By Bob Difley
This is the time of year when RVers in the northern states and Canada can be divided into two groups: those that are or soon will be headed to the southwestern deserts for at least some part of the winter, and those that wish they were headed for the desert. When the cold wind blowing down from Alaska makes your ears numb, and the specter of freezing rain and snow looms on the horizon, images of sunny skies, flowering cacti, and photos of smiling RVers in shorts and T-shirts lounging in camp chairs outside their RVs in Quartzsite, Arizona, can be powerful magnets luring us south.
At lot of RVers look at the desert as simply a warm place to get through the winter and take little effort to learn about the desert environment, the critters that call the desert home, and tenacious plants and wildflowers that survive the oven-like summer heat. As most desert visitors do after a couple of seasons, they begin to see beneath the desert’s monotone skirt, to notice the unique characteristics of desert life that enable it to thrive, the delicate balance between rain, wind, heat, sun, and arridity that stimulates wildflowers and perennials to rise from dormancy in the Spring and spread a riot of color across the deceptive lifeless face of the desert floor.
These second or third time visitors discovered the meaning of walking in the footsteps of hard-bitten ranchers whose cattle grazed across the Arizona savanna grasslands, of crusty miners and their trusty burros that dug holes and hauled tons of dirt, sand, and rocks from untold mines in search of the shiny yellow metal, of gunslingers and gamblers, missionaries and Mormons, highway robbers and cattle rustlers, settlers and sinners that crossed this “God forsaken land” from water hole to water hole on the Old Spanish Trail to find salvation, a healthier life, or vast riches. It’s all here in the southwest, famous shoot-’em-up Old West towns like Tombstone, copper mining boomtowns like Bisbee, and the relics and once prosperous but now deserted pueblos of pre-historic Native Americans. So if you’ve thought of the desert as just a warm, dry respite, think again. If you’ve never taken the seasonal snowbird migration, never boondocked in the open desert, maybe it’s time. And even if you’ve come for a season or two, take another look.
Learn more about the desert, some unique boondocking and camping locations, find lots of links to additional information, and tips for boondocking in my new eBook, BOONDOCKING: Finding the perfect Campsite on America’s Public Lands
Pingback: www
Darrell Reed
Why are you not speaking out against the Illegal Aliens “TRASHING ” our beautiful southwestern deserts by leaving tons trash behind as they Cross into our country.I realize this is an RV based Magazine BUT this affects RV’ers in some ways more then the average person whose idea of camping is to get a room.
gmas
Hey All… and you Bob…
What about doing a response bob of what people who RV/Boondock/travel would like to see improved on/in the RV.
Now before someone says… unlimited mileage, low cost and no maintenance… let me set some parameters up for you Bob …
First of all it has to be a need for it…
Second… if you dream about technology … ahhhh we need to be practical… and by this I mean… you say longer battery life… and suggest going to LED lights instead of the old bulbs… Don’t just say longer battery life… etc…
Third… it has to be practical for the AVERAGE Rv’r. Don’t just say .. I want the top , bottom, both sides and back to expand out to doubble the interior size while sttill having the same foot print as the teardrop trailer… again lets be practical here
So while we are on the topic of whining… lets make sure we all know .. what you post here will prob be someone subject of negative view.. and someone elses positive and agreement.
Its not that we are picking on each other (or Bob) but lets just say.. no suggestion is dumb… because it opens one’s mind up to possibilities of building in what they feel they want and need… what works and what doesn’t…as Bob well knows… both the bricks and flowers… 😀
We know he has talked a little about boondocking… (I underline the word LITTLE) as most of it really didn’t leave you with that.. I’m going to go try that next time pzzzazzz but, can one say it opened avenues of discussion and lead to more interest with all the writings… (yep its bloody out their when he writes of the global sky falling thing.. yet mild’ly pleasant when we are talking about getting away and having some peace and quite… enjoying the outback. ) I still can’t picture Bob running around naked in the desert… at the end of the day.. thats got to hurt… ouch big time.. then again think of all the wildlife he has tramatized with a impression of all men look that… well lets just say… strange 🙂 😉 😉
so whats new and needed for 2010?
Tom Hargreaves
Hi Bob,
It seems that no matter what you do, the ostriches have to display . . .
GMAs
Ya we took his global warming and beat it up till he cried … uncle…
I like it much better when he writes of places to go and things to do… just so long as he keeps his pants on… poooo thats a sight we never want to see… walking around ..ugggghhh… way too much information…
I’m still thinking he has lots to write about boondocking… as he never really gave anyone more than a (sniff) of the subject… Oh Bob…
We recently came across a article that was written for the Home Power.. off the grid stuff… it was real interesting… no gas.. all elect… and could be applied to the RV’s… They had a neat calculator that showed… how long you could run your micorwave… of a inverter and bat.. or the “ships gen”… and they said that inverters are not all the same.. some are more effecent than other… OH BOB!!!
the advantages of run’n electric vs using gas is much higher effecency… after all you don’t need to vent the elect… while the gas uses… according to them.. almost half the flame heat…goes out the exhaust… making the heater not very effecent as well as you have to have some vent inside too… which cuts into the effecency also… elect heating on the other hand is dry… and can be enclosed … its effecency is almost (again according to them) 90%…
So where does all this le’d up to… well about now its getting knda COLD… down AZ way… and dropping… although its been in the 80’s dur’n the day and 40’s at night… wait … winter is coming… and they get them 30’s again… although not as cold as 15 or 20 up north.. GOT HEAT ?? 🙂
Niblick
Difley wrote, “This is the time of year when RVers in the northern states and Canada can be divided into two groups: those that are or soon will be headed to the southwestern deserts for at least some part of the winter, and those that wish they were headed for the desert. When the cold wind blowing down from Alaska makes your ears numb, and the specter of freezing rain and snow looms on the horizon,”
Well, Bob. Hmph! I guess you’ve backed off the Ducky-Lucky-sky-is-falling Global Warming fad thingy that you were on last month. Heh, heh.
GMAs
You mean its short and T shirts in Arizona… hmmm never gets cold and freezing… 😀 Interesting…..
Best make sure the propane tanks is full … from my experiances… in AZ…
Most of the indian stuff is over in NM or northern AZ up around flag and grand canyon as I recall…
Payson, Pine, and other towns like sedona also rate some sort of review.. as the northern indians moved yearly from the high country around flag… to sodona and indian gardens… where they didn’t freeze as bad as if they were up at flag… but, I am sure the ones up at flag had lots of wood to burn in the winter time.. although I understand that most retreated into the lava tubes during the freezing months up in flag country…
I agree.. arizona has a lot to offer for exploring…old memo stuff… When you done in AZ … about 300 miles east is another great navitve american.. campground by abq…
The best place we went to that was warm for the winter months.. was Mexicos’ San Felipe… more americans their than mexicans in the winter time… and yes you don’t need the heater… most of the time… but, you best make reservations.. as all the snow birds know about it.. and it fills up quick… and then you have to boondock… for sure… average age of the pop down their I think is 58 years old… never a dull moment.. and lots of card games to be play’ed daily.. along with dom’s … food is great and good fresh sea food… too… may I recommend the fish taco… followed by the shrimp or lobster one… oh heck .. two or three… grin…