RV , Camping, and OHV Activities

There are many different activities you can enjoy in conjunction with traveling in your RV or tent camping. Sometimes, camping is a good way to support other desirable activities.  We brought our tent and sleeping bags along on a multi-day trip to visit family 3 states away.  We blew near $100 for one night in a motel on the way there but found a small, private campground on the way home where we could set up our tent for just $7.00.  In both cases we enjoyed a good night's sleep before resuming rested the next day. 

Just camping is a rewarding and satisfying activity in itself, but there are lots of options for other things to do in and around the campground. Most of my family activities have involved OHVs as well. RVs provide an excellent base camp for OHV rides and OHVs provide great recreation on RV trips. It is OK if you prefer tent camping to using an RV. It just may involve a little more work and a little less convenience. We've gotten to visit a number of remote locations that are rich in geologic and cultural history. I have found it enjoyable to do a little research on each of the sites we frequent. I learned that one of our favorite landmarks, an old railroad water tower, was all that was left of a small community that had served as a way-station for the famous 20 Mule Teams hauling borax out of Death Valley and later as a rail transfer station. Not too far from there is also a small monument erected by an Eagle Scout at the site of an X15 crash to recognize the sacrifice of Major Michael Adams, American's 27th Astronaut (having flown the X15 to more than 266,000 feet) and the first astronaut casualty. The concrete marker isn't grandiose, but it sparks the imagination. Try Googling "X15 crash site" for details and photos. Another popular OHV destination in the southern California Desert is the Husky Monument. I also enjoyed the ride report at Husky Ride Report and I think you will too. It includes some great photos of the jaunt from Randsburg over to the Husky Monument. The primary attraction here is an old Husquvarna 390 dirt bike anchored in cement in the ground. It was placed there as a monument in memory of rider Jim Erickson in 1987. It continues to collect flags and scarves and now has a number of other memorials surrounding it, including one dedicated to "OGRE", who, it turns out, is Ron Griewe, father of the 1996-2003 ATK thumper and long-term editor of Cycle World Magazine. Someday it would be interesting to collect the stories of all the riders now memorialized near the Husky Monument. I have several riding buddies who claim their final request is to have their ashes scattered at the Husky Monument. The Husky Monument web site mentioned above gives a pretty complete list of the riders already memorialized there along with photos of their plaques. But more are being added every year. It would sure be interesting to know the stories behind each one. In Utah we have ridden portions of the trails used by Pony Express riders and visited the Sunset Mine nicknamed "The Jeep In The Hole" where someone drove a Jeep into a vertical mineshaft. The driver and passenger survived and were rescued by a passing ATV rider. Everyone suspects part of their surviving the crash stems from the same level of blood alcohol that caused them to drive into the hole in the first place!

While I have a particular preference for dirt biking, there are many other fine opportunities awaiting the RVer or camper. Visit distant family members. It is convenient to have your own accommodations when you get there, to say nothing of the flexibility to check out interesting side trips along the way. There are many great state and national parks to visit. Museums and the historical districts of many towns and cities provide entertaining and educational experiences for the whole family either as a destination or along the way. We chose to drive the "49er trail" on our way to Oregon from southern California one year instead of cruising up the rather boring I-5 through the central valley. It follows much of the route used by the sudden influx of miners following the discovery of gold in California. Give yourself time to stop and avail yourself of the many museums and historical exhibits along the way.  The 49er trail added a day or two to our journey to visit my Mom and Dad, but it was fun for the family and actually quite educational.  Be aware some the highways are narrow and twisting and the streets in old mining towns can be very narrow.  I knocked off my right hand mirror when a large truck coming the other way forced me too close to the curb and I clipped a street sign.

Of course an RV or tent can also serve as a wonderful base camp for fishing, hunting, hiking, bird watching, rock hounding, swimming, boating, and simply exploring and sight seeing. Ranger- or self-led trails near many Forest Service campgrounds are educational, entertaining, fun, and good exercise.

Closer to home an RV makes great foundation for tailgate parties at sporting events. On that note I heard of a fellow who pretty much used his RV only for such activities so he converted the second gas tank to an extra holding tank for sewage. One morning, during a gas shortage, he came out to find a 5 gallon can, a length of siphon hose, and huge deposit of vomit on the driveway next to his RV.   Someone had apparently tried to siphon gas out of the tank that had been converted to hold sewage. Talk about poetic justice! Wow! Did that potential thief get what was coming to him!

When our kids were active in soccer we often used the RV to transport them to and between games. Many of the soccer fields, being school playgrounds, lacked basic sanitation facilities on weekends and having our own private restrooms was advantageous on more than one occasion. Of course, cold drinks from the fridge and an air conditioned interior were welcome after hours of sitting or running around in the warm California sun.

You don't need an RV to enjoy OHV activities, although having one greatly adds to the comfort and convenience. I've seen folks spend a 3-day weekend sleeping in their cars to go dirt-biking. My daughter, who raced women's desert expert class in southern California had a truck-tent she used in the back of her S-10 pickup. Prior to getting the truck tent she camped in a pop-up tent at her races. You'll quickly learn from other campers and riders what makes life easier, but here are some basic suggestions if you venture out without an RV: Ice chest, camping stove, tent, sleeping bag, ground cloth, first aid kit, camp stools or chairs, axe or hatchet and, of course, proper tools for your ride. And don't forget extra fuel -- and plenty of water. We've found that a Camelbak-style hydration pack is ideal for staying hydrated on the trail but you'll need a larger source in camp to refill it often. You don't even have to stop when you get thirsty. I added Velcro just behind the bite valve on the tube so I could attach it to a matching Velcro tab on the center of my chest protector where it would be easy to find and safe from getting caught on passing bushes. Those darned bite valves come off fairly easily and they are kind of pricey! On top of that, you'll likely loose your precious water and may end up with it in your lap or under your butt, neither of which are very comfortable or pleasant, even in hot weather. Some kind of canopy, awning or umbrella can add a lot of comfort in camp on hot sunny days. We sometimes add a mist system to our RV awning to make it even more comfortable when desert temps soar.

Where ever you go in your RV or on your OHV, be responsible: don't leave your trash behind, be considerate of fellow campers, and obey all signs and ordinances regarding use of the area you are visiting. Something all too many folks fail to take into consideration is noise pollution. No one, even fellow riders, want to hear your dirt bike rapping up way before breakfast, nor do they want to listen to YOUR loud music, not even in the afternoon, late alone late at night. I once encountered a bunch of teenagers who roared into a campground about 3:00 am and left their doors open and car stereos turned up to just below the threshold of pain while they set up camp. Fortunately they responded to a polite request to respect the fact that there were dozens of people trying to sleep nearby. Which brings us to another point: be polite and diplomatic even if your inconsiderate neighbors are not. While you will feel a lot like being nasty, it will probably only lead to an escalation that will far exceed the original problem. Sometimes they simply haven't thought about what they're doing. The teens in my previous example didn't think about there being anyone on the other side of the trees that surrounded their camp. Of course they should have, but they didn't. They weren't being deliberately belligerent, just thoughtless. In many cases, people will willingly adjust their behavior when they realize they are negatively impacting those around them, but not always. Some, even without being on drugs or alcohol, quickly become defensive and nastier. And there is little you can do about that but withdraw and endure the situation, unless you are willing to call in legal authorities to deal with the problem. For the most part we've found that, contrary to the image often portrayed in the media, RVers and OHVers are a thoughtful, considerate, and helpful bunch of people. I was among those skeptical of dirt bikers during some of our first family outings. I'd seen too many movies where the dirt bikers were always portrayed as bad guys. Then one day I was stopped on a low hilltop watching a couple of my sons riding in the off road "playground" on the flats valley below me. My younger boy managed to ride off into a narrow gully and went over the bars. I rode down as quickly as I could, but even before I could reach him, less than 100 yards from my position, at least a half dozen other riders who didn't even know us were already on the scene, checking him for injuries and helping extricate him and his bike from the gully. My opinion of my fellow dirt bikers significantly improved that day and it has been confirmed over and over again ever since.

Camp and ride!