BOONDOCKING...vs. CAMP HOST JOBS

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!

The above shadows belong to two lonely, nervous campers.

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

We came close to taking this job, as the preserve was not far from Miami beaches, but isolated and "wild"...actually too wild, as we couldn't get the internet there...and there was no church or grocery store close by.  As much as we love camp hosting, there is no such thing as a FREE SITE.  Nope...you pay, but almost to a person we hosts love the work and would do it for free.

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:

Now...because I need the money, please notice my gorgeous stone necklace and then get curious enough to look me up on ebay.  Just click "Advanced" to the right of the search box and then go almost to the bottom of the page and type in my seller name:  RunningHorse48 ... and then you can see all of my astoundingly gorgeous diamond polished stones set in hand-crocheted adjustable necklace bands.  I'll give you a 20% discount if you mention you visited my blog.  Appreciate you!....and thanks, sincerely.

Boondocking - FREE Camping, or close to it...

We HAD to check out boondocking... as even in our day of ever tighter rules and restrictions, RVers were saying it's out there and it's good. A favorite seems to be dispersed camping on BLM land. It worked at Quartsite...and everyone we've met who has ventured onto BLM lands has said they've had no problems...as long as you stick by the few rules. (Stay close to some kind of road and obey any posted signs.) We went online and bought an ebook that got us started at: http://www.rv-links.com/boondocking.htm I'd say it's a special kind of adventure...as you don't worry about the cost. The first picture was taken May 28, 2011, at Settlement Reservoir, in a canyon above Tooele, Utah. Bob caught the only fish in the lack (no one else got one) and I climbed the ridge of the hill in the foreground and "ran like a wild horse". Our camping spot was a few miles up the canyon right on a perfect mountain stream, down away from the road in a shady grove of elms. We stayed two nights before it SNOWED. The branches were resting so heavily on our new RV that when we pulled out it twisted up our TV antenna like it was thin wire. (Yes, Bob forgot to retract it.) We parked across the street until snow removal equipment dug and plowed us out.

Next we tried the free camping at Grantsville Reservoir, down in the nearby (warmer) valley. We were surprised that there were nice tables, grills and a restroom. The roads were dirt, but the scenery (with the new snow) was excellent. In the middle of the night a drunken "cowboy" started sliding his pickup around our RV at high speeds. He had been sliding in the mud earlier with his ATV, along with his son. But a big truck sliding our way was enough to make us get up and move out of the campground. We parked down by the water. The fish were cold and went deep, so we went home to warm our toes.

Quartzite, Arizona, was a BUST

Here's our 2011 Four Winds Chateau 31K at its first camp site.

We only stayed one glorious night. It really was free, fairly pretty, and had interesting (and quiet) neighbors. I did see a bunny and I loved the BLM land with its posted gold claims and mineral treasures...but the town was not to our liking. The wares being offered ranged from China's worst to trash that needed recycling rather than selling. We had brought silver, cool fossils and handmade jewelry with fascinating gems...all to sell. But the campers were all hanging out in their rigs, watching the big flat screens. We were told February was too late for the bustle...which supposedly occurred in January. We raced on to other adventures...not knowing where we were going, other than out of town.

Steps Toward Hosting

Sorry...one of the first things you'll need to do is sell your home....unless you can afford to maintain more than one home and have compelling reasons to keep yourself tied down. We took a big loss on the sale of our home (closing July 26, 2011) but we are ever so grateful to be out from under the bills and payments. Do you know what it's like to have NO mortgage, utility bills or house insurance and taxes to pay? Try it.

We put our house up for sale February 21, 2011, and headed south in our new RV. It was fringed with icicles and burdened with ice on the undercarriage until Las Vegas heat it it. We were on our way to Quartsite...the mecca of western snowbirds. We heard it touted by a bird who came to one of our many moving sales. There were supposed to be flea markets and rock displays stretching out into the giant BLM boondocking ranges. FREE camping!...along with panning for gold and finding all types of mineral treasures. As a former Geology Major, it sounded too good to be true.