Mt Humphrey got plenty of snow and it’s cold enough for it to not melt. Time to go!!!
I still love the mountains and forest and need them in my life every summer, but the desert is my winter home now and I hope it always will be. Of course, come springtime I will feel exactly the same way when I leave here and return to the mountains and my summer home! In this way, I’m always home wherever I go and in whatever season! What a wonderful way to live!
I took this picture of the lights of Blythe, CA standing in the front door of my trailer tonight at my new home in Ehrenberg. It was a beautiful sunset and a perfect 70 degrees. I love my life!
At 7300 feet, winter might delay but it is still coming and so last weekend we got hit by a storm that brought a small amount of snow to camp and overnight temperatures into the low 20’s with daytime highs in the mid 40’s. I’m equipped for cold weather so I stayed comfortable but it isn’t a pleasant way for me to live for long so I knew it was time to go. The problem is that as soon as the storm passed the temperatures starting going right back up into a comfortable level and my home was pleasant again. I prefer cool to hot and so I was tempted to dawdle in leaving there.
Coyotes are never interested in a fair fight, all they care about is an easy meal and survival so bigger dogs are usually safe. Cody is a smaller dog and no match for three coyotes. I took this picture from the web.
Cody and I were out for our morning walk when he started barking at something in the woods. That’s very unusual because normally if it’s something he can chase he doesn’t bark, he just takes off running after it. So I stopped and started to look for what was upsetting him. Right away I spotted a big, beautiful coyote not far from him at all, maybe 35 yards away. This was the first time we had seen a coyote together so I was grateful that he didn’t chase it. Homer never once hesitated to chase coyotes, in fact I bet there were over a dozen times when we were out for a walk when he spotted a coyote and took off chasing it; and on several occasions he chased a pair of coyotes. But he was a much bigger dog than Cody (literally twice as big; 80 pounds to Cody’s 40) and just as fast or faster. So I never feared too much for his safety. No coyote would take him on one-to-one and he could outrun a pair.
Cody keeping his eyes out for stray coyotes!
It’s a very good thing because as soon as that coyote turned to get away from me I noticed that there were two others behind him and they appeared to be waiting for the first one to draw Cody out. That put some real fear in me! The first coyote was the bait to draw him out so they could all attack, kill and eat him. Had I not been there, it probably would have worked. Even if Cody had turned and run it was so far from camp they would probably would have got him before he would have made it back to safety.
I kept a close eye on him for the rest of the walk but as we were nearing our camp I noticed the coyotes off on the edge of the forest; they had trailed us back to camp! That sent a shiver down my spine because they were waiting for him just out of my sight. One was literally standing in the shadow of a tree watching us and the only reason I saw him was because he was silhouetted against the bright, yellow grass behind him. I stopped and starred at him and he never moved, we just starred at each other. Finally, he moved off very slowly.
Such intensity…and those eyes!
Cody’s in the habit of chasing off after anything near camp that moves, even birds, so there was no doubt that eventually, if they were patient, they could catch him away from camp and my safety and he would end up in the some place as that cat. We had to move right away!!!
The next morning I broke camp and we left for Ehrenberg. I was so concerned about the coyotes we didn’t even go for a walk in the morning . That’s very unusual because I want him to be well-walked before we head out for a long drive. Instead I drove as far as the desert and stopped for a walk where I could keep an eye on him.
On the road to Ehrenberg from Flagstaff. Normally Judy carries the bike on the back of her van, but since she is working at Amazon I had to carry it on the front of my van. Boy am I glad I bought a 1 ton van so it can handle this weight. Judy is doing extremely well at Amazon. Better than I would have been doing!
This is Judy’s and my camp from last year at Ehrenberg. Judy will be back in late December.
It’s free, has good shopping nearby and a good internet signal. Best of all, no Rangers; stay as long as you like! Just be sure to be here for Thanksgiving! Here are three maps to my camp.
Thanks Bob. Every time I start to get a little discouraged about the amount of time it’s taking me to recover and make the transition to living on the road…I check my RSS feeds list to see if there’s a new post from you. And there it was today. Thank you for the inspiration.
The lesson on the food chain was a worthwhile one, do you carry a staff,stick or pole with you on your walks?
Rob, I think I have only one realistic risk on walks and that’s other dogs and I carry a knife for them. With Homer I didn’t worry about coyotes, he was so big and fast no single coyote would go after him and he could outrun them to get back to me. With me he was safe
One time I thought there was a Mt. Lion around and I literally carried a spear. They are so fast you can’t get a gun out in time so I carried a spear in my hands and if a Lion jumped down on top of me all I had to do was hold it upright and the weight of the Lion would impale itself on the knife at the end. I carried it so that all I had to do was face the lion and I was safe.
The Cold Steel Bushman Knife is specifically made to be used as a spear point and I have one:
http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-95BUSK-Bushman-Knife/dp/B00BD4W54Q/
Bob
Your mention of “Mr. 257 Magnum” makes me wonder about traveling the country with firearms. I think I’d like to have a shotgun with me for a little last-line-defense security, at least when I’m not in a patrolled location, like a state park campground. I know firearm laws vary from state to state, and I don’t want to risk trouble. What’s your experience?
Here is a link to a book, 2014 United States Traveler’s Guide to the Firearm Laws of the 50 States (Gun Laws for All Fifty States, 18th Edition), that I use and can say it is a huge help. Just make sure you go through one of Bob’s links so he can get credit should you purchase the book.
http://www.amazon.com/United-States-Travelers-Guide-Firearm/dp/0972548955/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415579627&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Traveler%27s+Guide+to+the+Firearm+Laws+of+the+Fifty+States
Rules change all the time, so nothing is sure. It’s really easy to be a law-abiding citizen one week, but unwittingly commit a federal felony the next week doing the exact same thing. The book I mentioned mitigates that possible consequence. Legislation is being introduced to allow anyone to conceal carry in any state as long as that person has a permit in the state they live in. Just like a driver’s license. You don’t have to be tested in all 50 states to be allowed to drive in all 50 states; the same logic is being applied to carrying guns. You would still be expected to follow a specific state’s guns laws, just like you would be expected to follow a specific state’s traffic laws.
This book will give you great answers and it isn’t expensive. It specifically addresses concealed carry as well as open carry. In Montana one can open carry in State Parks (patrolled or not), National Parks, and anywhere one wants except for a few restrictions like banks, schools, manned government buildings, bars, etc. In Montana you can conceal carry outside of a city without a permit- you only need a permit when you are inside city limits. I don’t know if this applies exactly to non-Montana citizens.
I don’t want to get into a gun debate. All I want to do is give out the facts as I understand them so interested people can make a better informed decision.
Thanks, Canine. Very helpful!
If so inclined, Arizona is one of the states where you can carry open or concealed most places in the state. If boondocking, you will very rarely every have a problem.
No need for a weapons permit either.
I agree Douglas, it’s an open-carry state and any citizen can concealed carry. I don’t believe a non-resident can concealed carry though, they need a permit. I went ahead and got one so I’m covered either way.
Bob
Douglas, I’m looking for a shoulder holster right now for my .357. I would have been carrying it if I had one.
Bob
Thanks Canine. I have that book and highly recommend it. You can also get a number of smartphone apps that list the rules for concealed carry for all 50 states. They might be kept more up to date.
Arizona is a good state to get your permit in so I got mine here. You don’t have to be a resident. However, a few states that will recognize the permit of a resident will not recognize the permit of a non-resident. Very strange but true!
Bob
I have an Arizona non-resident permit as well as Montana resident permit. Not sure I will renew the non-resident permit because of some states do not consider a non-resident valid like you said- that could be an expensive mistake.
Montana is one of those states that do not recognize an Arizona non-resident permit, but recognizes an Arizona resident permit. Even I can’t carry concealed with my Arizona non-resident permit; I need the Montana permit for that. However, Montana has reciprocity laws that allow residents from some states to carry in Montana, Arizona being one of them. I’m not sure if that has changed, but that was the way it was at one time. I suspect the reason is Montana requires the applicant to demonstrate working knowledge of a handgun before before getting a permit. Since other states don’t do that, I think that is why Montana frowns on some reciprocity.
I’ve seen several people fail the working knowledge part of the test. They don’t have the strength to rack the slide or don’t know how to open the cylinder on a revolver or randomly point the empty gun at people with their finger on the trigger among other things. The test isn’t demanding and is very basic, but if you can’t display the simplest working knowledge of handling a gun, you don’t get a permit.
The app would almost assuredly be updated many times within a year. Great info!
Alan, as was mentioned I recommend the book on the firearms law of the 50 states. I also have an app for my droid phone that is kept up to date on the firearms laws of the 50 states.
In MOST states you will be okay if the gun is unloaded and the ammo is somewhere in the vehicle far away and the gun has a trigger lock, barrel lock and in a locked box. I would also get a CCW permit just to have it. If nothing else, you have obviously made a good faith effort to obey the laws.
But, always need to know the laws of the states you are going through and if they are un-American, you may just want to avoid that state. They obviously don’t want you or your money.
Long arms aren’t as much of a problem as handguns, but you still need to know all the laws.
Bob
How funny that we both returned “home” to the desert at the same time! I wish I could be with you all but I need to refill the coffers after my eleven hundred mile back road extravaganza! It was so worth it ten magical days on the road is what I live for. And my camp this afternoon at hi jolly was so peaceful. I’m with you I love my life… thanks again for all your help in making this possible. I will come and visit soon and for sure will be there for turkey day!
I’m both delighted to know we will see you soon, but very sad you won’t be camping with us! While you are here you should apply at the Flying J or at Wendys! They are so close and I bet they are always hiring. Once you worked at Flying J, you would have a job all over the country!
Bob
When I first moved to the East Mountains area of Albuquerque, one night I heard what sounded like a truckload of puppies being tortured. The next day, I found out it was a group of coyotes “triangulating” as they hunted in the slightly remote subdivision. I had lived for 10 years in Montana and never heard those sounds, only lone coyotes and wolves howling. Whew. Glad Cody is a sensible dog!
The East Mountain area is mostly high desert with a tinge of mountain vegetation — so I know deserts are not completely safe. But, like you wrote, at least you can see the hunters in the desert.
I plan to be at RTR for at least a week in January. I loved my 6+ months of van living this last spring-summer-fall. I credit your great advice for the courage to get out there.
Thanks Carla, I’m glad to help and inspire any way I can!
That’s an excellent description of a pack of coyotes howling! Very eerie sound! I was once camping in Nevada and way oof to my right I heard a coyote howl and then one answered way off to my left. The the one to the right howled only closer and the left howled only closer. I could follow their progress in the dark until they obviously had found each other and were having a grand ole time!
I know they’re killers, but that’s what they were born to do. I have to admire them!
Bob
Aren’t there coyotes in the desert too? What makes the desert safer for Cody than Flagstaff?
laVonne, there are lots of coyotes in the desert. The difference is that the desert is wide open so Cody will see and smell them long before they get close here. In Flagg we were surrounded by forest so he ran off for 100 feet and disappeared from view. That really worried me! I an see a long ways here.
Bob
Following.
Thanks Calvin.
Bob
My ckusin suggested I could like this weeb site. Thanks!
Thank you Jill.
Bob
Hi Bob,
I was wondering what the weather was like down there. I’m up in Cottonwood and it’s been pretty warm here the last week. Usually into the mid 80’s.It did cool off today but the wind picked up. I was thinking of heading your way soon. Thanks.
Eddie, it’s been 87 or 88 nearly every day this week with very light winds. It’s supposed to start cooling off and be into the 70s by the weekend. That will be just about perfect!
It’s a little warmer than I like but it’s been just fine. Come on down!
Bob
Well, as the ONLY commenter on this post who didn’t get a response from Bob, please allow me to apologize for showing my appreciation for such a great blog. I won’t let it happen again.
John, I am very sorry to have missed your post! I try hard to answer them all but sometimes it’s difficult. What I see on my screen is very different than what you see on yours and sometimes they get mixed up in each other.
I try to review and catch them all, but somehow I missed yours. I hope you can forgive me.
Bob
Sorry Bob. Got some discouraging news from my doctor yesterday and I was in a foul mood. Sorry I took it out on you on here. You have been and will continue to be a valuable source of information for me. Thanks again for all you do.
No worries John. I really do mean to answer every comment and I’m sorry I missed yours
Bob
G’day there Bob,
I never knew such a community of Van dwellers & boondockers existed until i somehow stumbled onto your blog! My wife and I have often wondered what it would be like to be able to take off and travel like you do, maybe we will one day. I have really found your articles interesting and it has introduced me to a new way of life.
I have a question about your spending winter in the desert,how cold does it get during the night? We took a camping trip to Central Australia at the end of our winter (August 2014)as this beats the brutal summer temperature but the night time temps at Alice Springs and Ayers Rock were flippin freezing! averaging around 30F. We are no strangers to camping during the winter down here but the dry desert air seemed to make it feel much much colder, each morning we prayed for the sun to come up.
Cheers
Gregory, the deserts all over the world can be surprisingly cold, this one included. Typically, most winters will dip into the 20s and sometimes even into the teens. Even worse, the wind can really blow hard here!
Last year was very mild and we had almost no cold nights, but that is very unusual.
Bob
Are you folks getting together for the 2015-16 season? I would like to join up once I finish my workamper gig with Amazon (probably sooner rather than later, I hate 10 hour shifts). If so please email me directions, I just started this lifestyle and would appreciate being with people that can help me endure this change. Also I did a YouTube video on my rig. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxdFhyRuE8s
Frank, a big group of us always gather in the winter in the area around Quartzsite, AZ and you are welcome to join us. I host a two week gathering in January that will have lots of us there, you should try to join us! More info here:
http://www.cheaprvliving.com/gatherings/
Many of us will stat getting there in November when it has finally cooled off in the desert. If you follow my blog you’ll see where I am and there will be a fairly large group in the area.
Bob