Well, its big for me, anyway! 😁
So I’m planning to lease a boondocking site here at CLR. I’m pretty excited about it. Right now, I’m in the process of deciding which site I’d like to have, but I think I’ve made my decision.
The lease is for a year, but when it gets too warm, I’ll leave, and come back late next fall. I figure it this way:
- A year lease costs a little over what a half of a months rent was where I lived before I retired.
- Even if I stay only 4 months a year, that would equal $200 per month, which is very nice.
- Yes, I could boondocking somewhere else for free or cheaper, but I like it here. “Location, location, location”, as they say.
In this case “location” is a place I’ve bonded with, people are nice, population is light. I can socialize or not, my site is fairly private, I’ll have a shed, and there are showers, bathrooms, water and dump nearby. There is electricity and internet nearby for 12 hours a day. I will need to get a phone for emergency use only, since AT&T doesn’t work here. I prefer Verizon. Does anyone know where to get something really inexpensive, ‘pay as you go’ with Verizon?
I’m about 90% sure that I’ll be doing this….just need to make sure the site I want is ok to lease.
The thought is, to do it for a year and see how it feels. My solar panel is small so I’ll need to use my generator sometimes. Where I’ll be, no one will hear it except me. I’ll need a portable disposal tank. ( That’s a container on wheels used to empty your tanks and haul them to the dump site). I’ve heard that there are those who will do that for me for a small fee, but….well….to put it bluntly, I’d rather deal with my own s**t!
☺️
People here like rocks. And Stones. See I fit right in, since I like The Rolling Stones.
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Actually I like rocks too….the kind in the earth. Over the years, people have built rock walls and such here. A few pictures are below.
This is a wall and the fire pit at the site I’m in now.
Protection for the Mesquite trees.
Part of another rock wall nearby. No cement, just rocks.
Oh, and I met my first scorpion!!!
Yikes!!!
But the sunset was pretty, as usual….
Sunset above Ruth’s place and you can see her horse Major, and the owners (Jim) horse Banjo ( the white one).
Wandering Spirit 
You have to do what is right for you. I always got the sense that you liked a mix when it came to travel: a place that feels like you’re coming home along with some adventure. I think I might be the same way and because of that I have changed my direction a little bit. Instead of converting a cargo van, I’m going to get a light weight trailer to tow. Partly because if I want to stay near family in Carson Valley, I can’t use an RV park (most don’t allow vans). But with a TT, if I want to stay for a while, I can park it and visit with family as much as I want. Also, who knows how well I will take to traveling full-time. I might decide I miss having roots. In that case, being able to find a new home for my TT and keep my tow vehicle as my every day ride would be much easier than trying to find someone who wants to buy a converted cargo van and then looking for a new every day ride. That’s my thinking, anyway.
Caballo Loco Ranch has history for you. You feel comfortable there and it feels like a home away from home. Maybe you’ll decide to do Monterrey Bay around the holidays and winter months, Caballo Loco Ranch during the summer and then travel a little between those seasons. Do what is right for you. And be happy!
You’ve really thought out your plan Lori! I think you are making some very good decisions and choices. We are all so different, and there are so many different choices available for us, it’s just wonderful! Lots of possibilities to try out.
I’ve got all kinds of ideas about where I’d like to go this summer, but it will depend on how all of us are doing. Things sure didn’t work out last summer like I thought they would, but they worked out like they needed to.
Plan, and yet be flexible ….I guess that’s the way to go.
I, and everyone who reads your blog regularly, have been waiting for this post, lol. What a great idea, keep us posted. It’s a beautiful area 😊
I hope my ‘ big news’ wasn’t a let down! Yes it is beautiful here….right near Saguaro National Park and lots of mountains. People tend to say ‘ the desert has its own beauty’. As in….some might think it is and some might think it’s not. I wouldn’t want to see it year round, but I do enjoy it part time!
Micky, my dear friend, it sounds perfectly lovely! We’ve been at the Saguaro National Park … a good one to say the least. Can’t wait to read more about all of it and you of course.
Hi Carmen, good to hear from you. Saguaro’s are really something, aren’t they? They make me think of some kind of alien life form…but a very charming sort!
Oh hell, Micky! I thought maybe you were going to BUY the place! 😜
😂😂😂
“LIKE” lolol 😂
Is the guy with the potato canon still there?
:-))))). I have not heard about him DJ, but I will ask!
It is the site that looks like a castle.
Ok I asked! Yes, Roger is still here, as is the potato cannon….and the whole castle built around it!
I think in reality you’re a modified Wandering Spirit. You like to wander but not ALL the time. Some of the time you just like to relax at “home” in places where you feel you fit. And as mentioned before you have a connection to Caballo Loco Ranch. Summers will be hot but that’s when you usually go wandering anyway. I think you’ll know by this time next year whether this is a good choice for you or not.
FYI, on the blue tote for waste. Don’t get one that’s too large especially if it’s OK to drain gray water onto the ground. Remember water (etc) is HEAVY. Depending on how easy it is to get WS set up it might just be easier to hitch up and go dump.
Have fun whatever you do.
I do like ‘home’ Reine. I’m a home body, AND a wandering spirit. :-)). I am always home, in my little Casita. I feel turtle-ish, carrying my home around with me while I wander.
I know, I’ve been looking at those things and I sure don’t want a big one. ( it’s the Thetford brand). They are heavy. But I don’t particularly like to pack everything up, just to go dump. I’ll have to keep it in the shed, and I’ve found one that is fairly small….18 gal, that you can tow to the dump. Think that’s going to be my choice. I will be allowed to let the gray tank drain down the hill.
Have you ever considered going to a composting toilet?
I have thought of it Cathy. Still need to empty those too though.
Interesting! I was so intrigued by your two-part series on CLR that I mapped out a 300-mile jaunt for us to take around the area. Not sure when medical things will allow the week or two that this will take us, but it is in the hopper (i.e. Google Maps).
Virtual hugs,
Judie
Hi Judie, well let me know when you are coming if I seem to be around! There are lots of things to see in this area, as you probably already know.
I suspected something of this nature…a place to plant yourself for a while. I’m excited to learn more about it and how you’ll combine your need to settle and your wanderlust. Happy planting!
Hi Cindy, I do have a thing for turtles! I feel like that is my totem.
Anyway, trying something new. If it doesn’t work so well I won’t do it again next year.
If you just want a phone for emergencies, you might consider one of the ‘throwaway’ phones. You buy time in advance. Fairly expensive, but you don’t have a monthly bill. And I think they can be recharged if you want to keep the same number.
Yes I think I want something like that. Thank you Pat!
What a great idea!!! Having a connection somewhere is good maybe even important. CLR has deep meaning for you so it is perfect!! I can’t wait to hear more about your time there!! Enjoy my friend….you have the best of both worlds….a wandering spirit and roots.
Thanks so much for the good wishes Gerri!
What a great place! Rocks,open spaces and beautiful views. it looks ideal ( minus the scorpions ) of course!
Yes Elinor, you would totally enjoy the rocks!
Sounds like a good experiment, and as you say, if you decide this isn’t what you want, you can do something different next year! I think most of us would do well to keep that in mind…that we can do something different next year if our path isn’t taking us where we want it to.
Hi Dawn. Yes. Time is so transient….all is temporary. Not that I even take for granted I’ll be here next year. Who ever knows?
Sounds and looks like the perfect place to settle for a while! Am thinking I may have to check it out myself this spring, though I hate scorpions. I once discovered one in a pair of jeans that I had put on. Those suckers sting like nothing I’ve ever felt before or since, and the pain lasted for hours. One experience I would not relish repeating!! Glad the fur babies are enjoying it. Is there a pond or other body of water for them to enjoy?
Hi Pat ( Freespirit). Lots to see and do around here. I think I’ll make a list…at least a partial list on a blog soon. But it does get hot, so don’t wait too long.
Oh! How terrible with the scorpion sting! I worry about the dogs with things like that.
Now this IS BIG news! I think it is a great plan.
Glad for your support Krystina! It’s all shaping up nicely now!
I have a 25 gal tote that I keep at my sister’s in Sacramento for use when we are there in her backyard. I find that if I fill it up all the way, it is very heavy…so I just fill it up 2/3 of the way and handle it just fine. You “might” find it easier to have a 22-25 gallon one which you only fill 1/2 way because if you fill a 14 gal all the way up, it is hard to deal with due to slight icky spills opening and closing the caps when you use it. Just a bit of advice I thought I would share.
Thank you Dave! Ends up I got one which is 18 gal, which is bigger than my black tank, at I think 15 gal, and I think that is a great idea to not fill it….so maybe let the tank get 3/4 full and then empty it, which I’d rather do anyway.
Good for you Micky!!!
Hey Patty, maybe you and John can come out this way sometime!
About scorpions – my cousin in Las Vegas gets a few in her house from time to time. This is how she gets them out: Buy a 12″ long pair of tweezers/pincers and keep a bucket on hand. Should you see one, pick it up with the tweezers, place in bucket and dump outside. They can’t climb up the walls of the bucket, and the tweezers keep your hands away. You can also kill them in the bucket by giving a jab with the pointy end of the tweezer.
Always check your shoes.
Enjoy!
Laura
Hi Laura. Those buggers are scary looking! I’m glad I saw it and am aware of their presence. Thanks for the tips!