Why go thru the hassle of boondocking when perfectly good campgrounds are around? Why not take the paved road to the leveled spot, plug in and enjoy all of the goodies like showers, bathrooms, etc?
We enjoy the seclusion up in the boonies. I wake up on top of a hill or ridge with a 360 degree view of two or three mountain ranges. I get up predawn and sit in my lawn chair watching the sun rise with a cup of coffee and a camera. The birds are at their loudest and the wildlife is the most active that first hour or two, it's the best part of the day.
Another part is noise and not just from others. First there is our schnauzers that will bark at anything that moves or makes a sound in a campground. Up in the hills there is nothing for them to bark at and if they do, it's time to load up Bessy.
We also have a cheap open frame generator. I'd rather have a nice quiet one but instead of buying it, I bought solar so our generator rarely runs except for AC which isn't needed at 9-10,000 ft. I'd never run it in a CG unless something drastic happened even though the last trip Honey wanted to run it to get even with those running theirs 24/7.
Avoiding others noise like the generators, dogs, kids, ATVs, boats etc is always a plus too. ;)
Last thing is it free. The FHU CG near us is $30 a night plus $100 for the yearly park pass. Just three days is enough to pay for the gas to get to and back from where we Boondock and we can stay three weeks if we want. That's pretty much the limit of our water and food and it's a 100 mile round trip for water.
What I miss about CGs is the people and seeing the different rigs. Most have always been kind, wanted to see our rig and show off theirs. This last trip at the lake the two that ran their generators the most asked about the solar, how much was it and what could it do. They were surprised to hear that we ran more and stayed warmer than they were. Even more so when they found out my 230w system cost just $200.
So what attracts you to the boonies?
-- Edited by jimindenver on Sunday 13th of October 2013 09:21:20 AM
Lucky Mike said
01:12 PM Oct 13, 2013
Im the same as you>>..............
1. Peace & Quite.........just me and mother nature!!
2. This should be Number 1....$$$$$$ money saving camping fee's nightly allows me to put money to other uses...altho boondocking isn't 100% free the money saved for a week of boondocking is great when its time to buy fuel , propane,groceries or spending money on dinner out or other things.......bottom line it allows stretching the budget.
3. most parks and campgrounds are nothing but oversized parking lots anymore and find every reason in the book to raise prices for normal items.....(its a holiday but you will get no more than any other day)....Electric heater or A/C....(but I thought I just paid for electric...is there a turbo switch on the box)......water & sewer....if take water in its gotta go somewhere , why is there separate charges.......25 dollars to use there self serve dump station but 30.00 to stay FHU the nite.....here is the extra five can I get a rain check on my paid for site....they have 50 rules that only apply to certain people on certain days.....the managers name is Helen Waite....so if there are any problems , you have to go to Helen Waite!!
4. I like watching mother nature She is clean ,caring ,and no matter what she is up to there is always beauty involved........campgrounds have human nature......they bring it in and forget to take it out ,step over it rather than pick it up, or just step on it.... No Respect for anyone but those involved in there personal vacation....Why a leash for my dog and there isnt one on your kid!!.....all the animals wait till its dark out to come out..Radio's loud , voices loud , you have to be 21 to drink, but they act like there 12 when they do.... 5MPH means 20MPH dust is up and in my rig , BBQ and even worse.. in my drink.....and they pee in the pool!!!
See you should never ask me why I boondock.....dont get me started....Im Retired ,got nothing to do.....and all day to talk about it....(mother nature just listens and whispers in my ears the right answers!!)...LOL
-- Edited by Lucky Mike on Sunday 13th of October 2013 01:15:20 PM
jimindenver said
10:57 PM Oct 13, 2013
Mike
I forgot about the sardine like conditions and that makes the noise even worse. The clearings we use in the boonies measure in the acres and are bigger than the 7 site dry CG we used last trip. Oddly even with the generators purring, it was quieter than the hook up CG on the weekend.
Honestly having to set up the rig to boondock has offset any savings so far. Not that I've spent a fortune, (I'm cheap) but things like a generator, solar, extra batteries, inverter and leds cost money that I wouldn't have spent with FHUs. CG's can have cable and wifi, up there we get two FM stations on the radio. Without a dish it's DVDs only. It's not cheap to rent those for a week at a time either.
I know for some it isn't much like camping, we did that did that in a tent for a long time. We even tried it for a week in the trailer and decided it would be our rolling cabin rather than a hard sided tent.
MarkS said
11:08 PM Oct 13, 2013
Mike, you sound like a cranky, intollerant old man. Keep going, I'm taking notes. I want to be good at it.
sologal said
05:18 AM Oct 14, 2013
I agree with ALL THE ABOVE !!! I will not park lined up in a pavement sardine row for $30.00 even if I can't find another site for the night. I will keep going and end up on a back road somewhere before I will do it. I will however stay at a nice campground [like in Jasper] with a power site or no power because they are nice and separated and you can use the facilities. There is nothing like being able to walk right out the door into the wilderness with dogs in tow and no one around, it's pure heaven to me. The money saved allows for the long trips and that alone is worth it. I went to Yellowknife and stayed everywhere for free and it was a fantastic trip with lots of beauty. No cell phone coverage for hundreds and hundreds of miles and no traffic to help out if you broke down but still very much worth the risk. I also make a point of boondocking when the kiddies are out of school and everyone is headed to the same place, not that I dislike kids but I would rather stay at wall mart before heading to those weekend messes....Deb
blijil said
11:25 PM Oct 14, 2013
We sometimes boondock in areas where others do likewise and enjoy the quiet and respect people of like mind have in those quiet places as well as the good times around a fire with people who enjoy the same things we do. You also are more likely to be able to hike right from you campsite and go cross country without the myriad of rules to keep the slobs in this world under control. Just don't need them when you are around people who respect their space and your space.
Why go thru the hassle of boondocking when perfectly good campgrounds are around? Why not take the paved road to the leveled spot, plug in and enjoy all of the goodies like showers, bathrooms, etc?
We enjoy the seclusion up in the boonies. I wake up on top of a hill or ridge with a 360 degree view of two or three mountain ranges. I get up predawn and sit in my lawn chair watching the sun rise with a cup of coffee and a camera. The birds are at their loudest and the wildlife is the most active that first hour or two, it's the best part of the day.
Another part is noise and not just from others. First there is our schnauzers that will bark at anything that moves or makes a sound in a campground. Up in the hills there is nothing for them to bark at and if they do, it's time to load up Bessy.
We also have a cheap open frame generator. I'd rather have a nice quiet one but instead of buying it, I bought solar so our generator rarely runs except for AC which isn't needed at 9-10,000 ft. I'd never run it in a CG unless something drastic happened even though the last trip Honey wanted to run it to get even with those running theirs 24/7.
Avoiding others noise like the generators, dogs, kids, ATVs, boats etc is always a plus too. ;)
Last thing is it free. The FHU CG near us is $30 a night plus $100 for the yearly park pass. Just three days is enough to pay for the gas to get to and back from where we Boondock and we can stay three weeks if we want. That's pretty much the limit of our water and food and it's a 100 mile round trip for water.
What I miss about CGs is the people and seeing the different rigs. Most have always been kind, wanted to see our rig and show off theirs. This last trip at the lake the two that ran their generators the most asked about the solar, how much was it and what could it do. They were surprised to hear that we ran more and stayed warmer than they were. Even more so when they found out my 230w system cost just $200.
So what attracts you to the boonies?
-- Edited by jimindenver on Sunday 13th of October 2013 09:21:20 AM
Im the same as you>>..............
1. Peace & Quite.........just me and mother nature!!
2. This should be Number 1....$$$$$$ money saving camping fee's nightly allows me to put money to other uses...altho boondocking isn't 100% free the money saved for a week of boondocking is great when its time to buy fuel , propane,groceries or spending money on dinner out or other things.......bottom line it allows stretching the budget.
3. most parks and campgrounds are nothing but oversized parking lots anymore and find every reason in the book to raise prices for normal items.....(its a holiday but you will get no more than any other day)....Electric heater or A/C....(but I thought I just paid for electric...is there a turbo switch on the box)......water & sewer....if take water in its gotta go somewhere , why is there separate charges.......25 dollars to use there self serve dump station but 30.00 to stay FHU the nite.....here is the extra five can I get a rain check on my paid for site....they have 50 rules that only apply to certain people on certain days.....the managers name is Helen Waite....so if there are any problems , you have to go to Helen Waite!!
4. I like watching mother nature She is clean ,caring ,and no matter what she is up to there is always beauty involved........campgrounds have human nature......they bring it in and forget to take it out ,step over it rather than pick it up, or just step on it.... No Respect for anyone but those involved in there personal vacation....Why a leash for my dog and there isnt one on your kid!!.....all the animals wait till its dark out to come out..Radio's loud , voices loud , you have to be 21 to drink, but they act like there 12 when they do.... 5MPH means 20MPH dust is up and in my rig , BBQ and even worse.. in my drink.....and they pee in the pool!!!
See you should never ask me why I boondock.....dont get me started....Im Retired ,got nothing to do.....and all day to talk about it....(mother nature just listens and whispers in my ears the right answers!!)...LOL
-- Edited by Lucky Mike on Sunday 13th of October 2013 01:15:20 PM
I forgot about the sardine like conditions and that makes the noise even worse. The clearings we use in the boonies measure in the acres and are bigger than the 7 site dry CG we used last trip. Oddly even with the generators purring, it was quieter than the hook up CG on the weekend.
Honestly having to set up the rig to boondock has offset any savings so far. Not that I've spent a fortune, (I'm cheap) but things like a generator, solar, extra batteries, inverter and leds cost money that I wouldn't have spent with FHUs. CG's can have cable and wifi, up there we get two FM stations on the radio. Without a dish it's DVDs only. It's not cheap to rent those for a week at a time either.
I know for some it isn't much like camping, we did that did that in a tent for a long time. We even tried it for a week in the trailer and decided it would be our rolling cabin rather than a hard sided tent.
We sometimes boondock in areas where others do likewise and enjoy the quiet and respect people of like mind have in those quiet places as well as the good times around a fire with people who enjoy the same things we do. You also are more likely to be able to hike right from you campsite and go cross country without the myriad of rules to keep the slobs in this world under control. Just don't need them when you are around people who respect their space and your space.