Tucson and Quartzsite: Boondocking Nirvana

      Once again we return.  We love the SW.  New Mexico, and Arizona offer adventures of scenery, rich culture, and fantastic cuisine whether dining out or preparing it on your own.  After our adventure real estate shopping in Texas it will be nice to crank back and relax a bit. Rockhounding, photography, and geocaching as well as enchiladas, venison quesadillas, and chile rellenos, oh my.  It was an easy 4 day drive, averaging 14 mpg, from Leaky, TX and with a water fill/waste water dump stop in South Tucson we were ready to get settled. We usually stop at the TTT Truck Stop, but discovered it had closed this trip.  Right across the road is Pilot Truck Stop which has RV gas lanes with air, water, and dump station.
      Snyder Hill BLM off grid camping area is about 8 miles west of Tucson on the Ajo Highway.  This is about 1 square mile of land set aside for public use.  Everyone staying here 'boondocks', as there are no hookups or facilities of any kind.  This is strictly an off grid experience with solar power, onboard water, and nothing else.  There are stores and a laundromat within 6 miles and gas within a half mile. I have to say the laundromat is the NICEST we have ever used; located on the northside of the Ajo Hwy in the Food City Strip Mall.  There is a 14 day stay limit.  There were about 40 campers on site during our stay. It should be noted that our stay was extended a day due to rain, which turned the desert into spots of gravel and mud making getting in and out an adventure.

  

Tucson Snyder Hill Boondocking

 

      We used this stop for some R n R, but also visited a fellow high school alumn from Tumwater HS, WA.  Dr. Kelly Wilson is a newly retired professor from Ole Miss University and chose the Tucson area for his 'next life'.  He and his lovely wife, Diane live 15 miles North of Tucson in the Saddlebrooke area.  Knowing his affinity for venison (although he is not a hunter) I brought him a 'care package' with some steak and burger.  

Kelly & Diane Wilson 

      We met them at Rancheros Market for lunch.  rancherosmarket.ecwid.com/  A fantastic place with authentic Sonoran Sandwiches and Soups.  The Taco Steak & Chicken Carnitas were superb and Barb loved her Taco Combo Plate.   

Taco Steak Carnitas

      After a prolonged weather stop we pressed further westward to Quartzsite, AZ and the largest off grid area in the United States.  These Long Term Visitor Areas LTVA are managed by the US Bureau of Land Management and located throughout the SW deserts of Arizona and California..  www.your-rv-lifestyle.com/quartzsite-blm/  We have stayed here twice before and you can't beat the price whether you stay a few days or all winter.  Some areas are completely free.  Some areas are $40 for 2 weeks and some are $240 for all winter.  These 'pay areas' include free sewage and water stations at La Posa South.  You simply register and camp wherever in the desert you wish.  There are many square miles of opportunities.  We forgot the Annual QZ RV Show was being held during this time so we prepared to battle other retirees for anything from a bundle of celery to a bundle of firewood at Woodstock.  After watering up we stayed at the La Posa South LTVA. The town of Quartzsite is small, but does offer fair services with RV Repair, 3 small grocery stores, 2 truck stops for gas, and of course a McDonalds, Burger King, and Carl's Jr.  What would a retiree be without his or her discounted coffee every morning.    

Quartzsite La Posa South 2 miles in

Just a small portion of the thousands that are here

      Our original plans for this winter included our staying here for about 1-2 months, but deer hunting, a stop in Las Vegas, and real estate shopping changed our itinerary.  We visited my cousin and her husband who was here for several weeks with several different trade groups with which he is affiliated.  John and BJ live in Mesa, about 140 miles to the east so they may be in this area several times a year.  He and my cousin are accomplished RV travelers and boondockers.  I have benefitted several times from his knowledge and guidance.  We spent an enjoyable touring the BIG TENT at the show and came out with a modest wish list of about $17,000 we could easily spend to improve our RVing.  Dream on, boys.  Barb and I also did some cruising the Rock and Mineral Show and picked up a few more samples for our collection.  We also picked up some nice pure quartz crystals and Hematite very near our campsite.  Additionally, I did get several Sage Bundles for 'Smudging' purposes.  This is something that has always intrigued me.  On the geocaching side, we did none.  But, we did find several good samples of petrified wood, aragonite, and hematite while rockhounding.  

John, BJ, and Turk

      Our boondocking for these two stops totaled 11 days.  We spent $38.50 on generator gas to top of the battery bank (mostly during the 2 days rain), and $40 for a LTVA permit at La Posa (we wanted the dump and water options).  Solar, both on board and suitcase portable provided the rest of our need power.  This totaled $78.50 or $7.13 for these two stops.  The truck also averaged 14.2 mpg between these two campsites.     

John & the USS Scamp

      During this trip we dined on Soup n Sandwiches, my first attempt at White Chicken Chili, Chicken Tasso Andouille Gumbo, Fried Venison Chucksteak, Venison Stew, and Venison Patty Melt to name a few.

White Chicken Chile

Venison Chuck Steak

Venison Patty Melt

      Departing here we headed north to Las Vegas.  Not for the gambling, but to catch with up with my cousin, Bobby that recently moved there from New Jersey.   We love camping the desert.  Boondocking in this environment provides it's own set of challenges, but the peace and quiet and sense of adventure makes it all so worthwhile when you look at life around a campfire. 

   

"We now no longer camp as for a night, but have settled 

down on Earth and forgotten Heaven."

Henry David Thoreau 

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The BEST Baked Venison Round Steak

      This is one of the first recipes I ever made when cooking my own venison.  I got this from my mom who, by her own admission, was a common way to cook round steak and she used it to cook the tough venison steaks that dad brought home.  You have to forgive her as with many of that generation didn't know enough to properly prepare wild game rather than wrap it with bacon and fry the hell out of it.  Everybody strived to eliminate any perceived gamey taste rather than embrace the flavors of each animal and adapt their cooking to it.
      The recipe is simple to prepare and fork tender delicious upon completion, I promise.

1-2 pounds of venison round steak
1 onion, chopped
1 can mushrooms, sliced
Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 cup eggbeaters
2 cups cracker crumbs or flour (your choice)
1 cup red wine
2 Tblspn extra virgin olive oil

Tenderizing/Marinating

      You can tenderize this two ways.  Place steaks on wooden cutting board and season liberally with Montreal Steak Seasoning.  Pound a bit thinner and then let rest.  The second method is to place the round steaks in a zip loc bag with Allegro Marinade to tenderize them for 5 hours.  Put a heavy (cast iron) skillet on stove and heat to medium high.  Put eggbeaters and cracker crumbs in shallow containers. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Add olive oil to skillet.
      Dip steaks in egg wash and then dredge into crackers before placing into a hot skillet.  Cook for about a minute per side just to sear and then remove to a baking dish (6" x 9"). These were HUGE round steaks, each taking a single turn in a 12" cast iron skillet.

Browning for a minute each side

Venison covered with onions, shrooms, and red wine 

      Cover steaks with mushrooms, onions, and red wine.  Cover with foil and place into preheated oven.  Bake for 90 minutes (but only 60 in the RV oven).  Remove, let rest, then uncover and serve with your choice of taters, rice, and vegees.  Guaranteed fork tender. This is my favorite venison recipe and with steaks this size sometimes a 2 day meal.  I like mine with a bit of horseradish, but its delicious by itself.  Enjoy.

 

Out of the oven, ready to plate

"Look at what venison does to a goofy guitar player from Detroit?  I'm gonna be 54 this year and if I had any more energy I'd scare you"  

Ted Nugent

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West of San Antonio.....A Winter Texan is Born

      Again this year we search a new region of Texas for possible homes and/or real estate.  We will probably not permanently relocate from our farm in Michigan just yet, but are looking for a sanctuary from the cold of winter.  We love Texas, especially the hill country. We concentrated our search WNW of San Antonio in the Bandera/Leaky/Pipe Creek area.  The area supports no large business except ranching.  It is a quaint small town old western atmosphere; you have to drive 30+ miles to Boerne, Kerrville, or San Antonio for a large supermarket such as Walmart, Krogers, or HEB.  I  drove 35 miles for an oil change for the truck.  Not so much different than Kalkaska to Traverse City, Michigan at home.  Our base of operations centered from our campsite at Pop's RV Resort in Bandera.  popsrvresort.com/   Every once in awhile you get sold a lemon.  I always schedule RV parks in advance when I need them online.  This place had a very nice website, but upon arrival we discovered it was more of a workers camp with full hookups, but no central bathrooms, showers, or laundry at all.  There is free WiFi, with a good signal.  Additionally, it took 2 days to get the local ATMs, business cash registers, and cell service restored due to maintenance crews cutting a main fiber optic line.  All this for the price of $150/week.  From here we researched, trekked, and scoured the surrounding area for something that might fit our needs.  This always begins with our own internet searches as well as contacting several realtors who understands our need.  We knew that prices would still be steep at times, but we tried to concentrate our searches on the bargains.  We did decide to set our limits at NOT IN TOWN, not on the border, and space between neighbors.  Acreage with these type of considerations can be tricky.  Restriction Covenants have been a deal breaker on several occasions.
      Our first day turned into a satchel of good fortune.  We found 2 properties we liked with a realtor we want to see.  The first two were in Resort Area Ranches that have set aside land plots for those that want to use it as a winter RV retreat and improve it themselves.  These are large lots < 1 acre.  Utilities are already in place for RVs and there are usually Home Owners Association (HOA) dues and rules to consider. Prices ran in the $50K to $133K range.  I will say it is still one of the more reasonable areas to live we've found in 3 years looking throughout Texas (with the exception of the desolate lunar landscape of far West Texas)  Not living there; way off our radar.
     We looked at several other properties (just land w/utilities) narrowing it down to 3 finalists.  Unfortunately we lost 2 of the properties due to competing contract offers being accepted less than a day before ours.  After many miles driving, listening, looking, and negotiating we found another place.  It turned out to be our Camelot.
      Leaky, TX is located 40 miles west of Bandera and 80 miles WNW of San Antonio.  This area is pristine cowboy country and arrival there requires some driving over the roughest of the Hill Country on narrow 2 lane country roads.  It is also the home of the Frio River and Garner State Park, the most popular in Texas.  The canyons are rough yet the river pristine and as clear water as you'll ever find.  Wildlife abounds here with Axis and Whitetail Deer, Wild Hogs and Javelina, as well as Mountain Lions and Bobcats.

      This property is 5.53 acres of partially fenced country woodlands near the Rio Frio River with all utilities, a small cabin, cook hut, pumphouse, RV hookups, and a bunch of Axis Deer and Wild Pigs in the area.  We are also in a "Mountain Lion Risk Area".  This is actually more of a PSA for landowners with livestock and pets.  The water and septic are on site, but we can tie into the city lines that have just been run.  Simple, secluded and solitude;  my favorites.  Lots of Live Oak and a few Cedar trees for shade throughout.  NO HOA or restrictions whatsoever. I can hunt here.  Price $177K  Taxes $2025 yearly.  We offered $150K.  A day later we got the news our offer was accepted.  Now the fun begins.  We agreed to pay the survey in exchange for the cost of well testing.  Quid Pro Quo, I guess.  The property taxes here are about the same as those in our area of Michigan;  around 14th lowest in the nation.  Contract is done and financing is in the works.  We'll got as much done while here and will finish up any leftover details on the road online or via Federal Express.  Spending our kids' inheritance.  Next winter our work begins.  

 

      Our menu while here consisted of Choucroute, Venison Fingers and salad, Braised Oxtails, Venison Round Steak, White Chicken Chili, and Boudin Calzone among others.

Venison Fingers

Braised Oxtails 

Boudin Bacon Cheese Calzone

      From here we set our sails west towards Arizona.  This will take several days as West Texas is like it's own vast continent to get across.  I figure 4 days to Tucson with a stop in New Mexico for some green chiles. 

 "I highly enjoy the people down in that area.  A genuine authenticity comes to mind....ya'll have such vibrant silly energy, the culture is rich and everyone from locals to Winter Texans always seems to be in good spirits."

Pat Green

WiFi courtesy of Pops RV Park 

Choucroute

     Although German by origin, this is Emeril Lagasse's recipe.  This is an Alsatian recipe for preparing cabbage with sausages and other salted meats and charcuterie, often with potatoes, but the emphasis is on wild game. I planned on using Reindeer, Ham Hocks, and Venison for this recipe.  It will be too large for the RV crockpot so this recipe will be prepared in the 6 quart ceramic stock pot. You can either bake it in the oven or simmer on top of the stove; your choice.  It is a great meal in a large pot lasting more than one day. 

1 pound of fresh sauerkraut (refrigerated/bagged is best.....canned or jar will do)

4 Tblspn fat

1/4 pound of chopped bacon, browned

1 medium onion, sliced

1 tspn thyme

2 bay leaves

1 tspn fresh ground black peppercorns

5 juniper berries, crushed

1 Tbspn garlic

1 ham hock, scored

1 cup chicken stock

2 cups dark beer

1 pound wild game sausage, sliced or quartered

1 pound of bratwurst, sliced or quartered

1 pound of small redskin taters

Good German stone grain, whole grain, or Lowensenf 

      Place the sauerkraut in a colander and rinse briefly to remove some of the salt from the brine-don't rinse it too much, or you will lose a lot of the flavor. (Alternatively, if the sauerkraut is not excessively salty, use as is.) Press to release most of the excess liquid and set aside.

      In a large nonreactive skillet or stock pot, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium low heat and add the bacon. Cook for 5 minutes; don't let the bacon brown. Add the onions and continue to cook until they are soft but not browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. 

Simmerin' bacon & onions

      Add the drained sauerkraut and toss to combine. Add the thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, juniper berries, and garlic,  Add the ham hocks, Chicken Stock, and beer and stir to combine. Cover the casserole and simmer over low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Bacon, onion, ham hocks, chicken broth, dark beer, and seasonings

 beginning their 2 hour journey

      Meanwhile, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over high heat and brown the sausages on both sides. Set aside.
      Place the new potatoes in a saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are just tender, about 15 minutes. (This will depend on the size of your potatoes.) Drain and set aside.
      When the sauerkraut and ham hocks have cooked for 2 hours and the hocks are tender place the sausages and potatoes on top of the sauerkraut. If the liquid has reduced to less than two-thirds, add a bit more water. Cover the casserole and return it to the range.

The last 30 minutes

      Cook for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender and the sausages are heated through.  Serve immediately, with each person receiving some of each of the sausages, part of a hock, some potatoes, and sauerkraut.  Pass the mustard at the table.

Fertig fur den Verzehr.  Das Senf, bitte

      The best part about this dish is like most German food.  The sauerkraut you may have come to know and love will no longer taste that way, but blends into a more earthy, meatier flavor.  This is  something for which the Germans are famous.  

"Because apparently even when Germans aren't talking about food, they still like to talk about food" 

Hannah Butler

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