Tuesday, March 27

The crew and I move to a new camp!

Fun times!

One aspect of full-time boondocking with solar power and everything we need in the Best Little Trailer and Perfect Tow Vehicle is exploring and discovering new campsites.  It’s such fun to find a beautiful spot to claim as home.

I can’t imagine ever losing the thrill of finding and moving into the perfect boondock.

After six-going-on-seven years of traveling around the western states, camping on national forest land, Bureau of Land Management land, at national monuments, recreation areas, and conservation areas, plus campgrounds, state parks, and occasionally a commercial RV park, we’ve camped in a lot of special places, from the grand to the small.

Quite naturally I return to favorites.

Arriving at a familiar camp may not be as exciting as when we first traveled here, but it’s still fun to pick a campsite.

Returning to a former camp gives the fun or pleasure — maybe comfort is the best word — of knowing the place where we will spend the night and probably stay for the next two weeks.  As we approach, I know what to expect, what to seek, and what to avoid.  I don’t have to figure out where to get water or other necessities.

It’s easy.

Yes, it’s comfortable to return to Las Cienegas National Conservation Area.

West entrance to Las Cienegas from Route 83 about 8 miles north of Sonoita and about 20 miles south of Interstate 10, southeast of Tucson, Arizona

We enter on the west side and turn right at the stop sign.

A washboard-y road takes us to Cieneguita Campground, a collection of free campsites off a spur road cutting through grass and between mesquite.

Why go to a campground when there are boondocks to be had?

Well, that is my usual attitude.  

In the case of Cieneguita,  I’ve camped here before and it doesn’t make a whole lot of difference whether to pick a campsite or to boondock.  The campsites are far enough apart and so well concealed from each other that one gets that boondocking feeling.

I have no difficulty finding a nice spot.

Yes, I like this one!

See the first photo — It’s a big, pull-through dotted with mesquite trees.  Of course, the site is an island in a sea of blond grass.

I position the BLT where it’s level, side-to-side and front-to-back.  (Love it when I can do that!)  I also make sure the door and outdoor room side faces the rising sun.  Mornings have been chilly lately and it will be nice to step out into that warmth.

Unlike my usual practice on a moving day, we didn’t break camp until after lunch.  By the time I let Reggie and Roger out of the PTV at our new home, they’re overdue for a long walk.

The crew will not be denied!

Off we go!

They’re both super excited, of course, running hither and yon, darting off the road, sniffing and back-kicking . . .

. . . marking territory, pulling on the tether, and even stopping for a bit of play, exhilarated by the cool breeze and the thrill of a new place.

I’m always curious what birds can be seen at a new camp.

The fading who-h00-h00-hoo coming from the grass tells me this is roadrunner country.

A Vermillion Flycatcher alights on a mesquite branch for a moment and then is gone.  (Shucks! No chance of a photo!)

A junco-like bird, mostly black, scratches the ground and disappears behing a mound of burrows (gophers?).

Maybe I’ll get some bird pics before we leave this camp.  I bet that roadrunner will pay us a visit.  

By the time we’re home, the sun is low. 

The air temperature is dropping the way it does in the desert late in the day.

I put the interior of the BLT in order.  Once that’s done I set out two bowls of kibble for the hungry boys and begin fixing my own supper.

Lunch was a salad of green leaf lettuce, seedless cucumbers (Those little ones — I like to slice ’em up unpeeled), grape tomatoes, avocado slices, and chicken chunks with raspberry vinaigrette.  Tasty but not exactly stick-to-the-ribs food.

I’m hungry!

For an early supper . . . .

I slap down two small tortillas and plaster them down the center with a strip of Rosarita’s “low fat refried black beans”.  Next I open a can of Old El Paso whole green chili peppers (seeded).

One pepper covers the strip of beans perfectly.  On top of the pepper goes cheddar cheese (what I happen to have on hand).

I fold the two tortillas up, burrito style. 

It’s too windy this time of year for the griddle.  Instead I use my new, cast iron skillet. With a bit of olive oil in the pan, the refried-beans-green-chili-cheese burritos brown up in no time.

I take them to the table under the back window.  (Sorry, too hungry to think of taking a photo).

A simple supper, filling and oh-so-good.    

One of the benefits of living alone is reading while eating without being rude to anyone. Reg and Rog certainly don’t care as long as they get a bite or two of burrito.

Now. . . munch-munch . . .  let’s see what’s going on at the blog . . . .

rvsue

NOTE:  Ever wonder what you would do if you’re in a secluded area by yourself and your vehicle won’t start?  Maybe it has happened to you.

You can read about such a predicament in the March 26, 2016 post, “The screwdriver angel.”  — Sue

THANK YOU FOR VISITING MY BLOG!

To see a few of the products recently purchased by readers or to browse and shop, follow any of these links to Amazon:

Aromatherapy Oil Diffuser
Coghlan’s Pop-Up Camp Trash Can
Men’s Belted Messenger Cargo Short
Outdoor Carry Bag for Portable Grills
One-Touch Electric Coffee Bean Grinder
DreamSpa 3-way Multi-Shower Slide Bar

        The full moon in March at Las Cienegas NCA two years ago

~ ~ ~

 RVSue and her canine crew is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.