Boondocking: Passing Time

[Landshark]

Originally Posted by AnonPi

Once you have him harnessed up, just think of him as a horse.

No no, I have to get HIM to think of himself as a horse, subject to a bit and reins! He certainly seems big enough for a horse...

[Hittenstiehl]

Cerberus,

Talk to Lily and Me poster here. She has her own thread titled such.

She also had a very strong-willed loving dog with whom walks could be precarious.

She research and received very good information from dog trainers on this forum and has since been able to train Lily and walks are now a joy.

[Landshark]

Hittenstiel,

Thanks! I will try to PM the poster. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Vivian

[Ray Eklund]

Originally Posted by Hittenstiehl

Cerberus,

Talk to Lily and Me poster here. She has her own thread titled such.

She also had a very strong-willed loving dog with whom walks could be precarious.

She research and received very good information from dog trainers on this forum and has since been able to train Lily and walks are now a joy.

******
Lilly was a very nice Black Lab on the 2016 Wyoming Adventure. Few dogs were leashed and Lilly ran with the group.

Lilly was protective of the Interstate... which was her home. Female dogs can be protective of their... den.

Lilly was also on the New Mexico Adventure.

If people were as easy to get along with as Lilly... I would rather been a dog on either of these Adventures.

If Lilly is the 'improved dog'... she may have liked being able to run loose like a dog, much like the members who experienced these adventures.

Blue, our younger Blue Heeler, would wander off to the Interstate Dog House and eat Lilly's food when indifferent. This is what Nancy told me.

[Ray Eklund]

I browsed some posts on a Thread where people were borderline insane. I said borderline insane, as I feel like an outsider among these individuals. A total outcast, I say, having an inkling of what Boondocking, use to mean.

My definition of Boondocking with a trailer or tent is one that everyone wants to ignore.

These people require Camping provided with showers, flushing toilet facilities, water, power, internet, maybe television and a gift shop... as Boondocking.

No. This is Glamping, at best. A National Park 'campsite' would be remote wilderness, but crowded and lighting provided at night, other than the moon and stars having a higher density than most western towns.

Boondocking: "Camping without hookups, dry camping at a campground without hookups, whereas, Boondocking typically means staying in a completely undeveloped area."

Glamping: "A form of Camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping."

Whatever traditional means today.

I have to add OTG: Off the Grid. Which the 2016 Wyoming Adventure kept true to my word... you were away from anything that resembled a City on Wheels. Although from a group... half disappeared before the end of the Adventure!

We will be planning our OTG Boondocking as soon as the temperatures during the daylight hours rise above 55F. Even if we need to confirm with the local BLM or Forest Service, responsible for the areas we plan to be camping.

Call the local BLM or NFS Regional offices to inquire as to restrictions. Most include established camp SITES, currently, no doubt those with envelopes provided to pay with tables and a concrete restroom to lounge within.

I mean, Hunter's Camps and dry camps not on the map or designated as a Campground. You do the same. The Rocky Mountain Region and to the east have empty areas that I expect to be open and available to OTG Boondock your Airstream. Ninety per cent of trailer owners are not interested in this kind of camping.

Don't let the majority confuse your remote camping plans. Go anti insane. It is refreshing and you will find the absence of people... even mysterious and a wonderful experience.

[HRTKD]

Our definitions are in alignment Ray. As are our preferences. I shun campgrounds and use them only in extreme circumstances.

A week out in the middle of nowhere is my kind of vacation.

[Ray Eklund]

Originally Posted by HRTKD

Our definitions are in alignment Ray. As are our preferences. I shun campgrounds and use them only in extreme circumstances.

A week out in the middle of nowhere is my kind of vacation.

****
Be proud that you are able to go anywhere, responsible to current events, possessing confidence and the ability that most are so fearful.

I was amazed during the 2016 Wyoming Adventure of the chronic complaints by some with weather as a temporary big issue, as well as the remoteness of some sites catching some off guard. Some appeared to be out of their element of the new definition of Boondocking.

Maybe these same individuals will come out and whip me good with explanations. A lesson learned after a year of planning, maps provided and taking two years out of Nancy and my lives to put this on. First to retrace these remote locations one year and then to make sure everyone fit. Then to carefully find alternatives if needed.

Which some were NEEDED due to the large forest fires that August in Wyoming.

The six that finished... true pioneers. I thank Thalweg for providing the maps so carefully put together from details I provided. This group knows who they are. True survivors. A credit to Airstream OTG Boondocking.

[Thalweg]

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

We will be planning our OTG Boondocking as soon as the temperatures during the daylight hours rise above 55F. Even if we need to confirm with the local BLM or Forest Service, responsible for the areas we plan to be camping.

Call the local BLM or NFS Regional offices to inquire as to restrictions. Most include established camp SITES, currently, no doubt those with envelopes provided to pay with tables and a concrete restroom to lounge within.

I mean, Hunter's Camps and dry camps not on the map or designated as a Campground. You do the same. The Rocky Mountain Region and to the east have empty areas that I expect to be open and available to OTG Boondock your Airstream. Ninety per cent of trailer owners are not interested in this kind of camping.

Don't let the majority confuse your remote camping plans. Go anti insane. It is refreshing and you will find the absence of people... even mysterious and a wonderful experience.

The BLM offices are closed to the public, at least here in Wyoming. There are few people actually in the buildings, but everyone is teleworking and phones are forwarded. So far, I haven't heard any discussions about closing any field resources, and I really can't imagine that happening. Frankly, I can't think of a better place to be than out in the middle of nowhere. I'm looking forward to some boondocking this Spring/Summer after the snow melts and the roads dry up a bit. We take social distancing to the extreme. If we can see another camper, it's too crowded, and we go elsewhere. I actually see things being a little more crowded than I'd like this summer. Lots of people appear to be getting stir crazy and hitting the trails, as there are more cars parked at trailheads than normal, especially this early in the season.

Anyhow, that's a long winded way of saying that I doubt that you'll need to call the BLM or FS for permission to go boondocking. I wouldn't be surprised if any kind of developed campgrounds were closed though.

[HRTKD]

Remote is good. Really remote is better. The exception is when the "road" gets bad. I don't mind steep and I don't mind rough since I can just slow down and get there eventually. What I don't like is off camber.

Grumbling when someone else has done the planning? That's just wrong.

[Thalweg]

Originally Posted by Thalweg

The BLM offices are closed to the public, at least here in Wyoming. There are few people actually in the buildings, but everyone is teleworking and phones are forwarded. So far, I haven't heard any discussions about closing any field resources, and I really can't imagine that happening. Frankly, I can't think of a better place to be than out in the middle of nowhere. I'm looking forward to some boondocking this Spring/Summer after the snow melts and the roads dry up a bit. We take social distancing to the extreme. If we can see another camper, it's too crowded, and we go elsewhere. I actually see things being a little more crowded than I'd like this summer. Lots of people appear to be getting stir crazy and hitting the trails, as there are more cars parked at trailheads than normal, especially this early in the season.

Anyhow, that's a long winded way of saying that I doubt that you'll need to call the BLM or FS for permission to go boondocking. I wouldn't be surprised if any kind of developed campgrounds were closed though.

I guess I was partially wrong. Apparently the FS is considering trail heads and parking lots as developed facilities to be closed. I doubt that that will effect much, as people will likely just park on the road.

From Sheridan Media:

The Bighorn National Forest currently remains open, but most developed recreation facilities are closed, and local offices are no longer permitting visitors to enter their buildings.

Closures will be in effect until April 30, then will be re-evaluated, according to National Forest officials. The management actions are to protect public health and safety and align with state and local measures already in place to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to the BNF, closure of developed recreation facilities is to reduce congregation at trailheads, facilities and parking lots. Forest visitors will find limited access for roads, trails and recreation sites, which is typical on the Forest for this time of year.

All Forest campgrounds, visitor centers and bathroom facilities are closed and will remain closed for the foreseeable future. All Forest rental cabins are closed for the foreseeable future.

In addition, many National Forest System roads are impassable due to seasonal closures, snow drifts, waterlogged roadbeds, down trees or other debris.

Wheeled motor vehicle users may not travel off designated roads and trails or through wet areas. All offices on the Bighorn National Forest are conducting business and providing services virtually.

[batman]

Passing time

[Ray Eklund]

Photo in half a hole: Fairplay, Colorado
Photo with help in creek: Wisdom, Montana

[Ray Eklund]

I spent many weeks during my Summers to collect Fossil Mammal Fossils in Western Nebraska. Back in the 1965 to 1975 era, Ranches were still owned by the oldest son of a Homesteader. I had a Driver's License at 15 1/2 in 1965 and made the best of it with 19 cent Regular!

Offering some work around the Ranch, or just asking permission, I could hunt fossils in their Badlands to my heart's delight. From Eumys (mouse) to Hoplophoneus (Saber toothed cat) and lots of Stylemys (tortoises). The mammals are easily identified by their teeth. Wear of teeth was not seen often because they must have perished before they became too... old.

Humans have an interesting modern change. Overbite. When young and eating tough food to chew, you had a bite that some consider perfect edge of a tooth to a tooth.

If you ate mostly soft foods, cooked and non animal protein, your lower jaw did not need the edge to edge bite. If you had your wisdom teeth impacted, like I did... you have over bite. (I went to Science: Ancient switch to soft food gave us an overbite, by Ann Gibbons.) A good read and confirmation.

Next was my Mom's family in the Netherlands. Her mother was under five feet tall. Her father, maybe 5 foot 2 inches (I was 12/13 and taller). Her two brothers, maybe 5 foot 5 inches. My Mom about 5 foot 10 inches. A giant. She was the last of the three children and a better diet.

Just some interesting things to check out yourselves with Passing Time.

Even the teeth of the earliest Horse in the Wyoming Eocene and to the Pleistocene to today... a remarkable adaptation of teeth to diet. From browsing to chewing silicate rich grasses on prairies.

If you find any of this interesting: White River Badlands Fossils, a good start.

I am Passing Time reading, a bit at a time. I have four books going at the present from Groundwater to Fly Fishing.