Sleeping at Snaggletooth — Rev. Margaret Weis

Perhaps one of the most amazing experiences of our trip has been boondocking.

Boondocking has a few components to it.

The “how” of boondocking is to dry camp - meaning your rig is not hooked up to water, sewer, or electricity. We have spent nights dry camping in a Walmart parking lot (actually called “Wally-docking”), at a Harvest Hosts, Wall Drug, the Petrified Forest, outside the Marfa Lights Viewing Area, or in our friends’ yards. This is not considered boondocking because it is still in an established place and close to amenities.

The “where” of boondocking is usually on dispersed camping land, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, or another isolated site. It’s basically camping in the middle of nowhere.

***A note about BLM land: Like all of the land we are on in the United States, this land was stolen from the indigenous peoples that inhabited it. The BLM was established in the 1940’s, but the land has been acquired since before this nation’s founding. It feels important to acknowledge that BLM land, just like all land in the US is stolen. So, even though it’s known as “public land,” we must never forget that none of it belongs to any of us, certainly not those of us whose ancestors stole it years ago.***

We’ve come to learn that we *could* boondock for up to five days, given the size of our tanks, water usage, etc. However, given our need for internet for work purposes, that hasn’t happened yet. Remember, we aren’t on vacation - we are living on the road - which is very different!

As you might imagine, boondocking is really different than setting up in a campground site. Set up and break down are much quicker, because there is no need to hook anything up - everything we need is already present. As long as the camper is level, we’ve filled up on water and propane, and the slide out can safely go out, we are good to go! Sometimes (many times, actually) we don’t even unhitch the camper from the truck.

There are many aspects of boondocking that I love and appreciate. They include:

*Bader lounging at Snaggletooth BLM, Needles, CA*

Space

Most places, especially on BLM land, have plenty of space to spread out. So, we are often out of eyeshot of any other campers in the place and the road. We’ve parked tucked amidst volcanic rock, along mountainsides, and close to lakes. Sometimes we can see our neighbors, but most of the time it feels like we are the only people for miles. Bader especially loves when we are boondocking because it means she doesn’t have to be leashed and fetch is always on the docket!

Quiet and Solitude

The quiet - that’s what I think of when I think of boondocking. It is so quiet! Sometimes you can hear the wildlife outside or a very faint sound of road noise in the distance. But, most of the time it is just the quiet and solitude and usually Bader snoring.

Unplugging

I’ve never noticed how much I reach for my phone until I’ve been in places where I have no service and no internet. Aside from taking pictures, a phone isn’t particularly useful when boondocking. Also, unless we are plugged into shore power (a 30 AMP plug) we do not have enough power for our microwave, television, or plugs. We use a generator to make coffee each morning and charge what we need.

Mindfulness

When you have a finite amount of water and space, you have to be more conscious of how and what you use. We’ve become accustomed to pausing the water during showers, creatively washing dishes, and minimizing

Stargazing

The lack of light pollution and clarity of the skies out West make for some amazing stargazing. We’ve gazed up at the Milky Way, watched shooting stars, marveled at the planets, and more. There have been some nights where so many stars are visible that we cannot make out where the constellations are! And, some nights the moon is so bright it feels like there is a spotlight right on us.

Places we’ve “boondocked”:

Valley of the Gods, Mexican Hat, UT

Devil’s Playground, Carlsbad, NM

Little Grand Canyon, Castledale, UT

Snaggletooth, Needles, CA

Raptor Lake, Alamogordo, NM

Gunsight Wash at Organ Pipe Cactus National Park, AZ

Indian Springs Volcanic Rock, Mojave National Preserve, CA

Lake Havasu, Lake Havasu City, AZ

We’ve only bookdocked a fraction of our time on the road. Most of the time we are on campgrounds, usually military FamCamps (which are amazing by the way), and snuggled up real close to our neighbors. But boondocking allows us some spaciousness, an opportunity for reset, and the chance to breathe.

Some of our most beautiful pictures are from places we’ve ventured out to down dusty bumpy roads, pulling off to the side, and quieting ourselves for the evening.

So much natural beauty.

So much open land.

So much space for quiet, solitude, mindfulness, and tuning out the demands of the world.

So much gratitude.

This week’s Invitation to Deepening: Google Bureau of Land Management and see what comes up. Are there any locations near you? Are you surprised by anything you see?

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