Category Archives: Camping

The Third Day after the Day After

Camping,

7 Sep (Our 16th Wedding Anniversary)

We have spent almost every one of our anniversaries camping.

Today’s high temperature at the campground was forecasted to be 107F. Not high by our standards, but we decided a change of scenery was appropriate for celebration.

We are camped in the Mojave Desert. At just under 50,000 square miles it isn’t the largest desert in North America. In total area is ranks only 9th largest. It is, however, the driest desert in North America with an annual rainfall of less than two inches per year. The Mojave is also a rain shadow desert; meaning was created by mountain ranges that prevent precipitation for reaching the area. In our case, the Sierra Nevada and the Spring Mountains created the desert we are camping in. Rain shadow deserts usually mean there is a large mountain range near by – for us that means the Spring Mountains, with its topographically prominent peak Mt. Charleston at 11,916 feet elevation, is only an hour’s drive from our campground. 

Continue reading The Third Day after the Day After →

The Second Day after the Day After

Camping,

6 September

After the early morning coffee brewing ritual, which Joyce performs, I go outside to survey our playground. Incredibly, there are two motorhomes in the campsites adjacent to ours. Out of 140 empty sites, these folks chose to camp right next door! They must have come in during the night while we were sleeping. Why on earth would they want to do this? I don’t have the answer.

Perhaps these folks thought we had picked the best location and they wanted to enjoy our expertise without the effort of making their own conclusions; a type of herd mentality. “Man,” as Aristotle observed, “is a social being” and perhaps these folks felt a need to camp as close as possible to other people. Perhaps they felt safer being close to someone else. There are many thoughts I could expound on, but there is no need because I didn’t go ask them why. 

If you are a regular reader of this blog you might have the perception that I don’t like people. Sometimes that would be an accurate statement. But generally, if they are well behaved and quiet, I do like most campers and backpackers. Our new neighbors, by their actions, did not know each other. By noon both parties had packed up and left the campground. Perhaps my appearance scared them. Perhaps they only planned to spend a night and leave. Who knows? The good news is that we were again alone in our little corner of the world and solitude returned. The Third Day after the Day After –>

The Day after the Day After

Camping

5 September

I awake to a beam of sunlight streaming under a partially closed window blind. Opposite the window, the door is open and the screen door provides a filtered view of the world outside. The early morning sun, low in the horizon throws an amber glow onto a cottonwood tree. Not completely awake, my brain signals that it is early morning. There is no need to know what time it is or what day it is. Hence there is no hurry to get up. I watch the sunlight creep up a tall eucalyptus tree and the day begins. Once I am completely awake, I get up. It’s coffee time.

Continue reading The Day after the Day After →

The Day After

Camping,

4 September

Just north of Palm Springs, Interstate 10 enters the Coachella Valley skirting most of the area’s communities on its journey through the southernmost states until it ends in Jacksonville, Florida. Soon after entering the Coachella Valley from the San Gorgonio Pass, Highway 62 splits off from this major transportation artery. Heading north Hwy 62 meanders up a small canyon that travels through a gap in Little San Bernardino Mountains and then heads east. Here, for about 10 miles, the San Bernardino Mountains tower above the north side of the roadway, while the Little San Bernardino Mountains to the south complete the Morongo Basin – the beginning of a Mojave Desert drive that Hwy 62 will take travelers another 144 miles to Parker, Arizona on the Colorado River.

Early in the morning, on the best day of the year, we found ourselves on Hwy 62, camper in tow. Continue reading The Day After →

Camping List Methodology

Camping

How I prepare for a camping trip versus a backpacking trip is much different. When backpacking I want the lightest gear possible without sacrificing safety; meaning I need to stay warm, dry, and safe. What I take on each trip is dependent upon the location, terrain, expected weather and time of year. All these variables must be considered when putting together my gear. To do this, I need a list — a checklist — because forgetting a crucial item can lead to a dangerous situation. Because I use a computer, it is easy to calculate how much weight my pack will weigh, which is important. I wrote about this in How to Excel at Backpacking.

Camping is different. You can take extra stuff you need; just in case. But one needs a routine or even a checklist to make sure the important stuff isn’t left at home. So this is how I do it. Continue reading Camping List Methodology →

When Should I Replace My RV Batteries: Testing and Ponderings

Camper Upgrades, Camping, , ,

It has been almost five years since we bought our Milan 26RLS travel trailer. Hard for me to reconcile the fact that each year seems to accelerate faster and faster towards the end of the game. When we bought this trailer it replaced our 2006 Fleetwood Niagara that had been “totaled” by our insurance company when vandalizing thieves destroyed it.

Two Exide CG-135 6-volt golf cart batteries installed in September 2013.

That whole process meant we didn’t go camping all summer. Once we got our new Milan the first order of business was to install a solar system and other electrical upgrades prior to its maiden voyage. At the time I was working so there wasn’t a lot of time to shop for the needed materials and components. Fortunately the best deals are on the internet if you know what you really need. There is one exception: batteries. Since 6 volt deep cycle batteries weigh over 60 lbs. each, in 2013 shipping costs made the internet cost of lead-acid batteries prohibitive. Not having a lot of time, and no local retailers close by that sold Trojan brand batteries, I compromised and bought a pair of Exide 6 volt golf cart batteries. At best, at the time, I hoped they would last for 5 years. Continue reading When Should I Replace My RV Batteries: Testing and Ponderings →

The Changing Landscape of Campgrounds

Camping, General Talk, Tent Trailer, Travel Trailer,

We just got back from a two-week camping trip a few days ago and the changes are plainly visible for Joyce and me – we are frequent campers. No, this isn’t a post about climate change. Over the past four years I have seen dramatic changes in the use of the campgrounds we frequent. Keep in mind that this is an unscientific perspective from my little corner of the world where people can and do camp all 12 months of the year. 

Continue reading The Changing Landscape of Campgrounds →

The Wine Connoisseur at the Campsite

Camping, , , , , ,

If you stop by my campsite (or home), I will probably offer you a glass of wine; to be exact, a glass of Gallo Family Cabernet Sauvignon. In the campground we usually have a glass in the late afternoon when we take Corky for a walk, and then cook dinner. The best part about these wines is that they can be had for $4.99 – $5.99 when they are on sale in the 1.5 liter size bottle. But I don’t buy them because of the price. I enjoy them.

Continue reading The Wine Connoisseur at the Campsite →

Wi-Fi Is Coming To Your National Park!

Camping, General Talk, The Digital Life, What's Up With That?,
Wi-Fi antenna at one of my recent NPS campground stays

What’s Up With That?

Back in October I saw that it had already happened at Lake Mead Recreational Area, one of the National Park Service (NPS) units. Instead of posting a rant about this technology on my return home, it seemed prudent to give it some thought and wrap my mind around a subject that twenty years ago I knew was probably going to happen. Sometimes it is best to let thoughts stew for a while in the brain, before dishing out opinions.

Continue reading Wi-Fi Is Coming To Your National Park! →