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Hello, and welcome to the February Newsletter. Spring is just around the corner.
Thanks, everyone, for subscribing to and reading my monthly newsletters. If you're new or missed any editions, you can always catch up by visiting the Archive Page.
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What's New With Us
February is a short month already. Even so, it has seemed to fly by faster than usual for me. Likely because we only camped in three different places all month. One reason is the high price of fuel takes a big bite out of the ol'snowbirding budget. The other is I now have the equipment to transport water and waste to and from the RV.
The recent addition of a 36-gallon waste tote tank makes staying put at one campsite longer much easier for me. And seamless for Anne. Waste disposal is a blue job. ;)
In previous years I've used a water bladder to transport freshwater to the campsite but had no means to dump the waste tanks other than packing up the rig and taking it to the nearest dump station.
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But this fall, while driveway surfing at my sister's house, I invested in a macerator waste pump. The macerator allows me to pump the waste up into the tote tank sitting in my truck bed. So far, it's working out great.
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We spent the first half of February continuing to camp at Salt Creek in the Salton Sea State Recreation Area. I think we racked up a total of over 20 days there before the temps started to rise beyond a comfortable boondocking level. I like to chase daytime temps in the low 20s (70s Fahrenheit).
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We decided we'd head up in elevation a bit and move northeast to southern Nevada to a boondocking location near Lake Mead National Recreation Area, just east of Vegas. But first, we needed a stop-over location to split the drive into shorter durations.
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I did some research online and settled on a place called Amboy Crater. Amboy Crater is a National Natural Landmark in the Mojave desert of California. The site is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and free overnight RV parking is allowed. We stayed a couple of days and enjoyed the views and dark starry night skies.
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For the second half of February, we have been free camping on Bureau of Reclamation land in an area called Snowbird Mesa. It's a lovely boondocking location for many reasons. First, off the views are amazing! Perched on the mesa, you have panoramic valley, mountain, and canyon views that go on forever. And, there is a ton of space for all sizes and types of RVs.
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We are camped only a few miles from the beautiful Valley of Fire State Park and scenic Lake Mead NRA and maybe an hour or so from Las Vegas.
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Supplies like groceries and fuel are available just down the road in the small town of Overton, Nevada. Cell signals are strong. Another perk is RV dump stations are nearby in the Valley of Fire or the Lake Mead NRA - Echo Bay Campground.
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The big downside to Snowbird Mesa is the wind. The location is exposed and sits at the end of the Moapa Valley. At times wind can get quite intense, gusting and kicking up dust clouds. Also, though flat for the most part, the ground is pretty rough and rocky.
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But at least if the wind drives us inside the trailer, we still have the view!
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As we roll into March and springtime starts to blossom, we will head further east and higher in elevation into northern Arizona and southern Utah. Stay tuned.
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