The First Camping Trip of Autumn — or is it Fall?

Camping,

So we got home from our end-of-summer camping trip on September 20th, or two days before the official end of summer, which marks the beginning of autumn. I like to call it autumn because that name is derived from an old Latin word, autumns. Autumn entered the English language about 700 years ago.

Of course when we think of autumn, changing colors in forests and the falling leaves often come to mind. Poets often wrote about this colorful season and soon it was referred to as “the falling of leaves.” So about 500 years ago, in the English language, this was changed to simply “fall.”

In the desert, unless there are cottonwood trees nearby, there isn’t a “falling of leaves” during this time of the year. But there are balmy nights, and the night sky becomes darker and clearer. So with this in mind, I headed to the high desert a few days after our trip to Lake Mead.

Continue reading The First Camping Trip of Autumn — or is it Fall? →

The Seventeenth Day after the Day After

Camping

20 Sep

We’ve been at Lake Mead for over two weeks. Many people couldn’t stay in one place this long. I can. There is plenty to do and see – one just needs to learn how to slow down and take a micro-look at their surroundings. Every day Corky and I walk and explore. I see eye-candy, Corky smells dog-candy.

Today we are sitting by the lake. It will be the last day of this trip. Time to go home.

I have often written here about Lake Mead Recreational Area. What first attracted my attention were the vast wilderness areas, potentially prime backpacking destinations that became achievable due to the proximity of water in Lake Mead. Often times getting to the lake and water isn’t an easy task, and for the inexperienced can result in bad outcomes, to include death. However, sometimes a little risk returns huge dividends. I wrote about some of these backpacking trips in:

Lake Mead Walkabout 2008

Lake Mead Walkabout 2009

Lake Mead Walkabout 2011

The Eye Candy Backpacking Trip (2014)

Often camping trips with Joyce spark an interest for areas to explore via a backpacking trip. Other times camping trips inspire me to explore the history of an area. Lake Mead Recreational Area has ticked of all these buttons. From backpacking trips into the backcountry and numerous tours inside Hoover Dam, the area just mesmerizes me.  Continue reading The Seventeenth Day after the Day After →

The Fourth Day after the Day After

Camping,

8 Sep

Early in the morning, as I am outside enjoying a cup of coffee and surveying the world around us, Corky comes to the camper door and lets me know he is ready for our morning walk. Something we have done together a few thousand times.

I began to reminice.

Corky, our wonder dog, has been our constant camping companion since we rescued him from a shelter in 2006. To say we “rescued” him isn’t fair to his previous owner. He was in fairly good health and had been well cared for. From what I was told, his owner had to move to a location that did not allow pets and he was given up for adoption.

The decision to get a dog was somewhat scary – both Joyce and I came up with the decision independently – that was the scary part; we were both on the same wave length, a conjunction of Mars and Venus. At the time I was traveling frequently away from home and a dog would make us both feel more secure in my absence. Both of us have had dogs before, but we are in complete agreement that Corky is special – the best dog either of us have ever owned. Perhaps part of this is that we are older with more life experience and our kids were grown and on their own.  Continue reading The Fourth Day after the Day After →

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 →

Favorite Gear of 2018

Camper Upgrades

This topic is a favorite on backpacking blogs. Although it is only August, I thought I’d be the first!

Actually my favorite backpacking gear hasn’t changed in years, so there is no use posting that (again).

Since I just finished all my Christmas shopping (yes, I don’t have to worry about it or stress out like most folks do), I thought it might be helpful to share the most popular items that PopUpBackpacker readers are buying – and there isn’t anything related to backpacking – because the majority of readers here buy stuff for their campers, so all the items on this list are camper related. I approve – too many backpackers are obsessed with gear and are in a constant loop of new gear purchases.

Camping stuff, on the other hand, are usually purchases that are made for the long haul. Readers might find some of the stuff interesting or even a great Christmas gift idea. Since Christmas is several months away, might as well start thinking about it before it creeps up on you and you freak out. And to be upfront, there are product links in this post that will earn me a small commission if you purchase something. Don’t buy any of this stuff if you don’t need it! Continue reading Favorite Gear of 2018 →

Get Ready to ‘Flip Your Lid’ (How to Replace an RV Vent Lid)

Camper Upgrades

Last week was time to wash and condition our membrane roof and to clean the solar panels. While I was on the roof getting ready and inspecting everything, I noticed a small hole in the corner of one of the plastic roof vents. The lid was falling apart due to UV exposure. Checking the other two vent lids, they were also getting brittle and needed to be replaced. So I ordered three lids and postponed the roof and solar panel cleaning.

Hole in the vent lid as seen from the inside of the camper.

Roof vent lids are easy to replace.

In this post I’ll go through the step-by-step instructions. Continue reading Get Ready to ‘Flip Your Lid’ (How to Replace an RV Vent Lid) →