3-Months On the Road

[Boxite]

We just returned from three months from Texas thru N.M., CO, WY, MT, ID, UT, AZ and return. It was our longest and BEST trip EVER!
We began by staying at the usual sort of RV parks but by week 3 were seeking mostly Nat'l Park/Forest/Monuments, BLM, and State Park/Monument sites. We prefer boondocking whenever possible and found lots of BLM land on our journey.

I have one bad experience to report. It was of my own making... I saw from the Forest Service Road what appeared to be a nice boondocking site used by others and made the mistake of not walking it first. After entering the woods I found I was unable to position the AS or to have sufficient room to turn-around to exit.
So I then walked further into the woods and found a place I thought looked large enough to turn around. I was optimistically-wrong. No way.

There were three cedar/juniper type trees which had to be cut down to allow us to turn around and I only had my old trusty Boy Scout sized axe and wore myself out chopping those trees out of the way.

My recommendation for others:
1. Walk the sites first. Don't be lazy. Not even once!
2. Stop by the cheap chineese tool store and buy their elect. chain saw for $39 w/coupon. You can use your portable generator and extension-cord to clear a path... or prepare firewood, etc.
3. Did I mention to walk the area first? ... and to be realistic about what it takes to turn-around?
4. If you are getting up in years with a beer-belly or "successful look" about you.... pay attention that your wife may be videoing your efforts to clear a path while shirtless in an effort to reduce sweating. She may threaten to show it to others.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Back when I was in Boy Scouts, I bought a folding saw. It still travels with me. It's in the rear compartment of the trailer. Way less work than an axe for taking down a reasonable sized tree. Light weight and folds down quite small (maybe 2' x 3" x 2". No idea the brand or if they are even in business any more.

Same basic idea, but different design than mine:

https://www.amazon.com/SVEN-SAW-SVEN...aw+for+camping

Probably works just as well as mine.

Bob

[moosetags]

Glad to hear that it all worked out, eventually. Been there, done that. We also carry a bow saw for that purpose, and have had to use several times over the years. Also, before fording a steam, we always check the depth. Sometimes they can really fake you out.

Brian

[Lily&Me]

Glad you had a good trip.

I have had to back out a road a few times...

Maggie

[cwf]

Welcome back...safely

We did similar.. 28May- 6Aug... would still be out, yet, came back for family commitments. San Angelo TX, Carlsbad Caverns NM, Mayhill NM (SE of Cloudcroft NM), Alamogordo (family), Ruidoso NM, Grand Canyon, Lost Wages, Hoover Dam, Hawthorne NV, Catlow Valley Road to Frenchglen (14%grade) OR, Matheur Lake Refuge, Redmond OR, Salem OR, Burbank WA (Snake River COE), Little Bighorn National Monument.. Wyoming, Montana, West Yellowstone, South and North Dakota, Sturgis, MT. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Black Hills, Littleton CO, Delores CO, Pandaries, Santa Fe and Las Vegas NM!, then Home. 8290 or so smiles!! Ready to go again!

No BLM.. hard finding turnaround and clearance

[Ray Eklund]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

Glad you had a good trip.

I have had to back out a road a few times...

Maggie

*****

Maggie understands if you drive into a camping spot, you can also back out of a camping spot.

Backing up is hard to do... if you do not do it often.

Often, as I have watched Maggie do, is you back into a site. Many like the drive in and out campsites, but this is found very infrequently. This is why I ask anyone going on a Boondocking Adventure... Can You BACK UP?

Once you are towing over 25 feet of Airstream, your options diminish. A 16 foot Bambi is harder to backup than a 30 foot, but will find more possible camp sites. Where a 30 foot will drag, a 25 foot or less will not. There is a lot to consider.

Exploring for out of the way campsites IS THE Adventure. Some western Rocky Mountain States have better Off the Grid campsites due to hunter's camps, mining roads and lumber clearing. You take notes and locations of the good sites and move on. These roads have existed for over 100 years, or more.

You find the gems and learn what areas to avoid. It takes a lot of traveling to find these campsites. Boxite understands.

You can now post photographs of these places that have a National Park view, but without the population of New Hampshire camped next to you.

[Rounder44]

Originally Posted by Boxite

We just returned from three months from Texas thru N.M., CO, WY, MT, ID, UT, AZ and return. It was our longest and BEST trip EVER!
We began by staying at the usual sort of RV parks but by week 3 were seeking mostly Nat'l Park/Forest/Monuments, BLM, and State Park/Monument sites. We prefer boondocking whenever possible and found lots of BLM land on our journey.

I have one bad experience to report. It was of my own making... I saw from the Forest Service Road what appeared to be a nice boondocking site used by others and made the mistake of not walking it first. After entering the woods I found I was unable to position the AS or to have sufficient room to turn-around to exit.
So I then walked further into the woods and found a place I thought looked large enough to turn around. I was optimistically-wrong. No way.

There were three cedar/juniper type trees which had to be cut down to allow us to turn around and I only had my old trusty Boy Scout sized axe and wore myself out chopping those trees out of the way.

My recommendation for others:
1. Walk the sites first. Don't be lazy. Not even once!
2. Stop by the cheap chineese tool store and buy their elect. chain saw for $39 w/coupon. You can use your portable generator and extension-cord to clear a path... or prepare firewood, etc.
3. Did I mention to walk the area first? ... and to be realistic about what it takes to turn-around?
4. If you are getting up in years with a beer-belly or "successful look" about you.... pay attention that your wife may be videoing your efforts to clear a path while shirtless in an effort to reduce sweating. She may threaten to show it to others.

Oh man!

This is the kind of thing that makes me seriously consider one of those front hitch receivers.

Do you think inching it out with that little extra control may have worked?

I've read of guys able to swing an AS into VERY tight quarters with one. Much tighter than you'd ever try by backing in.

Thanks for sharing!

R44

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Backing up a couple miles down a narrow dirt road is .... err ... a different class of "can you back up" than backing a hundred feet.

Bob

[Boxite]

A front hitch would not have helped.
Backing to the point of jack-knife... disconnecting ….and then approaching to hook up again from the opposite side of the jackknife might work in some cases …..but not in this one. (And you'd have to think of that at the time …. not two months later. )
The trees that needed removal were in the center of the clearing. I initially planned to circle around them... only to find there still was insufficient room.

A bow-saw was actually on my list to pack for the trip and simply forgot it. I've got two of them hanging in the garage. grrrr.
The little inexpensive chain saw appeals to me as I pass 70. LOL

[Len n Jeanne]

A saw is a good idea for a back woods camper. It sometimes doesn't take much of a windstorm to blow a tree down over your access road.

[Too tall]

Good advice.

FWIIW I got onto Silky saws a few years ago and have not touched my chainsaw for most operations since. This is a beast!



https://www.amazon.com/Silky-katana-...076VJPDM2?th=1

[Piggy Bank]

Originally Posted by cwf

Welcome back...safely

We did similar.. 28May- 6Aug... would still be out, yet, came back for family commitments. San Angelo TX, Carlsbad Caverns NM, Mayhill NM (SE of Cloudcroft NM), Alamogordo (family), Ruidoso NM, Grand Canyon, Lost Wages, Hoover Dam, Hawthorne NV, Catlow Valley Road to Frenchglen (14%grade) OR, Matheur Lake Refuge, Redmond OR, Salem OR, Burbank WA (Snake River COE), Little Bighorn National Monument.. Wyoming, Montana, West Yellowstone, South and North Dakota, Sturgis, MT. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Black Hills, Littleton CO, Delores CO, Pandaries, Santa Fe and Las Vegas NM!, then Home. 8290 or so smiles!! Ready to go again!

No BLM.. hard finding turnaround and clearance

CWF, you have pretty much described my dream retirement road trip. I have some cousins in San Angelo, and from there on I like your way of thinking. If you have a list of places that you stayed, I would love it if you wanted to PM to me.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

[kkdesigns]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

Backing up a couple miles down a narrow dirt road is .... err ... a different class of "can you back up" than backing a hundred feet.

Bob

Think of it this way, You will be a backing up champion after a mile or so.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by kkdesigns

Think of it this way, You will be a backing up champion after a mile or so.

Hi

My guess is that before the first mile, I would be looking for an estimate on the damage

Bob

[Wayne&Sam]

And now you've admitted, on a public forum, that you cut down trees on BLM land........

[kkdesigns]

We are half way through our 3 months, and, like you have discovered boondocking is such a better way to go.
We have only had 1 close call with a dirt road, but now I keep the bikes handy to scout before we drive.
I did get a folding hand saw for safety sake and for cutting up downed trees around our sight for fire wood at night. Buy firewood, BAH.

We are leaving for CO. tomorrow and then down to Utah. Can't wait to find some out of the way camping down there.

[Boxite]

Originally Posted by Wayne&Sam

And now you've admitted, on a public forum, that you cut down trees on BLM land........

Yes... and I drank beer and whiskey on the Navajo reservation....and had numerous 15-round+ magazines fully loaded while driving thru CO.
I am a liberal.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Boxite

Yes... and I drank beer and whiskey on the Navajo reservation....and had numerous 15-round+ magazines fully loaded while driving thru CO.
I am a liberal.

Hi

My goodness .... beer .... yikes !!!!! I simply can't *imagine* ever violating the alcoholic beverage rules at any campground ever .... burp .... chug .... burp .... ... then there's parking on the grass .... nobody ever does that ....

Bob

[PatLee]

So, it's okay to cut down trees on BLM land?

[Papatango]

Thanks for the entertaining thread. Just wanted mention two things...


Silky saws - Fantastic. My husband and I are both arborists, and our entire professional careers we have used Silkys. We of course travel with them (but also have a battery operated Stihl chainsaw )


PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not bring firewood from home and travel west with it. Tree pests from other parts of the country can AND WILL hitch a ride and can cause real and devastating harm in their new local. For years in Colorado we tried to get the word out to travelers to not bring firewood with an eye to the Emerald Ash Borer, which flat out kills ash trees wherever they are. The beetles would never make their way to Colorado across the plains of Kansas on their own, but in the dead wood of killed ash trees brought along for the family camping trip, the possibility certainly existed. Sure enough, it ended up in Boulder, CO, and it is just a matter of time before it spreads to Denver, Ft. Collins, etc...it really is a thing, and horrible for towns where the predominate street trees are ash. It has changed the focus of entire municipal forestery departments, people are making heart wrenching decisions about mature trees and whether to start them on lifelong injection treatments, and nursuries growing ash have severly reduced market, and may even be under quarantine. The campaign motto went from "Don't move firewood, it BUGS me!", to "Be a smart ASH" (Learn your tree ID and if you have an ash, decide whether to remove it or treat it forever).



Always best to buy firewood locally or cut down dead trees where permitted.


That's my soapbox speech for the day. Thanks for reading if you've made it this far.