival date.” What a keepsake!
Interesting to find someone else who has found crocheting helps keep arthritis bearable!! Deena, loved the way you keep dementia at bay too!!
Get healthy and get goin….Great. My neighbor had both knees done and it was rough at first but now he is happy and active. I wish you the same fate, Deena and Happy New Year….
Thank you for the thought & effort in compiling the list for us. If we decide to go west we have a handy locator. We’re ready to boondock, got our solar panels installed. Saved a lot, we’re in Galveston & found them on Craig’s list. Panels, inverter etc, someone took them off their boat & we were fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. Hubby installed himself. Have fun. Hugs to Reggie.
You’re welcome, Nancy,
Wow! You and your husband did great! That’s definitely a right-time/right place situation. Congratulations on your new solar panels, already installed…. and also for being “ready to boondock!”
Are you camping in Galveston? Do you have any plans where you will go? If you don’t want to answer, that’s okay. 🙂
You inspire me, this is awesome!
More boondocking please… Oh! I was speaking to myself.
Happy New Year to you & the Reggie Man!
Hugs
Thanks! Same to you, Vicki & Kitty!
Nice list you made Sue…even though we personally cannot use it yet…it is nice to have on here…maybe one day!! LOVE all the cows on the header!! That would make a great photo to hang above a sofa in my opinion!! Cows are very funny creatures…curious more than cats really!!
The cows would be looking over your shoulder on the couch. 🙂 Hi, Elizabeth!
Oh my goodness. This is so much better than the notes I have scrawled!!! Thank you so much. I am afraid I have been getting them mixed up with the camping spots from 2012. I am just finishing up reading that year. What a glorious adventure!! I’ve been reading all the comments and learn so much from them. Thank you, Sue, for sharing your life. I so look forward to your posts.
You’re welcome, Barbara. Yeah, 2012 was one heck of a year!
Hah hah! Your new header made me laugh!
I remember when that happened! Do you remember when one rubbed along the side of the BLT? Or the one giving you the Ole stink eye! And Spike the criminal chasing them away?
Too funny!
Hi, Cinandjules,
I finally found the old post contained the header photo ; “menacing chorus line of cattle.”
What is this anyway? The Chisholm Trail? April 1, 2014
Or when Spike realized his BEEF bone was lying between the cattle line and the blue mat and he ran out and got it?
Quite silly wasn’t he?
Love it! Did you make a similar list for each or is this the first time to compile a list for a whole year. I have made missed the money list as well. I pored over it often when it was up. Naturally there will be different amounts according to lifestyles and timing but helpful nonetheless.
This is the first year I’ve made a list like this one.
AMAZING! You really put a lot of effort in this post and by the Blogerino’s responses, it was well appreciated! It was fun going back to those places in my mind as I read the names! Thanks !!
You’re welcome, Geri. 🙂
Hi, Sue,
It sounds like you had a nice quiet holiday. I wish you peace, safe travels, and beautiful scenery for all of the new year.
It’s been a quiet time for me, so I haven’t been commenting but have certainly been following along! This information is excellent, though we don’t currently boondock, you have been staying places where there are the basic necessities, i.e. restrooms and water. I too will be printing it out.
Thank you for all the work, and the jaunt down memory lane, that it took to compile this list.
Kitt
You’re welcome, Kitt….Thanks for the wish– I hope the same for you!
Happy New Year Sue.
Wishing you a wonderful 2017!
Phil
Hi, Phil! Thanks and may this year be great for you!
Happy New Year to you, Sue and Reggie –
Thank you for your concise listing of where you have camped in 2016! Very nice to have that in one place.
Just catching up on reading your posts and comments. Now I am back in Missouri City, TX for a while. I have a knee that needs attention, so not sure when I can get out there and enjoy the solitude like you do.
Happy Trails in 2017!
Pamelab
Thank you for the great list, looks like you had another wonderful year.