Desert Life: Free Camping, Stolen Trucks, Heat Waves and Uninvited Guests!

 When we were last here, we were just departing from Ironwood Forest National Monument, just west of Tucson, Az.   Well, we picked up Interstate 10 west, then transitioned to I-8 as far as Gila Bend.  As usual, we took advantage of the free dump, fill, and a had a bite to eat before heading north to the I-10 again near Buckeye.  This time, we turned south at Quartzsite and found one of our favourite places to camp south of town, with no one within a half mile!  Same place we camped back in Nov/Dec.

Big rain one day.  Almost washed the dust off the truck!

 Spent about a week in Quartzsite area, caught up on laundry, filled some propane, but it was often too windy for much biking around.  I took the opportunity for a couple of Amazon orders.  I've had some nightmares getting things delivered in Quartzsite (actually I rarely have an order without some complications), although I think I have now got that one figured out (you must use a postal address in Quatrzsite - even if you are getting it sent to a 'ship and receive' place!), but they also charge $5/package.  As a result, I used an Amazon locker in Lake Havasu - even if Amazon makes it difficult to find them.

So, when things started to arrive, it was time to move up the road to Lake Havasu.  Once again, we stopped at our usual favourite - Mile 174 BLM.  My spot up on the ridge top was occupied - well actually there was lots of room, but I could see that both rigs up there were sporting industrial sized generators, so that was a no-go.   Pretty sure I recognized a couple of rigs that were parked in the same places they were, when I left in December!  Maybe they're just like me and returned to the same spots? Not!

 

 

 An early evening walkabout, so Bailey is on leash!

Weather was pretty warm.  Too warm for hiking most days, but the bikinis were starting to bloom down at the channel, as spring break got under way.

                                                        "Is that a DOG walking by?"

Took advantage of a cooler day and early morning to do my annual hike up Lizard Peak - check out the aerial video!  It's a gooder! Go Big, go full screen ;-)

From the mountain top, I was able to check in on Bailey back in camp, and make sure he is not (!) sleeping on guard duty!

Flowers were blooming, although these ones were in a Lowe's garden center!

A depiction of my parking spot in Rotary Park on my truck's screen!

It was pretty hot every day now with the hot spell going on.  Some days we'd just stay home in the shade, and mist water on Bailey to keep him cool.  That's a good indication that is time to find some where higher, and cooler!

After some serious considerations and map examination, Mojave National Preserve got selected as our next home for a while.  Usually, we've enjoyed camps in the northern part of the preseve, near Baker, but this time it was possible to search a bit, to find a great spot in the southern portion.

I spotted this 'camper' off in a nearby wash.  But after further examination, I realized that this was an abandoned truck (likely stolen?), and no one had been around it for weeks.  

 

I dutifully reported all the details to the parks dispatch, and sure enough the next morning a nice Park Ranger showed up to investigate.  He immediately took steps to remove it, but the first tow truck he called would not even drive into the wash!  Eventually, hours later, another couple vehicles showed up, and by happy hour they were dragging it out of the area.  The keys were in it, but of course it wouldn't start.  Hard to see the tow rope in the video, but it is being towed out by the jeep.  Felt sorry for the Ranger, as it had burned up his entire day!

One day, I started to watch a hockey game, while sitting in my truck....

It was a great, scenic, secluded, level camp spot with fairly easy access.  But it turned out to be a bit of a nightmare.  Why is the hood open, you might ask?

Well, here is the answer!  

  Kangaroo rat and a bunny!  I think the rabbit felt safe from owls under the truck?

 I think it was the second night there when I thought I heard some sort of scratching under the rig, or possibly in the basement!  I couldn't see anything there, but then opened the hood on the truck in the dark, and heard some scratching.  I started the truck, and the pack rat came to the top of the engine, and I was easily able to grab it by the tail and fling it away, unfortunately, leaving a portion of tail in my hand.  It ran back under the truck, so I moved the truck and re-parked hoping that would scare it away and deter it.  Nope!  These things are a pain, and once again I could hear him somewhere around the engine.  So, it was time for a midnight drive, about a mile out to the highway and back.  Parked again, but it was till there!  Time to dig out the traps!  From past experience, I had a couple of sturdy snap traps, so I set one on top of the engine, and one in the basement.  I also set a brand new live trap I carry for just such an occasion.  I baited all with some peanut butter, some tinfoil, and some shiny plastic bags for the live trap.

Well, in the morning, I found one deceased culprit in the snap trap, and hoped that would be the end of it.  Not so lucky!  Over the next couple nights, the traps remained empty, and I strung some LED lights on the ground under the truck, and added some cameras!  Even threw some used cat litter underneath to try and deter them.

 Well, they clearly weren't hungry - as I baited the traps with peanut butter, then added some cat food, and strawberries.  But they sure loved scampering all over the engine for hours.  I don't know what the attraction is?  Luckily, no damage detected (yet).

Another really hot day was shaping up, but I headed out on this shadeless hike in mid morning to a volcanic crater. 

While still under attack from the packrats, I decided to move on, hopefully before any damage was done.

It was a short move, just up to the northern portion of the preserve, but somewhere that should be free of the cute little rats.  Set up camp, and settled in for the night, but alas, there were scratching sounds somewhere in the inaccessible areas under the rig.  I managed to squeeze a trap through an opening into that area - secured by a cord tether.  And I did eventually find a small access hole in the underbelly, well hidden between the axles, but there was not enough space for a good look.  I shoved Bailey in, but there was no room for him to move either!  I left the hole open for the night, thinking the stowaway might be hungry, and eager to resume life in some natural desert habitat.  It wasn't till about 6 AM when I heard a short bit of noise from down there - then silence.  Finally - caught the little freeloader, and I hope he didn't have any friends with him! 

It was pretty darn hot in that lower elevation area, so there was no reason to stick around.  So, off we went in search of new adventures, cooler temperatures, and perhaps (?) just a bit closer to home.  But that's going to have to wait for the next blog post! 

 

Las Cienegas, Indian Bread Rocks, Hot Well Dunes, and back!

Starting off with a few stats from the blog ...

Lately, other than the usual readers from US & Canada, there have been visitors from the following countries as compiled by https://livetrafficfeed.com

France

Singapore

Argentina

Ukraine

UK

Iraq

Saudia Arabia

Netherlands

Kazakstan

Chile

Latvia

Germany

Mexico

Australia

India

Brazil

Panama

Egypt

Bulgaria

South Africa

Bangladesh

Vietnam

Algiers

Pakistan 

Oman

Taiwan

 

 

I don't think Bailey has any idea how many people know about him!  And I doubt he cares, as long as the food dish is full and there are places to explore and things to hunt!

 

I guess I should mention that Bailey was preceded by Harley, and Hailey who both starred on the blog earlier

 February turned out to be quite the month for weather!  We were camped in Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, near the historic Empire Ranch headquarters.  

 

Weather was rather cool, with overnight temperatures dipping to the freezing mark on occasion.  And, during the day, it was often windy enough to discourage getting out on the bike like usual.  So, it was time to move on, and move we did!

After a quick stop in Benson to re-provision, we took I-10 eastbound, almost to the New Mexico line.  We turned off in Bowie, toured through many Pecan groves, and found our way to Indian Bread Rocks on the Happy Camp Canyon road.  The spot I had in mind was occupied, and the further you go past the picnic area, the rougher the road gets - at least for a larger rig.  We eventually managed to get turned around, and ended up finding an even better and more private spot along a large wash.

 

 

 It seems to be a great area for bird life, and my app showed some of the ones that it heard in the vicinity of camp.

A Northern Cardinal came by!

There is some great hiking and rock scrambling just behind camp, so I took every opportunity to get higher up for a look around.  I spotted what appeared to be an abandoned ranch yard a few miles away in the hills.  It was a good excuse to get the bike out for a run.

I wanted to spend a bit of time at the Hot Well Dunes site to the north of Bowie, but didn't want to go on a weekend, as then it would be full of noisy, dusty off-roaders.  And the route up from Bowie has a section of dirt road that can be very ugly with washboard, and I didn't want to check that while towing.  So one day, I did a day drive up just to check it out.  I had a quick soak in the hot pools before heading back to camp.

Another day, it looked like a good time to head over to Fort Bowie National Historic Site for a hike.  It is a rather unique site in that most people must access it via a 1.5 mile scenic hike, with lots of historical remains and points of interest along the way.  (There is a back road in, for those unable to hike, call ahead for info).

 

One spot along the way is where Cochise escaped from his captors and ran up the hill in front of you. Note the hill in the photo - behind the sign.

There is a very nice little museum and visitor center on site, and you can take a self guided walk around the ruins of all the buildings that once comprised the fort.  The visitor center is adorned with video cameras - just in case Cochise shows up unexpectedly?

It's nice for hikers that water taps are available to replenish your canteens.  And they may even award you with a pin to commemorate your hike in to the fort!

There is an alternate route along a ridge line leading back to the parking area, so of course that's the way I returned.

Meanwhile, back at Indian Bread Rocks ... 

Like many of my camp spots, it is a cow pasture, but there is very little human garbage, save lots of empty brass, and one Mexican coin!

A few times, Bailey attempted to chase cows out of camp, but in this case it was just a stand-off!

 

Other times, the local population attempts to blockade the road.  It was tense, but I made it past!

 

 

Bailey likes to chew things.  I guess he is still a 'puppy' at heart!  Sometimes even sharp things!

After quite a few enjoyable days biking and hiking around Indian Bread Rocks, I thought we would make our way to Hot Well Dunes to camp this time.  It was Sunday afternoon, so it was hoped that most of the weekend atv crowd would be leaving.  The dirt road north of Bowie was getting rougher, but we survived a lot of it by driving in the ditch - which is smoother.

 

Rain was threatening when we got there, but a late afternoon soak was enjoyed, before the solar powered water pump allows the pools to drain for the night.  Like my visit the week before, a nearby camper had his generator running all day long.  I can't imagine trying to enjoy a campsite with that sound roaring all day (or night).  O well, perhaps they were powering a necessary medical device?  I moved even further away, but thankfully it was turned off for the night.  Morning was cloudy, but I did manage another late morning soak, when all available hot water was diverted to a single tub.

 

From there, we headed back down the ditch-driving route to Bowie on I-10, back through Benson, where we took advantage of the free dump site at the Maverik station at the junction of 90 south.  This time we chose a nice spot in the southern end of Las Cienegas to spend a few days.  At this higher elevation, night time temperatures were hitting the freezing point overnight, and strong day time winds limited enjoyable outdoor pursuits.  My friend stopped by again, and we toured the historic ranch headquarters building, before dropping down into Sonoita for lunch.

 

The winds finally died, but the coldest night yet convinced us to head out.  Next stop was our 'usual' spot in the southern end of Ironwood Forest National Monument .  It's a great spot because it is only a short drive into downtown Tucson, but much of the surrounding lands are owned by the city, and are only used to collect water, so there is basically zero traffic in the area, and even though distant lights are visible, it is very quiet day and night.  Of course, the cows sometimes express their opinions vocally.

Being at a lower elevation, and with warming trend underway, there was more of a concern for heat, not cold.  I like the heat, but don't like to leave Bailey alone in camp in case it gets too hot for him.  So, we've been somewhat confined to camp some days, sitting in the shade.  Sometimes I spritz him with water to cool him off - which he quickly got used to, or sometimes he just lays in front of the fan!

 

Time to start thinking about a northern route, especially if the heat continues.  We only have a month and a half to get there, and it took a full month to get down this far last fall.

Hmmm, where to go next?