Honestly...it takes a LOT of faith to get a great camp host job or to otherwise find your perfect "free spot". We lucked onto a terrific ebook on free camping sites at: www. frugal-rv-travel.com, "A Frugal Shunpiker's Guide" by Marianne Edwards. It cost a few dollars, but was so worth it. [Click on our Amazon link at the top-right and get your own boondocking books.] True to Marianne's word, she sends detailed updates and/or corrections. We have also tried our luck by "surfing the web" for free spots...and the truth is, even web pages where the author seemed quite knowledgeable and the information very detailed, we'd be off on a wild goose chase most often. BLM camping spots would have new development, if they were close to "civilization"; and roads to some destinations were mere figments of some one's imagination (or poor memory). We learned the hard way its best to talk with someone who has camped-4-free very recently and can give you reliable information. Let's give you a recent example of one of our "goofs":
First, we went on internet info on a road west of Tucson that went from rough to sandy dirt and then to desolation. We felt we needed "protection", especially after reading the "welcome" sign below. Bob had never fired his bit of a gun, so he decided to see if it actually worked. It did, and I took a bit of film to prove it. Then check out the last photo of our actual camp site. Seriously...what is there to do at this spot? It was coming into focus: These spots are free because that's what they are worth. We locked ourselves into the RV and waited for first light. It was the very next day, in the nearby Arizona Sonora-Desert Museum, we happened to run into an officer who did border patrol in the area. He told us we were crazy to have camped where we did....that there were regular shootings in the area as it's a hotly contested drug trafficking route. The sign with the bullet holes was not even close to being a sufficient warning for the risks involved in being alone at night (anywhere) in the area. Ahhhh.....crap!
So....what about free camping as a camp host? We got a job offer at St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, a preserve for open grassy forests of longleaf pine that were once commonplace throughout Florida. Their brochure reads, "The pine flatwoods form a backdrop for other biological communities, including cypress domes, scrubby flatwoods, sandhills, a beautiful strand swamp, and over 50 protected species. Photographers, bird-watchers, and nature enthusiasts can explore miles of trails on foot, bicycle, or horseback. Canoeing, boating, and fishing on the St. Sebastian River are popular activities. "
The job offer came with the following attachment explaining the cost of a "free" camping spot.
Responsibilities of camp Volunteers
In exchange for a free campsite, volunteers are expected to perform 20 hours of service every week per Camp site [that's 20 hours for each of us, 40 hours total]
Duties include:
- Open gate every day at 8am. (Rotational with other volunteers as available)
- Close gate every night at sunset, check trash at spillway.
- Respond to visitor questions regarding the preserve.
- Work the Visitor Center as per scheduling (Fri – Sat, 10 to 4:30, Sun 12 to 4:30)
- Clean Visitor Center and North office each week (take trash to dumpster)
- Clean bunkhouse
- Check shop (sweep and take out trash)
- Check camp sites (clean out fire pits and pick up trash)
- Pick up trash along roadways.
- Mow and weed eat: Parking lots, shop compounds, camp sites and camp host areas.
- Trail maintenance (may require operation of heavy machinery)
- Miscellaneous projects to be assigned
If you have your mind made up you must have a free site, then just park on the road in front of a good friend's house. That's just what we're doing in the following pictures:
