Ratsofrass | Ralph's Words on the internet, about the internet, and whatever else I feel like talking about

Joshua Tree not so treed

Posted on Tuesday, 2023-Mar-21st by ralph

Lizzy a little bigger than my hand in Joshua Tree Park

I was camped again among friends near Joshua Tree National Park (Joshua Tree or JT). The plan was to explore the park from our boondocking base camp here. I had seen Joshua Trees before near Searchlight, NV but was informed that JT had much more dramatic hills and rocks as a backdrop for their trees. Having friends meant that I could hitch a ride some days with one of their cars, and use my motorcycle on others. Exploring with others for a change would be fun. Stay tuned to see what we found out here!

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Searching for Water Camping

Posted on Thursday, 2023-Mar-16th by ralph

I had a couple of ideas for my next spot to boondock. My plan was to travel down the Colorado River south of Blythe and see if I could find a spot to dip my kayak in the water for a second time this winter. If that didn’t work out, I’d travel to Joshua Tree National Park to meet up with friends. If I couldn’t have water, I could at least have some trees to look at I figured. Read on to see my difficult choice of spots I ended up having to pick from!

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Kofa North unexpected find

Posted on Sunday, 2023-Mar-12th by ralph

I was on my own again, exploring the north east end of Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. I had explored a bit of the west side previously, but even there I only scratched the surface. Kofa is big. I started out camped on the edge of the park, with the plan being to take the motorcycle into the park and see if there was a better spot I could drive to with the RV. Read on to see what I found!

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Bouse boondocking revisit

Posted on Wednesday, 2023-Mar-8th by ralph

Contrails decorate the sunrise sky

I’m not strictly chronological in my tales of the desert. There is an advantage to being able to tell the tale of a month past, being able to group common themes together like my tourism bits in my last post.

This time I was meeting with some new friends who had started the nomad life about the same time as me. We both have had our trials and tribulations with snow.

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A bit of tourism desert style

Posted on Thursday, 2023-Mar-2nd by ralph

Bouse Museum as you drive up to it from Highway 72.

While staying so close to Bouse, I decided to take the opportunity to explore the village a bit. I must play tourist at least once while I’m down in the desert! There is a long history of mining and some interesting WWII history in the Bouse area. I also took advantage of the motorcycle to meet up with some friends at a bar in the middle of nowhere. History, with food and drink to wash it all down!
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A Foxy Bouse Spot

Posted on Monday, 2023-Feb-27th by ralph

Remains of processing near Little Butte mine

It was time to resupply. Rather than hit Quartzsite with its limited grocery options, I went up to Parker. Parker isn’t big city level of selection but it’s a hell of a lot better than Quartzsite. My plan was to make use of the scouting information I picked up with the Grom the last time I was in the Bouse area. I was going to camp at what looked like an awesome spot from my little five minute visit with the motorcycle. Read on to see if the spot lived up to my expectations! Continue reading →

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The Quartz in Quartzsite

Posted on Friday, 2023-Feb-24th by ralph

I found cacti in white rocks

I made my way north from Yuma knowing I probably would not be back this far south again until next winter. I was headed up to Quartzsite to meet Carolyn for her Arizona meet and greet. After that, I had no plans other than boondock somewhere in the area. I have to admit, I’ve been lazier than expected about seeking out new places. When there is no time pressure to see stuff before you have to go back to work, I find I just linger longer wherever I happen to be. But not having a direction to go now left me rudderless. Read on to see where I ended up!
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Yuma eats, suburbs and a little RV repair

Posted on Monday, 2023-Feb-20th by ralph

Larry and I shadow selfie. Who is who?

My visit to Yuma ended up being a two week stay. As this was my “destination” for my travels south in the USA this time, I felt I should make the most of it. I walked around the Fortuna suburbs, did a little hike on the edge of town, had some expected and unexpected RV repairs, plus I treated Larry and Diane to some of nights out for dinner. Read on for all the details.
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Sunniest city on earth?

Posted on Wednesday, 2023-Feb-15th by ralph

At the desert gardens

I was spending a bit of time mooch docking at Larry’s place, in a suburb of Yuma called Fortuna Foothills. While I have been in the Yuma area previously, my experience consisted mostly of stocking up at the local Walmart and driving through Yuma on Interstate 8. This time, I was staying for a while, to deal with some little RV fixes, visit with Larry, and see the sites around Yuma. Continue reading →

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Oasis in the desert – Mittry Lake

Posted on Friday, 2023-Feb-3rd by ralph

Palm jetty on Mittry Lake, at the main boat launch

I had done some initial research on free camping in the Yuma area. While there is desert camping around, and some cheap long term camping that includes use of water and a dump station, I was after some free water spots. I had previously visited Fortuna Lake. This time, I was headed for Mittry Lake, to see if I could find a camping spot near enough to the water to dip the folding kayak in. I was willing to crowd in with other people to get my time on the water – but would there be a spot available at this popular lake? Continue reading →

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