Boondock the Mysterious Joshua Trees--For Little, or for Free

It's a little-known jewel in the National Park system. It attracts the likes of rock climbers, star gazers, and those who have a penchant for the mysterious. Joshua Tree National Park in southern California is all of these, and it offers some great boondocking opportunities on top of it all.

East of Palm Springs on the I-10 corridor, most folks simply "miss" the park as the blast on by, no matter the direction they're headed. That might explain the low visitation rates--less than 1,300,000 folks visited the park in the last recorded year (2006). While that may sound like a lot, in terms of other national parks, those numbers are small--Grand Canyon entertains more than 5 million in an average year.

So what's to see at Joshua Tree? Well, our bet is on (believe it or not) the Joshua trees. A park biologist comments that these oddball trees (a member of the lily family) look like something out of a Dr. Suess book. Indeed, they bear a creepy profile, are well known for poking rock climbers, and bear a huge, white blossom in springtime. These characters are slow growers, the tallest Joshua tree in the park is but 40 feet tall, and estimated to have lived 300 years to make it to that height. Other desert plant dwellers are on display, including stands of ocotillo (oak-oh-tee-0h) bushes, jumping cacti, and other plants with points.

As we said, rock climbers delight in the park, but they aren't the only ones who love the park. Surrounded by little in the way of "civilization" the park is also an excellent place to get in the dark and see the night sky. With less "light pollution" than many places, you'll see stars you've never even imagined existed.

OK, what about boondocking? There are several established campgrounds about the park, most all of which could meet the designation of a "boondocking spot." We stayed up in the park's north center end in the "Belle" campground. Plenty of Joshua trees to gawk at, and lots of big rocks. While the park specifically warns against bringing big rigs into Hidden Valley campground and group camps, our experience suggests larger RVs will be happier in Black Rock and Cottonwood campgrounds. These latter two charge $15 per night (water available and a dump station) while the others are $10 per night.

Too pricey? Clever boondockers have found a free spot just south of the park's boundary. On both sides of the access road leading up from Interstate 10 there are flat and fairly level areas where even big rigs can roll in comfortably. Still, you'll be in sight (and hearing range) of the Interstate, so be warned.

Visit the park's website here.

Chinese Generators: Who You Gonna Ask?

A new-to-boondocking RVer "confessed" to me that he'd recently bought "a Chinese generator." Well, he can't be alone. The market is seemingly flooded with these Asian imports, and all jokes about "Will it run on unleaded gas" aside, it appears they're here to stay.

If you wind up in Quartzsite during the show season, no doubt you'll run into plenty of these little watt-makers, both in the field, and along vendor row. But how do you know which to buy, which to avoid, and once you have one, how to keep it up and get the most out of it?

The "last word" in RV forums on this subject is probably the one run over on the Open Roads Forum. As of last September there were over 400 pages of information on the Chinese generator subject--over 4,000 postings. As the moderator warns, set yourself up with snacks, drinks, and plenty of no-doze if you plan on reading it all. Or check out the moderator's tips on how to narrow down the search. In any event, be sure to check back here when you're done--we'll have probably posted plenty more things to read by the time you've finished up.

How much solar power do you need?

If you are unable to go "boondocking" in order to determine how many amp-hours you consume on the average day, then the following "Rules of Thumb" from the folks at AM Solar works fairly well:

1. Use a minimum 65 watt solar panel for basic battery maintenance on trailers and fifth wheels

2. Use a minimum 100 watt solar panel for basic battery maintenance on motorhomes.

3. For the more conservative consumers of electricity: Allow 200 amp-hours of battery storage capacity and 150 to 250 watts of solar panels.

4. For the more liberal consumers of electricity: Allow 400 amp-hours of battery storage capacity and 300 to 500 watts of solar panels.

5. For "hard core" boondockers with mobile offices: Allow 600 amp-hours of battery storage capacity and 500 to 800 watts of solar panels. We also encourage the use of an M.P.P.T. Current Boosting Controller.

Bear in mind that you can start with one or two solar panels and add more later if needed.

The RVers Solar Primer Learn how to use solar energy to generate electricity for your RV. Solar power experts Greg and Deb Holder explain the basics of solar power and solar battery charging systems.