Just another Buick in the wall.

You don't need no education! You might get some contact learning, though, so keep your Benadryl handy.

Car camping got popular in the 1920s, when people needed vacations, but couldn't bear to leave their Fords in Dodge.

 Library of Congress LC-USZ62-41022 

She's asking the question that still plagues me. You know, don't you?*

These folks were the pioneers of car-campers. The Rough Riders of roughing it. Their smartphones have dead batteries, but look at the fun they're having! Somebody back East is saying, "Why don't they write?"

Library of Congress LC-USZ62-47337

Still asking.*

In 1919, there was a caravan of 50 cars, even one built to refrigerate food (still not answering that one pulsing, unsilenceable question*).

This article is rekindling the glowing embers of my interest in boondocking in Spud. I'm just in no hurry. I'm comfortable, contemplative, content, and continent.








*"Where do I poop?" 

You'll offer me good, sturdy answers. These answers will work in a car (not a van), with people possibly in the vicinity, without benefit of vault toilets.

Buckeye Hills Regional Park - a challenge, a solution, and a good boondocking experience

I really enjoyed Buckeye Hills Regional Park, south of Buckeye, AZ. I thought I was perma-relaxed, but I completely sank into it here. 

And, why not? I camped near the bathroom (but not too near, because). I had my own garbage can and covered picnic table. I had my solitude, and I also met some nice bird people, with whom I took a lovely owling walk at sunset.

Melissa, Reid, and Mike

I had my books and my poetry to protect me. 

There is no fee to camp here. 

There was a hitch, and it's hard to know how it happened, or why. On Friday night an agitated man drove through the circle, urging us to leave soon (right away! do not delay! they're on their way! by end of day!) because the Firebird District of the Boy Scouts had reserved everything everywhere. When he met with resistance from all of us (No signs. You need to post some signs), he and his agitated buddy called the Sheriff's office.

The deputy was able to clarify that the Boy Scouts had, indeed, reserved some of the campsites for the night, so those of us intending to band sparrows banded together to band together. We shared a big site that evening, and then spread out when the threat had passed.

The Boy Scouts themselves were just fine. Noise, yeah, but it was happy, innocent noise; they left the park looking clean. Their leaders, though, needed some help being prepared. This kind of nonsense could happen again March 7 & 8, 2014.  If you happen to be there then, it's fine to politely stand your ground and find out exactly what area has been reserved. It is probably not the entire park complex. On the other hand, the leaders will certainly have learned a better way to go about this, so you're likely to have no trouble at all.

Don't let this dismay you. It's a quiet park, and during the week you're likely to have plenty of space to yourself to kick back in the shade and read that steamy novel you've been trying to get to.

I'm pointing RIGHT AT IT. You're telling me you can't see?

I stayed four nights, and would have been content longer. Buckeye offers a public library with wifi, and an IGA. I'm told you can find a WalMart if you try. The park offers easy hiking, clear skies, and coyote songs.

Boondocking in Cottonwood, Arizona. Not there.

A lot of boondockers know where to camp in Cottonwood, Arizona, but not so many know about this spot. I assume. There are hordes* of RVs on Thousand Trails Road, and only a coupla where we are. 

Internet coverage with Verizon is excellent here.

*at least three

Mini-Annie

 

Spud with Habitent. "Habitent, Will Travel."

I want to stick around this area until my gadgets arrive, and then I'll set out on my super-secret adventure. It's not really super-secret, I just don't want to dissipate its energy by talking lots about it before I've done it. Sometimes, too much talking takes the place of doing, and I'm already Captain Inertia.

For my friends who worry that I might be freezing solid: no such luck. It's hovering around 30°F here at night; last night I woke up and had ripped my hat right off my head in unconscious overheating. That's with the Habitent up and the night air caressing my Buddha-like earlobes.

A Big Dog in an RV, and Annie's Behind™

Outside a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too dark to read. ~ Groucho Marx



















Jake is starting to dog it up around here.

Yin and Yang

A stick at tooth level! Thanks, guys!

Jake behind "Life is good" 

 It's April, and that means the tops come off. Sometimes we raise car roofs, too.

Annie's Behind™ the Tracker

I'm outside taking the picture because I SAW the road ahead of time.

After our desert romp, Annie replaced the ripped soft top on the Tracker.

We've been enjoying friends lately. We're sorry Cheryl couldn't stay longer; we blew her off to go get Jake.

In later years, the pair could no longer remember when humans stopped visiting. I seem to remember liking people, Roxi mused, reaching into her pocket for a poop bag.

We enjoyed an afternoon and evening with Hughes and Judy Moir, who threw their very, very busy lives into neutral to spend some hours with us. They're great company - energetic and charismatic - and it's a pleasure to see them whenever we can.

Grace and Steve kindly met us at a park so our pups could meet. These two balls of energy (with a matching dog) are boondockers, too. Steve has retired, and Grace pretends not to mind. They'll be on the road in less than two years.

Strawberry hedgehog in "our" yard

  

My new cousin with serious star power. There's a strong family resemblance; I don't want to talk about it.

What the HECK am I looking at here??

 

Hold us, we're scared!

 

I'm calling this "The End"

Dentist in Los Algodones, Baja California

Not me! Annie has gone out-of-town, out-of-state, and out-of-country to take care of a few things in her mouth. She was researching Nogales, Sonora (thank you for your suggestions), then realized she would feel better in Los Algodones. 

After she left me (what year was that? Yesterday?!?) the sky put on a show to distract me. Thanks, Sky.

There were three separate rainbows that day, and two of them were doubles. They don't call this joint the Good Luck Duck for no reason, you know.

 
Also here to distract me: dogs.

Whitey

Cookie

Whitey and Cookie

Whitey and Cookie

Whitey and ...HEY! CUT THAT OUT!

This is awkward.

I like having the dogs around outside, especially at night. Every owl, javelina, and cow is a new chance for me to soil myself.

I took the Tracker to the post office yesterday, and before I could walk away, it beat me to it. I threw my Jaime Sommers moves on it and jumped in to stop it before it could crash into a pre-school field trip, two seniors with walkers, a dog in a wheelchair, and a stroller; a little car can't stand up to abuse like that.

Our Arizona is wet, windy, and cold. Tell me about somewhere warm.

~~~~~

Thanks for distracting me by using our Amazon link when you shop!

Finding free (and almost free) camping in the West

Last post, 6_bleen_7 pointed out the cactus baby on Estée Fodder's nose. This morning I woke up thinking She was eating poke salad. The same line twenty hours earlier would have been HI-larious.

Our neighbor was out as we walked by with our two dogs.* He has been doing a lot of work during the day and leaving at night. He explained tonight that he plans to move in here, so he's been constructing a living area attached to his storage building.

Fernand is a refugee from Congo. His wife died in the war, and his children are in Gabon. We asked if they will come here - maybe someday.

His English is halting, but my French throws itself onto the ground and must be dragged. He tells us that someone (People for Action?) helped him set up his landscaping business here. He likes having us here; until we came along he felt alone out here. You are two - you talk. I am just one.† He shrugs.

What bothers him most is having no lights. He doesn't yet have a solar set-up. We're thinking some solar lights might be a useful housewarming gift. Do you have other ideas?

*Whitey held onto his Will Woof For Food gig here, and brought his brown friend with him today.  

†We think Fernand should keep feeding them after we leave so he has doggie company and night-woofers.

It was fun meeting Sue and Steve for brunch! For the past year I've had to settle for laughing at Sue's puns via Facebook. It's said that puns are the lowest form of humor...unless they're your puns. Between her and Nina, we're pretty psyched about New Mexico.

When Nina was here, she brought her Arizona Benchmark Atlas along to show us. We were impressed enough to buy it and the New Mexico version, too. These are great for finding public and other lands open for camping. For example, they show that Tucson has very little BLM land, but huge stretches of State Trust land that can be accessed for a $15/year permit.

Check out all the states available.







Don't expect these to replace Marianne's Frugal Shunpiker's Guides - there's nothing like a firsthand report - but these will tell you at a glance where to be looking for what kind of camping. And, since they're actual atlases, you won't be flipping back and forth between maps.

For more boondocking ideas, check out our Boondocking Resources page.

~~~~~

Thank you for using The Good Luck Duck's Amazon link! QUACK!  

Buying land in Arizona and finding a dog in the desert.

We like to browse real estate listings, especially for desert land. It's a poor woman's hobby, and pretty exciting if you have a 4X4 to check things out in.

There is quite a bit of wild Arizona land for sale, and some of it is fairly cheap, like us. If you're reading this on a cold February day in New York State, you're fed up enough to buy some sight-unseen. But first, let us show you the unseen sights.

We bumped over a lot of road, but this turned us around. This is something Google won't tell you: you own land, but you can't get to it.

Edna, they have AVENUES! How bad could it be?

Edna, who knew it could be this bad?

 

SANITIZE! SANITIZE!

Your land may be a thoroughfare. I'm not saying this is a deal-breaker. If you bring an RV to your property, travelers will probably find a quieter route. 

Charming property with three wells! Perfect for alternative housing fans! Bring your imagination and a cash offer! Won't last long!

Edgy, avant garde embellishments festoon this quaint locale!

Thanks, Google. That clears it up.

Your land may have a wash running through it. This is not dreadful, unless you park in it. Look at the height of the vertical part of the bank. You can expect this much water to run through it. If this wash is wide, or it intercepts your access to the road, you may find yourself cut off from escape travel. I've been told by locals that when a wash is flooded, you can expect 20-30 minutes of delay. DO NOT drive through a wash with running water. This is a flash flood, and that water moves. Please don't make your children remember Daddy from the Darwin Awards.*

*These would not be your biological children

 

You shouldn't expect to drop a well here, and in some cases, you may not find a service to bring water in. Roads can be primitive.

If all this excites rather than discourages, you may be the perfect candidate for the most complete quiet most people will never experience. Shove over - we'll park next to you.




Excitement runs high here at the Ducky part of the desert, where we've had a sleepover.

We met this very nice fella three weeks ago, right here at the ranch. He was looking good! Spirits high, a pal by his side. They dropped in to say "Howdy! Bygones!" after chasing us for a mile in the Tracker.   [It was a scary mile.]

Happier times

When he showed up Sunday night, he was alone and skeletal. He showed off his ribs like he had held up a BBQ joint. He just wandered up and laid down in front of the Duck. Annie fed him and we expected he'd head home, but he stayed all night; he even did some guard duty with a few massive WOOFs. Will wOrk fOr Food.

Yesterday morning he just stayed on, laying in the sun. "Good boy!" got a tail thump, but that's all. He was sad and tired.

It's going to get cold in these parts. AGAIN. *shakes tiny ineffectual fists at Arizona* So, we coaxed him inside as practice, in case he needs to come in later this week. Today he's back out charting the desert, so we'll see what happens tonight. Maybe he just needed some time away to think, and he'll head back to wherever he considers home. He'll apologize to the missus, maybe bring her something dead. WE WERE ON A BREAK! We think there's a story there, though.

Back in the Northeast, in this situation I'd say "Did you lose a nice yellow dog? I mean, did you stop feeding a nice yellow dog? Did you do something so bad that a loyal individual like a dog would leave you?" ←  I would say this to myself in the car on the way over

Here in Arizona, a mile from the nearest county road, I'd say "Put that gun away. Did you stop feeding a nice yellow dog ... ?"