More Quartzsite boondocking details

22 01 2023

We’ve arrived in Quartzsite on Friday 1/20 and joined the Montana Owners Club dry-camping on BLM land about 6 miles north of town.  This is an annual gathering for the owners club and we had a total of 21 rigs in the circle before our departure on 1/24.  We’re only here 4 nights, but that’s about maximum before needing either more fresh water or less gray water in our holding tanks.

Weather is chilly, and reportedly about 10 degrees off from normal highs.  Instead of 70’s, the daytimes struggle to reach 60.  All 4 nights of our stay, lows reached into the mid to lower 30’s.  And, the winds didn’t help – often gusting to around 20 MPH, it made the wind-chill even worse.

With several hours of furnace overnight, the batteries were nearly 50% discharged each morning.  The solar did an adequate job of recharging the batteries, except on one cloudy day.  Even with the solar, we opted for 4 or 5 hours of generator each evening after sunset just to keep things topped up as we ran the pump for showers and watched a few hours of TV.

Speaking of TV – there is surprisingly NO over the air signals that reach to this desert location.  We would have expected repeaters from either Yuma or Phoenix to provide at least main network coverage, but our antenna could find nothing.  However T-Mobile worked very well in this location, and we were able to use our hotspot for Roku access.  We tried using our Verizon hotspot, but initially – even with a great signal – there was virtually no bandwidth.  However, on Sunday and Monday the access returned with downloads running along at about 12MB and uploads at 3MB. Someone must have rebooted the tower!

Even with cooler than expected temps, our 4 days of boondocking on BLM land worked fine.  We had plenty of power and propane to keep warm and some great campfires to meet others around.  Next stop, Cattail Cove State Park, along Lake Havasu and the Colorado River.  More from there…


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Spring Road Trip – off to Quartzsite, AZ

20 01 2023

Butterfield RV Resort & Observatory, Benson, AZ

We’ve opted for a due south departure route this year after cold temps followed us all the way through the south western corner of Colorado and into central Arizona last year.  Our first night will be in Albuquerque, at the Isleta Lakes and RV Park.  We’ve stayed at this park in the past.  It’s quite convenient to I-25 and nestled in a nice park-like setting around a couple of lakes along the banks of the Rio Grande.  There are two improvements to note since we last stayed here in 2019.  All of the sites to the south have been converted from their former gravel base to concrete pads next to a nice pavers patio.  The northern sites are still pull-through gravel sites.  Pick your option at check-in.  When we stayed the concrete sites were a $5 premium.  Also of note, the parks WiFi system has been upgraded.  Our tests showed the download runs along at well over 100MB and the upload at about 30MB.

From Albuquerque we’re headed to Las Cruces and one of our favorite KOA parks.  We’ve been in this park many times, however since new owners took over a few years ago, major improvements are always apparent.  Currently they are working on several new premium sites just at the front of the park.  They have also upgraded the office/store area and the WiFi.  They offer both a 2G network which struggles along from our site #19, and a 5G network which is capable of video streaming.  We spent 2 nights in Las Cruces, but wind and rain kept us indoors for much of our stay.

Butterfield RV Resort & Observatory, Benson, AZ

Leaving Las Cruces, we’re bound for Benson, AZ exactly 220 miles straight across I-10.  Setting the truck’s navigation system it says “make a left turn in 220 miles”!  We’re at the  Butterfield RV Resort in Benson, AZ.  This park reminds me of the Lost Alaskan in Alpine, TX with a pine tree at nearly every site.  Also rather unique, they have an observatory.  Unfortunately with heavy cloud cover, it’s doubtful that they will open this evening. Butterfield RV provide a outsourced WiFi service.  The “free service” includes up to 1MB speed and 2GB limit in any 7 day period.  The upgrade to “premium access” is $30/month, for a single device, regardless of how long you are staying.  In testing, we found 2.4 MB down and .8MB up.  And, with a single night stay, we didn’t come close to the 2GB limit. So, all in all it worked fine.  Most likely we’d have to upgrade to more bandwidth on a stay over 2 or 3 days.

Palm Creek RV Resort, Casa Grande, AZ

From Benson we’re headed to Casa Grande.  Before checking into Palm Creek RV Resort, we opt for a truck and trailer wash as the local Blue Beacon.  For around $65, Blue Beacon does a great job of washing the winter grime off the vehicles and their RainX treatment seems to help keep things clean.  We first visited Palm Creek in 2021 and met friends that were staying here last year.  We’re parked in site #56, a back-in on the far east side of the park overlooking a field and I-10.  This is a huge resort with over 2200 sites – both RVs and Park Models.  There’s nearly any amenity you can imagine, which come at a price – per night rates are from $87-$92.  Add about 11% sales and hotel tax and these sites are pushing close to $100/night.  However, book a month and the rates fall to around $45/night.  We enjoyed our 2 nights at Palm Creek, but to really take advantage of the amenities, you need to spend more time here.

Circling of the Montana’s – Quartzsite, AZ (Aerial Photography courtesy Scott Zenonian)

From Casa Grande we’re headed to our first scheduled destination, Quartzsite, AZ.  We’re meeting other members of the Montana Owners Club on the Plomosa Road BLM land for 4 days of dry camping.  At full capacity, our “Montana Circle” contained 21 rigs.  We enjoyed daily happy hours, a pot-luck dinner on Sunday and great conversation, knowledge sharing and fun around the campfire.  On Saturday we joined a group trip to the Desert Bar, aka Nellie E Saloon located just north of Parker, AZ.  This off-grid bar and grill is similar to the Bunker Bar we visited last year near Lake Havasu City.

Nellie E Saloon, Parker, AZ

Nellie E Saloon, Parker, AZ

On Sunday we walked the “big tent”, talked with some of the vendors on the midway and viewed a few new-model Montana and Grand Design RV’s.  From Quartzsite we’re headed to Havasu…more from there.


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End of Season Camping

17 10 2022

In what is becoming a tradition, we’re joining friends at Hecla Junction, one of the campgrounds in the Arkansas River Headwaters State Park.  This small campground is along the Arkansas River about 12 miles north of downtown Salida.  We’re parked in site #1101 along with friends in #1102 and #1122.  On this last weekend of September, the leaves are just beginning to change here along the river, but were beautiful over Poncha Pass.  Warm sunny afternoons are perfect for explorations in nearby Salida and we enjoy lunch at the Boathouse Cantina and some interesting cocktails at Woods Distillery.

Hecla Junction Campground, AHRA

Woods Distillery, Salida, CO

After being home for a weekend, we’re soon back on the road to Circle the Wagon’s RV park in La Veta.  Just a 17 minute trip from home, we’re here for closing weekend and the 4th annual Chili Cookoff Championship.  7 chili’s are presented and tasted, and in the end judges select 3 awesome bowls!  Our stay this year is a bit bittersweet – the owners that have become great friends have sold the park and will be moving north, near Denver.  B&B, we’ll miss you!

Chilli Cookoff Champs

After 2 nights at Circle the Wagons, we’re headed to Chatfield State Park south of Denver. Chatfield is a great spot for us to shop “big box stores” as well as catch up on various professional appointments such as an annual eye exam.  We’re at Chatfield for the entire week, and stay busy visiting with friends staying at the park and others that live in the Denver metro area. As we depart the metro area on Sunday, October 16th, we’re sure this will probably be the last camping of the 2022 season.

Chatfield State Park

We’ve towed nearly 6000 miles this year, representing 161 nights on the road.  Once again we’ve visited favorite spots in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Wyoming and of course Colorado.  Next up will be the massive RV show in Quartzsite, Arizona in mid-January.  More from there…


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How Time Flies

18 09 2022

Wow, how time flies.  Since our last outing to the Montana Owners Group meeting in Dolores in early June, we’ve managed only one trip.  Our annual trip to Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, WY

Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo

Cheyenne Frontier Days, Frontier Nights Stage

As in past years, we spent the full 10 days at AB Camping RV park and enjoyed both concerts and rodeo.  Our concert schedule this year included Dierks Bentley, Parker McCullum, Sam Hunt and Brooks & Dunn.  We also attended a day of rodeo and spent an afternoon on the midway.  After CFD we were once again back at Boyd Lake to catch up with friends and family in Northern Colorado.

Union Pacific ‘Big Boy’ 4014 in Cheyenne

So, in over 3 months, we’ve spent only 13 nights in the RV.  However, we’ve been busy with lots of house guests and some non-RV travels.  We also just returned home from Europe, where we spent 3 nights enjoying London before flying to Rome to sail a 10-night Greek Isles cruise onboard the new Celebrity Beyond.

&Juliet at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre

Celebrity Beyond in Santorini, Greece

Celebrity Beyond in Santorini, Greece

RV travel continues later this week with a trip to Hecla Junction, one our favorite campgrounds in Colorado.  We’ll also spend closing weekend at Circle the Wagons RV park in La Veta and then a week at Chatfield State Park near Denver.  That will take us into the last week of October, and most likely the undesirable task of winterizing the RV.

But, let’s not get into winterization yet – more from Hecla Junction later this week…


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WestView RV Resort, Dolores, CO

15 06 2022

Four Corners – Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico

We’re just 4 miles from downtown Cortez, about 7 miles to Dolores and only 40 miles to Four Corners, the only point in the nation where 4 states share a boundary, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.

Site #37 is conveniently located in the last row of the “original” 45 sites, and right across from the new section that extends the park to 93 sites.  The first row (#1-17) are pull-through sites, but located next to a lumber yard with plenty of noise and dust while we were there.  The next two rows are back-in with off-set locations so that you aren’t looking directly into your neighbors back window.  All remaining “new section” sites are pull throughs, in 4 rows of 12.  All sites offer concrete pads and full hookups.

WestView RV Resort, Dolores, CO

Our site has a significant side to side slope, requiring 3 blocks under right tires and about 6 blocks under the rear jack.  WiFi is provided by several access points in each row, and while the signal is excellent, the speed appears to be limited to exactly 2Mb for each connection.  The service was fairly solid, streamed OK, with occasional fuzzy pictures but rarely any buffering.  T-Mobile cell coverage was full bars of 4GLTE and we found no over the air TV.

WestView RV Resort, Dolores, CO

We’re in Dolores to attend the week-long Western Region Montana Owners Group rally.  This is our first Montana Owners rally, and while we probably won’t visit places like Mesa Verde or Silverton/Ouray with the group, we plan to enjoy the daily happy hours, the Keystone sponsored dinner, the baggie breakfast and the pot luck dinner with white elephant gift exchange.

WestView RV Resort, Dolores, CO

Door prizes were handed at the opening meeting and we ended up with a certificate from “Once Upon a Sandwich”.  During the week we visited the sandwich shop and the Lounging Lizard restaurant, both on Main St. Cortez.  We enjoyed the “SOB” (south of the border) with Turkey, Green Chilies and Pastrami at Once and a Southwest Cuban at Lizard.  There are plenty of food and brewery/cidery options that we’d like to get back to explore in both Cortez and Dolores.

Lounging Lizard, Cortez, CO

After wrapping up the Montana Owners meetings, we’re joining friends in Pagosa Springs at Pagosa Riverside Campground.  The campground is about 2 miles north of downtown Pagosa Springs in a wide meadow between highway 160 and the San Juan River.  We’re parked in sited 38 & 39, “reversed” from normal so that we can share our patio area.  Most sites here are full hookup, however these center sites (#21-#41) provide power and water only. The riverside sites are the best, however none of the sites are far from the river, all provide adequate privacy and are relatively quiet, even with the highway nearby.  The best sites are probably #80 and #81, full hookup, riverside next to the tent section.

Pagosa Riverside Campground, Pagosa Springs, CO

Pagosa Riverside Campground, Pagosa Springs, CO

Riff Raff Brewing on the Rio, Pagosa Springs, CO

While in Pagosa we enjoyed both locations of Riff Raff Brewing (“on the Rio” is better).  Next time we want to check out Kip’s Grill and The Lost Cajun.  On Sunday we’re packing up (during monsoon rains) and headed home.  Our next planned outing is Cheyenne Frontier days in late July. More from Cheyenne…


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Off to the Montana Owner’s Rally

6 06 2022

We’re bound for Dolores, CO and the Western Regional Montana Owners Club Rally.  However, we’ll make 2 stops before the rally and one after.

On Friday we packed up and made the very short drive (12 miles) to Circle the Wagon’s in La Veta, CO.  We’re joining up with friends that we met several years ago when they were work camping in this park.  This is also the park where we spent most of the Summer & Fall during the house build in 2018.  It as a weekend full of great food & fun – from the new Lokal Burger café in the former Corners Diner building to a fabulous dinner at Alys’ Restaurant. https://www.alysrestaurant.com/

Mountain Merman Brewing Company

While in La Veta we learned about the grand opening of the Mountain Merman Brewing Company on July 1st.  This new brewing company is in the former location of the Capture Colorado real estate office on Main Street.

They already have collaborative brews in the works for opening day with Square Peg Brewerks in Alamosa and Platt Park Brewing in Denver.

Good Luck JD & Jen, we can’t wait to come visit soon!

On Tuesday we’re bound for Woods & River Campground in Del Norte:
https://smallhomebigyard.wordpress.com/2020/08/30/woods-river-rv-park/

We last visited this park in 2020.  Several upgrades are immediately noticeable, a big new “lodge” building is underway, and the WiFi system has been upgraded.  However, as with everything – prices are up.  Our 2020 visit was $45/night, this visit is $57/night.  Ouch!

“Out the Back Window”: Rio Grande River at Woods & River Campground, Del Norte, CO

We’re back in a riverside site, and on our previous visit these sites had no WiFi service.  With new towers along the river, downloads blaze along at over 80Mb and uploads are nearly that fast.  The T-Mobile network also appears to have been upgraded, screaming along at 30Mb download and nearly 10Mb upload.  Apparently there’s plenty of bandwidth in this sleepy little town along the Rio Grande river!

Next stop, West View RV park in Dolores.  More from there…


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The Road Home

10 05 2022

After great times in Houston visiting friends and family,  on Tuesday we’re packing up and headed toward home.  Our original plan was to take about a week to make the nearly 1000 mile trek across Texas, part of eastern New Mexico and into southern Colorado.  However, with temperatures pushing into record territory all weekend and fuel prices rising seemingly every day, we’re going to compress the transit into 3 or 4 nights.

Our first night is at Little Lucy RV Resort on Lampasas, TX.  The city calls themselves the Gateway to the Texas Hill Country and a gem of Central Texas.  Certainly they have history to boast of.  One of the oldest courthouses still in use in Texas is impressive, beautiful murals, award winning wineries and natural free-flowing springs.  This looks like an interesting place to spend a few days.  Little Lucy RV (I’m not sure I’d call it a resort yet) is nestled among pecan, oak and elm trees along the shady banks of Little Lucy Creek.   We stayed in site #1, a long pull through right along the creek, nice cement pad with a picnic table and full hookups. The only downside is that we could find no WiFi.  And, since we’re about 5 miles out of town, the T-Mobile cellular signal struggles a bit.  However, for a quick overnight, this park was prefect and we’re return for a longer visit.  The 3 “overnight” sites #1-#3 are very nice, and those set back in the trees, #8-13 offer a bit more shade along the creek.

Little Lucy RV Resort, Lampasas, TX

From Lampasas we’re at Hat Creek RV Park in Big Spring, TX, in the middle of oil country.  Big Spring straddles I-20, about 100 miles west of Abilene and 50 miles east of Midland/Odessa.  This newer park is basically a gravel parking lot with paved roadways and gravel lots, some with concrete pads.  Each pull-through site offers full hookups and streamable WiFi. The clubhouse, store and laundry rooms are first-rate.  Again, for an overnight, this park worked just fine.

Hat Creek RV Park, Big Spring, TX

Our last night was at Oasis RV in Amarillo.  We’ve visited Oasis before, and in fact, the owners of this park also own the Oasis in Durango, CO where we started this trip 119 days ago!  This park is truly an oasis in the Texas panhandle, along I-40 and providing first-rate pull through concrete sites, full hookups, great WiFi and beautiful pool/clubhouse facilities.  FULL REVIEW HERE

Oasis RV, Amarillo, TX

From Amarillo it’s a relatively short drive into New Mexico, and then over Raton pass to southern Colorado.  We’ve driven over 5000 miles on our 2022 Spring Road Trip, exploring Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Mexico, New Mexico and Texas.  We’ve visited 22 different parks and spent great times with friends and family.   Our next trip is to Dolores, CO for a Montana owner’s rally. More from Dolores…

The Spanish Peaks, Walsenburg, CO


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Lakeview RV Resort, Houston, TX

6 05 2022

After a quick overnight at Goliad State Park (reviewed here), an enroute stop at Buc-ee’s in Wharton, we’ve arrived at Lakeview RV Resort just outside the south loop in Houston. The facilities are wonderful here and as they say, location, location, location!  We’re 2.5 miles from the 610 loop, 4 miles from NRG Stadium, about 12 miles from downtown Houston and only 30 miles from Space Center Houston.

Lakeview RV Resort, Houston, TX

Lakeview RV Resort, Houston, TX

Lakeside RV Resort, Houston, TX

Rumored to be a former drive-in movie theatre, this RV resort is a true urban oasis minutes away from anything in the Houston area.  With almost 350 sites, the resort is organized around two lakes. The clubhouse including business center, laundry room and fitness center is located on the largest of 2 lakes, as are the original 250 sites.  The 90 “new sites” are around a second smaller lake, also with a laundry and shower house.  The original sites offer a bit more shade, but some are somewhat cramped.  We are parked in site #27, a site that was formerly a back-in on the edge of the complex and now offers a view of the new lake out the back window.  All sites are full hookup, offering 20A, 30A, 50A service, cable TV and streamable WiFi.

Pappasito’s Cantina

Our 5 days in Houston are filled with great restaurants, breweries and explorations. Friday started with a trip to meet a former work colleague, travel buddy and friends at their home in Friendswood, TX.  It was a great afternoon, D&K, loved catching up and enjoying your home brews!

On Friday evening we visited a Texas tradition, Pappasito’s Mexican Cantina on the South Loop.  It’s not how we remembered the Pappa’s brand, the food was OK, the service sketchy and the atmosphere a bit hectic.

 

On Saturday we spent the day at Space Center Houston.  Amazing place..not to be missed if you’re planning some time in the Houston area.  For lunch we enjoyed Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar in Friendswood – great experience!

Space Shuttle atop 747

Old and New, Space Shuttle and SpaceX Falcon 9

Saturn V at Space Center HoustonPOST

On Sunday we had an awesome brunch at Sixty Vines, then enjoyed a few interesting brews at the Urban South Brewery followed by a visit to  POST Houston.  Built in 1934, the POST building was a mail depot adjacent to Houston’s Grand Central Station. In 1984, as the Barbra Jordon Post Office, this building was headquarters for the USPS in Houston.   In 2021 this historic building was renovated into a food hall, with unique foods, custom cocktail stalls and a rooftop concert venue. Conjuring images of Asian food bazaars, this space is so much fun, and the views from the rooftop like nothing else in Houston. G&S, thanks for taking us to some of your favorite places!

Urban South Brewery

POST Houston, Interior & Staircase

POST Houston Rooftop Gardens and Downtown view

After using Monday to catch up on some ignored work tasks, we’re packing up and headed north on Tuesday.  With temps hovering near 100 all weekend, and fuel topping out close to $6/gallon,..we’re ready to get home.  More from the road home…


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South Padre Island

30 04 2022

Sunset over Laguna Madre, South Padre Island

It’s April 30th and we’ve just crossed the Queen Isabella Causeway on our way back to Harlingen from South Padre Island.  We’ve been on SPI for 30 days, and have thoroughly enjoyed exploring familiar as well as some new island hangouts.  For 2 weeks during our stay, family from Washington state joined us on the island for fishing, relaxing and more good times.  We visited Boca Chica to check out the progress at SpaceX, explored some of Brownsville & Port Isabel, cruised the Brownsville Ship Channel and enjoyed our time on the island.

Lunch Atop a Skyscraper, Sergio Furnari at Space X Boca Chica, TX

Space X Starbase Launch pad, Boca Chica, TX

As in years past, we stayed at Isla Blanca Park, this time occupying end sites C282 and C321,  These end sites provide a bit more space,  privacy and good views of the Brownsville ship channel as well as the SpaceX manufacturing and launch facility across in Boca Chica.

Boardwalk, Isla Blanca Park, South Padre Island, TX

Isla Blanca Park, South Padre Island, TX

The Cameron County Amphitheatre and Event Center is literally across the street from our sites.  On April 9th, Clint Black was to perform, so we were anxious to enjoy an evening concert right in the RV park.  However, the weather had other plans.  By mid-afternoon winds were gusting over 30 MPH. And, by showtime, gusts were topping out around 40MPH.  As expected, the concert was cancelled due to these winds and never rescheduled during our stay.

Clint Black at Cameron County Event Center

A highlight of the trip was a Port of Brownsville tour on Breakaway cruises.  We last sailed with Breakaway in 2015 on this same tour which includes cruising the 13 miles from the outer jetties through the deep water ship channel to the port.  The Brownsville port serves as the southern most gulf port establishing it as a lead carrier for products bound for both US and Mexican destinations.  They also have a huge shipbreaking operation and large shrimp fleet.

Port of Brownsville, first ever LNG fueled container ship.

Also during our stay on the island, Sea Turtle Inc. hosted a public release of patient turtles.  Among the Atlantic Green sea turtles released were Sublime, Tumble, Blessed, Mushroom, Ciabatta, and Cowgirl.

Sea Turtle Inc. patient release

And as usual we explored various restaurants and bars on the island.  Old favorites included Painted Marlin, Longboard Bar & Grill, Meatballs Café, South Padre Island Brewing Company, Mahi Nicks, Pelican Station, Tequila Sunset and several others.  New this year was the wonderful breakfast or brunch spot, Yummies Bistro, a new find of Cobbleheads Bar & Grill in Brownsville and Josephine’s Kitchen, another delicious breakfast restaurant on the island.

Meatball Cafe, South Padre Island, TX

We’ll be at Tropic Winds in Harlingen for a few days before starting our trip north.  From Harlingen we’ll be visiting a favorite park, Goliad State Park in Goliad, TX.  More from Goliad…

 


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Across New Mexico and Texas

30 03 2022

Benson, AZ to South Padre Island, TX

From Kartchner Caverns in Benson, AZ we’re headed to Las Cruces, NM and one of our favorite KOA campground.  We’ve stayed here several times, and always enjoy the breweries and eateries around the Las Cruces area.  (Las Cruces KOA Reviews)

After 2 nights in Las Cruces we’ll spend 1 night at the Fort Stockton RV Park (Ft. Stockton RV Reviews) before moving to By the River Campground in Kerrville.  We’ve visited Kerrville many times, and have always enjoyed our stays at By the River.  With the ongoing drought, the campground appears to be weeks behind “normal”, with still brown grass and bare trees.

By the River RV, Kerrville, TX

We’ll spend 5 night here enjoying the company of friends from Montrose, CO.   Of course our “regular” hangouts will be visited, the Wild Ass Hay Barn and Mamacita’s Mexican Restaurant (not as good as past visits) and couple of new finds, the Pint & Plow Brewing Company in Kerrville and the Fredericksburg Brewing Company in Fredericksburg.

Fredericksburg Brewery

From Kerrville, we’ll spend one night on the shores of Choke Canyon Reservoir before moving to Harlingen and onto South Padre Island.  More from SPI!

Choke Canyon Campground


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