Christmas is behind us and we’ll be hitting the road again in no time so I need to do some RV travel planning. I thoroughly enjoyed our desert boondocking adventures so more of that sounds fantastic.
I’ve got friends in the Bay Area and down near Indio, CA to visit so I’ve been scouting places to camp on the cheap in those areas too.
There is so much public land in the desert southwest. I’m looking at the areas surrounding Borrego Springs, the Alabama Hills, Winterhaven in CA, Yuma, and Quartzsite in Arizona, and various other places where the sun shines and can warm up these cold bones of mine.
I may go back to Texas so we can go to Big Bend NP but at this point, I’m just not sure.
RV Travel Planning App – Roadtrippers
I love using Roadtrippers to plan my trips. It’s easy to use and saves all my trips in one place. I can use it on my phone or on my PC.
I think I’ll ditch my traditional round-trip plan and just figure out the first part of the trip. The rest will fall into place as we go. I’ve added places I’d like to go in the spring to the end of my itinerary as placeholders.
I think I’ll shoot for a departure date of January 6th give or take. That will give me time to do all the things to get ready and go up and see my family in Washington one last time.
My plan again for this trip is low cost and lots of boondocking. I have a few new toys to make boondocking easier and I’ll share those with you as we go.
Related post, Will My Amazing New Solar Generator Be My Boondocking Secret Weapon?
Will My Amazing New Solar Generator Be My Boondocking Secret Weapon?
I still find the biggest challenge with boondocking is keeping warm when the sun goes down. I’ll get it figured out but it’s a tough one. At some point, I think I’m going to have to add to my battery bank so I can run my furnace all night without the fan running my batteries down so fast.
Adding batteries isn’t out of the question but I’m going to have to figure out where to put them and get them wired in. It’s not an inexpensive endeavor.
We are hoping to hit the road May 1 on our first leg of full time RVing. I absolutely can’t wait, I/we have been preparing for this for several years and it so close. I too will be following the sun. Have fun and Enjoy the Ride
Bellsrides,
May 1st will be here before you know it. I remember how exciting it was to get closer and closer to that first departure day. Enjoy
Juley
Ivan’s suggestion would be your best bet. The Buddy heaters are very popular to boondockers.
If you are in need of Sun and Warmth, Texas is very risky. Arriving in Los Fresno’s in 2017 Christmas Eve, we did not go out for several days because temperatures barely rose above the 30s to 40s. This was coupled with considerable rain. Several weeks later we finally got some sunny days and Warmth unfortunately they were accompianed with Gusty winds. We stayed until March 1.
If you want Warmth and sun with boondocking, the California deserts, Why and AJO Arizona
and also Tucson would be better choices.
Dave,
I replied to Ivan telling him I was under the impression it isn’t safe to use a propane heater overnight when you are sleeping. I’ve been using mine until bed then turning it off overnight. Fire terrifies me.
I know Texan can be dicey in the winter but I’ll check out the Why and Ajo areas. Thanks for the suggestions.
Juley
You might want to consider a stand-alone propane heater (Kozyworld, Big Buddy), plumbed into your rigs system. I have one, and NEVER use my furnace. It needs no electricity, and may come with a thermostat. Mine is on a hose, so i put it in the bedroom at night and close the door, or down in the living area at other times. Plenty warm, and no power consumption! Wish I was down in that area now, but stuck in Canada! Popular boondocking spot at the south entrance to Joshua Tree, east of Indio …
Hi Ivan,
I have a Mr. Heater Buddy. The mid-sized one is the one I have but I have been told and read you cannot use them unattended while you are sleeping. I do use it before I go to bed at night when I need to but it gets darn cold in the trailer overnight.
Thanks for the tip on the south entrance to Joshua Tree.
Juley
Falcon County Park near Roma Tx.
Thanks for the tip!
Juley