• Campsites,  National Parks

    San Benito

    February 2, 2024 /

    After a longer than expected stopover at home, we finally set off on the next leg of our journey. Our first stop was intended to be just a quick weekend visit at the Thousand Trails in San Benito, but the friends we had hoped to rendezvous with were forced to cancel their plans, and after seeing the area, we decided to extend our stay for the full 14 day limit. The campground is full of mature sycamores and stately cork oaks and has a resident herd of deer that can be found near the camp store at almost any time of day. There is a large clubhouse with all the…

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  • Campsites,  National Parks,  Thousand Trails

    Yosemite Summer ’23

    June 26, 2023 /

    After a short but productive stop over back home, we couldn’t wait to get back in the camper. Sacramento has a way of reminding us why we became gypsies in the first place. On our way out of town, it seemed like everything was trying to stop us from getting out. The valve in the shower that our brand new tenants need to use suddenly stopped working, Dottie needed an urgent vet visit, and somebody tried to steal our Kia. Apparently Kia theft is all the rage these days, but the would-be thief was relegated by their incompetence to the role of vandal, as all the damage they caused didn’t…

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  • Campsites,  National Parks,  Thousand Trails

    Yosemite – Spring ’23

    April 16, 2023 /

    We have finally arrived back in Northern California, but one last stop before we head home. We booked a full two weeks near one of my favorite places on the planet, Yosemite. Fortunately, Thousand Trails – Yosemite Lake is under 10 minutes from the Big Oak Flat and Hetch Hetchy entrance gates to the park. In fact, a year prior we camped just a couple miles down Hardin Flat Rd with some friends, before we ever heard of Thousand Trails. The campground was still in the process of reopening so we stayed at a site way in the back, near a meadow. It turned out to be a great spot.…

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  • Boondocking,  Campsites,  National Parks

    Grand Canyon

    March 26, 2023 /

    After our stay in Verde Valley, we headed back through Flagstaff, then west on I-40 toward Williams. There, we turned north toward the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Our goal was to find a suitable dispersed site near the south entrance of the park. I knew there would be patchy snow and potentially muddy conditions, but I was hoping at least one of the National Forest roads along AZ-64 would be open and passable. If all else failed, there are a few private RV parks nearby that would be alright for a few nights. As

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  • Boondocking,  Campsites,  National Parks

    White Sands

    March 12, 2023 /

    From our camp near Carlsbad Cavern, we headed north for a quick pit stop at Brantley Lake State Park to dump and fill our tanks, then west, over the Sierra Blanca range to White Sands. I had hoped to stay a night or two in the Lincoln National Forest outside of Cloudcroft, NM, but after speaking with the local ranger station we determined the ground was likely still covered in snow or at least very saturated. So, instead we climbed the 8000+ ft pass at night and descended back down the other side to Alamogordo, NM and Holloman Air Force Base without ever getting a good look at the area.…

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