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Where would you go?
Yahoo Message Number: 142883
My wife and I are planning to spend our first winter in warmer climes.  We keep going back and forth as to where to go.  There's Florida, which would be closer and out West, where neither of us have a lot of experience.  We've got a new-to-us 1992 LD 22' with the not-real-impressive hill climbing ability of the Chevy 350.  It's running smooth as silk and getting better gas mileage than we thought, but not sure it will be up to the Western mountains.  We're experienced wilderness campers and would like to spend a lot of time boon docking.  We'll not be taking a tow vehicle and would like to be someplace that we can bike a lot.

It would seem that one advantage to being out West is that we would stand a chance of meeting more Lazy Dazers.

Thought some of you old hands could give us some suggestions.  We're open to everything and everything.

Thanks in advance,

John
Re: Where would you go?
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 142884
Our 1987 22 ft with Chevy 350 runs not as smooth as silk but handles climbs in NM, CO, AZ, UT, and other places west.
Sometimes I find myself leaning forward to help.
Lots of nice places to visit in southern NM in the winter.
Lk with 87 tk

Sent by iPhone
2018 24' Twin King (replacing 1987 22' TK)
Re: Where would you go?
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 142888
I envy your freedom.
 Where are you from?  The Southwest is drier and probably less rainy.  Also New Mexico and Arizona are less crowded than Florida.

I would be inclined to try Santa Fe or Tucson.

But then, Savannah might be nice too.

So many choices...
Re: Where would you go?
Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 142889
We live in Northern Michigan.  We love it up here in the summer, but the cold in the winter is starting to get to these aging bones.

John
Re: Where would you go?
Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 142890
As you probably know, one of the strengths of the west is the boondocking available on millions of acres of National Forest and BLM land.  What you may not know is that there is one state park in California that allows boondocking--Anza Borrego State Park, northeast of San Diego and south of Joshua Tree National Park.  I mention it also because the center of park lies in a vast plain surrounded by mountains and is perfect for biking as well as boondocking.  It is the largest state park in California.  The campground at Borrego Springs provides fresh water and a dump station.  It is also near other interesting areas to explore biking or hiking, such as the aforementioned Joshua Tree NP (no boondocking) and Mohave National Preserve (boondocking allowed).
 New Mexico and Arizona offer great  beauty as well as boondocking and biking opportunities, as has been mentioned.
 There is one place in Florida we love--but no boondocking:  Jonathan Dickinson SP, near Hobe Sound and Jupiter.  No boondocking, but good campgrounds and access to the Loxahatchee River in the park and the nearby Loxahatchee NWR.  Lots of biking.  A major draw for us also is the Hobe Sound NWR beach on Jupiter Island--miles of barrier island beach accessible by vehicle only from the south to a parking lot--then miles of of totally wild beach to the northern tip of the island accessible only on foot or by boat.  Unique in South Florida.

Good luck.  Ted

From: "peracola@..." To: lifewithalazydazerv@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2013 4:01 PM Subject: [LD] Where would you go?
Re: Where would you go?
Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 142891
Ted, I'm curious if there are ANY boondocking/dry camping locations in Florida. Have you found any?

Chris H
Formerly: 2002 30' IB
Re: Where would you go?
Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 142892
John, my wife and I lived in the east. When we retired 5 years ago and went full time we came out west and have pretty much stayed here. Lots of boondocking and hiking. We were avid bikers but the roads and hills are a bit much for us.

We maintain a blog of our travels here. Maybe it would give you some ideas.

http://littleadventures-jg.blogspot.com/

Jim C
Re: Where would you go?
Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 142894
Chris--Our Florida trips were decades ago, when we were tent camping, so we have no direct knowledge of boondocking areas.  There are three national forests in Florida, so that's the first websites I would check.  If it says "dispersed camping" is allowed, I would then call the hq of each forest to confirm and also inquire if there are any special dispersed camping rules beyond the standard rules that apply to all national forests (e.g. boondocking allowed, but only in designated dispersed camping areas).  I would note the name of the person with whom I spoke, in case I am accused later of violating the rules and need to cite the source of the interpretation of the rules I am observing.  Ted

From: "chorst_2000@..." To: lifewithalazydazerv@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 27, 2013 7:10 AM Subject: RE: Re: [LD] Where would you go?
Re: Where would you go?
Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 142895
"We're experienced wilderness campers and would like to spend a lot of time boon docking. We'll not be taking a tow vehicle and would like to be someplace that we can bike a lot."

My two cents' worth: there will be many more boondocking opportunities in the Southwest than in Florida. More by a factor of about a hundred, I'd say. :-) There's just a lot more public land out here, and a lot fewer people.

As for your 1992 LD with the Chevy 350 engine, I have sometimes commented that they are underpowered, but the truth is that you can get where you want to go, including over the Rockies, if you're willing to take it slow. I owned a 1985 LD twin/king, which had even less power than your '92, because its engine had a carburetor rather than throttle-body injection, and I traveled full-time in the southwest for several years with it.

There were times when I was down to 30 mph or less, but I always got through. You just have to be patient. Only once did it refuse to climb a hill, and that was when it was heavily overloaded and I was trying to go up a steep, rocky road that was marked as "Not recommended for motorhomes." (I had climbed it before, but with a lighter load.) So don't worry about being able to get over the mountains--you will. (See the Eureka website for tips on mountain driving.)
 Yes, you'll be more likely to  run into fellow Lazy Dazers in Arizona and New Mexico, but even if that weren't true, I think the Southwest fits your criteria much better than Florida. Just my two cents worth.

Andy Baird
http://www.andybaird.com/travels
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Where would you go?
Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 142898
Thanks all,

All good information and we'll put it to good use with our plans.

Right now we're leaning towards Austin (music), Santa Fe and Tucson (friends) and finally San Diego (bike paths.)

Although we have mountain bikes, we'll be taking our "country" bikes. (wife's Soma Buena Vista and my Rivendell Homer Hilsen for those who know these bikes.)  The bikes probably won't do very well in the mountains, so we'll stick to doing a lot of hiking and photography.  Then, we'll spend some time in the San Diego because we hear they have an extensive bike path system.

Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.

John
Re: Where would you go?
Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 142901
John, Louisana has wonderful bike trails. Stay at Fountainbleau State Park and ride on the rails to trails path to Abita Springs.

Karen
Re: Where would you go?
Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 142902
We live in New England and most winters we head to the southeast US - northern FL and the Gulf Coast of AL and MS. There are some great NP, COE and USFS locations ranging from full-service campgrounds to some dispersed camping locations. There are some boondocking spots in FL, though most are in the Panhandle and are not near the coast. Both the Appalachicola NF and Tate's Hell WMA have dozens of boondocking locations.
 I've been researching public camp sites such as these for the past 5 years and have built a web site (www.ultimatecampgrounds.com) which displays them on state maps. Click on the icons for details on each CG shown.
 As others have said, there are MANY more opportunities for boondocking out west. Every 2 or 3 years we forego our FL winter and head west and southwest, where we find all sorts of boondocking  locations. Many areas are either USFS or BLM land where you can camp just about anywhere. As others have suggested check with local USFS/BLM officials for regulations.
 You can find photo reviews of all the locations where we have camped at www.wxtoad.com.
 Another great cost-saver is the Annual Camping Pass offered by the New Mexico State Parks system. For out-of-staters, there is a $225 pass which then entitles you to free camping at NM state parks if you don't want hookups, or a $4.00 fee if you want electric. Even with using hookups, the pass pays for itself in about 3 weeks.

Have a great trip!

WxToad (I'm using that since we have another Ted or two here) @ Kirtland AFB, ABQ, NM
Re: Where would you go?
Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 142943
That sounds great.  We've owned a sea kayak business in Greece for a number of years, so paddling the swamps in that area, along with the biking, sounds like a real winner!!

John
Re: Where would you go?
Reply #13 –
Yahoo Message Number: 142954
Hi John, last I saw you was in Denver when you picked up your rig (I was the "shuttle" driver). Glad to hear you are planning a winter trip and from experience I can say you have a rig that is optimized for boondocking. One suggestion: I would avoid Santa Fe in the winter. I am there now and just spent time at Hyde state park above town where the temp already got down to 29 in the morning. The city is at 7000 ft elevation and it gets cold in the winter, as in below zero. Even southern New Mexico can be pretty cold mid winter IMO. I would go lower in elevation.   Chris F
1998 Mid-Bath
 
Re: Where would you go?
Reply #14 –
Yahoo Message Number: 142959
Hi Chris,

Good to hear from you.

We've gotten plenty of pros and cons about lots of places.  The fun thing is that, with the motorhome, we don't have to make up our mind until we leave -- and can change our mind on the go.  Who knows, maybe we'll just flip a coin.

John