We did it! Now what?

[WolfeWalker]

We started our nomad journey about 2 weeks ago, making the trek from Vegas to Or to take the kid to a friends... We are ready to see the world now, but also want to meet up with some of the tribe....a couple of 40something guys and the cutest pup you'll ever meet, leaving Oregon for where ever the wind takes us...where are you,? We might just get blown that way....

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums WolfeWalker!  Check the Gatherings section to see where people are meeting up. You can also post your own gathering in that section.

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.   We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[QinReno]

There was just a meetup over by Tillamook, maybe some people are still around.
https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=29968

 

[WolfeWalker]

Looks.like.we.missed it. Seems like we.are.doing something wrong. Found free camping twice in the last two weeks, but got.chased off by bears (a mama and her two babies) at the second site and had to replace the tent and change undies...nothing seems to be working out right. Still stuck in Oregon and trying to get down to the AZ high desert. Could use some words of wisdom and encouragement. Anyone got time for a little mentorship?

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the forum! I'll be happy to mentor you but it'll be long distance because we're all the way cross country in Pennsylvania. Ask questions here on the forums or PM if you'd rather do it that way.

 You're in a beautiful part of the country right now so why hurry your journey south? If you head north to Washington state you can get a Discover Pass and camp almost for free for an entire year.  Here's the pass information - http://www.discoverpass.wa.gov/

 Here's a map with campsites- https://www.dnr.wa.gov/go   The WDFW campsites don't show up on that map but I've put them on my map.  Most of the WDFW sites are east of the mountains where it's hot so you may want to skip them for now.

 

[QinReno]

Looks.like.we.missed it. Seems like we.are.doing something wrong. Found free camping twice in the last two weeks, but got.chased off by bears (a mama and her two babies) at the second site and had to replace the tent and change undies...nothing seems to be working out right. Still stuck in Oregon and trying to get down to the AZ high desert. Could use some words of wisdom and encouragement. Anyone got time for a little mentorship?

Still about 2 or 3 months early for heading south to the AZ desert. If the bear ate your tent instead of your food, you were likely not following the proper guidelines. 

***Read some of the online pages about traveling in bear country*** 

No food or smelly things in the tent. Eg, no nighttime snacks, candy bars, soap or even toothpaste. Some people say to even change into different clothes from what you cooked dinner in. Never ever bring bacon. Keep the food somewheres away from the tent. Many campgrounds have bear boxes to stash your food. Also, I would not go camping in Montana or Wyoming in the corridor between Yellowstone and Glacier parks. That's where the grizzlies mostly live.

 

[VanForNow]

Looks.like.we.missed it. Seems like we.are.doing something wrong. Found free camping twice in the last two weeks, but got.chased off by bears (a mama and her two babies) at the second site and had to replace the tent and change undies...nothing seems to be working out right. Still stuck in Oregon and trying to get down to the AZ high desert. Could use some words of wisdom and encouragement. Anyone got time for a little mentorship?

In the West, experienced nomads rarely pay for campsites. A starter for finding free or low cost campsites are the following apps/websites:

Freecampsites.net
Campendium
ioverlander (my personal favorite)
OvernightRVParking
Allstays (specializing in federal, state & county campgrounds)