interesting youtube on desert camping - Blackrock Mesa

[Jack]

What is there to do when you camp in a dry, barren dessert for a few days?  (Without ATVs, motorcycles, etc.,)  I can see the enjoyment of it for 24, maybe 48 hours, to get some solitude and thoroughly take advantage of seeing the night sky, but what about the daytime? 


I'm not a hot weather person but I don't want to miss out on the desert experience.  That'd be a big mistake. 

 

[Moxadox]

To do....watch the always-changing light play across the craggy mountains. Take a hike in said mountains. Look at the plant life, learn to identify the many flowers, herbs, shrubs, cacti, trees. Look for signs of javelinas, coyotes, snakes, lizards, owls, hawks, jays, cactus wrens. Learn why creosote bush is called creosote bush. Learn what a tinaja is, and why that knowledge could save your life. Learn how to make a solar still out of a tarp and a rock. Learn how to mark your trail so someone can find you if you get lost. Learn how to disappear if you don't want to be found.

That's just what comes to mind in 10 seconds.

The Dire Wolfess

 

[LivGolden]

I may be wrong but I'm feeling like you have been to Big Bend before...

 

[highdesertranger]

Jack did you see and read post #36. all those pictures where taken in the Great Basin Desert the largest desert in N. America. read up,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Basin_Desert

let me know if you still think there is nothing to do.

highdesertranger

 

[Jack]

Jack did you see and read post #36.  all those pictures where taken in the Great Basin Desert the largest desert in N. America.  read up,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Basin_Desert

let me know if you still think there is nothing to do.

I read the first three pages.  Clearly I should have clicked over to the fourth.  I was going by the initial pictures you posted of wide open, flat space.  That's what got me wondering what people do there, especially in the desert heat.  I never think there's "nothing to do" in nature but I was trying to imagine what folks do in that kind of wide open space.  The night sky alone would definitely be enough to get me there.  I don't get to see stars where I live.  Just satellites.

 

[Moxadox]

Desert heat--> time to utilize those things under the rig called "wheels." There are those who enjoy the hot seasons, but I am not one of them.

The places I hang out usually never get hotter than mid 70s late November through the end of March. Nights are in the high 20s. My down jacket is in use every morning and evening. If I left any water outside, which I don't because it attracts javelinas, it would be frozen in the morning.

And this is all within 10 miles of Mexico! In the Santa Rita mountains, usually. About 7,000 ft altitude.

It would benefit you to do some reading about high desert. You could begin with Edward Abbey's "Desert Solitaire," set in Arches National Park near Moab, UT. This is an entirely different kind of desert than what you get in AZ, but it's IMO a good jumping-off place for anyone who wants to learn. Even in AZ there are many different types of desert.

National Geographic has done a spectacular segment on Saguaro National Park. I watched it last night and learned some very cool things that I didn't know even after spending part of every year there for the past 4 years. Highly recommended!

The Dire Wolfess

 

[QinReno]

It would benefit you to do some reading about high desert.  You could begin with Edward Abbey's "Desert Solitaire," set in Arches National Park near Moab, UT. 

Jack, from the Abbey book you'll also learn how to deal with a nest of rattlesnakes living under your RV/trailer. There is always something fun going on when you're on the road. People tend to not realize how routine day to day life is who have spent their entire lives in S&B. It's always something. Rattlesnakes, scorpions, tarantulas, coyotes, grizzly bears, mountain lions, forest fires, flash floods, snow storms, falling off cliffs, idiot locals, on and on. Doxie has seen them all. She's smart, so she can deal with anything.

The Basin and Range area in Nevada/Utah is the least inhabited place in the US, and one of the most interesting to drive through.

 

[Jack]

Moxadox and QinReno, thanks for the realistic advice. Yes, I definitely have a lot to learn unplugging from life on the grid. And you're both right - it's best I learn it now than learn it the hard way later. I've got your advice in my notes of things to do.

Can critters (snakes, scorpions, etc.,) get in a van on their own through the undercarriage, vents or other ways? (Barring bringing them in yourself by leaving doors open or carrying something into the van that was outside for awhile.)

 

[QinReno]

Been there, done that. For some of us, the hard way is the only way we know, . And they can get anywheres they like. Sometimes the mice chew a hole in the engine fire wall, and then the snakes come in after the mice.

BTW, I always shake my shoes out in the morning, especially when tent camping. You never know what might be in there. Most critters are nocturnal, after all. Hold one shoe in one hand to use as a masher, as you shake out the other shoe. And then reverse. There are 2 types spiders, the web builders and free ranging hunters, like Wolf Spiders. The hunters are very fast. You have to be quick to mash one.

 

[Moxadox]

Moxadox and QinReno, thanks for the realistic advice. Yes, I definitely have a lot to learn unplugging from life on the grid. And you're both right - it's best I learn it now than learn it the hard way later. I've got your advice in my notes of things to do.

Can critters (snakes, scorpions, etc.,) get in a van on their own through the undercarriage, vents or other ways? (Barring bringing them in yourself by leaving doors open or carrying something into the van that was outside for awhile.)

I count the unpredictable as one of the best things about mobile life. It's never boring!

The critter that gives people the most headaches seems to be the mouse that makes nests under the hood and eats wiring. Snakes like to be underground when they're not hunting. I've never heard of a snake getting into anyone's rig, unless they have a cat that brings one in. Cats are a great mouse deterrent, but they bring in snakes.

I've never seen a scorpion in my rig, but that doesn't mean they're not there. My father's Rule #1 applies here: never put your hands or feet anywhere your eyeballs have not looked first. Outdoors, if you're going to be handling firewood or brush, put on gloves and shake it up with another stick before picking anything up. Listen for rattles (watch some rattlesnake YouTubes so you know what they look and sound like). Wear shoes. In other words, educate yourself, keep your eyes and ears open and you'll be fine.

The Dire Wolfess

 

[Jack]

I can deal with anything but snakes. Just... no. Spiders, mice, scorpions, grizzlies, and online trolls? No problem. I'll learn to identify and deal with snakes if/when they happen, of course, but I'm sure as heaven not going to like it.

 

[QinReno]

I can deal with anything but snakes.  Just... no.  Spiders, mice, scorpions, grizzlies, and online trolls?  No problem.  I'll learn to identify and deal with snakes if/when they happen, of course, but I'm sure as heaven not going to like it.

You and Indiana Jones (insider joke, LOL).

 

[VanForNow]

For anyone interested in desert plants and animals, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson is a wonderful place to visit. Most desert animals emerge at night or carefully avoid human contact. This museum is one of the rare places where you can have close encounters with mountain lions, bears, wolves, javelinas, rattlesnakes, Gila monsters, bobcats, birds of prey, etc.

 

[highdesertranger]

mice can't chew a hole through the fire wall. the fire wall is metal.

"Sometimes the mice chew a hole in the engine fire wall, and then the snakes come in after the mice."

that's one of the most outrageous statements I have every heard. don't believe it please. highdesertranger

 

[Almost There]

I have to agree with HDR, but I do know where the mice get in through the firewall!

They get in through the small but very necessary gap between the firewall and the gas and brake pedals. They're fairly low down on the firewall so it's really easy once they find the way and tell all their friends about it.

I had them coming in that way one night after putting a bag of garbage ready to go to the dumpster down on the floorboards in front of the drivers' seat - out of my way and wouldn't be forgotten in the morning. I ended up putting a mouse trap on the floor right there. Got the mice BEFORE they got to my kitchen pantry.

 

[QinReno]

They get in through the small but very necessary gap between the firewall and the gas and brake pedals. They're fairly low down on the firewall so it's really easy once they find the way and tell all their friends about it.

Yeah, that way. There are many holes in the firewall with gaskets and whatnot that can be slid through or eaten through.

I once had a mouse in my Jeep Cherokee, have no idea how it got in there. I was on a camping trip, sleeping out under a tree, and was forced to crawl into the Jeep in the middle of the night when it started to rain. Woke later on, and there was something running around in the dark, in circles front to back, over my sleeping bag. Given the speed and weight it was obviously a mouse. I opened the front door of the Jeep and it was gone in the morning. It's always something.

 

[wanderin.pat]

I once had a mouse in my Jeep Cherokee, have no idea how it got in there. 

I've heard they've started carrying lock picking kits!

 

[QinReno]

I've heard they've started carrying lock picking kits!

Now I hope HDR comes down on you for that obvious white lie, LOL. In my case, I got the white lie straight from the horse's mouth, but the horse was shirley lying. 

I ran across this webpage talking about there being all sorts of possible entry points into standard RVs, including holes in the firewalls with poor seals. There is a parallel recent thread on catching/killing mice. It seems that peppermint oil/spray is not very effective, this guy recommends moth balls, besides going over every inch of your RV and sealing every possible hole. 
http://www.doityourselfrv.com/keep-mice-squirrels-rv-four-easy-ways/

 

[Moxadox]

Now I hope HDR comes down on you for that obvious white lie, LOL. In my case, I got the white lie straight from the horse's mouth, but the horse was shirley lying. 

I ran across this webpage talking about there being all sorts of possible entry points into standard RVs, including holes in the firewalls with poor seals. There is a parallel recent thread on catching/killing mice. It seems that peppermint oil/spray is not very effective, this guy recommends moth balls, besides going over every inch of your RV and sealing every possible hole. 
http://www.doityourselfrv.com/keep-mice-squirrels-rv-four-easy-ways/

Sealing every inch works. Mothballs? Maybe back when they were made of naphtha. Too many babies munched down on mothballs and were harmed, so now they're made of something else. The rodents eat them. Another thing you'll read about is dryer sheets. Nope, no dice. Flashing lights and disco balls? You'll get dancing mice. Very cute. Then they get famished, and hit the vehicle wiring soy food buffet.

The Dire Wolfess

 

[QinReno]

We're still trying to figure out how to get the mice and packrats off of the soy-based insulation wiring diet. I didn't much like the packrat in my engine compartment. I think the walk-the-plank device is the best bet.

But for Jack's benefit, I forgot to mention the bats. I'm sure HDR has them wherever he is at this very moment. I've seen them everywhere I've been.

The other half of the mouse story from above is .... The day after I had the mouse in the Jeep, I was camping at another place and sleeping under a low overhanging rock, so I wouldn't get wet again. A short time after getting in the bag, I kept hearing wings beating about 2-feet over head. A bat kept flying back and forth, apparently eating flying bugs that were hanging out under the rock ledge out of the rain.

That day I was down a 4WD road in slickrock country, and hoped the road wouldn't so wet that I'd get stuck in there. It's always something in the back country. Lots of fun in store for you, Jack.