I was now north of Bishop, California, having headed to an area Carolyn was familiar with. It was to be our last camp together for the season as I had to head back to Canada. I also had to get out of the cold. Get out of the cold by going north, you ask? In this case, it is a valid strategy! But first, let me tell you about this area north of Bishop. Continue reading
Manzanar Cemetery Obelisk
The Eastern Sierras can seem quite remote, with long stretches of nothing with a few small towns and even fewer large centers. But there is a lot of history in the area, from agriculture to gold rushes to water works disputes. The history has resulted in some unique restrictions to the boondocking in the area, as I was finding out. A bunch of research had resulted in me identifying a potentially really nice spot, but right on the edge of private LA water works land. Read on to find out how that all worked out.
Mt Whitney, Alabama Hills in the foreground
My way back to Canada north was following a different route than what I’ve done before, up the eastern side of the Sierra Nevadas. It would be a bit chillier than what I’m used to, but I needed to test my furnace once and for all to see if it worked. The plan was to travel north with Carolyn for a while, she was familiar with the area so I’d get to benefit from her wisdom. But I was on my own for a bit as she had some RV issues to deal with. Join me as I encounter the Sierra Nevadas for the first time.
Lovell Canyon
I had a minor repair to deal with, then a bit of a drive to the Las Vegas to meet up with Carolyn. We had a vague plan to travel north together for a bit before I had to head back to Canada at the end of my six months in the USA. ‘Vague’ turned out to be a good thing as some flexibility was to be needed for the unexpected. Speaking of unexpected, I had an unexpected animal encounter. Read on to find out all the details. Continue reading
Scaddan Wash Labyrinth
I was going to have a couple of contrasting weeks ahead. First, I was heading to Quartzsite to visit friends. While some people had left due to the heat, I was still dealing with more people around than I was used to. Then I was headed to the Black Mountains east of Bullhead City. That was to be dealing with different sorts of people. Read on to see my peopling!
View to Saddle Mountain in the distance
I was headed to the Eagle Eye Road for what was hopefully more interesting boondocking. I also needed to get a little higher to avoid the worst of the heatwave we were in this early April of 2026. On top of that, I was looking for a camp with some decent cell signal for some remote work I had planned. Before trying to meet those challenges, I needed to deal with Wickenburg for grocery resupply. It was going to be an interesting day for sure.
My time exploring west of Phoenix was coming to an end for the season, due in part to the unseasonably warm weather. I had scouted out a spot not far from my first boondocking spot in the area. I figured I’d go give that a try before finding some higher ground to get away from the heat. Join me as I revisit my starting point for winter. Continue reading
I had been in some great solitude, but it was time to try a new area. My choice was much closer to Buckeye, but that also meant more people around. I figured if I really found it too crowded, I could always bail and head to a previously scouted area a bit further away and a lot quieter. I did end up doing some peopling, just not quite the usual chatter. Join me as I explore a popular bit of BLM land trying to find a quiet enough spot for the night.
Spot the camping place
I had found a really great spot west of Phoenix that ended up having me return for a second week of boondocking. I had solitude, scenery, hiking, and a bunch of interesting rocks to collect as well! But first, I had a resupply day that included laundry duty. Join me as I head into Buckeye to fill in the last bit of the resource list required to boondock in an area. Continue reading
Saddle Mountain
I was boondocking west of Phoenix, having discovered an area of sparsely camped upon scenic terrain at the end of a paved road. But my first attempt at camping at resulted in me being by a shooting area I couldn’t easily get away from owing to an unexpected flat tire. It was time to fix both of those problems. Join me on the nail biting ride back to Phoenix! Continue reading
