RV Camping - Nature's Treats

Yesterday was an exploration day for us. After stopping at Tom's Place on US 395 about 20 miles east of Mammoth Lakes for breakfast, we headed north along the Owens River Gorge Road to where it intersects with Benton Crossing Road. We then turned west toward Crowey Lake to return to our current campsite. While exploring, we found a great boondocking site perfect for our our 36' class A motor home...

The view reminded me of places we saw along the Alaska Highway a couple years ago. Access to this campsite is perfect for us with good gravel access, and along a road seldom used. It's 15 miles from US 395, but this great boondocking location is one you will have to find for yourself.

We went to sleep to the sound of rain on the roof at our base camp at the BLM Crowley Lake Campground (location map)about 15 miles east of Mammoth Lakes.

When we awoke this morning, the mountains have their first significant dusting of snow. The clear blue skies highlight the crystaline new snow on the jagged Sierra Nevada mountain peaks. Nature has once again treated us to some of it's magnificent splendor.

It won't be long until snow levels drop a few hundred feet more, and this campground closes for the season November 1. We'll be gone by then as the weather forecast is for snow on Tuesday.

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Winter RV Camping Safety

Happy Birthday Margie!!!

The leaves are changing colors, the temperature is dropping, and snow rests on the high mountains nearby meaning cold weather RV camping conditions can hit at any time. Many RVers love to camp in the changing fall colors of the forest, and hunters search for remote locations where snow storms and cold temperatures can make RV camping difficult, if not downright deadly.

Not only the weather and cold temperatures, but use of portable heaters or your own RVs gas appliances can kill you under the right conditions. RV Camping Winter Safety has information you may not be aware of about portable ventless propane heaters, carbon monoxide, and some ideas that may save your life. You will also find information about camping in -0 degree weather by an experienced RVer.

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RV Camping - Heading South For The Winter

We're out of the woods and back searching for great RV camping locations...

Winter may officially be a couple months away, but winter weather can hit just about anywhere from now on. Keeping up on weather forecasts is important to RVers this time of year. I don't know any RVers that look forward to icy road travel, so many folks head south early. But some of us full time RVers don't like spending too much time in one area, and spending 5 months in the Arizona/California desert can get kinda long for some. So how do we avoid going south too early?

Here are some tips we use to help with our seasonal RV travel plans.

Knowing the historical weather averages by month and even day can be very useful. Why? Well...if a big snow storm is heading your way, and you wouldn't leave if the weather was going to be nice, knowing that historically the weather should be quite nice tells you that this storm is unususal, should depart quickly, and the following weather should still be good for RV camping. Of course this method of travel means you travel without schedules. You can find state by state NOAA historical weather links at RV Camping by clicking on the state you wish information for, then clicking on the "Historical Weather" link.

High altitude remote camping this time of year can be problematic. We've camped in snowy conditions numerous times, but almost always in Spring or early Fall when we were confident that the snow would soon melt. Late season RVers can get into big trouble being off the beaten path as the snow may not melt until next summer.

We try and slowly change altitude from summer RV camping at around 9000 feet to winter elevations of a few hundred feet in the deserts of Arizona and California. We typically stay put until night temperatures drop into the upper 20's, then drop a couple thousand feet in altitude and repeat the process. Depending on your planning, it can take a long time to go a couple hundred miles.

Be creative. Go a different route. Take time to research state tourism web sites for travel ideas. Ask other RVers for their recommendations. Go someplace completely different. Once you get where you're headed, volunteer to help BLM, USFS, NPS, USACE, or any other organization that needs people to help out. It will make your time fly!

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