Making Time... Going Nowhere... RV Boondocked on the Kaibab

Still, hidden in the Junipers south of Ash Fork. Yes sir... the budget is racing to catch up! :o) Yup... at $6 bucks a night we're not paying anybody and with the truck having not moved in more than a day and a half... and so, NOT burning any diesel... we might get caught up...

But... knowin' who's tellin' this story... I'd sure not go makin' any hefty bets on that.

Fact is... Arizona just might could be the best "spot" in the country for boondockers. I use the maps published by each National forest. They show where NF roads turn off the black top and go back in. With a decent set of those, a person should be able to keep legal with the 14 day limit "stuff" and still not spend one red cent on "Parking Fees" the whole dang winter! Just move 25 miles every two weeks and you're golden!

Once we get past the family visits and the Colorado Christmas run... I'm schemin' to make just that effort. That should take some of the strain off our budget... as well as our tuckered out Ol' Rig! ... though... with that much time, settin' in the sun... that big Red, Yamaha Raider is likely to be gettin' a lot of exercise.

We are burning propane a lil' quicker than the budget needs us to. A quick moving front rustled through at least the North end of Arizona the last day or two... with the temps last night dipping below 20... Don't know where Mark an' Bobbie are at, in their quest for some warm... but I'm thinkin' they may need to get south of Sedona to find it! :o)

*Winter Storm Brewing Over the Kaibab*

Ok... it ain't something that calls up memories of blizzards... but ya know what? If this is as bad a snow as I've got to deal with any more? I'll take it! Mark and Bobbie can have all that roof shoveling they want :o) Me? I'll take the; "Aw, just have another cup of coffee... it'll be gone in an hour!" and SMILE!

*Early Winter Arizona Snow*

Then of course... in Arizona... anything that brings in a cloud or two... just provides a canvas for the Color show in the evenings...

*Arizona Sunset goin' RV Boondocking!*

Yeah... I know... it's a tough job... don't know if I'm up to it... but I'll give 'er a hard run!

*Snow on the Arizona Range*

*Arizona ain't good for Everybody*

 Don't know for sure, but I'm guessin' this fella ain't gonna brag about the healthful benefits of the dry Arizona air! :o)

A really good thing 'bout this past week for me is that I finally, got my disreputable butt back to work on my Next Writing Project. Yup... started out this week with only about 2500 words of my next literary masterpiece put down, and hadn't worked on it in a few months...

Well... the past three days... that file's gotten a lot thicker... The story has swelled up over 14,000 words... and a few new twists popped up that even, I, didn't see coming! After having that conversation with Rex Thanksgiving day, something he said must have poked my writing parts... 'cause I've been squeezin' the juice out of the inverter to keep this laptop hummin' ever since! :o) Thanks Rex!

I think more people will like my upcoming story than my ebook, "A Matter of Honor". Honor, being set in 1875, and a regular Louis La'Mour kind of Western has a fairly narrow niche of readers... This next one, that for now we'll just call "Cocaine"... is current time tale... Quite a bit "grittier"... and I guess you'd call it an Action/Suspense... still a lot of the "West" in it... but that west is struggling along, trying to survive as it gets drug into the Modern world... having to deal with not only the West... but.. the East too! ... it's a fun story to write... so many more bits and pieces... Suh-Wheet! :o)

Keep goin' like this and it'll be a done deal some time after new years... so... I guess I better go take my mid day walk... fire up the coffee pot... and get back to Tap Tap Tappin' on the key board...

gotta get her/him/them into and out of... more Trouble! :o)

Boondocking and Story Spinning... somewhere in the West
Brian

9 weeks on the Road... Lessons Learned

OK... sitting here in the Kaibab... not moving for a few days... thinking about the last few months...

So... I gotta go clear back to July... long about the middle of the month... We started with a roll down to Mark and Bobbie's for the wildflower celebration... broke the truck... had to replace the radiator when we got back... as I prepared to leave on the Raider for my Alaskan Highway run.

Ran from Fort Collins to Denali... 9,000 miles give or take in 28 days... got back from there... did some more work on the truck to prepare for the final "Leaving" and pulled out on the 24th of September... for who the hell knows where!

Now, here we sit in the Kaibab on the 27th of November, having rolled on two wheels or 8... something over 16,000 miles since July.

Now... that ain't really a "goin' slow" sort of travelin'... is it? :o) I guess I had a terrible Itch built up that needed scratchin'.

So... what has all that Gypsy runnin' learnt me?

 Well... one is that though I don't regret movin' along... reality is, we can't sustain that sort of mileage, and so, the past few weeks we've been slowin' down considerable. Moving fewer miles 'tween camps... and stayin' put a mite longer. Neither our wants or our wallet can keep that earlier sort of movin' goin'.

From the diesel to the tires... rollin' that much is gonna cost. I know for some, it ain't no big deal... just cut the check... but not so for us... Those blown tires, broken brakes, and even the generator addition... put a kink in the budget... so... we'll be slowin' up considerable... till Christmas... and then after.

Like I said, I don't regret the miles... not even a little... just... can't keep that rate goin'... and don't really want to. Time to set some really long camps... and roll the Raider more!

#2 in my Lessons learned, is the rig itself. Though some have voiced the question to us "How could we even live in a rig the size we have"... we've discovered... having had the seeds of such thoughts sown by Mark and Bobbie! :o) that we'd really like an RV that's considerably smaller than our 30' Fiver.

Now... I don't know that, that is gonna happen any time in the real close up future... again, with a banjo tight budget, we can't just run out and get it done... but it's something real clear in our thinking... for if and when the opportunity presents.

Along the way on this jaunt, we found several spots, we'd have liked to pull into and stay... but they just wouldn't allow me to squeeze our modest sized fifth wheel in... That and let's face it... a lighter RV rig, goin' down the road translates into easier... and easier is called less stress... and ain't that one of the biggies a lot of us are after? ... so we'll just hang that lil' stickie note in our brains... and wait to see what happens...

#3 on the list is maybe the camps we've used... We're full up Boondocked now, here on the Kaibab National Forest... but on through Utah, Washington, Oregon and California... we mostly used National Forest Camps.

... and we used camps we'd NOT use, in the summertime. Hit those suckers then and they'll be wall to wall people... But, in the off season? besides often better prices... that I get to cut in half again with my "Access Card" :o) ... you get the camps all to yourself! Much of the time we've had camps where the only other rig in the campground was the Camp Host... They may be 100 site locations... but when there's only two rigs parked... it's pretty dang private... and for the $3.50 to $8 bucks they were costing... it put us well under budget...

Now... we're catching the budget back up $6 a day quicker...'cause dispersed camping/RV Boondocking on the National Forest don't cost Nuthin'! :o)

#4... The hard ALLURE floor I put in last winter... has worked super. Got a few scratches in it... learning to make sure it was swept well... and properly positioning the support slides I built, before bringin' the slide in... but the ease of cleaning up after the dogs... and us... is so HUGELY easier with a simple sweeping and swifter mopping... then trying to clean a carpet...

#5... and... the Generator is a BIG one. Trying to go without one was a mistake. The solar panels we have, being only part of the original number planned are just insufficient to keep up. Adding that Champion Generator was a GOOD, Stress relieving choice!

I'm sure there's other things I've learned in the last 9 weeks... that escape me just now... but... it's kind of nice to know... I still can be taught... sometimes...


Boondocked on the Kaibab
Brian

Boondocked on the Kaibab

We left Sequoia bound for Lost Wages, and a meet up with Rex Kusler. He's the Mystery Writer responsible for getting me to put my books on Smashwords and Amazon... wanted to share a cup of coffee and a conversation in person!

With the thought we'd make a visit, first, for a couple days, to the Mohave Preserve just a touch east of Barstow... We left Lake Kaweah and moved SE... but like is often our way... as we rolled along, our plans changed with the wind that was blowin'!

For one, the area just didn't appeal to us... and second... the wind WAS blowin'! Somehow, I just didn't think that parkin', even if it is boondocking, in a sand box... in windy weather was likely to keep me a Happy Camper... so we took the route that's open to all Rolling Gypsy's... we kept rolling until we did find somewhere to roost for a  bit... knowing also that this place would be where we'd be spending Thanksgiving...

Ended up at a place on the banks of Lake Mohave known as Cottonwood Cove. For five bucks, it made a good camp for three nights.

One thing about a lot of these camps we've been using is; We don't usually use such as these. Reason being, in the summer they're gonna be crowded, noisy, setups that just don't fit my view of how I want to roll. But, in the late fall/winter? Hey, when you got a location with a hundred or so spots, and there's only you and the camp host in the whole dang thing... makes a pretty private deal... and you still have the outhouses, water spigot...etc...

So... in the summer, I'll work harder at finding the less used places, and/or straight up Boondocking sites.

Thanksgiving was a pretty fancy deal. I did the grillin'... Heidi did the mashed potatoes, stuffing and salad... and we had our little Feast.

Yeah, yeah, I know... but does it really matter that This bird said cluck cluck... rather than... gobble gobble?

So... with our Thanksgiving Day meal cooked, ate and the dishes put away by 1pm we headed for Primm to meet Rex and his Lady... and discovered a little trivia...

When you're camped along the west side of Lake Mohave... the signal is so poor it's unusable... but... apparently, that signal you do get is coming from Arizona... though ya still be, in Nevada... 'cause as you pull up away from the Lake... your phone (which we use for a watch) loses an hour... Yup... we left the lake at 1 pm.. thinking an hour to Primm... an hour for me to do my Thanksgiving Day post and meet up at 3! ... only ... not so far west of the lake... our phones suddenly said it was... Noon! :o) ... Sheesh... that's the earliest we Ever ate on Thanksgiving! :o)

So... something to keep in mind... if you're camped along the river(The Colorado)... and have appointments in Nevada or California somewhere... You're likely on Arizona time! ... worst case?... you'll be early for your appointment!

Yesterday, we packed it up and came east, bound for Phoenix at the end of next week. Now I'm getting into country I'm a lot more familiar with... so it was some easier to find a nice camp for some straight up RV Boondocking...

*RV Boondocking on the Kaibab National Forest*

 Along about 50 miles west of Flagstaff is Ash Fork. If you turn south there, you're almost immediately in the Kaibab National forest, and below that, the Prescott. Slow down so you can make the turn when it comes up... and turn up one of those Forest roads...

Not so far off the road you'll find nice spots to spend the night... or a week.

We've a nice camp, set in the Junipers... altitude is a little cool... 4 or 5thousand feet I suppose... but, it's quiet... and private here in the Junipers... there's what I take to be a hunting camp north of us a 1/4 mile or so... but those boys were only heard when they puttered by out on the forest road coming back from their day in the woods...

*View from my 'office' window*

 It ain't spectacular... but... sometimes... most times, just a simple, quiet view is what a fella needs... and this lil' Arizona hideout in the Junipers is what does me fine right now...

... and if it don't rain we can even get out! :o) as it is... if it does rain?... we'll need to wait a bit, for the ground to firm up enough to get the half mile or so back to the hwy! :o)

We've got to be in Phoenix on the 4th... Till then, I think we'll take the Dodge and do a lil' back roading... do a lil' relearning of this country... I've not been here in 10 years or better... used to chase wild cows in the Bradshaws 40 miles or so, south of here... But I was young and purty then!... and Arizona had less than 2 million people in it! now it's nigh on to three times that count...

whew! Time flies and things change don't they?

Enjoying an Arizona Morning
Brian

Thanksgiving Day Thoughts

Just finished our Thanksgiving Day meal... and got to wondering; How many people actually, on this day, contemplate their good fortune?

 On this day of family, fine meals, cold beer and football, just how many truly think about how blessed they are, and from where their good fortune is derived.

I'm sure the pacifists will claim it comes from their gentle ways. The Journalist, from his fine philosophies, and the Farmer, of course, it's the fruit of his bountiful harvest.

From where I stand, they're all wrong.

It comes from the Truth, and Reality that somewhere, sometime... another fought, and suffered, and died... to create and preserve the environment in which their pacifism, and free speech and fine farming... could exist.

Somewhere today, they suffer and die... for... US...

Men and Women... like my Friend, SSGT Eric Zwetzig, "Z", now serving in one of the Hell holes to which we send our finest.

On this day I think of what it's like to be in such a place... far from home and family. In an evil, cruel place. Wanting only... to go home.

May God Bless him, and keep him... and all the others like Z., and bring them home... so we can, one day, have a truly Wondrous, Thanks Giving.

So... on this day... I ask... you to remember our Vets, Living and Dead, active duty and retired... and remember what has been said about them; "A Vet is a person, who at some point in their lives. wrote a blank check, payable to the United States of America, for any amount, up to and including... Their lives."

Give Thanks, to all those... who suffered so much... to give us... So Much.

Take Good Care "Z"
... and come Home.
Brian

RV Boondocking? or Wally Docking? or Casino Camping or? ad nauseum...

What's all the noise about? and really... Why bother worryin' about it in the first place!?

I've gotten some comments/mail recently with folks all fired up about... "Boondocking"... whether I'm doin' it "Right" or talkin' about it "Wrong"...

Sheesh! Ever'body gettin' their shorts... all  knotted up tight... over whether this or that is "real" boondocking... or "Proper" Boondocking...

Lighten up folks... 'cause, when that BBW gets to singin'... who really cares? just how much does it really matter?

Ya know, I'm kinda curious, 'cause I've never met him... who ever got set up as the Great RV Boondocking High Priest with the rights to tell ever'body else... What's What... anyhoo?

It was, as sure as God made Cows after he made Cowboys, 'cause he thought there oughta be at least one critter dumber than a cowboy... Not me!

I mean... my purpose is NOT, and never has been, to tell Anyone how they had to live... or how they couldn't...

It's not been to try and live for free... Sure, finding some free sites along the way is nice... makes room in the budget for when the opportunity to use some nice sites... that cost a bit more, present themselves...

What I'm about is NOT trying to eliminate having ANY people around me either...

What sense does that make? How am I gonna learn what I don't know... and why even bother... if there ain't anybody around, to learn from... or share what I've learned with?

So, having a few folks around is good... being buried under a belly to butt crowd of humanity... is bad! :o)

I prefer to travel SLOW... but sometimes... I travel FAST... Why should That be a problem? Where was it said you can ONLY do it this way... or that? When did I sign up for some ridgid... can't do it any other way... way of going? I don't remember that...

Actually... it's just THAT... that I've been struggling against... ain't it? :o) The Idea, the lame IDEA... that there's only one, ridgid way to do anything... and that some folks are gonna try and claim that they've got the authority to dictate that One Way to you...

Do you get the idea that I don't take Dictation very well? :o)

Sometimes... I don't have the slightest sliver of an idea... of what the hell I'm doin'! I don't know what the hell is goin' on sometimes... till I have the time to look back... and see what happened!

What's my point?... My point is... My "Purpose"... is to LIVE... not spend all my time worryin' about how to define it! or even worryin' about where I'm goin'... I'm trying to shed the rules that have been imposed on me... without ever even being asked about it... and get comfortable... with simply enjoying each step of the trip...

I'll get to the end of the journey, soon enough. I just don't need to see where that end is... right now...

That said, what -I- call "RV Boondocking" ... only has one real purpose... to simplify and keep in line with my income... the necessities of stayin' alive! Shelter, food, heat, and my laptop! :o) ... So that I can be left with, the maximum amount of time... away from collecting those necessities... to go out and actually LIVE!

 ... I'm NOT here, in the way I live now... 'cause tinkering with a rig... doing constant maintenance... thinking about what the newest and most advanced rigs are all the time... is my joy...

RV Boondocking... or whatever YOU want to call it... is just the way... the TOOL I'm trying to use... to make, the process of living, an easier, simpler thing... It just seems that some folks have a need to complicate "things"... and that's an affliction, I've struggled against... pretty much as long as I can remember...

I mean... I'm one of those fellas who can turn pouring water out of a boot... into a major operation! :o) Don't Do It! ... Just stop... take a breath... and don't lose the trees in the "Forest"!

I don't know if that clears up anything for folks or not... likely just adds another log on the fire... Oh Well... 'least we'll be warm!

and as to what RV Boondocking actually is?... folks been argufyin' over that for so long it's... well, all that steam and noise... it's gettin' nigh on to Borrrrrriiiinnnng!

Look... anything I say here... is just... my... opinion. I don't recall ever claiming to be some sort of an expert at much O' Nuthin'... 'cept gettin my butt into one fix after another... with alarming regularity!

This here site/blog was started to tell a story of our journey to the road... all the mistakes we'd make along the way... the victories... the Joys... and hopefully... be useful to anyone who finds it... comin' along behind us...

So... one... more time... My Opinion! ... RV Boondocking is... Living in a rig... an RV... without electric hookup... without water hookup... without sewer hookup... "Self Contained" as much as you can be in this world... somewhere out in some far country...

As far as I'm concerned... whether that be in a Forest Service Camp... a National Park Camp... or hidden out in undeveloped camp sites in dispersed camping areas on National Forest land or BLM...  it's ALL Boondocking...

I've Never said, that I remember... and if I did... I was mistaken... that it has to be FREE... Free is good... but I'm not gonna get my shorts in a knot chasing that dog. Talking about Free or Paid... is talking about economics... Not, RV Boondocking...

Continuing on with my rambling...

I have said... and I'll say it again now... I don't consider stopping at WalMart... or a Casino Lot... or hiding out in a Safeway parking lot... "stealth camping" ... to be Boondocking... To me... that's Stopping. It's Parking.

But, AGAIN... that's just my opinion of it. Ya'll can call it any dang thing you want to! That's YOUR opinion, and you've got a double chromed right to it!

I'm not gonna argue the point. There just ain't no profit in it... just wasted time and effort...

What I am gonna be doin is gettin' out runnin' the roads on my Raider... Pushin' my wore out Ol' butt up steep Colorado Trails.. tryin' like hell... and failing most likely, to keep up with Mark and Bobbie! :o)

I'm gonna get out, and do my best to capture all the LIVIN' possible... of that which My Opinion of what RV Boondocking is, affords me!

Now there was a disjointed, rambling, divertin' off on wild tangents, Cowboy Sermonizing, Tirade iffn I ever heard one!

RV Boondocking, Wally Docking, Casino Camping, Road side parking, and Soap Box Preachin', my way...
through what's left... of the rest of my life!
Brian

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Sequoia National Park... and the Right Time of Year... Again!

Most ever'body goes to the "Big" Attractions all summer long... and all they see... is what ever'body else sees... Me? I make that mistake every once in a while. I tried that once last summer... took me three hours to go five miles across Yellowstone! :o) ... all because of One... single... mediocre... Buffalo Bull... takin' a nap alongside the road...

*Sequoia National Park - North Gate*

Sequoia National Park, beautiful as it is... and as close as it is to twenty billion Californians... I'm guessing is nigh on to impassible in the summertime... a fella like me would need a bucket of Valium to tolerate that much jabberin' in a day!

Sheesh... even now... we were walkin' up the path... comin' back to the rig from takin' a look-see at the Sherman Sequoia... the absolute biggest living thing on Earth I guess...

There was a Guy... 150... maybe 200 yards behind us... and I could clearly hear... every word of the conversation from HIS side of the conversation he was having with a girl I took to be his daughter... and folks... this Ol' Buster has Artillery Ears... know what I mean?

Lordy... what is it, that makes some people think that the only way to talk... is at the top of your lungs? and in a place that's, to me... more like a true Church... than anything built by a man? I remember thinkin'... what would it be like with that... times a thousand... in the summer! and this lil' tirade is comin' from a guy that's ALSO known as being less-than-quiet... so... I know what the devil I'm talkin' 'bout here! :o)

When you're in Church folks... shhhh... Boyo Boy! Was this Ol' Cowboy Biker glad he was here in November! :o)

I'd hoped to take the Raider through the park... but with weather comin' in... something told me to take something with doors and a roof... so we climbed in the Dodge instead... turned out to be a wise choice... occasionally, I'm lucky enough to make one of those. 

So... we left the Horse Creek camp, built by the U.S. Army, Corps at Lake Kaweah, just above Lemon Grove... and turned up Dry Creek road to get to the top end of Sequoia. (To also miss the construction on the lower end that would be shut down... by the time we got there in the afternoon)

Now that's a pretty road... 'bout a lane and a half... and I made herself drive! hee hee... ranches and cattle along the way... If I had a jillion dollars... a spot in there for a base camp, would be a nice setup!

*California Ranch Horses below Sequoia Nat. Park*

The ranches, cattle, and Horses... standing along the way... brought back a lot of memories...

You'll want to have complete use of your arms though... those puppies are gonna get a work out! :o) and I'd not take a motorhome or fiver over that road... You wanna talk twisties... and all only about a lane and a half wide... a Big rig on that lil' piece of pavement would make for a real unpleasant day.

But... just a truck... and I get to be passenger for a change... kinda nice!

As we climbed into the trees, looking back, you could see the fog starting to fill the valley below...

*Fog moving in below Sequoia National Park*

Like I said... come to places in Off seasons... you can get a whole different perspective of the country... and have the ability to enjoy it... and soak it up... without all the clamorin' goin' on around you... Sweet!

We walked around The General Grant tree...

*General Grant Sequoia*

and his buddy the General Sherman... supposedly the biggest tree on earth...

*General Sherman Sequoia*

Making a photograph of these suckers is a tough deal... if you get back far enough, to get the whole tree in the frame... it either disappears, hidden by the other trees in the forest... or it looks so small... you lose all perspective of just how magnificent they are....

Like that Sherman tree... my 30' fiver, would fit, inside it... with about ten feet to spare!

It just amazes me... when you see folks walkin' around... snappin' pictures... and you can SEE... in their Eyes... that they Don't Get It... They're just Collecting "Notches" on their traveling belts... all the places they've been that they can brag about when trying to impress their friends...

and they Don't Get It...

They Just Touched the Face of God... and they Don't Get It... aw well... some do...

Up on top, amongst the groves is a place called Moro Rock... Heidi tried to climb it once... when she was lil'... and ended up... only part way... crawling on her hands and knees...

We only made it, maybe half way up this time... that fog that was rolling in... talked us into turning back... didn't take much Talking either. :o)

on the way up...

*Fog rolling in as we climbed Moro Rock*

and then... 'bout five minutes later...

*Climbing Moro Rock... Peering into the fog!*

See?... Awesome Beauty... even in bad weather... sometimes... it's the bad weather... that makes things come clearer?

I'm always trying to get some perspective of these giant trees in pictures... like I said... It's tough...

*Giant Sequoia Tree Dwarfing a large building*

But... if you take into consideration... that this tree... the Sentinel tree if I remember correctly, is considered just average size... not even a Big one... you start to get the Picture! :o)

The Cummins wanted to do it's part to help you really See these magnificent Trees too...

and then... the fog really started moving in...

*Foggy Sequoia*

Kind of a Giants in the Mist sort of a day... awesome Beauty...

So... just before herself snapped this pic, of the South Gate Sign, for me... I'd taken over driving chores to take us down through the fog... we round a bend... and there's a nice ol' black bear...

*Sequoia National Park - South Gate*

Luckily... the heavy fog, visibility about 50 feet... only lasted for a few miles... more like a layer of clouds we drove down through...

anyhoo... back to our Black Bear... he moved into the trees too quick to get his portrait... we were grousin' 'bout missin' that pic... when... maybe a half mile later... Momma Black and her brown cub are strollin' through a small meadow in front of us... and again, made it to thick cover... 'fore we could unlimber a camera...

But... there they were... right in front of our Eyes... I promise you... I was Gettin' It! Maybe we failed to capture the photograph... but we did capture... much greater Treasure! HooYa!

I read something yesterday... "A man Lucky enough to spend a day in the mountains... is Lucky Enough."

... Something I hope to be able to remember...

Getting ready to turn SE for the Desert...
Brian

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Yosemite... an Old Paradox...

Here it is... the pinnacle of Natural... and... the height of congestion, and people pushin' around...

Makes, the fall and winter the best time to take a look-see... Fact is, this trip it's November... the last time, I believe it was October... I don't believe I've ever been here in the summer.

*First Yosemite Sunset*

 We've been stayin' at the Wawona Camp on the south end. Just above Oakhurst... and mostly... we've been all by our lonesome in this camp along the river...

*Wawona Campground in Yosemite*

Folks have come and gone... but for the five nights we parked in there... we were the only ones, much of the time... Sweet.

The rest of the time, we spent a lot of time on the Raider... Took a long circle out hwy 49 up the west side of the park, through Mariposa and other lil' towns along the way... Even raced the boys on the Crotch Rockets for a ways... Yes sir... the Raider, ridin' two up... gave 'em a run for their money!

*A Raider... two up... Pushing the Sport Bikes! :o)*

Yeah... sure it did! :o) ... actually? they just rolled on past... a couple of 'em runnin' hard enough to nearly put a knee on the ground... spooked herself pretty good...

Us? We mostly just Cruised...

*Two Up on a Raider*

Was nice to have a most of a week of sunshine... twixt it an the new generator... was pretty laid back... Finally!

The next day after the Mariposa Ride we took a walk in the Mariposa Grove of Sequoia trees. I don't guess they're as big here as in Sequoia Park... but they're still, some bigger than what ya might find in your local woods... I'm guessin'.

*You're Right! A Sequoia Tree - IS - bigger than my Thumb!*

Took a couple runs over to Yosemite Village, tryin' to get "Improved" sunset pics... having to wait in the construction zones... for a guide vehicle... whew... I'd HATE to see that place with the Summer traffic!... I come here then... I better make sure I've got a fresh prescription for some sort of Muscle Relaxer... other wise there's likely to be the sound of somethin'... SNAPPIN'!  :o)

*Half Dome at Sunset*

*El Capitan at Sunset*

*Rocks in the River, below camp*

*Riding near Yosemite Village in the Fall*

*Yosemite Reflections*

Sitting on the side of the road... somewhere in southern California... trying to get to Sequoia... before the winter gets there... and not knowing... if I'll have any commo up there... so here I sit and post! :o)

Talk to ya'll in a couple more days!

Till then...

Keep on Keepin' On!
Brian
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Parked in Yosemite for Another Couple Days

We're camped at wawona... great weather, so we're rubbin' a lot of rubber off the Raider.

Made a circle up the west side yesterday on Ca 49... Awesome motorcycle road!  Got the scrapes on the footpegs and bruises on my back... from the "rear seat" to prove it too! I'll get some pics of this place up when I can get my laptop in to post 'em

Take Good Care
Brian

I Just Keep Learning the Same Old RVing Lesson...

Over and over and over and...

It's either that I'm really really stubborn, or really, really... THICK...

I mean you start off with the idea... wouldn't it be nice to make a run on over there, and see this or that? and gettin' there will only be, two, really easy days!

So, next morning you load up, hitch up and haul out, planning on an easy day, with an early camp... and you already know just where that'll be!...

Only, when you get there, it's so early, and you're feelin' so good, and the truck is just hummin'... so you say; "well hell, why don't we push on juuuuust a lil' farther, and that way, tomorrow will be set up for an even easier day"

Listen hear... an' write this down so ya remember it!... In the future? If you EVER hear me say such a thing... pick up a brick... and wang it off the side of my head... will ya?

When I wake up, ask me: "Yo... Bozo! What Happened the last 13 times you went an done that ya durn fool? Uh Huh, Right! Ya screwed up then, like ya'll is tryin' to screw up now!... Park the TRUCK ya bow legged IDJIT!"

But you didn't remember to tell me that yesterday...

So, when we get juuuuust a lil' bit farther... the camp where we thought we'd shut down is gone, it's full, we don't fit, or it doesn't even exist... so we have to keep on movin'... Looking for a place to park our butts for the night...

...and the day gets longer... our; "feelin' good" becomes a grump... and we get to feelin' that knot in our shorts growin' and rubbin' a leak in our hide...

Until finally, what started as a really fine day... gets all twisted into one of those smoking unmentionables you hope to forget...

Yup... yesterday... was one of those... maybe early onset Old Timers Syndrome? ... or simply all that beer I syphoned up as a young rooster... truly did kill a million brain cells per ounce?

Compound it all with the effort by so many "Park Owners" to get their buearocrats to legislate us into their overpriced and over crowded RV "Parking lots" and this dumb ol' buster screwed up... again! :o) I mean... uh... $35 for DRY CAMPING SPACE? I might not be the sharpest chisel in the drawer... but I ain't THAT dull!

As we were drivin' along... Heidi brought up a good point... the "tent" spaces were $14... RV $35! In a Gov't camp... well, uh... the tent boys get a little space for their tent, and are gonna use the campgrounds water, the campgrounds showers, the campgrounds outhouses and all the other facilities.

We just want the same lil' piece of dirt to park our RV on... but we carry our own facilities. I don't want power, or water, or the outhouse, most of the time, just a place to park for the night... so why do we have to pay more, to park overnight than a tenter... when in reality, we most often use, far less! Oh Well, unlikely to change that much... is it?

We was gonna go to the Wine valley countrty 'round Napa... but... seems they think you need to roll in there with a big thick roll... and that somehow, they've got some .... "entitlement" right to a goodly chunk of it... Nice try... but... No Thanks... we'll keep movin'. :o)

Now, that sort of thinkin' just gets that knot in my shorts to swellin'... and I'll go to some lil' difficulty to avoid allowin' folks who think that-a-way to make much of a profit off of my cranky Ol' Butt!

So... how do you go 'bout turnin' that danged Ol' lemon into Beer?... Yup... thasss right... Beer! I don't much care for Lemonade! :o)

Well... those RV park fellas think they'll force me to use their stuff? Uh Uh... I'll drive an extra few hours... Makin' sure I buy my fuel to leave... outside of their town... buyin' a few groceries and such as well... some place else... so the WHOLE TOWN loses from their foolishness...

'Cause kids? I'm knowin' that just down the road... somewhere, is a place where they understand service... and want to earn my business... and those are the folks I like dealin' with... Like those guys at the Les Schwab Store... they busted hump, till closin' time, on a walk in, no appointment deal... to take care of us... 'cause we Needed that truck up an' runnin'...

It's a simple deal really... Kind of a mutual respect thing... Works for me!

I used the sort of thinkin' yesterday until the Eagle landed, tired and road weary at...Thunder Valley Casino! over east of Sacramento a mite.

Where they, and whatever local community is here, Welcomed us to use their facilities... (ie. Parking Lot) without the huge charge... Hoping to earn our business...

Guess where we're goin' for breakfast? :o) Thats right! They succeeded and DID earn our business... unlike those fellas back down the road... who lost every, single nickle of it.

... and then, we're haulin' the nickels we got left down the face of the mountains... headin' for Yosemite... and the TRULY big trees in Sequoia... in the HooYa! Sunshine!

... and a lil' note... the last few nites... having that new lil' RV Generator of ours... to top off the Batteries... has taken such a worry off... wonderin' if those batts gettin' that low was doin' harm... has been sweet! ... The Point?... if you're puttin' in an RV Solar Power System... don't fudge like I did... Just pencil in your Backup Generator for your RV Solar Power System... as a REQUIREMENT! :o)

Closing in on El Capitan and the Big Trees...
Brian

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Ha! Murphy You Red Headed Irishman... I Whupped Ya... Again!

2 1/2 steps back...

That's what ya call... advancing in a different direction! Ha... Didn't see That comin'... did ya Murph! :o)

The days here at Whiskeytown have been a mix of great sun and some pretty good rains... so what's new in this part of the world eh? (oops... a lil' Canadian slippin' out there!)

We'd taken a nice ride, 80 miles or so up to the lake near Lewiston, and then Saturday we rode the Raider up to Mt. Shasta City. The weather was supposed to turn the next day... with snow even included, so we took advantage of the sun and split the wind up I-5... which I have to say is an awful pretty run, up past Shasta Lake... even for an I-road. :o)

*First view of Mt. Shasta on  I-5*

That Raider just eats up roads like that... and a good thing too... some bozo thought it'd be good to haul his horse trailer across the median of the on ramp we were rollin' down... saw us... just kept comin'... some folks are just plain rude...

But that long legged red headed Raider... just stretched out and showed him her tail light... :o) ... and kept roarin' North, Headed for Mt. Shasta City... and another view of the Mt. from a city street...

*Mt Shasta from Mt Shasta City*

It was sunny... but it was cool... with the fall leaves rainin' down in a pretty good breeze... so we warmed up with a hot choclate and one of those high class Americano coffees... in a hippie coffeehouse joint on the main drag... before we made the return ride...

So, the storm come a whuppin' in Saturday night... and it Rained! almost like over on the coast... we thought we're in for it now... 'cause the batteries aren't in shape for a long deal... but it broke Sunday mid day... earlier than we expected... and we actually were able to take a walk without gettin' wet...

Then... as you already likely know... we took off Monday morning to do a lil' California Backroading...

It ain't Imogene Pass in the San Juans of Colorado... but... it ain't a fine highway neither! ... It's purty just the same...

... aaaaannnnnnnd right 'bout.... HERE... is where we started sayin'; "Uh... I don't think that's supposed to sound like that!...

Then... right after... Here... we got back to the pavement... hung a hard right and went rollin' into Les Scwab in Redding... only place I knew... and I think they did us good... I actually expected the cost of the latest repairs to be higher... Two Brake Rotors aren't cheap any way you look at it... and the cost of considerin' yourself to be on the poor side of things... and tryin' to stretch a worn piece of equipment... toooooo far.

Sometimes... such doin's are a false economy... yeah... like this time. :o)

Anyway, if you can be happy, with pain that turns out to be less than you expected... I was happy... except for the fact, that the dinero that went into those brake repairs had been cached for use in makin' an End Run... around that gol' dang Murphy... who had done caught up with us after he managed to cut himself loose back in Denver!

Now... this camp were in just now... is a pretty place this season. It's empty... bein' paved it's "Clean" compared to havin' the dogs jump into the rig with mud up to their ears... and theirs roads and places to poke around... all around...

The only draw back... is the same one we've had on this run... a goodly part of the way... SUN... we get good sun... but it gets cut out by the Oak Trees, early and late... so not enough... and we've been losin' ground again... aaaarrrrrrggghhhh!

But what are ya gonna do? Keep on doin' the same ol same ol' that hadn't worked yet? ... or try something else? It come clear I wasn't gonna get into the High Dollar Honda generator I really wanted... and stewin' on it wasn't gonna get the rat killin' done... so... I took the advice of some readers and started scopin' out Ebay...

No luck... but then... with the batteries too gone to use the computer... I punched Craigs List Sacramento into my Droid! I'm really impressed with that lil' phone... I've got too much electronics... but that Motorola Droid is payin' the freight lately! :o)

Not only a phone... that Droid phone is a really handy GPS too...  See it settin' up just by the Door pillar on the left? I get a constant runnin' satellite view... and this grumpy old gal tellin' me all the time where to turn. :-) ... and Most of the time... she's right... but ya gotta keep an eye on her... she's a bit of a prankster I'm thinkin'. :o)

*Windshield Mounted Motorola Droid Smart Phone*

I used it last night in the dark... I expected it to be a distraction, what with the light and all... but... I gotta say... she gave me zero problems...

You might want to consider one... if you're carryin' a phone, a gps... an Ipod... You can load music too!... or... uh... My Ebook! :o) sorry... couldn't resist another plug... Bad Cowboy... No beer! but... this one lil' piece of e-lek-trawnical magic... can do all those things for you... if you wanted it all packed into one single package...

Anyhoo... Ya'll better duck Murphy!... I found something on Craigs list that sounded Real Good to me... called the gal that owned the machine... and jumped in the Dodge... for another run to Mt Shasta City... late yesterday afternoon!

To get... The Goin' Rv Boondocking... Solar Power RV Back Up Generator... I SHOULD HAVE LOADED... way back in Colorado... a quick stop at Walmart in Redding on the way home to the Eagle... for oil, a security cable (to help KEEP the generator around!) and a gas can... and then back to the Eagle to see if the thing is actually a good deal.

*Our Brand Spankin' NEW Champion Equipment Generator*

This Champion RV Generator rig was New in the Box... long story I don't know the whole of... but who cares... got her for about 2/3 of new price... which I thought fair... and about 1/4 of the price of the same sized Honda... She's a lil' bit louder than the Honda would be... but ya know what? These days... for the 12 or 13 hundred difference?... I'll play my Ipod louder! :o)

That pup is even electric start... so even when I'm feelin' puny... all I gotta do is twist the key... and if you notice... it was built with a 30 amp RV receptacle, already standard... so no adapter needed... just plug an' go... Today... I'll bolt on the wheel kit that came with it... and count myself lucky to have...

...WHUPPED that red headed Irish Monkey... One More Time! HooYa! :o)

a few more pics from walks around this camp...

*Whiskeytown National Recreation Area*

*Whiskeytown Lake California west of Redding*

Well... with the new generator... I got no more excuses... so... I gotta go get back to work on the Next, great western Novel...

Still Headin' south... slower... and slower... and...
Brian

Your purchases, through the links to my e-books at your choice of distributors below, help support goin' RV Boondocking... and keep us on the Road!

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Two steps forward ... two an' a Half Back

So... we took off to do a lil' California Backroading... and got maybe five or six miles... up a one lane, purty lil' road... when we started hearing noises you really Don't want to hear...

So... only thing we could do was plug Les Schwab into her smart phone and hope for the best.

Turned out the best was new rotors on the front end. And that comes up nigh on to triple what the two tires gone bad set us back.

Only had to sit with the dogs in a tire shop for four hours too! :-)

There are ... some... parts of RVing that don't get any better than living in sticks and bricks.

At least we can stop now... if we can still afford the diesel to keep moving!  :-)

Take good care
Brian

Moving South... Searching For the Sun...

We're slowly moving south... seems like the fall is moving with us... and maybe slightly ahead of us...

We left our night camp on Hwy 101, heading for the Redwoods... thinking we'd stay there for a few days before continuing on down the coast... but like much of what we do... our plans changed, as we rolled along...

The fog, rain and difficulty finding camps along the coast this time of year finally turned us inland from Redwoods National Park... where it was too foggy most of the time, to even get any decent pics as we passed through...

'bout the only thing we got was of the Dogs... tryin' to buddy up to Paul and Babe...

* Look Really close... and you can see the Pups... not too impressed with Paul!*

Just past here was where we thought we'd try to spend a nite or two... but Not to Be...

See... the thing is... I won't spend $35 for an RV Park site... with shiny bathrooms, full hookups, a community center... and neighbors parked so close they're slide is under my awning!... So... I'm not about to pay that for a gov't campsite... with no water, no hookups at all... no sun for my panels... and the admonition that "The restrooms probably aren't working either!" ... Huh? 35 bucks? ... so... we kept moving...

About that time we decided "OK... time to change directions... and do somthin' else" ... and that's when we made the turn east..

Rolling up Hwy 299 we made a Nite Camp at a lil' place in the Oaks called Big Flat... and continued on the next morning to where the Eagle has nested, at Whiskeytown Lake... west of Redding.

No Hookups... but, between storms we've got sun... we've got all sorts of room, being the off season... and THIS gov't camp is settin' me back the whole of $3.50 a night... now... how do they explain the 10 fold difference? Sheesh... and they're surprised their lil' place is... empty? Well... as Homer would say... DOH!

What can I say... the site itself, I don't think I'd like in the summer... It's made for a marina that sits just below us... so they figure, ever'body is here to be out on their boats... so the sites are side by side... but in the Off season? Hey! We're here all by our lonesome! :o) if you look real close you can see a lil' white spot in the trees off to the right?... that's the Camp Host...

... so... for nesting for a week or two, I'll take it... while our budget can catch back up a mite... and with mostly good weather in our forecast, we've got lots of nice places to walk...

And there's lots of good Roads for the Raider to run around here... Made 'bout an 80 mile run the second afternoon... and yesterday, in the Sun... HooYa!... we rolled up to Mt. Shasta City... Now... if the batteries can just catch up, along with the budget... :o)

The Eagle has nested for a week or so... In Sunny (Mostly) Californ-I-A
Brian

Your purchases, through the links to my e-books at your choice of distributors below, help support goin' RV Boondocking... and keep us on the Road!

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Finally... Boondocking Ala George and Tioga...

We pulled out to the coast up by Cape Disappointment, at the western end of the Columbia River... back around the early part of the last week of October... nigh on two weeks ago I'm thinking... 'cause we wanted to see that Coast, in the winter time... had never seen it then, before...

Well... we seen it! :o) and it's awesome in its power... and its beautiful at the same time... gorgeous sunsets... when the clouds permit... and as in all country... you get to see a different side of a places' personality... if you go there at different seasons...

But... all good things must end right? and for a couple of reasons... I got my fill of winter on the coast... in those couple of weeks... I guess, bein' basically, a desert kid, I need sunshine... I start feelin' Off... Kind of low... when it's dark, cloudy and stormy... for too long... I guess my keister requires more BTUs to function, than the folks who love livin' full time along that coast...

I don't believe you'll find me livin' on the Wet Side of Washington or Oregon... Full Time... :o) I'll visit... but then I'll point my radiator east an' south... rollin' for some sort of desert...

Now... let's be clear here... I'll Still be wantin' a lil' lusher landscape then Death Valley and some of that Utah country... but you will have a better chance of findin' my camp... if you start lookin' where the sun shines more! Lookin' out the window... every... day at a soggy wet Motorcycle... just don't toot my whistle.

Would have liked to do a lil' more tourista stuff... and we'll be back for more in the future... but to be honest... my hunger to scratch my Gypsy Itch in these early weeks... required more of the budget for diesel... than for Tourist Fees at Museums and such...

Now that the itch has been satisfied a mite... the budget'll be catchin' back up pretty soon. :o) , and hopefully... we'll be trashin' fewer tires!

... as we hitched up to pull off the coast... of course... the clouds broke... for a bit... and teased us with some nice, last views from our private, beach front "Balconey"...

*Last View of Tillicum Beach*

 ... Though... it wasn't long, going down the coast... the same Ol' Same Ol'... came right back...

* Winter 'Normal'... On the Coast :o) *

Remember I told you even the Gulls were walking... 'cause it was too wet to fly?... This is the feller that told me so...

But... the weather man keeps assuring us that South... they've got sun... so South, we keep movin'.

We picked an area to shoot for that day... an easy drive... and several camps to pick from... except... the U.S. Forest Service has given all its' land, apparently, to private companies, and lets them run it, for Their benefit... hmmm

Sounds a lil' contrary to the Charter of the USFS don't it? I mean, you read everything they put out, and they're supposed to be runnin' the show... for the benefit of U.S. Cititzens... who are supposed to own the land... not private campground management companies...

I wonder what the Forest Svc. does these days... they aren't hardly logging anything... they stop all the mining they can... and running campgrounds is to much hassle for 'em to bother with... so... what does the USFS do any more?

enough grumpin'...

anyhoo... state and fed camps were all closed for this reason or that... and this coastline is pretty built... so finding a Boondock Night camp, on U.S. 101 is a challenge... HA! but a challenge we met! :o)

* Waitin' on Sunset along U.S. Hwy 101 *

How's that for a front yard? ... Nite Camp ala George and Tioga... you just got to tell yourself... "Confidence... have Confidence!"... and be ready to grab the opportunity when it presents... or... jump on the binders as you round a bend, comin' down the mountain! :o)

We managed to drive out of the fog and rain for a bit... and found a nice spot, a few hundred feet above the surf... which we could still hear thundering against the beach and headlands... while we enjoyed the sunset from Hwy 101 Night Camp! Suh-Wheet!

To give you a lil' idea of the surf we've been seein'... look at this pair of pictures... look at the far rock, and realize it's size, considering this picture is probably a mile away and four or five hundred feet above it...

Think about how high that headland rock is... and then look at how high the passing wave reaches on it...

That, boys an' girls... is SURF! :o) ... that this Ol' cowboy is glad he's standing on dry land lookin' at!

But now... the sunset from our George and Tioga Camp...

Finally, after the sun finally set... after what seemed the longest sunset we'd seen so far this fall...

We fired up the "Built In" BBQ on the Cummins :o) and seared us a good steak to eat to the music of crashing waves in a No Dollar Nite camp...

* Dodge Cummins BBQ! :o) *

Next mornin'... we climbed out early... and moved south... huntin' the sun again... with the remembrance of a "Sunny" sunset... our hopes were high!

Still Headin' south... eventually...
Brian

Your purchases, through the links to my e-books at your choice of distributors below, help support goin' RV Boondocking... and keep us on the Road!

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