I love looking at a map.
I love to run my finger along a route through places of interest, across mountains, valleys, and national forests, over state lines, tracing rivers and scenic roads, pausing at possible boondocks and campgrounds, until arriving at a dream destination. Lounge-chair route planning is a relaxing pastime and usually fun.
Photos in this post were taken at Pahranagat Lake Wildlife Refuge and didn’t make the first cut for previous posts. They have nothing to do with what I’m writing about today.
However, planning a camp move is not always easy.
Ever so often in my travels I arrive at a time and place of indecision. That’s where I am right now.
For the past few days I’ve studied the Nevada Benchmark atlas backwards and forwards, trying to determine the best route to take from here.
Nevada is a tricky state to cross!
By that I mean, gosh, there are whole pages in my atlas that don’t show one campground. Some pages only show straight roads with a “town,” the name in such small print that it can’t be much more than a bump in the road.
Speaking of bumps in the road . . .
Elevation is important. For instance, Bridget, Reggie and I are presently in Pahranagat Lake Campground a few miles south of Alamo, Nevada.
I want to go north or west from here. Looking at a map, the area around Pioche, Nevada is north of here and about the distance I like to drive when moving camp. Oh, this looks good. We’ll go to Pioche. I like the sound of that.
I check weather reports and elevations online. Uh-oh.
Let’s use this coming Monday as an example.
The high for Monday in Alamo, elevation 3,449 feet, is predicted to be 77 degrees, the low 48. Nice. A drive to Pioche, Nevada, is an easy, relaxed, hour-and-a-half from here. A typical RVSue camp move. Not very far and no stress.
I investigate and see that Pioche’s elevation is 6,060 feet, and the high is 65 with a low of 38. Not horrible but too cold. Not what makes for a pleasant potty run at 4 in the morning.
And it’s only March. Where do we go from there?
Spring is a tricky month for full-timers who camp like I do.
The weather can be a heaven-sent angel one day and a demon from hell the next. Temperatures go up and down. Balmy and calm on Tuesday, windstorm on Wednesday, Armageddon on Thursday.
More so in a desert basin.
When you’re in the Great Basin of North America, each decision at a fork in the road has consequences that aren’t easily undone. Turn left and face 200 miles of nothing or bad road or . . . Tonopah.
Turn right and camp in the road.
That’s because there aren’t any campgrounds and not even access to places to boondock. The map tells me we’re dealing with flat sand or mountains of bare rock. Abandoned mines and private ranches.
Or a route looks okay, but it ends up in . . . God help us, one and all . . . Reno.
I hate Reno.
Sure, you say, just drive 200 miles each day for a couple days and get the heck outta’ there. Well, I say, people who drive like that usually have another person with them to share the breaking of camp, the fixing of meals, and the sharing of set-up work at the end of the day’s trail.
I don’t do long hauls. I don’t hurry. I mosey. And one needs a place to camp at the end of each day!
This sounds like whining.
Not so. I’m exaggerating to explain the challenge of traveling and camping along the way in spring. This is the stuff that makes living full-time on the road interesting! Fulfilling! Memorable!
Just imagine the engine dying on the loneliest road in America, for instance. What? Not on your bucket list?
Kidding! I’m kidding.
One adjustment I’ve made is our destination. Originally I was going for the big trees of California this spring. I’ve decided to postpone that to our trek southward in the fall.
Searching my heart I realize where I truly want to go this travel season is . . .
The Pacific Northwest!
I want to return to where rivers run clear and cold and forests are dark and deep, where the ocean waves crash and foam and make me laugh for no reason, where the fruit is juicy sweet, bountiful, and absolutely divine.
Now . . . to figure how I want to go there!
rvsue
NOTE: This post is what is known as tongue-in-cheek. I’m not looking to be bombarded with route suggestions from well-meaning readers. It’s more fun if you don’t know how the road will go, right? Enjoy riding along with us!
THANK YOU, RVSUE SHOPPERS!
I appreciate you using the links or search box on my blog to go to Amazon. Here are some of the items purchased recently by readers:
Camco Pop-A-Bowl (White)
Coleman 12 x 10 Instant Screened Canopy
Reversible Colorful Cat Quilt Multi Full/Queen
Bernie Mev Cat Walk Multi Material Sandals
DEWALT 1/2-Gallon 18-Volt Cordless Wet/Dry Vac
Level Life Diabetes Management Protein Shake, Milk Chocolate
Waves at Rialto Beach, Washington, Summer 2013
