Solar – On the Road with Dan & Amy

Self Isolation in the Desert

Sunset colors paints the eastern sky over Signal Peak

After a couple of days in Buckeye, AZ to stock up on groceries and take care of our tanks, we headed for the desert for self isolation. We knew from past experience that we could last 2 weeks with a full fresh water tank and empty waste tanks. We wanted to stay out here as long as possible, hopefully until our reservations for Cave Creek Recreation Area began on April 10th. We are still with our friends, Jim and Corinne, and have been since February 19th. It is certainly a blessing to have such good friends to share this experience with. It would be scarier and lonelier without them.

Sawtooth Canyon

From Indio, we knew we wanted to head to Death Valley National Park but needed a place to stay along the route. Jim had located a free BLM campground south of Barstow, CA called Sawtooth Canyon Campground. After having some free waffles (available every Thursday morning at the RV resort) we hooked up and headed for some boondocking adventures.

Boondocking in Arizona

After leaving Patagonia Lake State Park, we drove a short distance up I19 to spend a night in a casino parking lot. After unhooking, setting up the RV, and checking in with security, we headed out to get some laundry done. Once the laundry was done and put away, we met up with Dan and Mary for dinner at Manuel’s Mexican restaurant. This is a favorite of theirs and most of the staff knew them. We had a great time and plan to hook up again with them before we leave the southwest later this spring.

Quartzsite 2020

One of the biggest draws for RVers is the big tent event in Quartzsite, AZ. This event takes place in the middle of January and has been going on for many years. For most, it is a reason to gather in the desert for a couple weeks of boondocking (dry camping) with friends both new and old. We did this event last year and, given that we were in Arizona already, it made sense to do it again this year.