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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
WiFi courtesy of Verizon MiFi
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