How to camp for free in national forests and live to tell the story.

I've been thinking about fringe-living and settling down, and what it means to do what we do. To carry on this not-quite-legitimate life. The "how" is easy - I tell you more of that than you ever cared to know. Sometimes, it's the "why" that catches in my throat.

But then, there's this.

From National Forest Service Land. Your land.

From a boondocking spot. Not your cow.

Maaaaw! We got company!
Quick! Run and get me a clean muumuu!

Jail Trail, Old Town Cottonwood

Riparian area along Verde River

Some teenaged boys were fishing here, arguing about who tangled the line. I felt like I was in 1954, but only in the good ways. 

The sky always looks grainy up close. Ask an astronaut.

I can tell you how to boondock here, if you're interested. No? Okay, no problem.

I need your input on an idea. I've been thinking of putting together some boondocking spots - that we have seen or used personally - that work well for summer camping. They would mesh, rather than overlap, with Marianne's excellent fall/winter/spring camping series. [← You should get these.] 

I'm thinking maps, coordinates, and pertinent information (phone/data signal? elevation?). If you're expecting sparkling travel narrative, you should pick up some Steinbeck.

The same information would still be free here within the blog, so is there any point? Would you ever pay for something you could dig up for free with a little effort? [← Who would do this?]

If you're thinking of venturing into National Forest Service land to boondock, you'll love the apps. It's not a centralized process, so some forests have them and some haven't them. Coconino and Prescott have them, Kaibab has apps for the Williams and Tusayan districts, but not yet the North Kaibab. You can tell exactly where you are in reference to permitted camping sites, and cell service is not required.

Pay no heed to my melancholy. The Sun hasn't shone through for hours.

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Coconino National Forest, Arizona in Autumn

Having good cell service again feels like we fell mouthlong into chocolate. We caught up on some favorites: Modern Family, The Office, Bones. We also watch Sons of Anarchy and Breaking Bad, but they require a different kind of finessing.

Do you have TV suggestions for us?

We've been to this area before, so I actually found myself thinking ho-hum. What. I grabbed myself by the lapels to get my attention.

It's getting close to fly-time. When I can look at views like this and not notice, I need a shake-up.

Our friends and my son in central New York State are fine and safe. The local school didn't even close.

Annie tackled a roof project today that we hope will make our cell signal stronger. Woot! ⇦ I can get excited about cell service.

There's something about taking a picture that brings beauty into focus. Get it? Picture? Focus? 

We bought a lot of coconut coir at PetSmart yesterday. The chipper young clerk asked us what we did with it. When Annie told him it was for a composting system, he seemed subdued. He was hoping we'd say Gila monsters.

Do you offer a service or a product for sale? Do you knit hats or craft jewelry? Handmake soap? Tell me what you do in the comments, or by email if you'd rather (whotookmybucket at gmail dot com). It might be fun to do an RVers' commerce round-up before the holidays run up on us and trample us with Walmart everyday low prices.

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Will National Forest Service rangers really roust boondockers?

Boondocking and rangers

I mentioned yesterday on Facebook that two extremely pleasant rangers stopped at our campsite to show us, in the kindest way possible, that we were not on an open road. Carolyn and Annie, you actually camped IN the Beaver Creek Wilderness Area. I guess that would explain "the sightings."

I'm emphasizing their polite demeanor because some boondockers have encountered rangers having a bad day. I believe their stories, and I want to add to the conversation that that kind of bad behavior doesn't seem to be policy. And, between you and me, we were outlaws at 22 days in one spot anyway. Annie decided not to bring that up and ruin everyone's day.

One of the guys showed Annie his (FREE) nifty phone app; it has a GPS feature and shows him where he is in relation to the NFS MVUM (Motor Vehicle Use Map). In other words, am I in an approved area? Let's see...nope! Once Annie got some good signal (ahhhh!) she was able to install it on her phone and iPad.

It doesn't require cell service to work!

→ Coconino National Forest MVU map for your mobile thingies! ←

We looked up the Kaibab NF, but they don't yet have a Motor Vehicle Use map of any sort. A ranger there told us to camp wherever we wanted to camp. He predicted a map by this month, but Kaibab camping will be rare until Spring (brrr).


Health monitoring

We heard about a mobile lab visiting the Sedona area, so I fasted in preparation. I chose the full lipid panel and glucose. I researched ALT/AST (liver function) ahead of time, and decided it wouldn't be especially helpful without a battery of other tests to pin down any possible questionable results.

West Coast Health Services is a small, family-run company, and Glenn and Sandy work together. It's a fingerstick instead of a vial, and their instrumentation sits right on the table top. Results in six minutes! I had mine done, then Glenn spent about twenty minutes explaining the nuances of the numbers. I'm obsessed with these things anyway, but he still told me things I didn't know.

After hearing everything that Glenn told me, Annie decided to do it, too. Again, I learned stuff. For instance, why Annie's ultra-low triglycerides may cause her to notice blood sugar fluctuations more than I do with my high-normal readings.

My point is that this is a valuable service at prices far lower than you would pay going to a doctor's office and having your blood sent to a lab. We paid $45/person for the full lipid profile and glucose (AND more information than a doctor has ever given me about my results).

I've added this information to our Healthcare for Poor People page. You rich people are welcome there, too.


 Sightseeing

I enjoyed Old Town Cottonwood a lot. A big thrift store, and lots of fun, not-too-expensive shopping that can be done, if you're so inclined. Funky (in the good sense) and relaxed. I would go back.

Old Town Cottonwood

What are they hiding??

High Chaparral

Gratuitous cat photo (Max).

We left the Flagstaff area for a while to try our luck at the Grand Canyon.  So far, so good!

On the side of a motel on Route 66, Flagstaff. I don't know the artist.

We spent fifteen days at a site further back in the woods: here. If you like knowing the coordinates, they are 35.070419,-111.662449. This was a good site, despite the freak paintballing incident. Very light ATV activity, and what there is seems to come from the nearby community of Mountainaire. Good hiking, good walking, good sitting. We saw one NFS truck. A guy jumped out, pulled up a numbered sign (officially decommissioning a road, I think), and drove off.

When we land in an area I like, I start fantasizing about a Tiny House on a Huge Piece of Land. But, I also want to keep boondocking full-time. I want it all.

Maybe down this road.

We're staying at Three Pines. I named it that.

These three in particular.

It's a flower, I guess.

Not a flower.

Maybe a flower?

You can call me Flower if you want to.

Along 64, from Williams to Tusayan, is a lot of empty land. To the east, someone has put up a sign that's just barely legible from the highway; it says "FREE TO BE ME by Vonshtain." It's a book, and I'm intrigued by why the sign would be there. A fan lives there? Vonshtain lives there? Any ideas?

It's your lucky day!

A cat twofer.

This is Lily. Her entire life, when she sees a camera she develops a palsy. I have 679 pictures of Lily, none in focus. Annie fooled her by using her phone. Lily was expecting a call, not a portrait.

I have a question for bloggers: how do you feel about a popular website whose main content is your blog, and who sells advertising based on your writing? In exchange for them "hosting" your articles, you provide advertising for them on your blog.

So I'm clearer, you are providing their content (for free). They feed your entire post to their site, and you pay them by putting their badge on your blog.

Your articles get much wider coverage than they might otherwise. However, none of the traffic moves to your blog, because the entire content is over there and there is no need for readers to click. You don't know how many people have read it there. I don't mean that the content is stolen, by any means. You have signed up for this arrangement.

I don't think I mean this nastily. *checks snarkometer* It's just a question that's been lingering around my lobes, and if I don't ask you, who am I gonna ask? Perspective check, please.

Things that don't hurt now that we're vegan.

Annie asked me about my "owwie parts" last night.

Remind me, which are my owwie parts?

You know, your lower back, your right knee, your hips. How you can't get around in the morning.

Right! I remember now.

• lower back - an intermittent problem, but always skulking and slightly there. No flare up in several weeks. I had forgotten about it.
• right knee - this is an old Wii injury. Beware the hula hoop! Now I feel it when I walk a lot. A stick helps, but the point here is that I'm walking now. So, I notice it more, but it doesn't build to an acute situation. Now it's more obtuse.
• hips - what hips? The pain used to keep me awake. 
• morning stiffness* - I've been trying to rephrase this for fifteen minutes. The takeaway is, I have no problem moving around in the morning now; lower back stiffness seems to be gone.

Annie and I have lost a total of 55 pounds. More or less. Give or take. 

Before the juice reboot we were already vegan, which felt better physically than our old ovo-lacto diet. The juicing made such a quick difference, though, that we wanted to incorporate some part of that into our everyday life. Where we are right now:

• We still have an alcoholic drink, whatever (vegan) kind we want. Not every day, though. 

1. Annie: heart-healthy red wine
2. Roxi: Jim Beam, neat

• I had a craving for eggs (!) and so we found some free-range eggs laying around and ate them. They were under the free-range hens. Okay, not vegan. Also a slippery-slope food for Annie. So, for a fierce craving - okay, but not a go-to food. We won't be stocking them.
• We're staying away from processed foods, even ones we used to enjoy. Facon and fauxsage, faux example. We've tried them since, and were disappointed, so we don't need those to live.
• We still juice once a day. When we skip it, we eat and eat and don't find what we're looking for.
• Bread is back on the table. We've been buying sprouted bread, which they apparently make from 24 karat wheat. The price alone is enough to keep us moderate.
• We eat nuts, but "raw" and unsalted. The oil and salt turn nuts into my slippery-slope food. Peanut butter is not the greatest food, either, but it's SUCH A GREAT FOOD that I eat it. On my jewelry-grade toast. Remind me to watch for signs of returning inflammation. Nevermind, I'll write it down.
• We're still off coffee. We have green and white tea sometimes, and herbal stuff that tastes like leaves. And my favorite, Bengal Spice.

If you eat a different way, that's cool. I'm not writing the Bible. We all want to feel good in our bodies, and whatever makes that happen is the right way. Except for the way you eat, of course, but we can fix that.

Annie enjoying the Flagstaff sunshine, in the shade.

Flagstaff's weather is a story of contrasts. At 7,000 feet in elevation, Flagstaff residents enjoy over 300 days of sunshine per year and low humidity. Yet historically Flagstaff receives the second most snow of any city in the continental United States and can be surprisingly cold in the winter. Even during the coldest periods when snow is falling by the foot (or even by the meter!), warming sunshine is never more than a couple days away. Weeks can pass in spring and autumn without so much as a single cloud interrupting the sun's rays, whereas in July and August the summer monsoon season brings intense thunderstorms nearly every afternoon. When most people around the world think of Arizona they conjure up images of blazing desert heat without realizing that Arizona is among the most mountainous states in the US. At 7,000 feet elevation, sitting in the heart of the cool pines of the Coconino National Forest, Flagstaff is far from a desert environment. Even in the peak of summer, daily high temperatures rarely exceed 85 degree Fahrenheit, making Flagstaff a retreat for desert residents fleeing their scorching Phoenix summers. - American Conservation Experience

Which is all pretty educational, but it means Flagstaff is sunny year-round. In the summer, you can shed your down, and in the winter you'll freeze your pin feathers off. But, you'll feel cheerful about it.

*What your doctor may not tell you: erectile dysfunction may warn of bigger things to come.

 More about that, without double entendres. 

Mind scrub

Annie's phone screamed at us all afternoon, warning of EXTREME TORNADO DANGER in our area. It suggested we SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. It was so annoying we finally had to turn it off. We could hardly hear the approaching locomotives over the squawking.

Here's what a local news article advised: If you are in a vehicle or a mobile home, find substantial shelter or a low spot outside and cover your head with your hands. And scream Armageddon outta here!


One of my favorite ways to slip into a different brain is a glass of wine + 70's music. Perhaps another glass of wine, and more 70's music. Maybe 70 wines and one more music - thanks, I'm good.

Last night, it occurred to me I might not own all the music from the 70's, and you guys could suggest some I really should have.

Any genre is good. Any song, any group. The 70's just didn't make bad music. What should I be hearing?

Flagstaff is groovy.

BREAKING NEWS: Rain in Flagstaff. We accept it just as if we wanted it.

Lori and I went to Yoga in the Park in her subdivision. It's seductive, this lure of neighborhood parks, block parties, and cultured organized activities. Not seductive: my yoga pants. There's a reason the dog faces downward. The instructor, a lithe, willowy young thing, tried to help us all with our poses, but she had to give up and put her mat next to me. Ma'am, are you crying? What are you doing with your leg? Why is your head like that? Do you want me to call someone?

We all spent a lot of time in downtown Flag (locals don't use the whole word) this weekend, enjoying crafts and arts. I never know the difference. The place feels good.











Arizona Snowbowl (a ski resort) has reached an agreement with the City of Flagstaff to buy its reclaimed sewage water, pipe it to the top of the Peaks, and make fake snow with it. There are environmental concerns, as you might suspect, besides the concept of taking a dump in someone's church and sticking around to pee there all winter long. The Peaks are holy to the Dine', the Hopi, and eleven other tribes.
But, I just said the place has a good vibe, and so it does.

This is not a Steve Martin scimitar. She's actually balancing it on her head.

Seriously? She's balancing it on her head?

We're as languid as slugs on a salt-free cracker. We should move on before a ranger lays down a mineral lick. We have a few ideas:

I can wedge the rig in here.

San Francisco Peaks

Peeking Peak

And, boy howdy! is it raining! 

Did you know this about olive oil?

Just ahead of the law.

We spent a very lovely twenty-three days on Willard Springs Road. This site isn't much of a boondocking secret, but here's the big reveal: it's nice. This is not crazy-remote like some other spots, but it's a quiet, relaxing place where you can relax for, say twenty-three days.

I'm not suggesting you become scofflaws like Annie the Kid and me. Fourteen days is the official maximum stay here in the Coconino National Forest.



And, we were ready and willing to move on if anyone cared. No one did. We stayed.

My noobie instinct tells me that if you look like a squatter, you're going to cause more alarm for the overtaxed rangers than if you look ready to drive away at any moment. We avoided tents, carports, and storage sheds. We kept the terraced patio modest. We hoped two lawn chairs would be acceptable, and they must have been.

 

We didn't get tired of Willard Springs Road, but it was time to get water so we moseyed up the road.

Annie reports that Munds Park RV Resort is a good place to get water and propane. Easy and clean. While she was taking care of that chore, I headed on to our next site to stake a claim. On the way in I passed Gail (we met at Willard Springs), but she was intent on squeezing through the tiny crevice of road I was leaving her, so she didn't recognize me. Hi Gail! I was the @%#&* pulling a tow dolly!


In this weather, we're using about 0.4 gallons of propane/day. That's our cooking, water heating, and refrigerator. When Annie bakes a lot of bread, that goes up.

We use about two gallons of water/day.

I haven't checked our electric production in a long time. I imagine we're making about 2 kwh/day. Our batteries are filled every day, so that's more than we need.

We watched Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead, and now we're inspired to do a mini-version of what these guys did. Take a look at this film. The second guy was extra-inspiring. It's also available on HuluPlus.

And, if you don't have NetFlix already, go through my link and take advantage of the free month. It's not a scam; they really let you cancel if you don't want it. We use only the instant streaming. We also subscribe to HuluPlus, so one or the other will probably go. I got my free's worth catching up on Sons of Anarchy, so I'm good.

Life is quiet and pleasant here, and where you are, too, I hope.