Unofficial boondocking

Here are three sites I found that will not be listed under Free Campgrounds. One is the Benjamin Tire & Brake store in Larkfield (Santa Rosa), CA on Airport Blvd. The shop is closed by 5:30 and no one cares if you park your RV on the property off the road. They were working on my RV so I spent the night there. Also, there is free WiFi if you want to "war" drive quickly to download email. I wouldn't abuse the privilege.

McDonald's in Healdsburg right off 101 on Healdsburg Blvd. not only has air conditioning (it was over 100 degrees there at 4 p.m.), it is across the street from a closed gas station. There was a semi parked there for the evening but there was room for at least one or two more trucks or RVs.

The Denny's in Fortuna, CA has a large parking lot. It was because of an accident that I stopped there instead of farther north in Eureka as I planned. The Eureka Denny's is right on 101 in town and has a small parking lot. I asked permission and parked at the end of the lot near a tree. There are a couple of chain motels next door. The only noise was the 5:30 a.m. trash pickup. But I'm not complaining: a free, safe site is always welcome.

Swamp Cooler on a Budget

For those who boondock in the arid climates, there are plenty of times when it's plenty hot out, but dry enough that the massive power consumption of an air conditioner just seems a shame. We priced evaporative ("swamp") coolers built for 12-volt use and were amazed at the relatively high cost of these systems. Here's a potential alternative:

Does your rig have a "power vent," say a "Fantastic Fan"? If you do, crank the lid up, turn the fan on, and hang a damp towel in the window--or windows. The power vent will pull dry, outside air into your rig, and the damp towel will add that refreshing bit of humidity, while actually dropping the temperature. All this for a lot less power consumption.

Of course, if you want a "real" factory made swamp cooler, here's one source.

Photo: turbokool.com

The Paucity of the Columbia Gorge

It can be an almighty pain to try and find suitable boondocking while traveling the Columbia Gorge country. This scenic riverside run that separates Washington from Oregon is just too beautiful to miss, but it's rough on the boondocker.

We recently made the run from just below Pasco, Washington, and on out to Portland, Oregon, in search of suitable sites. In years past--prior to the 9/11 phenomenon, there was plenty of boondocking available at many of the dam sites. Sad to say, that's now evaporated. Where boondockers could stay for days on end, now "day use only" seems to be the theme. We'd traveled the Washington side from Pasco, following along the river, looking in vain for a suitable site to no avail. While we seldom tout paid campgrounds in this blog, we were gettin' "downright desperate," in our travels.

We first paid a call on Mary Hill State Park on the Washington side, just down below the famed Mary Hill Art Museum--a trip in itself. We pulled in on an August weekend and were told there was no room at the inn. We crossed over to the Oregon side and continued along the river via the interstate. At The Dalles there is one freebie available--more a rest stop than a true boondocking spot. This area caters largely to the wind-surfing set, and they fill up the lot with a variety of rigs. It was a busy weekend, apparently, and we just couldn't feature ourselves shoulder to shoulder with the crew, so we went on.

Crossing back into Washington we took the risk of investigating Horsethief Lake State Park--one that we'd visited many years back. Well, we did--and didn't--find it. Horsethief is now "Columbia Hills State Park," and in the midst of a "comfort station" rennovation. But despite the busy weekend, there were still spots available for the boondocker. A row of "utility sites" ended with a handful of "standard" sites where we rolled in and filled out the pay envelope. Before surrendering it to the "Iron Ranger" we checked off for only one night. In the end, we stayed three nights, and might have hung around longer but for pressing appointments in the big city.

Columbia Hills lies on a lake formed by the nearby Columbia, and is shaded by a pleasant row of Poplars. You can count on the winds to roll through about the breezy part of the day, and the whispering noise just tends to lull you off into relaxation. The "crowd" the little park draws is mostly quiet folks, just there to share in the soothing time. Wind turbine users will find it ideal for charging up the battery banks, and for the most part, you'll get a few hours of sunlight despite the trees. It's not too far removed from "civilization" in terms of The Dalles, Oregon, a quaint old-style western town that has most any amenity you'll need.

I was afraid some knucklehead bureaucrat had decided that "Horsethief Lake" was somehow too politically incorrect and re dubbed the place. A friendly ranger said my surmise was in error, that in reality, the state had acquired adjacent land, and to better describe the holdings had renamed the place. Look for interesting future developments.

Confessions of a Boondocking Generator User

For years we've boondocked with solar and wind power. "Have inverter, will travel," has been our motto. A few months back we picked up a truck camper for use in "field research" where our fifth wheel is too unwieldy to go.

When we started looking for a truck camper, it wasn't our intention to buy anything fancy or "tricked out." But as it happened, a much abused "high end" camper came on the market cheap, and--since money talks and we could use a "fixer upper" for technical articles--we wound up getting it. Again, it certainly wasn't our intention to have an RV with a generator, but there it was.

With the press of time we wound up making our first big field trip with the "new" camper before we had the chance to get solar panels mounted or a wind turbine put in place. That left us on the road depending on the truck alternator to charge the camper battery system. But you know how one thing leads to another. Miserably hot weather and high humidity suddenly necessitated the use of air conditioning--and well, with a generator handy, it became possible. Firing up the "genny" to zap a quick dinner at the end of a long road day too, was helped by having that propane generator available.

I know, I've disparaged thoughtless generator owners before. Listening to the "Onan Chorus" on an otherwise quiet night gives me the willies. I hope our experiences as "boondocking purists," won't turn us "Jekel and Hyde" fashion into those who run the noisy thing day and night. Actually, it's one of the quietest generators we've heard, but nevertheless, it seems like there's a big principle involved. For now, we're definitely looking forward to getting the wind turbine set up, and running the computer with the help of the inverter. The quiet definitely has its virtues.

Pahranagat Refuge--A Nevada Jewel

Traveling north out of Las Vegas on the 2-lane blacktop of US-93, things get pretty lonesome. The voices on our tape dramas begin to loll one into a (dangerous) trance-like state. Oh, it's time to be off the road and resting up. But where?

Just south of the berg of Alamo is a big (by Nevada standards) lake, Pahranagat. The lake is the centerpiece of a National Wildlife Refuge, and serves as a stopping point for migratory birds. It's also a great stopping point for migratory RVers, and happily, the stopover is free. Bring your fishing pole, but leave your generator off, your hosts thinking that gennies make too much noise for man and beast.

Still, the views of the lake are soothing, and on our early August stop, we didn't mind not using the generator as a spanking breeze came up and gave us natural cooling action. Here's a video of the lake taken from our boondocking site: