OK, so what's so special about holiday camping? How is it different from weekend camping? Well, if you've every tried it, you'll know. If you haven't it might be useful to learn a little about it before you plunge into so something that might be frustrating and disappointing. Holiday weekends are great opportunities to get away for an extra day or two and MANY people take advantage of the extra time. Holidays are a good opportunity for themed outings. Advance reservations are usually a must for any developed campground and it would be a good idea to check with the land managers (i.e, rangers) regarding the likely availability of remote boondocking locations. For most of the years our kids were growing up we spent almost very holiday weekend camping and dirt biking. Most of the time was divided among several favorite open camping/riding areas in the Mojave Desert, but when summer heat got to be a bit too much we'd sometimes head to Forest Service campgrounds in the mountains. If you're planning on boondocking you can hedge your bet by arriving a day or so early, if possible, to secure your preferred camp site.
Holiday weekends are a good time to go camping. And, because they are, you're going to find lots of competition out there. If you want a spot in a popular campground on a holiday weekend you will have to make reservations early -- perhaps as much as a year early! If you're just boondocking, you'll want to try to arrive early to pick out the best spot. And keep in mind holiday traffic as you plan your trip. It is likely to take a lot longer than usual to get there and back. You may also have to do some advance planning for fuel and provisions. If you wait until the last minute you may find propane and other supplies sold out or at least have long lines. And you may risk inflated prices around holidays. Memorial Day typically marks the beginning of the summer camping season and Labor Day the end. You may find premium prices on supplies and camping on these busy weekends or on any holiday weekend or in the days leading up to them.
Advance planning and preparation is the key to a successful holiday weekend of camping. Know your routes and traffic patterns. Leave extra time for going and returning home and try to plan your trips outside of potential rush hours -- and remember, rush hour for a holiday weekend is probably going to be late evening of the day before and the last day of the holiday period. Purchase your provisions ahead of time. If your destination campground or any activities require reservations, get them way in advance. Check out the weather forecast and learn what you can about historical weather patterns for the location and time of year. Then plan your wardrobe, menu, and activities accordingly. Even with careful planning you can get surprised. We got snow on a couple of our Thanksgiving "Turkey In The Dirt" dirt bike outings even though normally the weather in southern California was pretty mild.
Getting caught in holiday traffic is almost a given, sooner or later. So plan for it. See if there are any attractions you can pull over and enjoy instead of sitting in traffic for hours. Maybe just spend some time in a rest stop -- fix a snack and stretch your legs. I once encountered holiday traffic on southern California freeways that was so bad we got off and had dinner and when we got back on the freeway we pulled right back in behind the same truck we'd been behind before we got off for dinner! He'd only moved from the start of the exit ramp to where the on ramp merged on the other side of the road. The traffic was that slow. Believe me, that was time well spent!
Camp ground congestion. On busy holiday weekends you are likely to encounter congestion in your camp ground, including both vehicles and foot traffic. Any activities, even check in/check out, using the restroom, and shopping at the camp store may be crowded. Amenities like swimming pools, hot tubs, tennis courts, etc may be crowded any may require advance reservations. Allow extra time as needed and plan some alternate activities in case your first choice is all booked up. With proper advance planning you can avoid at least some of those long lines.
Planning a holiday camping trip. If possible, arrange your schedule so you can leave before the outgoing holiday rush and get back before the rest of the thundering herd. For a typical 3-day weekend, I like to try to take an extra day and plan my departure for Thursday instead of Friday night or Saturday if I can. Then I try to leave early enough on Monday to get through the worst traffic before it gets too bad -- or, if I have some extra time, stay over until Tuesday morning. Most of our outings included dirt biking so our destinations were predominantly remote, primitive sites. Arriving a day ahead of the crowd allowed us to pick premier sites and stake out our territory without much competition.
If your preferred destination is booked or already occupied, consider exploring alternatives. You may just find a new favorite! If you usually stay in developed camp grounds, you might want to try a weekend or two boondocking in a remote, primitive area. Just be sure to bring enough supplies, especially water and firewood since there won't be any camp store to make up for your deficiencies.
Themed outings. It can add a lot of fun to do a themed outing that is relevant to the holiday. If you're doing a Thanksgiving outing, ask each family to find out and share something about how and when their ancestors immigrated to where you now live. If you can't find anything about your own ancestors, bring along some good stories about historical figures. There is tons of information available on the Internet. Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Veteran's Day are all good opportunities for patriotic tales and activities. Did you or someone in your family serve in the military? Share their stories. It might be fun to see if you can get your hands on some authentic "C" rations for one meal and experience what it was like the field "back in the day". Labor Day these day is mostly just an excuse to take off work and simply take off. I suspect the younger people in your group may be surprised to learn its origins. One of my favorite Labor Day anecdotes came from the Sunday funnies when I was a kid. The strip showed frame after frame of the dad in one of the family funnies raking leaves, cleaning gutters, repairing screens, putting up storm windows, storing lawn furniture, etc. At the end he sat down exhausted and quipped "Now I know why the call it 'Labor' Day!". Some places, especially in the western states celebrate "Pioneer Day", which instantly presents a whole set of themed activities, including square dancing, kids outdoor games, and pioneer cuisine. Valentine's Day isn't a national holiday but it may still be a good excuse for a romantic getaway. Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays have been combined into the national "President's Day" holiday. A good time to do focus on a little history. It is especially fun if you can track down some little-known, amusing anecdotes to share with the group. I like the story of a boy who confessed to tipping over the family outhouse as a Halloween prank, after which his father gave him a good spanking. When he complained that George Washington's father didn't spank him when he confessed to cutting down the cherry tree, the father replied "George Washington's father wasn't IN the cherry tree!" ith a little thought you can make any holiday outing into both an educational and entertaining experience that is fun for everyone.
Christmas camping. Christmas is an unusual time to go camping for must people, but you may find your self on an outing or visiting family in your RV at Christmas. No reason not to enjoy the season. Unless you have multiple slide outs you probably won't have room for a full size Christmas tree, but you can probably fit in a small, artificial tree somewhere. Other holiday decorations and lights can be used to "deck the halls" and you can fill your RV with Christmas music, not to mention Christmas cuisine. In the unlikely event you find yourself tent camping at Christmas, it may a be a good time to create a "Christmas of times past" and make use of natural decorations. Battery powered LED Christmas lights make festive options for either your RV or your tent. And don't miss the opportunity of singing Christmas carols around the campfire. In any case, the focus on the real meaning of Christmas and on the importance of family does not need to be diminished in any way by celebrating it in camp. And tell the kids not to worry. Santa can still find them at camp! And dropping in on a campfire is a lot easier than sliding down a chimney!
New Years' Day has a long tradition of football on TV. Given the availability of satellite services and portable TVs these days, there is no reason you can't enjoy two of your favorite past times at the same time: camping and football. Hey, it might even be an innovative experience to invite your regular football buddies to celebrate in camp instead of at home for a change. I'm sure it would be a unique activity for most of them. Tailgating at sports events is sort of like camping too.
Happy holidays!
Information on recreational vehicles (RVs) and Off Highway Vehicles (OHVs), Camping, Sailing, and Survival
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Weekend Camping
Most camping trips take place on weekends because most of us have to work for a living and don't often have time off during the week. I like to have everything ready so I can get away on Friday night as soon as I get home from work so I don't waste part of my valuable weekend time just packing up and getting there. That means advance planning and preparation. Make sure your RV or tent and all equipment is in good repair. Fresh water tanks or jugs and fuel need to be topped off, holding tanks empty. If you're using an RV, turn on the fridge a day or two before departure so it starts off nice and cold. re-cool all items that will go into an ice chest or an RV fridge. When possible, you might try to take an extra day off to get a head start on the weekend. You may find traffic lighter and may encounter less congestion or competition for camp sites.
Obviously you won't be the only ones visiting your favorite spots on any given weekend so make your reservations early and plan for traffic and congestion. Without reservations you may be turned away and have to drive a lot farther than you planned to find a place to stay. The earlier you can get away, the less traffic you'll usually encounter and the better chance you'll have of finding a nice selection of camp sites when you arrive. Late arrival may mean you may be stuck next to a high traffic area or a smelly restroom or a long way from useful facilities, none of which contributes to a restful and enjoyable weekend. Or, if you didn't have reservations, you may have to keep driving for many more miles and many more hours before you find a place to stay. If you're going boondocking, getting there early helps ensure you will have the best choice of spots. We often went on on Tuesday before Thanksgiving to stake out our Desert Rat site for our annual Turkey In The Dirt.
When it comes to departure time, you will have to decide whether it is better to get away a little early to avoid traffic on the way home or squeeze in a little more time with your activities. Giving up that last hour in camp or hanging around until traffic thins out may cut two or three hours off your return driving time. Often you can enjoy more time in camp and still get home about the same time by avoiding traveling during rush hour. Or even hang around an extra day and really beat the traffic if you can!
Weekend destinations should be fairly close to home. You can't afford to spend more than a few hours driving in each direction. The less time you spend on the road, the more time you can spend camping and relaxing. It is a good idea to develop a list and explore nearby camping opportunities so you have alternatives if weather, road construction, or traffic accidents impede access to your preferred sites. You don't have to go that far to "get away from it all" if you plan it right.
TGIF!
Obviously you won't be the only ones visiting your favorite spots on any given weekend so make your reservations early and plan for traffic and congestion. Without reservations you may be turned away and have to drive a lot farther than you planned to find a place to stay. The earlier you can get away, the less traffic you'll usually encounter and the better chance you'll have of finding a nice selection of camp sites when you arrive. Late arrival may mean you may be stuck next to a high traffic area or a smelly restroom or a long way from useful facilities, none of which contributes to a restful and enjoyable weekend. Or, if you didn't have reservations, you may have to keep driving for many more miles and many more hours before you find a place to stay. If you're going boondocking, getting there early helps ensure you will have the best choice of spots. We often went on on Tuesday before Thanksgiving to stake out our Desert Rat site for our annual Turkey In The Dirt.
When it comes to departure time, you will have to decide whether it is better to get away a little early to avoid traffic on the way home or squeeze in a little more time with your activities. Giving up that last hour in camp or hanging around until traffic thins out may cut two or three hours off your return driving time. Often you can enjoy more time in camp and still get home about the same time by avoiding traveling during rush hour. Or even hang around an extra day and really beat the traffic if you can!
Weekend destinations should be fairly close to home. You can't afford to spend more than a few hours driving in each direction. The less time you spend on the road, the more time you can spend camping and relaxing. It is a good idea to develop a list and explore nearby camping opportunities so you have alternatives if weather, road construction, or traffic accidents impede access to your preferred sites. You don't have to go that far to "get away from it all" if you plan it right.
TGIF!
Urban and Suburban Camping
Urban Camping or even Suburban Camping sounds like some sort of oxymoron, yet some people find it appealing. A familiar version of urban camping is the "tailgate party", where you gather with your family and/or friends in the parking lot of a sporting event for refreshments, usually before and sometimes after the game. Sometimes folks will stay in their RVs and watch the game on TV since camera coverage is often better than what you can see from the stands. Sometimes you can arrive early and camp overnight to get a good spot. Such activities are strictly regulated by the owners of the facilities and local ordinances, so don't assume you can just set up camp in any parking lot. Check with the facility staff beforehand. Most places allow pre-game tailgate parties but over-night camping is often prohibited. You might "tailgate" out of the back of your SUV, pickup or station wagon, or, for more comfort and convenience, use an RV. There may be fire and alcohol restrictions, so be sure to check the rules. Breaking the rules can produce a quick exit with a police escort and impounding of your vehicle!
Developed Campgrounds are sometimes located in urban or at least suburban areas. Staying in a commercial campground usually offers amenities you may not find in primitive forest, beach, or desert locations. Some can be pretty fancy resorts, with lots of luxury services. Commercial campgrounds usually have a camp store where you can purchase basic provisions and camping supplies. Many have hot showers and full restrooms. Most will have a picnic table and fire pit at each site. Some have club houses with various indoor and outdoor games. In some locations there are urban campgrounds located near popular attractions such as theme parks, museums, stadiums, and theaters, so they make appealing base camps for a variety of activities. These locations are typically booked far in advance, so don't plan on dropping in and getting a spot. There is usually pretty good access to shopping fairly close to many urban or suburban campgrounds, making it easy to stock up on forgotten or depleted supplies.
Walmart camping. Have you ever noticed the plethora of RVs in the Walmart parking lot? That is because Walmart has a reputation as being RV friendly. I've even seen Walmart billboards that show a travel trailer connected to a shopping cart. However, not all Walmarts permit over night parking. Call the store or stop in and chat with a manager to be sure. Camping may be restricted by local ordinances or at the discretion of the manager. Don't just assume because there are some rigs in the parking lot that over night parking is allowed. They may only have stopped to do some shopping. A Walmart parking lot can be a safe refuge for a fatigued driver to pull over and get some much-needed rest. If you find yourself in that situation, be a good camper. Park away from the store entrance so you don't inconvenience others shoppers and take up as few parking spaces as possible. If there are already other RVs in the lot, park fairly close to them so you don't monopolize customer parking spaces. Make sure you keep the area around your vehicle clean and free from spilled sewage. And patronize the store -- you can buy almost anything you need at Walmart. If you don't have any immediate needs, take inventory of your provisions and stock up on things you may be running low on. Most Walmart stores have a fairly good stock of common RV supplies. It will make the rest of your trip more convenient and it will help encourage Walmart to continue their RV friendly attitude. You can almost always be sure Walmart prices will be lower than you'll find in campgrounds and remote communities. Minimize the use of your generator and don't run your outside entertainment systems at loud volumes. And don't overstay your welcome. Overnight is usually OK. A day or two might be OK if you're having mechanical or medical problems. For anything else, find a campground. The Walmart manager may not complain, but local businesses and residents may and you may invite a visit from local law enforcement. Restrictions may be imposed by local ordinances so don't blame Walmart or the manager if you can't stay as long as you want in a particular location.
Some other businesses, such as Cracker Barrel Restaurants, also cater to RVers. However, it isn't acceptable in all places so it is a good idea to call ahead or stop by and ask the manager's permission before settling in for the night. In some places local ordinances prohibit any overnight parking. In others the specific establishment might have a no overnight parking policy for reasons that are very valid. Many, but not all, Cracker Barrel restaurants have designated 40' parking spaces for RVs and trucks. However overnight parking may not always be permitted even where there are long spaces for large vehicles.
Visiting friends and relatives. One nice thing about having an RV is it gives you a familiar and comfortable place to stay when visiting friends and relatives. Just be aware of the impact your over-size vehicle may have on local traffic and make sure you comply with local ordinances. Many cities have laws prohibiting or restricting parking RVs on the street or even on private property. Some places have a limit on how many days an RV can be parked on the street so find out BEFORE you get ticketed or towed! Most places I'm aware of allow at least 2-3 days of RV parking in residential areas, so long as they don't create a traffic hazard. If it is legal, be considerate of the neighbors. Avoid running your generator or vehicle engine when it would disturb them or turning on lights that might be offensive. If you run power make sure the cord doesn't pose a tripping hazard for pedestrians, And, of course, keep any audio systems at a reasonable level. That's reasonable to your neighbors, not to you!
Rest areas. Many freeway rest areas prohibit overnight camping, but most will still accommodate you stopping to get a few hours rest. Some have areas designated specifically for RVs. If not, you should park with the truckers. Avoid taking up a bunch of regular car parking places just to get closer to the restrooms or picnic tables and NEVER block any roadways, driveways, or gates. Don't drag out a bunch of camping gear and set up camp. Keep it contained and you shouldn't get any negative feedback from local law enforcement. In fact, most of them will be glad you're taking time to get some needed rest instead of pushing on and creating a traffic hazard.
Backyard or driveway camping. Sometimes you may find it useful to camp in your own yard. It is a good way to try out new equipment and to get used to a camping environment if you're new to the sport. Setting up or even parking your RV in your own driveway may be restricted by local laws or CCRs for your property, so be sure to check that out before doing it. Setting up your tent in your back yard is a good way to become familiar with how to do it and to get used to sleeping in a tent so you'll be comfortable when you do "really" go camping.
If you live in a high density urban area your options may be more limited. High rise apartments seldom have places you can set up a tent or park an RV. In some communities there may be city parks you can use, but camping is usually not allowed in city parks. You may be able practice setting up your tent in your living room or in the parking lot and, if you have a balcony or patio you may be able to try out your camp stove or BBQ. Just be sure to check with your manager first. You don't want someone calling the fire department because of your campstove or BBQ!
Be sensible!
Developed Campgrounds are sometimes located in urban or at least suburban areas. Staying in a commercial campground usually offers amenities you may not find in primitive forest, beach, or desert locations. Some can be pretty fancy resorts, with lots of luxury services. Commercial campgrounds usually have a camp store where you can purchase basic provisions and camping supplies. Many have hot showers and full restrooms. Most will have a picnic table and fire pit at each site. Some have club houses with various indoor and outdoor games. In some locations there are urban campgrounds located near popular attractions such as theme parks, museums, stadiums, and theaters, so they make appealing base camps for a variety of activities. These locations are typically booked far in advance, so don't plan on dropping in and getting a spot. There is usually pretty good access to shopping fairly close to many urban or suburban campgrounds, making it easy to stock up on forgotten or depleted supplies.
Walmart camping. Have you ever noticed the plethora of RVs in the Walmart parking lot? That is because Walmart has a reputation as being RV friendly. I've even seen Walmart billboards that show a travel trailer connected to a shopping cart. However, not all Walmarts permit over night parking. Call the store or stop in and chat with a manager to be sure. Camping may be restricted by local ordinances or at the discretion of the manager. Don't just assume because there are some rigs in the parking lot that over night parking is allowed. They may only have stopped to do some shopping. A Walmart parking lot can be a safe refuge for a fatigued driver to pull over and get some much-needed rest. If you find yourself in that situation, be a good camper. Park away from the store entrance so you don't inconvenience others shoppers and take up as few parking spaces as possible. If there are already other RVs in the lot, park fairly close to them so you don't monopolize customer parking spaces. Make sure you keep the area around your vehicle clean and free from spilled sewage. And patronize the store -- you can buy almost anything you need at Walmart. If you don't have any immediate needs, take inventory of your provisions and stock up on things you may be running low on. Most Walmart stores have a fairly good stock of common RV supplies. It will make the rest of your trip more convenient and it will help encourage Walmart to continue their RV friendly attitude. You can almost always be sure Walmart prices will be lower than you'll find in campgrounds and remote communities. Minimize the use of your generator and don't run your outside entertainment systems at loud volumes. And don't overstay your welcome. Overnight is usually OK. A day or two might be OK if you're having mechanical or medical problems. For anything else, find a campground. The Walmart manager may not complain, but local businesses and residents may and you may invite a visit from local law enforcement. Restrictions may be imposed by local ordinances so don't blame Walmart or the manager if you can't stay as long as you want in a particular location.
Some other businesses, such as Cracker Barrel Restaurants, also cater to RVers. However, it isn't acceptable in all places so it is a good idea to call ahead or stop by and ask the manager's permission before settling in for the night. In some places local ordinances prohibit any overnight parking. In others the specific establishment might have a no overnight parking policy for reasons that are very valid. Many, but not all, Cracker Barrel restaurants have designated 40' parking spaces for RVs and trucks. However overnight parking may not always be permitted even where there are long spaces for large vehicles.
Visiting friends and relatives. One nice thing about having an RV is it gives you a familiar and comfortable place to stay when visiting friends and relatives. Just be aware of the impact your over-size vehicle may have on local traffic and make sure you comply with local ordinances. Many cities have laws prohibiting or restricting parking RVs on the street or even on private property. Some places have a limit on how many days an RV can be parked on the street so find out BEFORE you get ticketed or towed! Most places I'm aware of allow at least 2-3 days of RV parking in residential areas, so long as they don't create a traffic hazard. If it is legal, be considerate of the neighbors. Avoid running your generator or vehicle engine when it would disturb them or turning on lights that might be offensive. If you run power make sure the cord doesn't pose a tripping hazard for pedestrians, And, of course, keep any audio systems at a reasonable level. That's reasonable to your neighbors, not to you!
Rest areas. Many freeway rest areas prohibit overnight camping, but most will still accommodate you stopping to get a few hours rest. Some have areas designated specifically for RVs. If not, you should park with the truckers. Avoid taking up a bunch of regular car parking places just to get closer to the restrooms or picnic tables and NEVER block any roadways, driveways, or gates. Don't drag out a bunch of camping gear and set up camp. Keep it contained and you shouldn't get any negative feedback from local law enforcement. In fact, most of them will be glad you're taking time to get some needed rest instead of pushing on and creating a traffic hazard.
Backyard or driveway camping. Sometimes you may find it useful to camp in your own yard. It is a good way to try out new equipment and to get used to a camping environment if you're new to the sport. Setting up or even parking your RV in your own driveway may be restricted by local laws or CCRs for your property, so be sure to check that out before doing it. Setting up your tent in your back yard is a good way to become familiar with how to do it and to get used to sleeping in a tent so you'll be comfortable when you do "really" go camping.
If you live in a high density urban area your options may be more limited. High rise apartments seldom have places you can set up a tent or park an RV. In some communities there may be city parks you can use, but camping is usually not allowed in city parks. You may be able practice setting up your tent in your living room or in the parking lot and, if you have a balcony or patio you may be able to try out your camp stove or BBQ. Just be sure to check with your manager first. You don't want someone calling the fire department because of your campstove or BBQ!
Be sensible!
Horse Camping
Horse back riding is a popular pastime, filled with great opportunities for pioneer experiences. An RV can make a good base camp for horse back riding just as it does for motorized OHV activities. I have a little plaque with a statue of a mule on it and sign that says "The original 4x4!" Loaded horse trailers are very heavy, so be sure to check the Combined Vehicle Weight Rating for your RV or other tow vehicle before trying to tow a horse trailer. Horses typically weight around 1000-1200 # each. If you plan your rides around staying in a single base camp, an RV can be a welcome home away from home to come back to at the end of each day and enjoy a hot shower and a good night's rest. For most of us, who aren't used to the rigors of sitting in a saddle all day, a hot shower and that comfortable RV bed will be pure heaven come nightfall. Sleeping out under the stars in a cowboy bedroll may appeal to the adventurous among us, but I'd venture most of us technology pampered people would welcome a hot shower and a comfortable mattress after a day in the saddle. If you don't have an RV, you can setup a good tent base camp. If you plan to spend the night out on the trail somewhere, you'll need a cowboy bedroll or a tent and sleeping bag. A cowboy bedroll is much easier to carry on your saddle. If you have a pack horse you could bring along a sturdy tent and a comfortable sleeping bag.
Combination trailers. Just like there are toy haulers for OHVs there are trailers that are a combination of living space and horse transport space. Many have self contained human facilities in the forward portion of the trailer and accommodations for horses and tack in the rear. They are available in bumper pull, gooseneck, and fifth wheel models. They are not cheap, but they may be less expensive (and more convenient) than buying an RV AND a horse trailer.
Horse trails, like OHV trails, may be somewhat remote. Getting there may involve traveling on narrow roads with size and weight limitations so be sure to check your route beforehand and pay attention to warning signs along the way. The last thing you need is to get into a situation where you have to back your horse trailer a long way to get out of a bad situation.
Horse camping supplies. If you're going horse back riding, you will need to bring along "fuel" for your horses: hay and oats and plenty of water. Since you'll be working them harder than they normally experience in the corral or pasture, plan on extra rations to keep them healthy and supply enough energy to perform well for you. Many places you go will require certified weed-free fodder. Consider what kind of emergency veterinary supplies you might need on the trip. Check your riding gear (tack, boots, hats, chaps, spurs, gloves, etc.) and make sure everything you need is on board and in good condition. Very little a cowboy wore was for decoration only. His hat, kerchief, boots, spurs, and chaps all served valuable purposes on the trail. You would do well to equip yourself in a similar style. Cowboys usually carried a large canteen. Today you might substitute a Camelbak-style hydration pack and/or water bottles that hang on the saddle horn, but do make sure you bring along an adequate supply of water. Keep in mind your horses need water too, and plan your rides to either include water sources along the way or return to base camp often enough to meet their needs. Of course you need to consider how to transport, organize, and store your tack. A good horse trailer usually has a small "tack room" to take care of things on the road and in camp. On the trail you'll need to provide proper protection of your gear when its not in use. In Western movies the cowboys often use their saddles as a pillow. Laying a saddle flat on the ground like that is not the best practice, it is better to put it over a log or rock that will support it without splaying. Try to keep your tack dry. Water leaches oils out of leather and causes it to get stiff and crack. Always place your saddle on a saddle rack for transport. If you must lay it in the back of a pickup or SUV, lay it on its side. Laying it flat can crack the frame. Using your saddle for a pillow in the rain is a pretty good way to make all the leather stiff and it won't be comfortable for you or your horse. Personally, I have found saddles a little too hard to make good pillows anyway.
A cowboy bedroll provides a place to sleep that is sheltered from the weather without having to carry and set up a tent. It consists of a piece of canvas wide enough to wrap all the way around you and your bedding and and long enough to fold over your head in case it rains. You can buy them ready made or make your own. A traditional cowboy bedroll used wool blankets but you could use a modern sleeping bag instead. Check out these instructions for making your own cowboy bedroll.
Feeding your horses in camp. For the most part, you'll have to bring your own hay and grain to feed your horses. There are very few places with sufficient pasture to sustain them. When camping on US Forest Service lands and some other regulated areas you must have certified weed free hay. I've seen horse trailers with hay racks on top, but you can only transport a few small bales of hay. For any long outings you may have to pre-stage hay at your destination or along the trail, bringing it in by ATV or 4x4.
Remote camp sites give you an opportunity to experience something akin to what pioneer ancestors might have gone through during exploring or immigrating or during hunting trips or just visiting family. If you're going to be spending most of your nights on the trail you may not need a permanent base camp, but it still might be a comfortable retreat at the end of the ride. Today you might use the same tent and sleeping bag you would for tent camping but for fun you might want to try an authentic cowboy bedroll. They take up less room on your saddle. They are usually made of sturdy canvas and are about 3' wide when assembled and slightly more than twice as long as you are all -- long enough to provide a little canopy over your head as well as cover your entire body front and back. The raw canvas is about 9' wide, allowing it to be folded over from both sides to make a waterproof and well insulated top as well as a ground cloth to preserve your body heat. Add wool blankets for warmth and padding. If you find wool too scratchy, include a flannel or cotton blanket or sheet between you and the wool blanket. Or you can use a sleeping bag inside your canvas bedroll. Properly constructed and assembled, a bedroll will keep you warm, protect you from ground moisture and insects, and keep the rain off. A bedroll will take up less room and require less setup and take down time than a tent, but you won't have the interior space or dressing area of a tent. It will keep you cozy for sleeping but you'll have to dress outdoors and you'll have to tarp your gear to protect it from bad weather.
Cowboy cuisine. To round out your trip, plan on eating authentic cowboy trail food. A little online research will net you a ton of recipes you can choose from. Bacon, beans, and ash cakes or corn dodgers were common menu items. Coffee was often brewed in a speckle-ware pot by just throwing a handful of coffee inside, filling it with water, and boiling it directly on the campfire. Probably not nearly as smooth as Starbucks or even what you get out of the percolator at home, but hot and full-bodied and "real men" learned to strain the grounds through their teeth. Basic supplies should always include flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Dutch ovens and cast iron fry pans are a little heavy to carry unless you have pack animals or wagons to help out, but are excellent for authentic pioneer style campfire cooking. Cowboys on a cattle drive usually didn't have to worry about hauling their own cooking gear around. The camp cook kept everything on board the chuck wagon. I enjoyed the comment of the cook for the cattle drive in the movie, City Slickers when he told them they wouldn't be getting any "fancy nouveau cuisine" and their food would be "hot and brown and plenty of it". That pretty well describes traditional cowboy trail food. Plenty of beans and bacon.
Planning your schedule. If the drive to and from your planned location is long you'll need to plan stops along the way to give your horses food and water and get them out of the trailer for a little exercise. In camp you'll need to take care of their needs as well. You probably don't want to feed them right before beginning a ride, so plan to get up early to make sure they are taken care of properly each day and have time for their breakfast to settle before you saddle up. Allow time to walk them a bit before riding after you reach camp.
Camp security for your animals. Fortunately horse-stealing isn't as prevalent as it was when horses were our primary means of transportation, but it can still happen. In the Old West, horse thieves were hanged. A more common problem is animals wandering off if not properly secured. Some equestrian camps include corrals where you can "park" your horses. In primitive camping areas you'll have to provide your own restraints. Portable corrals are heavy and bulky to transport, handy to have in base camps, but not practical at all on a trail ride. Lacking a corral you'll need to use ropes. A common solution is called a picket line or high line. It is attached between two uprights like trees or fence posts with spaced loops to attach leads for multiple horses so maintain safe spacing. Properly done, a picket line allows a horse to lie down when it wants to. You can tie your horse to your trailer for short periods of time, like tacking, but it is not recommended for longer periods. Keep the lead short -- so the horse cannot get its head lower than its knees. A long lead may seem to give the horse more freedom but it is an invitation to injury. They may get tangled in the lead or roll part way under the trailer and get severely injured. I've seen spooked horses drag a trailer several feet connected only by a lead attached to their halter, which has to put a strain on their necks and could cause serious injuries. Hobbles may restrict how fast a horse can get away, but they also present their own safety hazard. In all cases, your horses should be restrained within eye and ear shot of your camp so you can monitor their safety at all times and be able to respond quickly if there is an emergency. A battery powered portable electric fence is also an option for setting up a temporary coral if you have room to carry it.
Handling your animals in camp. Unless you do a LOT of horse camping, your animals are probably going to be somewhat uneasy, at least for your first few outings. Be careful when you lead them around. Don't wrap the lead around your hand or allow it to wrap around your body. If the horse bolts, you may lose a hand or get dragged. Horses are naturally gregarious and will want to group together. Until you KNOW the temperament of other horses in the group, keep yours away from other animals, especially when they are not supervised. Make sure your horses have access to food and water when you tie them up. Be sure to rub them down after riding to remove excess sweat before they become chilled. Brush them carefully before putting on tack each morning. Brushing makes sure there is no debris that may cause injury or discomfort and helps calm them before the day's ride.
Giddy up!
Combination trailers. Just like there are toy haulers for OHVs there are trailers that are a combination of living space and horse transport space. Many have self contained human facilities in the forward portion of the trailer and accommodations for horses and tack in the rear. They are available in bumper pull, gooseneck, and fifth wheel models. They are not cheap, but they may be less expensive (and more convenient) than buying an RV AND a horse trailer.
Horse trails, like OHV trails, may be somewhat remote. Getting there may involve traveling on narrow roads with size and weight limitations so be sure to check your route beforehand and pay attention to warning signs along the way. The last thing you need is to get into a situation where you have to back your horse trailer a long way to get out of a bad situation.
Horse camping supplies. If you're going horse back riding, you will need to bring along "fuel" for your horses: hay and oats and plenty of water. Since you'll be working them harder than they normally experience in the corral or pasture, plan on extra rations to keep them healthy and supply enough energy to perform well for you. Many places you go will require certified weed-free fodder. Consider what kind of emergency veterinary supplies you might need on the trip. Check your riding gear (tack, boots, hats, chaps, spurs, gloves, etc.) and make sure everything you need is on board and in good condition. Very little a cowboy wore was for decoration only. His hat, kerchief, boots, spurs, and chaps all served valuable purposes on the trail. You would do well to equip yourself in a similar style. Cowboys usually carried a large canteen. Today you might substitute a Camelbak-style hydration pack and/or water bottles that hang on the saddle horn, but do make sure you bring along an adequate supply of water. Keep in mind your horses need water too, and plan your rides to either include water sources along the way or return to base camp often enough to meet their needs. Of course you need to consider how to transport, organize, and store your tack. A good horse trailer usually has a small "tack room" to take care of things on the road and in camp. On the trail you'll need to provide proper protection of your gear when its not in use. In Western movies the cowboys often use their saddles as a pillow. Laying a saddle flat on the ground like that is not the best practice, it is better to put it over a log or rock that will support it without splaying. Try to keep your tack dry. Water leaches oils out of leather and causes it to get stiff and crack. Always place your saddle on a saddle rack for transport. If you must lay it in the back of a pickup or SUV, lay it on its side. Laying it flat can crack the frame. Using your saddle for a pillow in the rain is a pretty good way to make all the leather stiff and it won't be comfortable for you or your horse. Personally, I have found saddles a little too hard to make good pillows anyway.
A cowboy bedroll provides a place to sleep that is sheltered from the weather without having to carry and set up a tent. It consists of a piece of canvas wide enough to wrap all the way around you and your bedding and and long enough to fold over your head in case it rains. You can buy them ready made or make your own. A traditional cowboy bedroll used wool blankets but you could use a modern sleeping bag instead. Check out these instructions for making your own cowboy bedroll.
Feeding your horses in camp. For the most part, you'll have to bring your own hay and grain to feed your horses. There are very few places with sufficient pasture to sustain them. When camping on US Forest Service lands and some other regulated areas you must have certified weed free hay. I've seen horse trailers with hay racks on top, but you can only transport a few small bales of hay. For any long outings you may have to pre-stage hay at your destination or along the trail, bringing it in by ATV or 4x4.
Remote camp sites give you an opportunity to experience something akin to what pioneer ancestors might have gone through during exploring or immigrating or during hunting trips or just visiting family. If you're going to be spending most of your nights on the trail you may not need a permanent base camp, but it still might be a comfortable retreat at the end of the ride. Today you might use the same tent and sleeping bag you would for tent camping but for fun you might want to try an authentic cowboy bedroll. They take up less room on your saddle. They are usually made of sturdy canvas and are about 3' wide when assembled and slightly more than twice as long as you are all -- long enough to provide a little canopy over your head as well as cover your entire body front and back. The raw canvas is about 9' wide, allowing it to be folded over from both sides to make a waterproof and well insulated top as well as a ground cloth to preserve your body heat. Add wool blankets for warmth and padding. If you find wool too scratchy, include a flannel or cotton blanket or sheet between you and the wool blanket. Or you can use a sleeping bag inside your canvas bedroll. Properly constructed and assembled, a bedroll will keep you warm, protect you from ground moisture and insects, and keep the rain off. A bedroll will take up less room and require less setup and take down time than a tent, but you won't have the interior space or dressing area of a tent. It will keep you cozy for sleeping but you'll have to dress outdoors and you'll have to tarp your gear to protect it from bad weather.
Cowboy cuisine. To round out your trip, plan on eating authentic cowboy trail food. A little online research will net you a ton of recipes you can choose from. Bacon, beans, and ash cakes or corn dodgers were common menu items. Coffee was often brewed in a speckle-ware pot by just throwing a handful of coffee inside, filling it with water, and boiling it directly on the campfire. Probably not nearly as smooth as Starbucks or even what you get out of the percolator at home, but hot and full-bodied and "real men" learned to strain the grounds through their teeth. Basic supplies should always include flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Dutch ovens and cast iron fry pans are a little heavy to carry unless you have pack animals or wagons to help out, but are excellent for authentic pioneer style campfire cooking. Cowboys on a cattle drive usually didn't have to worry about hauling their own cooking gear around. The camp cook kept everything on board the chuck wagon. I enjoyed the comment of the cook for the cattle drive in the movie, City Slickers when he told them they wouldn't be getting any "fancy nouveau cuisine" and their food would be "hot and brown and plenty of it". That pretty well describes traditional cowboy trail food. Plenty of beans and bacon.
Planning your schedule. If the drive to and from your planned location is long you'll need to plan stops along the way to give your horses food and water and get them out of the trailer for a little exercise. In camp you'll need to take care of their needs as well. You probably don't want to feed them right before beginning a ride, so plan to get up early to make sure they are taken care of properly each day and have time for their breakfast to settle before you saddle up. Allow time to walk them a bit before riding after you reach camp.
Camp security for your animals. Fortunately horse-stealing isn't as prevalent as it was when horses were our primary means of transportation, but it can still happen. In the Old West, horse thieves were hanged. A more common problem is animals wandering off if not properly secured. Some equestrian camps include corrals where you can "park" your horses. In primitive camping areas you'll have to provide your own restraints. Portable corrals are heavy and bulky to transport, handy to have in base camps, but not practical at all on a trail ride. Lacking a corral you'll need to use ropes. A common solution is called a picket line or high line. It is attached between two uprights like trees or fence posts with spaced loops to attach leads for multiple horses so maintain safe spacing. Properly done, a picket line allows a horse to lie down when it wants to. You can tie your horse to your trailer for short periods of time, like tacking, but it is not recommended for longer periods. Keep the lead short -- so the horse cannot get its head lower than its knees. A long lead may seem to give the horse more freedom but it is an invitation to injury. They may get tangled in the lead or roll part way under the trailer and get severely injured. I've seen spooked horses drag a trailer several feet connected only by a lead attached to their halter, which has to put a strain on their necks and could cause serious injuries. Hobbles may restrict how fast a horse can get away, but they also present their own safety hazard. In all cases, your horses should be restrained within eye and ear shot of your camp so you can monitor their safety at all times and be able to respond quickly if there is an emergency. A battery powered portable electric fence is also an option for setting up a temporary coral if you have room to carry it.
Handling your animals in camp. Unless you do a LOT of horse camping, your animals are probably going to be somewhat uneasy, at least for your first few outings. Be careful when you lead them around. Don't wrap the lead around your hand or allow it to wrap around your body. If the horse bolts, you may lose a hand or get dragged. Horses are naturally gregarious and will want to group together. Until you KNOW the temperament of other horses in the group, keep yours away from other animals, especially when they are not supervised. Make sure your horses have access to food and water when you tie them up. Be sure to rub them down after riding to remove excess sweat before they become chilled. Brush them carefully before putting on tack each morning. Brushing makes sure there is no debris that may cause injury or discomfort and helps calm them before the day's ride.
Giddy up!
Beach Camping
Beaches are a very popular destination for camping, in tents and in RVs. So what is so special about beach camping that it deserves its own post? Well, there are several things to consider, starting with how close to the water you set up your camp. While tsunamis are not frequent, they are possible on any ocean beach and you can't predict when an offshore earthquake will create one. And the earthquake doesn't need to be close -- tsunamis along the Pacific Coast of the United States can originate from earthquakes in Japan. More common are problems with high tides. More than one camper (both people and vehicles) has been submerged or stranded by a high tide. Know the tide schedules and heights at your destination and set up your camp well above high tide levels. When you see the water rising, it is too late to pack up and move! High winds could kick up waves that break higher on the beach than normal which could also be a problem if your camp is too close to the water. While tsunamis are rare, it behooves anyone who goes to the beach to plan an escape route to higher ground should one occur.
Beach parking. In many cases, beach campgrounds will have designated campsites like any other campground, so follow the normal procedures. Keep your vehicle on the designated roads and parking areas. Park only in designated spaces. Allowing even one tire off into the sand can result in getting stuck. If you are lucky enough to have access to more primitive areas with open beach access be cautious about driving out onto the beach itself. The first potential hazard is getting stuck in loose sand. A second problem is hidden debris that can damage tires and undercarriage. And finally, be careful not to get too close to the water line and stay well above any possible high tides! I've been at beach campgrounds in southern California where we were doused by the over spray from waves crashing into the shore while waiting in line at the entrance to the campground. Beach camping in stormy weather can be exhilarating but you will need to pay extra attention to the wind and the waves. I watched a family friend brave a cold rain on the Oregon coast to hit the surf and within seconds her lips were turning blue! And remember to watch out for flash floods coming from behind down streams and gullies you as you gaze out onto the sea during or after rain. And you could see flash floods from distant rain even if the skies are clear where you are.
Beach campfires. OK, so what is so special about campfires on the beach? After all, there isn't much danger of a fire spreading on damp sand. Well, for one thing, fires are prohibited on many beaches. Why? You may ask. One consideration is the danger of people burning their feet on hot coals left behind after the fire has been abandoned. Well-intentioned people cover the coals with sand to prevent the fire from flaring up, but that can create a significant danger for anyone walking over it. Another consideration is what a hot fire does to sand. Sand is silica, and that is what glass is made from. A hot enough fire can turn the sand beneath it into glass, once again creating a hazard for bare feet which are common on the beach. If you want a fire on the beach -- and it is not prohibited by local regulations -- use a fire pan or a designated fire pit. If fires are permitted, haul a couple of buckets of water up to thoroughly drown the fire when you are finished using it.
Beach activities. There are lots of things to do at the beach. It is an ideal place for tossing a ball or frisbee or playing volleyball. Fishing is a natural pastime on almost any waterway. Bird watching appeals to many people and can be a fascinating way to spend your time. Just make sure the birds in your sights are the feathered kind and not the two-legged variety in bikinis. Watching them too closely can invite undesirable responses from mates -- yours and theirs! Beachcombing is a fun and popular activity, but collecting shells or other items washed up on the beach is often restricted or prohibited in some places. Swimming and body surfing are popular pastimes on ocean beaches and large lakes. However, there are unseen dangers you should avoid. In some places there are dangerous rocks or old piers or foundations or other debris hidden beneath the waves. Ocean currents can be very tricky. If you get caught in one you may find yourself miles down the beach before you even notice what is happening if you aren't paying close attention. Always check with local authorities to determine prevailing currents and chose a "spot" on the beach you can use as a reference point to measure whether you're being carried away. If you find yourself drifting, head back to shore before you drift too far out or too far away. You may have to "use" the offending current to avoid getting tired out trying to get back to shore. Head back to shore at an angle that lets the current partly carry you along in the direction you want to go instead of trying to fight the current to head back up the beach or even shoot straight in from your current position. It will be a lot easier to just walk back up the beach than to fight the current. Of course, if the current is dragging you toward steep cliffs where you won't be able to get out of the water, you may have to alter your plans. Some, but certainly not all, beach locations are open to OHVs and riding on the sand can be a lot of fun, but exercise caution until you have time to get used to riding in sand. Riding in sand does require some special skills. You may need paddle tires to make the most of riding in the sand.
Sunburn is a significant risk at the beach. Not only are you likely to be exposing more of your body to direct sunlight, you will be getting a lot of reflected sun from the surface of the water, so burn times may be close to half what they would be in another situation. Protect your skin with clothing and sunblock and stay in the shade when you can. Being in the water may partially protect the submerged parts of your body but the exposed parts are going to be bombarded by reflected rays and even "waterproof" sunblock will eventually be diluted by constant exposure to water.
Wind can often be a problem for beach campers. The temperature differences between land and water and create strong flows that wreak havoc with camp sites and beach activities. Find out if your planned destinations are susceptible to high winds. If they are, you may want to seek alternate locations or activities or at least look for sheltered areas to set up camp. Make plans to adequately secure any items left outside so they don't get blown away.
Surf sounds are soothing to many people, but not to everyone. If you happen to be one of those people who don't find the sound of surf pleasing, you should probably try to set up your camp some distance from the water's edge so it won't keep you awake all night. The larger the body of water, the bigger the waves and the higher and noisier the surf. But even the gentle lapping of water on the shores of a small lake or pond can be disturbing to some people. Same with the gurgling of a brook or river. No sense setting yourself up for a restless night if you can avoid it.
OHVs at the beach. There are a few places where OHVs can be ridden on the beach, but they are prohibited on most popular beaches. If you plan to bring your OHV, check with local authorities to determine where, if at all, you can legally ride. Riding in the loose sand requires a lot of practice and sometimes special "paddle" tires for best results, so keep that in mind. If you aren't experienced in riding in sand, give yourself time to learn and adapt. ATVs, with their fat tires and wide stance, are usually more stable than narrow-tired dirt bikes in deep sand. In some places it is OK to ride "beach cruisers" (bicycles with soft, fat tires) on the beach, but not everywhere, so check local rules before you start pedaling. Riding in soft sand can be tricky, even with soft, fat tires, especially when you're going slow like you would be starting out from a dead stop. The front wheel can get stuck and either top or twist. Either way you're probably going over the bars. Once you get up a little speed with either an ATV or a bicycle, you tend to skim over the top of the sand instead of sinking in so try to maintain a brisk, steady speed to avoid getting stuck or bogged down.
Surf's up!
Beach parking. In many cases, beach campgrounds will have designated campsites like any other campground, so follow the normal procedures. Keep your vehicle on the designated roads and parking areas. Park only in designated spaces. Allowing even one tire off into the sand can result in getting stuck. If you are lucky enough to have access to more primitive areas with open beach access be cautious about driving out onto the beach itself. The first potential hazard is getting stuck in loose sand. A second problem is hidden debris that can damage tires and undercarriage. And finally, be careful not to get too close to the water line and stay well above any possible high tides! I've been at beach campgrounds in southern California where we were doused by the over spray from waves crashing into the shore while waiting in line at the entrance to the campground. Beach camping in stormy weather can be exhilarating but you will need to pay extra attention to the wind and the waves. I watched a family friend brave a cold rain on the Oregon coast to hit the surf and within seconds her lips were turning blue! And remember to watch out for flash floods coming from behind down streams and gullies you as you gaze out onto the sea during or after rain. And you could see flash floods from distant rain even if the skies are clear where you are.
Beach campfires. OK, so what is so special about campfires on the beach? After all, there isn't much danger of a fire spreading on damp sand. Well, for one thing, fires are prohibited on many beaches. Why? You may ask. One consideration is the danger of people burning their feet on hot coals left behind after the fire has been abandoned. Well-intentioned people cover the coals with sand to prevent the fire from flaring up, but that can create a significant danger for anyone walking over it. Another consideration is what a hot fire does to sand. Sand is silica, and that is what glass is made from. A hot enough fire can turn the sand beneath it into glass, once again creating a hazard for bare feet which are common on the beach. If you want a fire on the beach -- and it is not prohibited by local regulations -- use a fire pan or a designated fire pit. If fires are permitted, haul a couple of buckets of water up to thoroughly drown the fire when you are finished using it.
Beach activities. There are lots of things to do at the beach. It is an ideal place for tossing a ball or frisbee or playing volleyball. Fishing is a natural pastime on almost any waterway. Bird watching appeals to many people and can be a fascinating way to spend your time. Just make sure the birds in your sights are the feathered kind and not the two-legged variety in bikinis. Watching them too closely can invite undesirable responses from mates -- yours and theirs! Beachcombing is a fun and popular activity, but collecting shells or other items washed up on the beach is often restricted or prohibited in some places. Swimming and body surfing are popular pastimes on ocean beaches and large lakes. However, there are unseen dangers you should avoid. In some places there are dangerous rocks or old piers or foundations or other debris hidden beneath the waves. Ocean currents can be very tricky. If you get caught in one you may find yourself miles down the beach before you even notice what is happening if you aren't paying close attention. Always check with local authorities to determine prevailing currents and chose a "spot" on the beach you can use as a reference point to measure whether you're being carried away. If you find yourself drifting, head back to shore before you drift too far out or too far away. You may have to "use" the offending current to avoid getting tired out trying to get back to shore. Head back to shore at an angle that lets the current partly carry you along in the direction you want to go instead of trying to fight the current to head back up the beach or even shoot straight in from your current position. It will be a lot easier to just walk back up the beach than to fight the current. Of course, if the current is dragging you toward steep cliffs where you won't be able to get out of the water, you may have to alter your plans. Some, but certainly not all, beach locations are open to OHVs and riding on the sand can be a lot of fun, but exercise caution until you have time to get used to riding in sand. Riding in sand does require some special skills. You may need paddle tires to make the most of riding in the sand.
Sunburn is a significant risk at the beach. Not only are you likely to be exposing more of your body to direct sunlight, you will be getting a lot of reflected sun from the surface of the water, so burn times may be close to half what they would be in another situation. Protect your skin with clothing and sunblock and stay in the shade when you can. Being in the water may partially protect the submerged parts of your body but the exposed parts are going to be bombarded by reflected rays and even "waterproof" sunblock will eventually be diluted by constant exposure to water.
Wind can often be a problem for beach campers. The temperature differences between land and water and create strong flows that wreak havoc with camp sites and beach activities. Find out if your planned destinations are susceptible to high winds. If they are, you may want to seek alternate locations or activities or at least look for sheltered areas to set up camp. Make plans to adequately secure any items left outside so they don't get blown away.
Surf sounds are soothing to many people, but not to everyone. If you happen to be one of those people who don't find the sound of surf pleasing, you should probably try to set up your camp some distance from the water's edge so it won't keep you awake all night. The larger the body of water, the bigger the waves and the higher and noisier the surf. But even the gentle lapping of water on the shores of a small lake or pond can be disturbing to some people. Same with the gurgling of a brook or river. No sense setting yourself up for a restless night if you can avoid it.
OHVs at the beach. There are a few places where OHVs can be ridden on the beach, but they are prohibited on most popular beaches. If you plan to bring your OHV, check with local authorities to determine where, if at all, you can legally ride. Riding in the loose sand requires a lot of practice and sometimes special "paddle" tires for best results, so keep that in mind. If you aren't experienced in riding in sand, give yourself time to learn and adapt. ATVs, with their fat tires and wide stance, are usually more stable than narrow-tired dirt bikes in deep sand. In some places it is OK to ride "beach cruisers" (bicycles with soft, fat tires) on the beach, but not everywhere, so check local rules before you start pedaling. Riding in soft sand can be tricky, even with soft, fat tires, especially when you're going slow like you would be starting out from a dead stop. The front wheel can get stuck and either top or twist. Either way you're probably going over the bars. Once you get up a little speed with either an ATV or a bicycle, you tend to skim over the top of the sand instead of sinking in so try to maintain a brisk, steady speed to avoid getting stuck or bogged down.
Surf's up!
Mountain Camping
What is the difference between forest camping and mountain camping? Good question. The answer: mostly elevation. You can do a lot of nice forest camping in some places without having to climb to high elevations, but, of course, many of the most beautiful and serene forest campgrounds are in the mountains. Pretty much all of the preparations for forest camping apply to mountain camping, but there are additional considerations to keep in mind as you go higher into the mountains.
Preparing your vehicles for mountain camping. Most internal combustion engines are sensitive to elevation because the air pressure and oxygen content varies according to elevation. The higher you go, the lower the oxygen content. The percentage of oxygen is the same as it is at lower elevations, but the density means there is less oxygen per cubic foot -- affecting both vehicles and living beings. Many newer vehicles with computer-controlled ignition systems self adjust to changes in elevation but if you have an older, carburated engine in your RV, tow vehicle, or OHV, you may have to make adjustments in order for it to function properly at higher altitudes. The adjustments may include changing the size of the jets in the carburetor. Having the wrong size jets or wrong adjustment will reduce performance and fuel economy and could damage the engine. We routinely had to re-jet our dirt bikes when moving between the desert (elevation around 4,000') and the Sierra's (elevation about 9,000').
Preparing your body for mountain camping. Your body is also sensitive to changes in elevation. Air density and therefore the amount of oxygen available to your lungs is lower as altitude increases. If you move quickly from a low elevation to a higher one you may experience altitude sickness. Altitude sickness usually occurs at elevations over 8,000 feet, but may be experienced at altitudes as low as 6,000 feet. Symptoms include light headedness, headache, fatigue, stomach illness, dizziness, and sleep disturbance. Exertion aggravates the symptoms. Headaches are typically the primary symptom. The prospect of dehydration is increased at high altitudes as you lose more water vapor through evaporation in the lungs. Severe cases of altitude sickness can be fatal. They include primarily pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs) and cerebral edema (fluid in the brain). Symptoms of pulmonary edema include fever, shortness of breath even when resting, dry persistent cough, and are similar to bronchitis. Cerebral edema manifests itself as a headache that doesn't respond to analgesics, unsteady gait, gradual loss of consciousness, increased nausea, and retinal hemorrhage. The only reliable treatment for altitude sickness is to descend to a safer atmosphere. In an emergency you might be placed in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to quickly saturate your blood with oxygen. Pressure is typically 3 times normal atmoshperic pressure. To avoid altitude sickness, give yourself time to acclimatize gradually. If you are headed to a destination over 8,000 feet from near sea-level, stop for at least a day at 4-5000 feet. When you reach your final destination, give yourself a day or two to adjust before beginning any strenuous activities. Mountain climbers often use a technique of "climb high, sleep low". They establish a base camp from which they climb to high elevations during the day, then return to the low altitude base camp at night. On very long climbs, they repeat this process several times, slowly moving the base camp to higher elevations. The more gradually you acclimate yourself, the less likely you'll experience any symptoms of elevation sickness. Consult your physician if you have any existing lung or heart problems before venturing to high altitudes.
High altitudes will affect your physical stamina, so be prepared to cut back on strenuous activities, at least until you have had time for your body to adjust. It is believed that your body actually produces additional red blood cells to make better use of the available oxygen at high altitudes, and that takes a little time. Until you adjust, don't expect as much from your body as you normally would.
Effects on other equipment and activities. Altitude will effect the efficiency of your stove and furnace. It also alters cooking times and temperatures. Water will boil at lower temperatures at high altitudes, in some cases it may boil before reaching a high enough temperature to disinfect the water. You may have noticed special instructions on cake mixes for use at higher altitudes. If you are going to be doing any baking, you will want to familiarize yourself with the changes needed in recipes to adjust for high altitudes.
Mountain weather. Mountains sometimes create their own weather micro-environments, so you can often get local storms even when they aren't in the forecast for the rest of the region. High altitude storms often include hail. Since localized activity doesn't show up on regional weather forecasts you'll have to keep an eye on the sky and/or talk to the locals so you know what to expect and can be prepared.
Mountain driving. Most of us live in urban environments these days and don't get a lot of exposure to mountain driving. Be extra cautions and allow yourself extra time until you learn how you may be affected by driving in the mountains. As mentioned previously, vehicle performance may be affected at higher elevations. Passing or accelerating up freeway on-ramps may take much longer than usual. Roads in general may be steeper than you are used to, requiring extra fuel for climbing and extra care descending to avoid excess speed or brake burnout. And your judgment may be affected by elevation sickness. You may be able to make climbing hills easier by using an old trucker's trick -- speed up and get a run at the hill. Just don't over do it and keep any eye on the speed limit. Descending hills may take special techniques also. Do NOT "ride the brakes". They will overheat and become useless and suffer permanent damage. You can downshift vehicles with gasoline engines to slow your descent. Some diesel vehicles have engine brakes, also called Jake brakes, that allow them to use engine braking. If you find yourself going to fast, watch your speed. When you reach about 10 mph above your desired speed, use your brakes to slow down to about 10 mph below your desired speed, then let off the brakes. This allows the brakes time to cool between applications. Never let your speed get too high. You might not have enough brakes to slow or stop if necessary. On most steep grades there are Truck Escape Ramps. They are intended for semis with failed brakes but you could use one in an emergency to stop an out of control motorhome or truck and trailer. They will usually take advantage of local terrain to provide an up-hill route to help reduce speed. They also usually have deep, loose gravel, so be prepared and keep a firm grip on the steering wheel. The emergency brake on some motorhomes is a separate brake on the driveline. If yours is so equipped, the E-brake can be used if necessary to supplement your regular brakes. Note: the E-brake on many vehicles just manually applies the rear brakes. Using the E-brake on these will only over-heat the back brakes faster without adding any extra stopping power over pushing down on the pedal. However, the E-brake is cable operated so it can be used even when the hydraulic system fails.
Mountains are home to a variety of wild animals. You will likely see warning signs for deer or cattle crossings. Be on the alert for deer and other animals crossing the road. Sometimes they will jump out right in front of you and sometimes they jump right INTO the side of your vehicle. Mountains are also home to predators -- cougars, bears, and wolves for example. For the most part they will steer clear of humans, but some have gotten used to being around people and even dependent on handouts. Not a good thing. Never try to approach a wild animal. Even cute young cubs can be very dangerous and their mother's are likely to be close by and will be very protective. Predators are not the only possible source of animal danger. For example, a male moose in rutting season can present a great hazard, so much so that Les Stround (Survivorman) commented he is more concerned about them than about bears during his survival adventures.
Have a really peak experience!
Preparing your vehicles for mountain camping. Most internal combustion engines are sensitive to elevation because the air pressure and oxygen content varies according to elevation. The higher you go, the lower the oxygen content. The percentage of oxygen is the same as it is at lower elevations, but the density means there is less oxygen per cubic foot -- affecting both vehicles and living beings. Many newer vehicles with computer-controlled ignition systems self adjust to changes in elevation but if you have an older, carburated engine in your RV, tow vehicle, or OHV, you may have to make adjustments in order for it to function properly at higher altitudes. The adjustments may include changing the size of the jets in the carburetor. Having the wrong size jets or wrong adjustment will reduce performance and fuel economy and could damage the engine. We routinely had to re-jet our dirt bikes when moving between the desert (elevation around 4,000') and the Sierra's (elevation about 9,000').
Preparing your body for mountain camping. Your body is also sensitive to changes in elevation. Air density and therefore the amount of oxygen available to your lungs is lower as altitude increases. If you move quickly from a low elevation to a higher one you may experience altitude sickness. Altitude sickness usually occurs at elevations over 8,000 feet, but may be experienced at altitudes as low as 6,000 feet. Symptoms include light headedness, headache, fatigue, stomach illness, dizziness, and sleep disturbance. Exertion aggravates the symptoms. Headaches are typically the primary symptom. The prospect of dehydration is increased at high altitudes as you lose more water vapor through evaporation in the lungs. Severe cases of altitude sickness can be fatal. They include primarily pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs) and cerebral edema (fluid in the brain). Symptoms of pulmonary edema include fever, shortness of breath even when resting, dry persistent cough, and are similar to bronchitis. Cerebral edema manifests itself as a headache that doesn't respond to analgesics, unsteady gait, gradual loss of consciousness, increased nausea, and retinal hemorrhage. The only reliable treatment for altitude sickness is to descend to a safer atmosphere. In an emergency you might be placed in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to quickly saturate your blood with oxygen. Pressure is typically 3 times normal atmoshperic pressure. To avoid altitude sickness, give yourself time to acclimatize gradually. If you are headed to a destination over 8,000 feet from near sea-level, stop for at least a day at 4-5000 feet. When you reach your final destination, give yourself a day or two to adjust before beginning any strenuous activities. Mountain climbers often use a technique of "climb high, sleep low". They establish a base camp from which they climb to high elevations during the day, then return to the low altitude base camp at night. On very long climbs, they repeat this process several times, slowly moving the base camp to higher elevations. The more gradually you acclimate yourself, the less likely you'll experience any symptoms of elevation sickness. Consult your physician if you have any existing lung or heart problems before venturing to high altitudes.
High altitudes will affect your physical stamina, so be prepared to cut back on strenuous activities, at least until you have had time for your body to adjust. It is believed that your body actually produces additional red blood cells to make better use of the available oxygen at high altitudes, and that takes a little time. Until you adjust, don't expect as much from your body as you normally would.
Effects on other equipment and activities. Altitude will effect the efficiency of your stove and furnace. It also alters cooking times and temperatures. Water will boil at lower temperatures at high altitudes, in some cases it may boil before reaching a high enough temperature to disinfect the water. You may have noticed special instructions on cake mixes for use at higher altitudes. If you are going to be doing any baking, you will want to familiarize yourself with the changes needed in recipes to adjust for high altitudes.
Mountain weather. Mountains sometimes create their own weather micro-environments, so you can often get local storms even when they aren't in the forecast for the rest of the region. High altitude storms often include hail. Since localized activity doesn't show up on regional weather forecasts you'll have to keep an eye on the sky and/or talk to the locals so you know what to expect and can be prepared.
Mountain driving. Most of us live in urban environments these days and don't get a lot of exposure to mountain driving. Be extra cautions and allow yourself extra time until you learn how you may be affected by driving in the mountains. As mentioned previously, vehicle performance may be affected at higher elevations. Passing or accelerating up freeway on-ramps may take much longer than usual. Roads in general may be steeper than you are used to, requiring extra fuel for climbing and extra care descending to avoid excess speed or brake burnout. And your judgment may be affected by elevation sickness. You may be able to make climbing hills easier by using an old trucker's trick -- speed up and get a run at the hill. Just don't over do it and keep any eye on the speed limit. Descending hills may take special techniques also. Do NOT "ride the brakes". They will overheat and become useless and suffer permanent damage. You can downshift vehicles with gasoline engines to slow your descent. Some diesel vehicles have engine brakes, also called Jake brakes, that allow them to use engine braking. If you find yourself going to fast, watch your speed. When you reach about 10 mph above your desired speed, use your brakes to slow down to about 10 mph below your desired speed, then let off the brakes. This allows the brakes time to cool between applications. Never let your speed get too high. You might not have enough brakes to slow or stop if necessary. On most steep grades there are Truck Escape Ramps. They are intended for semis with failed brakes but you could use one in an emergency to stop an out of control motorhome or truck and trailer. They will usually take advantage of local terrain to provide an up-hill route to help reduce speed. They also usually have deep, loose gravel, so be prepared and keep a firm grip on the steering wheel. The emergency brake on some motorhomes is a separate brake on the driveline. If yours is so equipped, the E-brake can be used if necessary to supplement your regular brakes. Note: the E-brake on many vehicles just manually applies the rear brakes. Using the E-brake on these will only over-heat the back brakes faster without adding any extra stopping power over pushing down on the pedal. However, the E-brake is cable operated so it can be used even when the hydraulic system fails.
Mountains are home to a variety of wild animals. You will likely see warning signs for deer or cattle crossings. Be on the alert for deer and other animals crossing the road. Sometimes they will jump out right in front of you and sometimes they jump right INTO the side of your vehicle. Mountains are also home to predators -- cougars, bears, and wolves for example. For the most part they will steer clear of humans, but some have gotten used to being around people and even dependent on handouts. Not a good thing. Never try to approach a wild animal. Even cute young cubs can be very dangerous and their mother's are likely to be close by and will be very protective. Predators are not the only possible source of animal danger. For example, a male moose in rutting season can present a great hazard, so much so that Les Stround (Survivorman) commented he is more concerned about them than about bears during his survival adventures.
Have a really peak experience!
Forest Camping
Forest camping is often the vision many of us have of "camping": tall trees, shady camp sites, grassy meadows, RV or tent nestled in among the trees, the warm glow of a carefully constructed campfire casting flickering shadows all around, a light breeze gently caressing the boughs of the trees surrounding your camp site, and the babble of a brook or sound of waves lapping at the beach to lull you to sleep. Today this idyllic scene is becoming more and more rare as folks overwhelm our national parks and forest service campgrounds for their weekend escapes. All too often the serenity of the scene is shattered by loud music, loud voices, ,bright lights, and noisy vehicles. Funny how many people think that when they go out to "get away from it all" they have to bring it all with them. I was once told by a forest ranger that they actually preferred OHV riders to "ordinary" campers. The reason? OHV riders spent the whole day on the trail and by the time they got back to camp they were tired and hungry. They had dinner, were fairly quiet, and usually went to bed fairly early. The "ordinary" campers often spent most of their day drinking beer and by dinner time were reaching the rowdy stage and all too often their interactions deteriorated to where ranger intervention was required to keep the peace. As if on queue, the ranger had no sooner spoken than his radio crackled and he got a call for just that kind of intervention in a neighboring camp.
Preparation for forest camping. Preparation for forest camping is not too different from preparation for any other kind of camping. You probably won't need as much water as you would in the desert, but hiking and exploring can still cause you to lose enough body fluids to make sports drinks a good thing to bring along. If you're camping in unimproved campgrounds, you will have to bring your own water. Forests often contain ideal habitats for a variety of animals and insects, so bring along the Deep Woods Off! Most campgrounds have few problems with wild animals, but way too many places these days attract bears who, like Yogi, love picnic baskets -- and any other human food they can get their paws on. You'll need to keep your food out of their reach -- locked securely in your vehicle or hung high up in a tree. Even metal ice chests are insufficient to secure food from bears. They've even been known to break into cars. Never, ever feed wild animals or place food out for them. Many of them have learned how to beg, but don't give in to their cutesy performance. It may seem like a nice thing to do, but ultimately it may lead to their illness or demise. If you camp in an area known to be visited by bears, make sure you check with the local ranger to learn the rules and then follow them religiously. If bears approach your camp site or your vehicle or your group, make a lot of noise to scare them away. Most truly wild animals are instinctively afraid of man and will keep their distances. Unfortunately, as man encroaches further and further into animals' natural habitat, many animals lose their fear and even become dependent on handouts from us for their survival. Keep your distance from all wild creatures and do your best not to contribute to an unnatural diet which one way or another will harm them.
Forest campfires. As with just about any other type of camping, campfires are an important part of forest camping. However, the location presents extra opportunities for fires to get out of hand. The forest floor is usually covered with combustible debris so you MUST scrape the area for your campfire down to bare earth for a radius of five feet from your fire ring unless you are using an existing and approved fire pit. Even then make sure there is no accumulation of leaves or pine needles near the fire pit. Check with the ranger about building campfires. In some places they are restricted to forest service approved fire rings. In some places and some seasons open fires are strictly prohibited. Be sure to watch for the Fire Danger signs on your way in or stop at a ranger station and find out the current status. Check all round your fire site -- scrape the ground down to bare earth, make sure you are a safe distance from all trees and bushes, and that you have clear space overhead so you won't set any trees on fire. Fire can spread quickly through the forest. Vegetation is often quite thick and serves as a conduit for fire, a problem you usually won't find in the desert or at the beach. As Smokey The Bear says, "Only you can prevent forest fires". It starts with learning and following the rules and applying common sense whenever you are able to build a fire. If your campfire gets away from you, YOU or your equipment may end up being the object roasting on an open fire instead of chestnuts or marshmallows!
Forest camping activities. Many forest service campgrounds have self-led or ranger led nature hikes that are fun and educational. Even without ranger assistance you can have fun identifying plants and animals. It may take a little research before you go so you know what to look for, but it will be well worth the time. The local ranger station often has brochures describing local flora and fauna. Fishing is a popular activity where ever there are lakes or streams. Nothing quite like a fresh trout broiled over a campfire! Collecting firewood is prohibited around most campgrounds, so bring your own or buy some at the local camp store or ranger station. Buying it locally is the best practice. You don't have the hassle and extra weight of hauling it around and, more importantly, local firewood doesn't rn the risk of introducing pests or disease that might infect the local forest. Sturdy trees in or near your campsite might provide an anchor for your hammock, either for a pleasant afternoon nap or or sleeping at night.
Forest camping is usually at a high enough elevation and provides enough shade to be much cooler than camping in the desert or near the beach. Days can be very comfortable for hiking or just relaxing. However, in some places, daytime temperatures can soar, making air conditioned RVs or cabins or cool lakes and streams attractive refuges. Evenings are usually cooler, providing ideal campfire weather. You might need a sweater or jacket around the campfire and an extra blanket by morning.
Forest camping is cool!
Preparation for forest camping. Preparation for forest camping is not too different from preparation for any other kind of camping. You probably won't need as much water as you would in the desert, but hiking and exploring can still cause you to lose enough body fluids to make sports drinks a good thing to bring along. If you're camping in unimproved campgrounds, you will have to bring your own water. Forests often contain ideal habitats for a variety of animals and insects, so bring along the Deep Woods Off! Most campgrounds have few problems with wild animals, but way too many places these days attract bears who, like Yogi, love picnic baskets -- and any other human food they can get their paws on. You'll need to keep your food out of their reach -- locked securely in your vehicle or hung high up in a tree. Even metal ice chests are insufficient to secure food from bears. They've even been known to break into cars. Never, ever feed wild animals or place food out for them. Many of them have learned how to beg, but don't give in to their cutesy performance. It may seem like a nice thing to do, but ultimately it may lead to their illness or demise. If you camp in an area known to be visited by bears, make sure you check with the local ranger to learn the rules and then follow them religiously. If bears approach your camp site or your vehicle or your group, make a lot of noise to scare them away. Most truly wild animals are instinctively afraid of man and will keep their distances. Unfortunately, as man encroaches further and further into animals' natural habitat, many animals lose their fear and even become dependent on handouts from us for their survival. Keep your distance from all wild creatures and do your best not to contribute to an unnatural diet which one way or another will harm them.
Forest campfires. As with just about any other type of camping, campfires are an important part of forest camping. However, the location presents extra opportunities for fires to get out of hand. The forest floor is usually covered with combustible debris so you MUST scrape the area for your campfire down to bare earth for a radius of five feet from your fire ring unless you are using an existing and approved fire pit. Even then make sure there is no accumulation of leaves or pine needles near the fire pit. Check with the ranger about building campfires. In some places they are restricted to forest service approved fire rings. In some places and some seasons open fires are strictly prohibited. Be sure to watch for the Fire Danger signs on your way in or stop at a ranger station and find out the current status. Check all round your fire site -- scrape the ground down to bare earth, make sure you are a safe distance from all trees and bushes, and that you have clear space overhead so you won't set any trees on fire. Fire can spread quickly through the forest. Vegetation is often quite thick and serves as a conduit for fire, a problem you usually won't find in the desert or at the beach. As Smokey The Bear says, "Only you can prevent forest fires". It starts with learning and following the rules and applying common sense whenever you are able to build a fire. If your campfire gets away from you, YOU or your equipment may end up being the object roasting on an open fire instead of chestnuts or marshmallows!
Forest camping activities. Many forest service campgrounds have self-led or ranger led nature hikes that are fun and educational. Even without ranger assistance you can have fun identifying plants and animals. It may take a little research before you go so you know what to look for, but it will be well worth the time. The local ranger station often has brochures describing local flora and fauna. Fishing is a popular activity where ever there are lakes or streams. Nothing quite like a fresh trout broiled over a campfire! Collecting firewood is prohibited around most campgrounds, so bring your own or buy some at the local camp store or ranger station. Buying it locally is the best practice. You don't have the hassle and extra weight of hauling it around and, more importantly, local firewood doesn't rn the risk of introducing pests or disease that might infect the local forest. Sturdy trees in or near your campsite might provide an anchor for your hammock, either for a pleasant afternoon nap or or sleeping at night.
Forest camping is usually at a high enough elevation and provides enough shade to be much cooler than camping in the desert or near the beach. Days can be very comfortable for hiking or just relaxing. However, in some places, daytime temperatures can soar, making air conditioned RVs or cabins or cool lakes and streams attractive refuges. Evenings are usually cooler, providing ideal campfire weather. You might need a sweater or jacket around the campfire and an extra blanket by morning.
Forest camping is cool!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Desert Camping
Desert camping? Yeah, right! Most folks would rather go to the forest or the beach. However, desert camping can have its benefits, especially for OHV enthusiasts. Deserts also offer clear skies for star gazing that you won't find anyplace else, except maybe some remote beaches.
Having spent 30+ years camping and dirt biking in the Mojave Desert in southern California, I can lend a little expertise to making the most of camping in the desert. We spent almost every holiday weekend doing it. A lot of people find the desert unappealing and even ugly. Certainly there are ugly and unappealing deserts (some of the badlands of New Mexico come to mind for me, yet there is even a stark beauty to be found there), but there are many advantages to desert camping, especially if you're also looking to do some OHVing. There are many good places to camp and ride in the Mojave Desert, but they are becoming fewer and farther between as both environmental closures and urban sprawl takes its toll. Funny how areas where OHV activity was deemed too damaging to the environment can fall to bulldozers, housing developments, shopping centers, and parking lots without so much as a whimper! Also how dirt bikes can be blamed for erosion in sand washes where one summer rain does more damage than a decade of riding. OHVs are often blamed for irreparable damage yet I've seen trails we rode at Thanksgiving completely overgrown by April, in spite of claims of irreversible damage by self-styled environmentalists (also commonly known as eco-freaks). Do I sound a bit cynical? Maybe, because I am! I've seen too many trails closures for no logical reason. I once rode 7 miles on one single track trail in a steep sand wash before encountering a "CLOSED" sign out in the middle of nowhere! There was no apparent reason for the trail to have been closed. Later, a discussion with a BLM official confirmed that many of the closures were simply "paper exercises". They had been given a mandate to close a certain amount of miles of trails and did so arbitrarily, as a "paper exercise" without any input from the users or actual inspection of the trails or usage. I'm all for protecting legitimately sensitive areas, but,quite frankly, arbitrary closures do more to damage and cloud actual environmental issues that should be addressed. I once spent an entire weekend assisting an off road group installing CLOSED signs on certain trails to reroute riders to OPEN trails and prevent more closures.
The key to enjoyable desert excursions is preparation and flexibility. Bring along plenty of water and wear loose clothing. Tank tops and short shorts may seem like a good idea when its hot out and may entertain and even excite your fellow campers, but in reality you'll be cooler -- and avoid painful sunburn and possibly insect bites -- wearing a light, long-sleeved shirt and loose pants. Take a clue from the nomadic tribes of the far east. They dress in long flowing robes that totally cover their bodies, protecting them from direct sunlight and allowing air to circulate and perspiration to cool their skin. Its kind of like walking around in the shade all day. A broad-brimmed hat is always a good idea in hot, sunny weather. We also found frequently spritzing ourselves from spray bottles was a good way to cool down. They are inexpensive, readily available, and easy to use. NEVER venture far from camp without plenty of drinking water! I've tried many different ways to carry water when dirt biking. I started off with an old 1-quart Army canteen that worked pretty well but the best solution I have found is a Camelbak hydration pack. It has a larger capacity (we have some as large as 90 ounces) and it is far more convenient. You can get a drink while still riding instead of having to stop and retrieve your canteen from you belt. I add a piece of velcro to the bite valve and a corresponding mate to the front of my chest protector so I can keep the drinking tube handy and prevent it from getting caught on bushes. Whatever your desert activity, you will be better off sipping small amounts of water often rather than waiting until you are really thirsty and gulping it down. For one thing, by the time you feel thirsty, you're already on your way to being dehydrated. For another, a belly fully of cold water can cause cramps and, believe me, you don't want to be bouncing around on an OHV with a belly full of cold water! You're libel to spew most of it out and it isn't pleasant and doesn't go very far toward keeping you hydrated. Another trick we've found helpful is to wear a wet bandanna around our necks. It helps cool the blood and protects the bare skin between your helmet and your riding shirt from sunburn. During rest stops you can take it off, dump some water on it, and cool your face before putting it back on with a fresh load of cooling water. I once tried a vest that was supposed to cool the torso. It consisted of a quilted material that was supposed to be super absorbent and retain a lot of water to keep you cool. I think it worked for a while, but by the end of the ride it was mostly just a hot, damp, uncomfortable blanket under my riding jersey. Simply letting a little of the water from my Camelbak trickle down my front and back was much more satisfying in the long run -- and a whole lot cheaper! There are fancier cooling vests that circulate cooled liquid, but they are expensive and heavy. Plan your rides -- or hikes or other activities -- for the cooler parts of the day whenever you can. Go out early in the morning or in the late afternoon or early evening to avoid the hottest part of the day. Or plan your outings for the cooler parts of the year. When riding in hot weather we like to get an early start before it gets too hot, ride for 2-3 hours, then come back to camp for lunch and some cool refreshments before it gets TOO hot. Kick off your boots and take time to stay out of the sun and cool down during the hottest part of the day. Then take another ride in the late afternoon when it (hopefully) has started to cool down a bit. When taking late afternoon rides, try to plan your route so you're not riding toward the setting sun when you return to camp. When the sun is right at the horizon your visor won't do you any good and you'll be nearly blinded if you're riding directly toward that glowing orb. If you're back in the pack, dust from riders in front of you will reduce visibility to near zero. And that's an accident just waiting to happen. Always wear sun glasses or tinted goggles to prevent eye damage in bright sunlight but if there's a chance you'll be out as it gets dark, you'll want clear lenses. I've tried those that automatically darken in sunlight and get lighter as it gets dark and really like them. They might be a bit more expensive than regular lenses but the convenience and added safety are well worth it. However, with many brand name goggles listed around $35 anyway, choosing light sensitive goggles at $35-40 is pretty much a no brainer.
Another trick is to hydrate yourself BEFORE you venture out on the trails. Drink plenty of water or sports drinks the day or evening before you plan desert activities and then take small sips frequently during the day. You will know you're pretty well hydrated when you need to pee frequently and the pee is clear or nearly clear. Dark colored urine is sign of dehydration and indicates you need more liquids right away. By the way, when feel thirsty that is your body telling you that you are already starting to get dehydrated so don't wait until you are thirsty to take a drink. There is one time when light urine isn't good. The condition is called hypnotremia and is colloquially known as "water intoxification". This happens when you're drinking plenty of water but not getting enough electrolytes. Then your body can't use the water and simply passes it through. You MUST maintain a proper level of electrolytes (especially salt) along with plenty of liquids to stay hydrated and healthy. If you feel lathargic in hot weather, you are probably beginning to get dehydrated. You'll be surprised how much more energetic you feel have a drinking glass or two of water.
Bases camp options. Having a comfortable base camp to return to after a few hours in the hot sun will be heavenly and is often essential for good health. Whether you're in an RV or tent camping, set up your base camp so you can enjoy some shade and cool refreshments when you return from an activity. Extend your RV patio awning or set up a dining fly, EZ-up, sun shade or umbrella so you'll have a shady place to rest. With daytime temperatures greater than 100 degrees, we soon found various ways to stay cool. Mist systems, like those you might use on your patio at home, can be connected to your RV water supply or an auxiliary battery powered pump to cool the area under your awning. I set mine up using its own water pump and portable water containers so I wouldn't burn up my main RV water pump and use up all of my precious drinking water. Once again, spray bottles are an easy and inexpensive alternative to mist systems for personal cooling--and they're portable. You can also purchase portable personal mist systems that have pumps built into the bottles so you can pressurize them for continuous and effortless cooling. Don't leave awnings or canopies set up when it is or expected to be windy. Better to take a few minutes to set them up when you get back to camp than come back to find them damaged or destroyed by winds while you were gone. This was an expensive lesson I learned personally.
Keep your RV cool. If you have AC and a generator, start cooling your RV early in the day before it heats up, then keep it going until curfew to cool the interior (including furniture and fixtures) as much as possible before you have to turn it off at night. Make use of your awnings, drapes, shades, and/or curtains to keep as much heat outside as you can. Adding reflective foam panels in the windows will go a long way toward keeping it cooler inside. You can buy the foam insulation such as Reflectix in convenient rolls at hardware store, home centers, and RV stores. Then just cut it to fit each window. I like to cut mine about 1/2" bigger than the window opening so it fits tight all the way around. A tight fit not only blocks light but helps keep hot air from circulating out from between the window and the insulation, making he "dead air space" between them part of the insulation.
Swimming/wading pools. Taking your own swimming pool when you go camping is probably not a very feasible option for most people. If you are going somewhere that has an abundant water supply or you have a big water truck and you have room to carry a Doughboy pool you might get away with it. When our kids were little, we brought along a plastic wading pool and some extra water to fill it. It was quite a summer hit out in the Mojave Desert. You'd be surprised how many big, burly, macho dirt-bikers came over to share the kiddie pool. We either hauled along a 55 gallon drum or several 6-gallon "Igloo" water jugs in the back our our pickup to fill the pool. We chose a rigid plastic pool instead of an inflatable one. The inflatable pool would have taken less room in the trailer, but we didn't have to worry about puncturing the hard plastic model. The one we normally used was about 6' in diameter and about one foot deep. You won't do a lot of swimming in it, but you can get wet and cool off. The only downside we found was that the water attracted every sweat bee within miles. Fortunately they are usually not very aggressive and don't sting like yellow jackets and wasps.
Refreshments. If you might be headed toward dehydration, focus on drinking water and/or sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade. The sports drinks contain critical minerals to restore the electrolyte balance in your body. You lose a lot of salt and other minerals through sweat. If you don't replenish them your body will suffer and it will not be able to use the water you do drink to quench your thirst. Avoid caffeinated and alcoholic drinks. Caffeine and alcohol both accelerate dehydration. Over the years we developed a taste for snow cones on hot days. If you have an RV with a fridge to make and keep ice and a generator to power the ice shaver, you will be the hit of the camp ground when you start turning out snow cones. Note: snow cones may be tasty and refreshing, but they are not a substitute for proper hydration. Drink plenty of water and sports drinks. If your urine is turning dark or you're not peeing very often or at all, you aren't getting enough to drink. Avoid alcoholic and high-caffeine beverages as both will contribute to faster dehydration. And water alone isn't enough. You need to replace electrolytes, especially salt. There is a condition called hypnoatremia, sometimes known as "water intoxification", where your body is so low on electrolytes that you can't make use of the water you are drinking. You can drink quarts and quarts of water and still get dehydrated. Without electrolytes it just passes straight through. Funny, I always that it was beer that went straight through, because it doesn't have to slow down to change colors. If you begin experiencing symptoms of heat exhaustion, such as muscle cramps, drink some pickle juice or salt water. We've found that pickle juice brings almost instant relief for heat cramps,especially if you hold it under your tongue so it can be absorbed directly through the membranes. The brine from pickles contains a lot of essential electrolytes. You can also buy electrolytes in concentrated liquid, powder, or tablet form. These are usually mixed with water to quickly replenish lost electrolytes.
Keeping your equipment cool. All motorized vehicles have cooling systems to get rid of excess engine heat. These systems are stressed to the max in hot weather. Air-cooled engines are especially susceptible to hot weather. Try to avoid using them during the hottest parts of the day and make sure to keep the cooling fins clean and free from oil and dirt that would hold in the heat. Keep OHVs moving in order for the air to carry heat away. Do not allow them to idle any longer than necessary. For liquid-cooled engines, make sure to maintain the coolant at the proper level with the proper liquid. Keep the radiator fins on liquid cooled machines and the cooling fins on air cooled engines clean and free from dirt, oil, and debris that would inhibit air flow. Idling is less of a hazard for liquid cooled engines than for air cooled units, but it should still be avoided if possible. Never dump cold water or liquid into an empty radiator with the engine off. If the coolant level is extremely low the cold liquid may come in direct contact with hot engine components and cause serious damage. Always have the engine running when adding cold coolant. This helps mix the new coolant with any that is left in the system and reduces the chances of cold coolant cracking the engine parts. Engines may be more likely to seize in hot weather, especially air-cooled 2-cycle engines. Frequent changes in throttle setting can squirt cool fuel into the engine to help keep it cooler than it would be running at a constant rate. One of my dirt-biking buddies, an experienced rider who should have known better, seized his 2-stroke engine cruising across a dry lake bed at a constant speed in hot weather. Believe me, the last thing you want to do is push a hot, 300# bike across a hot desert in hot weather! Just "goosing" the gas from time to time can help keep an engine cooler and better lubricated as it squirts a little raw fuel directly into the intake manifold. This is especially true for two-stroke engines that depend on the oil mixed in the gas for lubrication.
RV Generators are often air-cooled and are thus susceptible to high ambient temperatures. If your generator is liquid cooled, be sure to keep an eye on the coolant level. Unfortunately, if you want to run your air conditioner, you'll have to run your generator. Keep the cooling fins clear and make sure nothing restricts air flow through the generator compartment. Check the oil level frequently as low oil levels can add to over-heating problems and engine failure. Also check the air filter and keep it clean. A clogged air filter will make the generator work harder. Also keep the cooling fins and internal filter on your A/C clean for best and most efficient operation. The vents in most generator cabinets are usually sufficient. Make sure they aren't blocked by debris or loose insulation. If you have any question about the generator getting enough air, open the cabinet door. It will be a little noisier, but it may help it run cooler. If your generator shuts down due to high load, low oil, or overheating, turn off the A/C(s) before restarting the generator. Leave them off at last 5 minutes before turning them back on to allow the head pressure in the compressor to bleed off. Otherwise, they may seize and damage the A/C unit and overload the generator again when you restart it.
Ice chests and RV refrigerators can be heavily stressed by hot desert weather. To get the most out of your ice chests or RV fridge, limit opening them as much as you can. Keep ice chests in the shade. Allow foods to cool to at least the ambient temperature before putting them in the ice chest or fridge. Don't over pack your RV fridge. It needs to have room for air to circulate in order to do its job. Internal fans, either battery powered or 12-volt, will circulate the air and improve performance. Don't put hot foods in the fridge; let them at least cool to the ambient temperature first. And keep moist foods covered or stored in plastic containers to avoid frost buildup from excess humidity inside the refrigerator cabinet. Auxiliary cooling fans for the exterior coils will also improve performance. I like the solar powered versions since they don't drain the batteries. They come with a small solar panel you mount on the refrigerator roof vent. or the fans and panels are built in to a replacement vent cover. I've also tried the "inside doors" made of plastic strips that supposedly reduce air flow when you put something in or take it out of the fridge. You may have seen them in supermarkets to separate the meat department from the sales floor. Frankly, I didn't notice any improvement in fridge performance and the darn things were a nuisance to work with. If you find your fridge needs help, try using fans, both inside (battery powered) to circulate the cool air and outside (12 volt or solar powered) to remove heat from the coils. Avoid over filling your refrigerator. It limits air circulation and impacts its ability to keep things cool.
Desert nights. Temperature wise, night time can be the most comfortable part of the day in the desert. But sometimes desert nights can get down right cold. I've seen the air temperature drop from over 100° F during the day to around 40° F around the campfire. Desert nights are good for camp fire activities, star gazing, moonlight walks, and, if your OHV is equipped with proper lighting, some night rides. Even with proper lighting is is going to be hard to see obstacles, so be extra careful and make sure you don't over drive your headlights. You need to be able to change direction or stop within the distance your headlights reach. I was once out with a group of about 18 riders who managed to find themselves still about 4 hours from camp when it got dark. Definitely bad planning. Only 4 bikes had headlights. Getting back to camp was excruciating. We had to space out the unlighted bikes between the lighted ones so they could see a little of the trails and follow the lights on the bikes that had them. Plan your rides so you'll be back before dark unless you all have adequate lights on your vehicles. Desert temperature can change more than you might think. It may still be almost too warm to sleep when it comes time to go to bed and you'll end up on top of your covers or outside your sleeping bag. But keep your bedding handy because it often gets uncomfortably cold before morning. Day time highs of over 100 may drop into the low 40s over night in the desert.
Trying to guess what the temperatures will be at bed time is often an exercise in futility. Your best bet is to be flexible. If it is still hot when you hit the sack, start off sleeping out from under the covers, but keep your bedding close by, because it could turn quite cold before morning. It isn't a good idea to try to run an RV generator to keep the AC going while you're sleeping. Carbon monoxide from the exhaust may infiltrate your sleeping space and then you'd never wake up. In RVs, open the roof vents and some windows. The hot air will rise out through the roof vent and draw cooler (hopefully) air in through the windows. At any rate, the circulation should help you feel cooler. Is is surprising how much circulation you can get even if your roof vents don't have fans to help move the air. Oscillating 12-volt fans directed at where you're sleeping can work wonders. Battery powered fans can help keep you cooler if you're in a tent. Battery powered fans may be useful in an RV so you don't run down your house battery during the night.
Desert campfires. Desert nights would not be complete without campfires. Most desert areas have sparse vegetation so campfires are usually pretty safe in the desert. You do need to consider wind direction to make sure sparks and smoke don't blow into your tent or or RV or set your toys (or someone else's) on fire, but unless you build your fire right next to a clump of bushes there is little chance of starting a major conflagration. However, there is usually some foliage in most deserts, so do keep an eye on where your sparks are blowing. Since desert nights are often cool, even cold, a campfire is a welcome addition to most desert camping evenings. It isn't uncommon to see temperatures in the 40s after it climbing to near 100 during the day. Clear nights tend to be especially cold. Cloud cover reflects back some of the heat captured by the soil during the day but on clear nights the heat is free to escape into the empty night sky.
Desert animals usually don't pose a problem, except perhaps for the occasional poisonous snake that may crawl into camp. We very much enjoywd being serenaded by coyotes and owls but they never posed a problem. Poisonous insects pose another danger to campers. Avoid walking around barefoot or in flipflops or other flimsy footwear to you don't become an easy target for scorpions, spiders, and other dangerous bugs. Mosquitoes are not usually a problem in the desert but might be if you are camped anywhere near stagnant water. Sweat bees (so named because they have an apparent attraction to the salt in human sweat) are likely to show up where ever people and water are but usually don't bite unless threatened. They seemed to be drawn to the little wading pools we set up to keep the kids cool so maybe they just like water. BTW, it was really amusing to see big, burly dirt biker in the kiddie pool!
Safety. Desert camping and OHV activities require some special safety considerations. For one thing, you are very likely to encounter rattlesnakes and poisonous insects. Do NOT stroll around in flip-flops. Do not step over rocks or logs where you can't see if there is a snake lurking on the far side just waiting to bite you. Never put your hand into a hole in the ground or under a bush where you can't see it is clear. Piles of dirt in the desert are enticing to ride your OHV over. But remember, that dirt had to come from somewhere so there is probably a hole or at least a depression nearby, perhaps right on the other side where you're planning to land. Many riders have been severely injured and their equipment destroyed when the rode or fell into an open pit or an old mine shaft. The openness of many desert riding areas encourages riders to go fast and that can be a lot of fun -- until you hit something or someone! Bushes may not seem to pose much of an obstacle for powerful dirt bikes and 4-wheelers. However, chances are pretty good that that bush got its start when its seed found shelter behind a rock, and rocks can do a lot of damage! Watch for other traffic and be especially careful when negotiating blind corners around rocks, trees, bushes, and vehicles. It is not uncommon to come across deep rain ruts or deep, steep-edged dry creek beds. Be prepared to turn quickly to avoid them or learn how to safely jump into or over them. Learn to identify the difference in foliage along water channels so you can avoid them or be prepared for them ahead of time. The density of vegetation is usually greater along stream beds and will often be a darker shade or even a different color than the prevailing plants out in the open.
Dehydration and over-exposure to sunlight is a major concern when desert camping. Always carry water with you and sip it often to maintain sufficient body fluids. Stay out of the sun when you can. Wear light, loose-fitting clothing and a broad-brimmed hat and use sunscreen to protect your body from direct sunlight. Wear sunglasses or tinted goggles to protect your eyes from glare. Protect your equipment from over heating too. Maintain coolant levels and avoid excessive idling. 2-stroke engines, popular in many older OHVs, get some cooling from the fuel. Riding a long time at a constant speed may contribute to overheating. "Goosing" the throttle now and then will help spray cool fuel into the cylinder.
Keep cool!
Having spent 30+ years camping and dirt biking in the Mojave Desert in southern California, I can lend a little expertise to making the most of camping in the desert. We spent almost every holiday weekend doing it. A lot of people find the desert unappealing and even ugly. Certainly there are ugly and unappealing deserts (some of the badlands of New Mexico come to mind for me, yet there is even a stark beauty to be found there), but there are many advantages to desert camping, especially if you're also looking to do some OHVing. There are many good places to camp and ride in the Mojave Desert, but they are becoming fewer and farther between as both environmental closures and urban sprawl takes its toll. Funny how areas where OHV activity was deemed too damaging to the environment can fall to bulldozers, housing developments, shopping centers, and parking lots without so much as a whimper! Also how dirt bikes can be blamed for erosion in sand washes where one summer rain does more damage than a decade of riding. OHVs are often blamed for irreparable damage yet I've seen trails we rode at Thanksgiving completely overgrown by April, in spite of claims of irreversible damage by self-styled environmentalists (also commonly known as eco-freaks). Do I sound a bit cynical? Maybe, because I am! I've seen too many trails closures for no logical reason. I once rode 7 miles on one single track trail in a steep sand wash before encountering a "CLOSED" sign out in the middle of nowhere! There was no apparent reason for the trail to have been closed. Later, a discussion with a BLM official confirmed that many of the closures were simply "paper exercises". They had been given a mandate to close a certain amount of miles of trails and did so arbitrarily, as a "paper exercise" without any input from the users or actual inspection of the trails or usage. I'm all for protecting legitimately sensitive areas, but,quite frankly, arbitrary closures do more to damage and cloud actual environmental issues that should be addressed. I once spent an entire weekend assisting an off road group installing CLOSED signs on certain trails to reroute riders to OPEN trails and prevent more closures.
The key to enjoyable desert excursions is preparation and flexibility. Bring along plenty of water and wear loose clothing. Tank tops and short shorts may seem like a good idea when its hot out and may entertain and even excite your fellow campers, but in reality you'll be cooler -- and avoid painful sunburn and possibly insect bites -- wearing a light, long-sleeved shirt and loose pants. Take a clue from the nomadic tribes of the far east. They dress in long flowing robes that totally cover their bodies, protecting them from direct sunlight and allowing air to circulate and perspiration to cool their skin. Its kind of like walking around in the shade all day. A broad-brimmed hat is always a good idea in hot, sunny weather. We also found frequently spritzing ourselves from spray bottles was a good way to cool down. They are inexpensive, readily available, and easy to use. NEVER venture far from camp without plenty of drinking water! I've tried many different ways to carry water when dirt biking. I started off with an old 1-quart Army canteen that worked pretty well but the best solution I have found is a Camelbak hydration pack. It has a larger capacity (we have some as large as 90 ounces) and it is far more convenient. You can get a drink while still riding instead of having to stop and retrieve your canteen from you belt. I add a piece of velcro to the bite valve and a corresponding mate to the front of my chest protector so I can keep the drinking tube handy and prevent it from getting caught on bushes. Whatever your desert activity, you will be better off sipping small amounts of water often rather than waiting until you are really thirsty and gulping it down. For one thing, by the time you feel thirsty, you're already on your way to being dehydrated. For another, a belly fully of cold water can cause cramps and, believe me, you don't want to be bouncing around on an OHV with a belly full of cold water! You're libel to spew most of it out and it isn't pleasant and doesn't go very far toward keeping you hydrated. Another trick we've found helpful is to wear a wet bandanna around our necks. It helps cool the blood and protects the bare skin between your helmet and your riding shirt from sunburn. During rest stops you can take it off, dump some water on it, and cool your face before putting it back on with a fresh load of cooling water. I once tried a vest that was supposed to cool the torso. It consisted of a quilted material that was supposed to be super absorbent and retain a lot of water to keep you cool. I think it worked for a while, but by the end of the ride it was mostly just a hot, damp, uncomfortable blanket under my riding jersey. Simply letting a little of the water from my Camelbak trickle down my front and back was much more satisfying in the long run -- and a whole lot cheaper! There are fancier cooling vests that circulate cooled liquid, but they are expensive and heavy. Plan your rides -- or hikes or other activities -- for the cooler parts of the day whenever you can. Go out early in the morning or in the late afternoon or early evening to avoid the hottest part of the day. Or plan your outings for the cooler parts of the year. When riding in hot weather we like to get an early start before it gets too hot, ride for 2-3 hours, then come back to camp for lunch and some cool refreshments before it gets TOO hot. Kick off your boots and take time to stay out of the sun and cool down during the hottest part of the day. Then take another ride in the late afternoon when it (hopefully) has started to cool down a bit. When taking late afternoon rides, try to plan your route so you're not riding toward the setting sun when you return to camp. When the sun is right at the horizon your visor won't do you any good and you'll be nearly blinded if you're riding directly toward that glowing orb. If you're back in the pack, dust from riders in front of you will reduce visibility to near zero. And that's an accident just waiting to happen. Always wear sun glasses or tinted goggles to prevent eye damage in bright sunlight but if there's a chance you'll be out as it gets dark, you'll want clear lenses. I've tried those that automatically darken in sunlight and get lighter as it gets dark and really like them. They might be a bit more expensive than regular lenses but the convenience and added safety are well worth it. However, with many brand name goggles listed around $35 anyway, choosing light sensitive goggles at $35-40 is pretty much a no brainer.
Another trick is to hydrate yourself BEFORE you venture out on the trails. Drink plenty of water or sports drinks the day or evening before you plan desert activities and then take small sips frequently during the day. You will know you're pretty well hydrated when you need to pee frequently and the pee is clear or nearly clear. Dark colored urine is sign of dehydration and indicates you need more liquids right away. By the way, when feel thirsty that is your body telling you that you are already starting to get dehydrated so don't wait until you are thirsty to take a drink. There is one time when light urine isn't good. The condition is called hypnotremia and is colloquially known as "water intoxification". This happens when you're drinking plenty of water but not getting enough electrolytes. Then your body can't use the water and simply passes it through. You MUST maintain a proper level of electrolytes (especially salt) along with plenty of liquids to stay hydrated and healthy. If you feel lathargic in hot weather, you are probably beginning to get dehydrated. You'll be surprised how much more energetic you feel have a drinking glass or two of water.
Bases camp options. Having a comfortable base camp to return to after a few hours in the hot sun will be heavenly and is often essential for good health. Whether you're in an RV or tent camping, set up your base camp so you can enjoy some shade and cool refreshments when you return from an activity. Extend your RV patio awning or set up a dining fly, EZ-up, sun shade or umbrella so you'll have a shady place to rest. With daytime temperatures greater than 100 degrees, we soon found various ways to stay cool. Mist systems, like those you might use on your patio at home, can be connected to your RV water supply or an auxiliary battery powered pump to cool the area under your awning. I set mine up using its own water pump and portable water containers so I wouldn't burn up my main RV water pump and use up all of my precious drinking water. Once again, spray bottles are an easy and inexpensive alternative to mist systems for personal cooling--and they're portable. You can also purchase portable personal mist systems that have pumps built into the bottles so you can pressurize them for continuous and effortless cooling. Don't leave awnings or canopies set up when it is or expected to be windy. Better to take a few minutes to set them up when you get back to camp than come back to find them damaged or destroyed by winds while you were gone. This was an expensive lesson I learned personally.
Keep your RV cool. If you have AC and a generator, start cooling your RV early in the day before it heats up, then keep it going until curfew to cool the interior (including furniture and fixtures) as much as possible before you have to turn it off at night. Make use of your awnings, drapes, shades, and/or curtains to keep as much heat outside as you can. Adding reflective foam panels in the windows will go a long way toward keeping it cooler inside. You can buy the foam insulation such as Reflectix in convenient rolls at hardware store, home centers, and RV stores. Then just cut it to fit each window. I like to cut mine about 1/2" bigger than the window opening so it fits tight all the way around. A tight fit not only blocks light but helps keep hot air from circulating out from between the window and the insulation, making he "dead air space" between them part of the insulation.
Swimming/wading pools. Taking your own swimming pool when you go camping is probably not a very feasible option for most people. If you are going somewhere that has an abundant water supply or you have a big water truck and you have room to carry a Doughboy pool you might get away with it. When our kids were little, we brought along a plastic wading pool and some extra water to fill it. It was quite a summer hit out in the Mojave Desert. You'd be surprised how many big, burly, macho dirt-bikers came over to share the kiddie pool. We either hauled along a 55 gallon drum or several 6-gallon "Igloo" water jugs in the back our our pickup to fill the pool. We chose a rigid plastic pool instead of an inflatable one. The inflatable pool would have taken less room in the trailer, but we didn't have to worry about puncturing the hard plastic model. The one we normally used was about 6' in diameter and about one foot deep. You won't do a lot of swimming in it, but you can get wet and cool off. The only downside we found was that the water attracted every sweat bee within miles. Fortunately they are usually not very aggressive and don't sting like yellow jackets and wasps.
Refreshments. If you might be headed toward dehydration, focus on drinking water and/or sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade. The sports drinks contain critical minerals to restore the electrolyte balance in your body. You lose a lot of salt and other minerals through sweat. If you don't replenish them your body will suffer and it will not be able to use the water you do drink to quench your thirst. Avoid caffeinated and alcoholic drinks. Caffeine and alcohol both accelerate dehydration. Over the years we developed a taste for snow cones on hot days. If you have an RV with a fridge to make and keep ice and a generator to power the ice shaver, you will be the hit of the camp ground when you start turning out snow cones. Note: snow cones may be tasty and refreshing, but they are not a substitute for proper hydration. Drink plenty of water and sports drinks. If your urine is turning dark or you're not peeing very often or at all, you aren't getting enough to drink. Avoid alcoholic and high-caffeine beverages as both will contribute to faster dehydration. And water alone isn't enough. You need to replace electrolytes, especially salt. There is a condition called hypnoatremia, sometimes known as "water intoxification", where your body is so low on electrolytes that you can't make use of the water you are drinking. You can drink quarts and quarts of water and still get dehydrated. Without electrolytes it just passes straight through. Funny, I always that it was beer that went straight through, because it doesn't have to slow down to change colors. If you begin experiencing symptoms of heat exhaustion, such as muscle cramps, drink some pickle juice or salt water. We've found that pickle juice brings almost instant relief for heat cramps,especially if you hold it under your tongue so it can be absorbed directly through the membranes. The brine from pickles contains a lot of essential electrolytes. You can also buy electrolytes in concentrated liquid, powder, or tablet form. These are usually mixed with water to quickly replenish lost electrolytes.
Keeping your equipment cool. All motorized vehicles have cooling systems to get rid of excess engine heat. These systems are stressed to the max in hot weather. Air-cooled engines are especially susceptible to hot weather. Try to avoid using them during the hottest parts of the day and make sure to keep the cooling fins clean and free from oil and dirt that would hold in the heat. Keep OHVs moving in order for the air to carry heat away. Do not allow them to idle any longer than necessary. For liquid-cooled engines, make sure to maintain the coolant at the proper level with the proper liquid. Keep the radiator fins on liquid cooled machines and the cooling fins on air cooled engines clean and free from dirt, oil, and debris that would inhibit air flow. Idling is less of a hazard for liquid cooled engines than for air cooled units, but it should still be avoided if possible. Never dump cold water or liquid into an empty radiator with the engine off. If the coolant level is extremely low the cold liquid may come in direct contact with hot engine components and cause serious damage. Always have the engine running when adding cold coolant. This helps mix the new coolant with any that is left in the system and reduces the chances of cold coolant cracking the engine parts. Engines may be more likely to seize in hot weather, especially air-cooled 2-cycle engines. Frequent changes in throttle setting can squirt cool fuel into the engine to help keep it cooler than it would be running at a constant rate. One of my dirt-biking buddies, an experienced rider who should have known better, seized his 2-stroke engine cruising across a dry lake bed at a constant speed in hot weather. Believe me, the last thing you want to do is push a hot, 300# bike across a hot desert in hot weather! Just "goosing" the gas from time to time can help keep an engine cooler and better lubricated as it squirts a little raw fuel directly into the intake manifold. This is especially true for two-stroke engines that depend on the oil mixed in the gas for lubrication.
RV Generators are often air-cooled and are thus susceptible to high ambient temperatures. If your generator is liquid cooled, be sure to keep an eye on the coolant level. Unfortunately, if you want to run your air conditioner, you'll have to run your generator. Keep the cooling fins clear and make sure nothing restricts air flow through the generator compartment. Check the oil level frequently as low oil levels can add to over-heating problems and engine failure. Also check the air filter and keep it clean. A clogged air filter will make the generator work harder. Also keep the cooling fins and internal filter on your A/C clean for best and most efficient operation. The vents in most generator cabinets are usually sufficient. Make sure they aren't blocked by debris or loose insulation. If you have any question about the generator getting enough air, open the cabinet door. It will be a little noisier, but it may help it run cooler. If your generator shuts down due to high load, low oil, or overheating, turn off the A/C(s) before restarting the generator. Leave them off at last 5 minutes before turning them back on to allow the head pressure in the compressor to bleed off. Otherwise, they may seize and damage the A/C unit and overload the generator again when you restart it.
Ice chests and RV refrigerators can be heavily stressed by hot desert weather. To get the most out of your ice chests or RV fridge, limit opening them as much as you can. Keep ice chests in the shade. Allow foods to cool to at least the ambient temperature before putting them in the ice chest or fridge. Don't over pack your RV fridge. It needs to have room for air to circulate in order to do its job. Internal fans, either battery powered or 12-volt, will circulate the air and improve performance. Don't put hot foods in the fridge; let them at least cool to the ambient temperature first. And keep moist foods covered or stored in plastic containers to avoid frost buildup from excess humidity inside the refrigerator cabinet. Auxiliary cooling fans for the exterior coils will also improve performance. I like the solar powered versions since they don't drain the batteries. They come with a small solar panel you mount on the refrigerator roof vent. or the fans and panels are built in to a replacement vent cover. I've also tried the "inside doors" made of plastic strips that supposedly reduce air flow when you put something in or take it out of the fridge. You may have seen them in supermarkets to separate the meat department from the sales floor. Frankly, I didn't notice any improvement in fridge performance and the darn things were a nuisance to work with. If you find your fridge needs help, try using fans, both inside (battery powered) to circulate the cool air and outside (12 volt or solar powered) to remove heat from the coils. Avoid over filling your refrigerator. It limits air circulation and impacts its ability to keep things cool.
Desert nights. Temperature wise, night time can be the most comfortable part of the day in the desert. But sometimes desert nights can get down right cold. I've seen the air temperature drop from over 100° F during the day to around 40° F around the campfire. Desert nights are good for camp fire activities, star gazing, moonlight walks, and, if your OHV is equipped with proper lighting, some night rides. Even with proper lighting is is going to be hard to see obstacles, so be extra careful and make sure you don't over drive your headlights. You need to be able to change direction or stop within the distance your headlights reach. I was once out with a group of about 18 riders who managed to find themselves still about 4 hours from camp when it got dark. Definitely bad planning. Only 4 bikes had headlights. Getting back to camp was excruciating. We had to space out the unlighted bikes between the lighted ones so they could see a little of the trails and follow the lights on the bikes that had them. Plan your rides so you'll be back before dark unless you all have adequate lights on your vehicles. Desert temperature can change more than you might think. It may still be almost too warm to sleep when it comes time to go to bed and you'll end up on top of your covers or outside your sleeping bag. But keep your bedding handy because it often gets uncomfortably cold before morning. Day time highs of over 100 may drop into the low 40s over night in the desert.
Trying to guess what the temperatures will be at bed time is often an exercise in futility. Your best bet is to be flexible. If it is still hot when you hit the sack, start off sleeping out from under the covers, but keep your bedding close by, because it could turn quite cold before morning. It isn't a good idea to try to run an RV generator to keep the AC going while you're sleeping. Carbon monoxide from the exhaust may infiltrate your sleeping space and then you'd never wake up. In RVs, open the roof vents and some windows. The hot air will rise out through the roof vent and draw cooler (hopefully) air in through the windows. At any rate, the circulation should help you feel cooler. Is is surprising how much circulation you can get even if your roof vents don't have fans to help move the air. Oscillating 12-volt fans directed at where you're sleeping can work wonders. Battery powered fans can help keep you cooler if you're in a tent. Battery powered fans may be useful in an RV so you don't run down your house battery during the night.
Desert campfires. Desert nights would not be complete without campfires. Most desert areas have sparse vegetation so campfires are usually pretty safe in the desert. You do need to consider wind direction to make sure sparks and smoke don't blow into your tent or or RV or set your toys (or someone else's) on fire, but unless you build your fire right next to a clump of bushes there is little chance of starting a major conflagration. However, there is usually some foliage in most deserts, so do keep an eye on where your sparks are blowing. Since desert nights are often cool, even cold, a campfire is a welcome addition to most desert camping evenings. It isn't uncommon to see temperatures in the 40s after it climbing to near 100 during the day. Clear nights tend to be especially cold. Cloud cover reflects back some of the heat captured by the soil during the day but on clear nights the heat is free to escape into the empty night sky.
Desert animals usually don't pose a problem, except perhaps for the occasional poisonous snake that may crawl into camp. We very much enjoywd being serenaded by coyotes and owls but they never posed a problem. Poisonous insects pose another danger to campers. Avoid walking around barefoot or in flipflops or other flimsy footwear to you don't become an easy target for scorpions, spiders, and other dangerous bugs. Mosquitoes are not usually a problem in the desert but might be if you are camped anywhere near stagnant water. Sweat bees (so named because they have an apparent attraction to the salt in human sweat) are likely to show up where ever people and water are but usually don't bite unless threatened. They seemed to be drawn to the little wading pools we set up to keep the kids cool so maybe they just like water. BTW, it was really amusing to see big, burly dirt biker in the kiddie pool!
Safety. Desert camping and OHV activities require some special safety considerations. For one thing, you are very likely to encounter rattlesnakes and poisonous insects. Do NOT stroll around in flip-flops. Do not step over rocks or logs where you can't see if there is a snake lurking on the far side just waiting to bite you. Never put your hand into a hole in the ground or under a bush where you can't see it is clear. Piles of dirt in the desert are enticing to ride your OHV over. But remember, that dirt had to come from somewhere so there is probably a hole or at least a depression nearby, perhaps right on the other side where you're planning to land. Many riders have been severely injured and their equipment destroyed when the rode or fell into an open pit or an old mine shaft. The openness of many desert riding areas encourages riders to go fast and that can be a lot of fun -- until you hit something or someone! Bushes may not seem to pose much of an obstacle for powerful dirt bikes and 4-wheelers. However, chances are pretty good that that bush got its start when its seed found shelter behind a rock, and rocks can do a lot of damage! Watch for other traffic and be especially careful when negotiating blind corners around rocks, trees, bushes, and vehicles. It is not uncommon to come across deep rain ruts or deep, steep-edged dry creek beds. Be prepared to turn quickly to avoid them or learn how to safely jump into or over them. Learn to identify the difference in foliage along water channels so you can avoid them or be prepared for them ahead of time. The density of vegetation is usually greater along stream beds and will often be a darker shade or even a different color than the prevailing plants out in the open.
Dehydration and over-exposure to sunlight is a major concern when desert camping. Always carry water with you and sip it often to maintain sufficient body fluids. Stay out of the sun when you can. Wear light, loose-fitting clothing and a broad-brimmed hat and use sunscreen to protect your body from direct sunlight. Wear sunglasses or tinted goggles to protect your eyes from glare. Protect your equipment from over heating too. Maintain coolant levels and avoid excessive idling. 2-stroke engines, popular in many older OHVs, get some cooling from the fuel. Riding a long time at a constant speed may contribute to overheating. "Goosing" the throttle now and then will help spray cool fuel into the cylinder.
Keep cool!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Base Camps
Base camps are a semi-permanent base from which to launch your outdoor recreational activities. They should be conveniently located, with good vehicle access. They should provide convenient access to trails, streams, lakes, etc., depending on the type of activities you'll be participating in. If you're in a group, they need to be large enough to accommodate all participants. When you are desert camping you want your camp to be visible and easy to find when you're returning from activities, such as hiking or riding OHVs. We use flags attached to our RVs to help identify our camp, both for new arrivals and for returning riders. Collections of RVs can all look very much alike from a distance and you don't want to have to ride from cluster to cluster to find yours. One member of our group flies his Shamrocks off-road motorcycle club flag. I created a simple "DESERT RAT" flag to identify our group of unofficial, family-oriented, recreational riders that I mount on a flag pole that attaches to the tongue of my enclosed motorcycle trailer. At night I add flashing strobe lights on the top of my motorcycle trailer so late arriving members of the group can find us more easily in the dark.
You probably won't be setting up a base camp for a single overnight stay, but they are very helpful for weekends or other extended outings. They are perfect for OHV or horseback riding and are useful for other roaming activities like hiking, hunting, and fishing. You can set up a base camp from which to explore many trails or other points of interest. When you return from a long day you'll have a comfortable spot waiting for you where you can rest and relax and refuel both your ride and your body. Base camp makes a welcome respite from bad weather.
RVs make great base camps for all kinds of outdoor activities but if you don't have an RV, you can build your base camp around your regular vehicle and your tent. If you're on your own you don't need to worry too much about the size or layout of your own dispersed camping site as long as it meets your personal needs. You can choose the spot you like and set it up any way you desire. You will want it to be functional, well-organized, and easy to find when you return from activities. You want it to be fairly compact. Your layout and location will be pretty much dictated when you stay in developed campgrounds. But if you are in a group, you need to plan ahead a little bit and organize yourselves to best advantage. It doesn't matter whether you're in a designated group site in a commercial campground or staking out your territory in a remote area when boondocking, there are some fundamental guidelines that will make thing work better. When we set up a base camp for our Desert Rat dirt bike outings in the desert we usually use the old wagon train model and "circle the wagons" around a central fire pit. That keeps everyone fairly close together and we can share one fire, which makes for really great camaraderie and conservation of fire wood at the end of the day. I have a home-made Desert Rat flag and flagpole that fits into a pipe mount on the tongue of my motorcycle trailer, which helps guide other members of our group to the camp. We also put out "Desert Rat" signs along the highway and access road. They are usually just cardboard. I splurged and had some nice painted aluminum signs made up a few years ago with big red reflective arrows but the first time I used them about half of them got stolen. They're too expensive to be disposable so now I only use them close to camp and rely on cheap paper and cardboard signs where I can't keep an eye on them. For cheap and easy signs, I just print them out on my computer printer and slip them into the clear pocket of the cover cut from an old 3 ring binder. You can usually get cheap binders at thrift stores. Look for the ones with clear plastic on the covers. Since they aren't totally sealed they still let rain soak the signs, but most of the time they hold up pretty well. Installing them with the opening down will help protect them a little bit from moisture (rain or dew). Make sure you secure the paper inside so it doesn't fall out. Usually the tacks that fasten the sign to the post take care of that anyway.
Location, location, location is the slogan of real estate agents and developers everywhere. It is also applicable to choosing the site for your base camp. You want a spot that is easily accessible, has enough room for you and any companions, and is easy to locate when returning from activities away from camp. We use flags and road signs to guide people to our camp in the desert during the day and flashing strobe lights at night. You will want your base camp in remote areas to be near enough to roads for easy access but far enough away that you aren't bothered by passing traffic, which can create a lot of noise and kick up a lot of dust and may create safety hazards. When using group sites in developed campgrounds, you will have to pay strict attention to the rules or face ejection or possible fines. Take care to know and follow the rules for primitive camping on BLM and forest service lands too. Just because you're out in the middle of nowhere doesn't mean there aren't any rules.
Group camp sites are available in some developed campgrounds. They will usually have large, centrally located gathering area with a permanent fire pit and sometimes even rustic seating. Some even have a "bowery", pavilion, or canopy for protection from sun and and precipitation for group activities. These special facilities usually require a reservation and may have a fee associated with their use. Lacking a group site, you may have to reserve multiple individual sites. It will make activities more efficient and convenient if you can get the individual sites close together. Camp ground managers will usually try to help you get sites that will work well for your group, but prior reservations might prevent them from being able to give you exclusive use to a bunch of adjacent sites.
When group camping in remote, open camping areas, you'll need to pre-select a spot that is adequate for your group. Pick a spot that is easy to find and to get to, yet off the main roads and not blocking any roads or trails. One site we often used in the desert near California City was on a cul-e-sac -- perfect for easy access without blocking any thoroughfares. The whole area had once been prepared for a housing development that never happened. Scout out your site well in advance of your outing so you can be sure of access for all vehicles and sufficient space for your group. In many open camping areas there are sites that have been used before and may already have a rustic, rock fire ring. Organize your individual camps around that central fire ring. If you find yourself in an area without an existing fire ring, try to form your camp around an open area where you can build a fire ring and your campfire won't be at risk of spreading and be sure to properly prepare your fire ring (see Campfire Safety).
Spacing. When joining a group always leave room between your rig or tent and others. You and your neighbors will all need room to unload and maneuver your OHVs or other gear and may want a little privacy. But don't leave TOO much space, which may use up real estate others may need. If you prefer not to camp too close to a specific someone in the group, make sure you leave enough room between your rig and theirs for another rig to fit in -- or camp away from the group. How much space you need to leave depends on the type and quantity of equipment and machinery or livestock each camper has.
Organization. Whether you are camping in an RV or a tent, organize your personal space as well as community space in a logical manner. If you have friends in the group that you usually socialize with, you'll want to be near them. Keep your OHVs and related support stuff (tools, spare parts, fuel cans, riding gear, etc) more or less together near your tent or RV and away from the community fire pit, trails, roads, and other campers. If you are camping in a tent, you'll want to set up your camp upon arrival, creating your kitchen and eating area and setting up your tent and preparing your sleeping bags long before you need to use them. I like to park my OHVs inside the "wagon train" circle and chained or cabled and locked for added security. I've never experienced any theft problems in an OHV camp, but it is better to be safe than sorry. OHVs are tempting targets for young people looking for joyrides and are sometimes the targets of vandalism by anti-off-road interests. I did have a dirt bike I left parked in a designated area while we were doing trail maintenance with the forest service vandalized by such people. Later the rangers caught the same vandals tearing down motorcycle trail signs in the same area and they faced stiff fines. The culprits were dumb enough to drive right into a group of 11 rangers and about 200 motorcyclists with the stolen signs still in the back of their pickup truck! Duh! The bikers showed amazing restraint in not pummeling the offenders and the rangers gleefully issued them a fist full of tickets.
Community interests. Sharing a common fire pit means sharing your fire wood and sharing room around the fire. We usually make a common wood pile convenient to the fire where everyone contributes what they brought along and anyone at the fire uses what they need throughout the outing. Sharing room around the fire means not hogging the best spots and making room for anyone else who joins the party. You may have to shuffle positions if the wind changes direction. You'll also want to monitor the wind direction so the smoke doesn't blow into someone's RV or tent. Spontaneous pot luck dinners are always fun. You can drum one up just about any evening and turn it into a party. Each Thanksgiving the Desert Rats had the Granddaddy of all pot lucks for our "Turkey In The Dirt" outing. Admittedly, it wasn't spontaneous but well-planned. We dug a pit and baked turkeys in the pit all day and had previously coordinated other dishes to round out a bountiful feast. One year we had 142 RSVPs and 175 people show up! The sing-a-long has been a campfire staple for decades. Acoustic guitars, banjos, tambourines, and harmonicas fit the campfire ambiance and traditional campfire song choices well. If you don't already know many of the folk music classics that are popular for sing-a-longs, take time to learn some. Some other community considerations include respecting each other's privacy, ensuring the community campfire doesn't create problems for anyone, and making sure group activities don't overwhelm non-participants. One of the best ways to do that is make sure everyone is invited to share in group activities. We found that sometimes it worked well to have two campfires: one for the "grownups" and one for the teenagers. The teen fire was within sight of the main campfire so there was adequate supervision but they were able to have their own music and conversations. I was amused how often the songs around the teen fire were the same ones we enjoyed around the more traditional "old folks" fire. If you are planning a large group gathering, consider how you will deal with inclement weather. At one Turkey In the Dirt we managed by setting up our serving lines inside the enclosed motorcycle trailers generously shared by a couple of participants. Then everyone returned to their own rigs or tents to eat. Another time one of the guys brought a couple of really big EZ-ups that he used for activities for the motorcycle club he belonged to and we were able to get everyone out of the rain for our pot luck dinner and subsequent activities. On occasion we have parked two RVs side by side and stretched large tarps between them to create a protected area. Having some overhead covering is helpful when you need to escape from the hot sun and pretty essential when its raining, unless you like sitting in wet clothes and eating soggy food!
Setting up a base camp isn't as important for day rides, but for longer excursions (including weekend outings) it is essential and it adds to the convenience and comfort of everyone at any outing. You probably won't want to invest the time and effort it takes to set up a complete base camp for simple day rides. However, wherever you park your RV or other vehicle becomes your default base camp for short outings. A good base camp can also serve as an emergency center if anyone it the group has problems with their equipment or gets sick or injured. I carry a large first aid kit in my motorhome and let my fellow campers know I am certified in first aid, CPR, and as a Red Cross Professional Rescuer and hold a certificate in Advanced Wilderness Life Support. I have helped splint a couple of broken bones for transport to the nearest hospital Emergency Room and have extracted dozens of cactus spines from riders who experienced the prickly plants too intimately. Superficial burns, bug bites, and road rash are common injuries requiring minor first aid treatment. I long ago stopped counting treatments for minor scrapes, cuts, burns, and blisters. They are just a routine part of just about any outing. Regardless of the kind of outdoor activities you choose, it would always be a good idea to have basic first aid skills and equipment with you when camping. Even simple injuries such as blisters or splinters can seriously dampen your fun and need immediate attention to prevent infection and minimize discomfort and can occur anytime, during just about any activity.
Sanitation. If you're camping in an RV you have your own personal sanitation facilities, but when you are boondocking, your resources (fresh water and holding tank capacity) are limited. If you are in a campground with sanitation facilities, take advantage of them. I know the pit toilets in some places can be pretty foul, but better to endure a few minutes there now and then than overfill your RV holding tanks and endure the odors for the rest of the trip -- and possibly weeks thereafter! I've seen sewage overflows that required all the carpet and padding to be removed and replaced before the odors went away. If there are no facilities and you are tent camping, move well away from camp and dig a small hole to take care of your needs, then cover it up when you're done. The ladies in your family will probably appreciate having a "port-a-potty" instead of having to use the great outdoors but port-a-potty capacities are very limited. If it fills up you will need to carry the holding tank away from camp to a suitable location, dig a hole, and bury the contents if there is no dump station or pit toilet where you can empty it. Disposing of wastes in this way is frowned upon and in most places is down right illegal. The best place to empty a port-a-potty is a dump station. If you're in an RV, make sure your dump valves are closed and the cap is tightly installed on the dump fitting. You don't want wastes from your RV polluting your camp site or your neighbors'. In some remote desert locations I've seen people connect a garden hose to a special cap on the dump port to carry gray water away. In many places this practice is strictly prohibited, but it may not be harmful to the environment in places like the open desert if it is done correctly and the waste water is carefully directed away from all campers and where it will not be in any road or trail or drain into any waterway. Local plants may thrive on the extra water.
Lighting. Be careful about lighting up a base camp. You don't want to spoil yours or anyone else's night time experience with too much light. Coleman lanterns and the exterior lights on RVs can provide more than adequate light for most activities. Don't use more than is necessary. You'll just be wasting fuel or batteries and perhaps annoying your fellow campers. I have a pair of small strobe lights I put on the top of my trailer to help guide late arrivals in at night. They're bright enough to be seen from the access road but the height and the intermittent flashing doesn't seriously impact campground ambiance. I've seen high-powered LED strobes designed for the top of flagpoles to serve the same purpose, but they're a little pricey. Mine just plugs into a cigarette lighter type 12-volt receptacle. They were designed to mount on the roof of a vehicle using a big suction cup. I modified the original red, amber, and blue covers using theatrical "gels" to create custom colors unique to our group but to be honest, the colors don't really show up as very distinctive from any distance - but the flashing strobes do! They are are real godsend for late arrivals coming in after dark. These days you can get powerful LED strobes designed for law enforcement and construction vehicles that would be VERY bright. That would be great for late arrivals, but might impose on your fellow campers. Might be all right if they are aimed toward the road and away from camp.
Entertainment. The evening campfire is natural place for sharing stories and talents. Bring along your acoustic guitar, banjo, harmonica, tambourine, etc. I've never seem anyone bring brass instruments, but the traditional folk instruments previously mentioned are perennial favorites. Most people enjoy folk music and singalongs. Be prepared to take requests -- and hope you're not asked to play Long Ago and Far Away! If you do get such a request it is time to turn over the spotlight to someone else. Very loud music may have its place at Raves, but it is usually inappropriate and unwanted around the campfire, so leave the electric guitars, amplified keyboards, and brass instruments at home. We sometimes even put a folded towel in the back of the banjo to muffle its bright sound a bit. Sometimes turning the campfire into a big bonfire can be an exciting group activity, but mostly it just wastes wood. An appropriately sized fire around which people can gather is more intimate and usually more enjoyable. The fire needs to be just big enough to accommodate all the people in the group who want to sit around the fire.
Shared treats. Folks in my Desert Rat group each developed their own specialties they would prepare and pass around the campfire or sometimes take them from family to family. Examples include some rather fancy hors d'œuvres like stuffed jalapenos, cool drinks, and a warm chili and cream cheese dip with corn chips that was especially welcome on chilly nights. Snow cones were always a hit on hot desert afternoons. And don't forget the S'mores! They are a long-standing campfire tradition. Just plan on having gooey marshmallow and melted chocolate everywhere! I've recently found campfire marshmallows the size of racquet balls! Just imagine the amount of gooey stuff those will produce! If you're not careful you could end up like Brer Rabbit and the tar-baby!
Wind breaks (not to be confused with breaking wind). Sooner or later you're going to encounter a windy day in camp. Sometimes, in wooded locations, the trees provide some respite from the wind. We've camped at desert sites among huge boulders that served as partial wind breaks. Consider the possible need for protection from the wind when you choose and layout your campsite to take advantage of trees and rocks if you can. Lacking any natural sources, you may be able to park your RVs to provide some protection for your campfire and other activities. A couple of large EZ-ups can protect quite a few people from sun, wind, and rain. Using RVs as wind breaks has its limitations. First of all, you'll still get wind beneath the vehicles. Secondly, the gaps between and under them may serve as a venturi where the wind velocity is actually amplified. You may be somewhat protected while sitting or standing directly in the shelter of the RV, but the wind coming through the gap may wreak havoc with your campfire and may generate a rather loud and irritating noise. The venturi affect may actually make the wind worse. And remember to park your RV with the front facing the prevailing winds if you can to minimize rocking while you're inside. Doing so, of course, reduces the effectiveness of the RV as a wind break, but as mentioned before, the gaps between and under RVs may create even more of a problem than if the wind were unrestricted. It may become a tradeoff between stabilizing your RV versus sheltering your central campfire. You can buy or make wind guards for your camp stoves and BBQs to minimize the effects of wind on cooking. I've seen times in the desert where the constant wind make it almost impossible to cook on our little portable BBQ and we had to finish the burgers in a fry pan on the stove in the RV.
Sharing is a strong advantage of group base camps. You can share firewood, companionship, expertise, assistance, food, water, fuel, spare parts, labor, knowledge, and entertainment. "There's strength in numbers" is a popular old saying. Camping in a group may deter potential vandalism and even keep wild animals away. Being able to share experience and expertise enhances just about any outing and sometimes can, quite literally, be life-saving. Whether you're learning from someone with more training or sharing your own skills with less practiced campers, it is a rewarding experience.
Variations. As the kids in our Desert Rat group reached their teen years, they often wanted their own campfire, away from the adults and their "old-fogey" music and stories. We often allowed them to set up their own fire, some distance from the main fire, but where anxious parents could still more or less keep an eye on the activities. I was very amused to often find them singing the same songs we traditionally sang around the "old folk's" fire. Some folk music really does have a universal appeal.
Combined RV/tent base camps. While most people will gravitate towards groups that share their camping styles, other shared interests may bring RV and tent campers together in one base camp. Our dirt biking group included people in big motorhomes, small trailers, truck campers, tents, and some just sleeping in their cars. There should not be any problem accommodating the unique needs of all groups, and, in fact, the synergy can be quite helpful, especially when tent campers can set up on the leeward side of an RV to be protected from the effects of wind and rain. And everyone can benefit from shared firewood and camp labor, experience, and companionship. A spontaneous pot luck dinner is almost always a hit too.
Base camp rocks!
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