February 2019 – On the Road with Dan & Amy

Joshua Tree NP

Joshua Tree South BLM

iPhone picture of the flowers near our RV

We spent five days boondocking on BLM land just outside the south entrance to Joshua Tree National Park. The park is fairly large and most of the interesting stuff, like the Joshua Trees themselves, is located at the north end of the park a good 45 minutes to an hour drive away. Camping for free this close to a national park makes the drive into the attractions a non-issue. When we arrived and looked for a spot to setup we drove along the dirt road heading west for about a mile and did not find an appropriate location. Turning the rig around to head back out was a bit challenging and a little nerve wracking. As we got close to the main road we noticed an area that looked pretty decent so we got ourselves setup there and were ready for our first solo boondocking experience.

Fortuna De Oro RV Resort

Yuma, AZ

While we were in Quartzsite, AZ in the second half of January, we picked up a coupon from the big RV show that was good for 3 free nights at this resort. We checked in here on Monday, February 18th along with our friends, Jim and Corinne, for our free 3 nights. The forecast for our day of departure was rain and the forecast for the following day was cold with potential for snow in pretty much any direction we could head so we decided to stay for two more days. Good thing we did because it even snowed in LA for the first time in 50 years! When will we get the warm weather that the southwest is supposed to have this time of year?

SARA Park Rodeo Grounds

Lake Havasu City, Az

On our way to Lake Havasu City we stopped for the night in Quartzsite, AZ. We spent the night on BLM land off of Plomosa Rd about 2 miles from where we spent 2 weeks in January. This one night stopover was a milestone for us because it was the first time we spent the night with the 5th wheel still connected to the truck. We’ve seen many folks do this but haven’t gotten the nerve to do it ourselves. With our good friends spending the night right next door we felt safe giving it a try. We did lower the leveling jacks for stability and the rig was perfectly level so there really was no issue.

Canyon Vistas

Gold Canyon, AZ

After spending 2 weeks in the desert with no hook-ups, coming to a high end resort was a big swing to the other end of the spectrum. The resort has 2 heated swimming pools, 15 shuffle board courts, 6 bocce ball courts, pickle ball courts, tennis courts, and various craft rooms including the all important sewing room. Even though we currently don’t feel the draw to stay a full season at a place like this, we can certainly see the appeal with all the extra curricular activities that are going on every day.