My Trails

It rained almost all night long. Most of the time it was just a gentle tapping on Minnie’s roof, but occasionally a loud, fearful drumming would wake me from a sound sleep and put me in a worrisome state. Even though my ceiling is better insulated than my van was, it is still by no means soundproof, and the raindrops seemed to rouse me from deep slumber into semi-consciousness several times throughout the night. It probably doesn’t help my rest on a rainy night because I sleep just two feet from the ceiling where all the sound is amplified. But I think what bothers my sleep the most is the dreams I have of gremlins poking holes in the fiberglass above me and I wake to find water dripping on my bed.

When I rose this morning there were no leaks that I could find but it was definitely cold. I peered outside to see the landscape was white from a blanket of snow. I was glad that I chose to stay at a lower altitude this weekend and find a camp close to Payson. What would it be like two thousand feet higher up on the Mogollon Rim?

Yesterday, I explored a forest road north of town that follows along the base of the Mogollon Rim. It’s all part of the Tonto National Forest and traverses some nice areas of forest, hills and canyons. There were many day use areas for fishing along the Verde River, exploring ancient ruins, or walking to an old waterwheel, but I didn’t stop because it was raining off and on. There were also many dispersed campsites along the 25 miles of dirt road, but I didn’t stop to stay at any of them as I was on more of an exploration trip than looking for a camp. The road eventually came out on Rt. 260 just two miles above my first and present camp. I will definitely go back and see more of this area when the weather gets better.

While doing some shopping in town I bought a new propane tank. I’m planning on using it as a backup to my built in tank and as supplementary heating with my catalytic heater. The furnace in the coach works great but not nearly as efficient as the catalytic heater. It has been nice to have a little heat today.

LED’s from Walmart

Only two for now

For three days I have been camping in the Coconino National Forest, about 5 miles north of Strawberry, AZ. Without a current MVUM and no experience with dispersed camping sites along Rt 260, it was just luck that I turned on Forest Road 144 and found many beautiful campsites within a mile of the main road. I love camping in the high forests with their tall trees and cool temperatures. The thick forest along with plenty of space between campsites provides the camper lots of isolation and privacy. The only drawback to many national forests is that I seldom have a cell signal and this place was no exception.

I did the usual activities while camped among the Ponderosa. One day I hiked to the top of a hill above my camp to see if I could get a signal. I didn’t get one but it was a fun walk anyway. On another day I rode my motorcycle a few miles on back roads exploring the area. There were dozens of campsites and many side roads branching off in all directions, making me a little nervous that I would get lost in my return trip, or even worse, have another flat tire and be stranded miles from home.

It rained quite hard last night and I awoke with fear my bed would be wet. I was relieved to find that nothing or no one had wet the bed, so the caulk I put around the front window seems to have done the trick. Above 7000’ the afternoons have been pleasantly mild but the nights drop into the low 40’s. I sometimes delay getting up until the sun shines through Minnies windows and radiates warmth to the interior. I sleep in a light Walmart sleeping bag and sometimes it is not enough. Today, I bought another summer bag to throw on top for a little added warmth on cold nights. I have thought about using sheets and blankets and quilts on the bed but it would be too hard to crawl up there and make the bed in the morning. Sleeping bags are so much easier to smooth out. I always sleep in pajamas or sweats to keep the bags clean as long as possible and plan to use a light blanket if it ever gets warm at night.

Today, I moved to another boondocking spot about 10 miles east of Payson, AZ on Rt. 260. I found the spot on the Days End publication that I pirated from Richard a few years ago. It is on a forest road above the trailhead named Hells Gate. I have good cell signal and the lower elevation should make the nights a little warmer. There is also a water source ¼ mile from my camp that I could use for bathing and flushing. I will probably be here through the weekend and then decide whether to go back into Phoenix or up on the Rim for a few days.

Verde River near my camp

Happy Mothers Day to all you moms out there.

I decided to do laundry today, and as it turned out it was a good decision. The attendant said that the Laundromat on Sunday mornings is usually packed with almost every washer in use. There were only a couple other people there because everyone was out to breakfast with mom.

I will have been here 3 weeks tomorrow. Except for water all my tanks have held out well. I’m debating running back into the Valley for a few days to buy and install a propane “T” that will let me use a portable tank I can have filled without moving Minnie to the station. The other thing I need is a pump to transfer water from my portable can to my tank. It is no fun to lift a seven-gallon can up high enough to drain it into the fill hole.

Water Transfer

The plan is to leave tomorrow. There is no plan for where I will go. I will probably head towards Payson, AZ and spend a few nights in the Coconino or Sitgreaves National Forest up on the Mogollon Rim. The weather is starting to turn warmer and the itch to travel is upon me.