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My camping philosophy
I've just introduced my self in the New Members section, thought I'd jump over to here to articulate why we camp (or RV?) the way we do and have.
When we go camping/travelling, it is rarely with any but the most general destination in mind. We'll often get up in the morning and go (or maybe not!) wherever our noses point. Or stay put whenever we find a particularly nice spot.
About the only "rule" we try to stick to is -- no freeways unless absolutely necessary. We definitely prefer the "blue highways", as William Least Heat Moon calls them.
This is best illustrated by talking about our first major trip in the Boler shortly after we got it. We had 25 days, and we wanted to see the Grand Canyon, so off we went. We'd seen lots & lots of Washington, and the Oregon coast, so we broke our no-freeway rule & decided to breeze right through to the Columbia River and then slow down. Well . . . by about day 15 or so, we'd made it as far as Oregon's high desert country around Bend, and the Steens Mountains area. Some days we'd maybe only make 20-30 miles before finding a nifty spot to stop for a few hours or days. Somewhat reluctantly we boogied south, just so we wouldn't have to get home & "admit" that we never made it to the Grand Canyon.
That trip was the start of our continuing enchantment with the desert/southwest, and every trip since we've made time to explore some parts of the country we'd hurried through in our efforts to "see" the Grand Canyon. BTW, I found the Grand Canyon, or at least the Village/South Rim, anticlimactic (we never had time to stop and really explore). The North Rim, on the other hand . . . awesome.
A few of our favourite places -- which will all see more visits over the years, you betcha:
Steens Mountains -- first discovered on a bicycle tour with Cycle Oregon.
Utah's Waterpocket Fold -- I could spend a month on just this hundred-mile piece of backcountry. Trivia: the ferry that used to run across Lake Powell at Bullfrog at the south end of WaterPocket Fold is now plying the waters between Vancouver Island and Thetis & Kuper Islands just south of our home in BC!
Valley of the Gods (alternative to Monument Valley) -- and an exciting road to get there, Utah Hwy 261, which drops 1,100 feet in elevation in 3 miles of gravel swithbacks with 10% grades.
Told you we like to get "off the beaten track"!
Back sometime soon with more.
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