How We Choose: Boondocking, Harvest Host, Campground, and the Pink Thong?
Oliver Lee State Park
Great place to base camp out of for exploring Whites Sands National Park, Cloud Croft, and Alamogordo
Boondocking
Boondocking allows us to get away from the crowds, see nature at its most uninterrupted and to reset. In most places, we can legally camp between 14 and 30 days, but with our supplies (water and waste storage) 10 days has been our maximum comfort level. We love using this option after time spent in larger state parks or events like the Albuquerque Balloon Festival and when we feel we need time to ourselves and not have neighbors to close.
Camping this way is also a great way to stay on budget. Most the camping areas are free, and we save money on fuel by seldom driving away from our site for the time we are there. Instead, we will explore the area on foot hiking trails or two track roads that are also frequently in the area.
It is also a great time to work! With limited distractions, an abundance of nature, and quiet surroundings we can get creative in our writing, podcasting, crafts, and social media.
Boondocking areas are usually remote and may not have cell phone reception so bringing your own internet can be important.
Sunset at Bernard Family Farms
This was our view from one of our amazing Harvest Hosts stays.
Harvest Host
This membership program is what we use if we are passing through an area and need a safe place to stay for a night. With reservations required, this allows for peace of mind especially after long travel days.
We have loved our stays at wineries, distilleries, museums, airport, farms, and breweries. Staying the night at a small local business and buying at least $20 worth of their goods is a great trade and an amazing way to support and learn more about our hosts.
Additionally, most hosts only have a few spots per night, so it is also a great chance to meet fellow travelers. We have met some of our best friends on the road during these overnight stops and have been blessed to meet up with them in other locations around the country. A year later we still think fondly of our friends we met at Casey Jones Distillery in Kentucky and our first Airstream friends at Pal’s Brewing in North Platte, Nebraska.
State Campgrounds
We love our state campgrounds across the country for a couple reasons.
First, it is as close to boondocking as you can get while having the security of a campground. Secondly, most will have bathhouses for longer showers, flushing toilets, fresh water supply, and a dump stations. Finally, we really like them because they are very affordable!
Most times you can get a full hook up site for less than $25 a night minus some online fees. Since we are comfortable camping without full hookups, we look for parks that have a dry camping option for about $10 per night.
Most state parks are located near water features, geographical landmarks, historical areas, and are a great base camp for when we are going to be out exploring. Many also have nature paths, educational outreach, and awesome hiking trails in the parks. With camp hosts, park rangers, and staff constantly around we feel very safe leaving the Queen in the parks while we adventure around the area.
The Backup Plan
You didn’t think we stuck around long enough to get a picture of the real guy did you?
No matter where we are going, we like to have several back up options nearby in case the road to the boondocking site is too rough or the Harvest Host and campground are full.
In a rare occasion you might need a backup plan for a different reason!
So, no shit there we were, completing an awesome three-hour road trip from Carlsbad to Alamogordo, New Mexico. The drive had taken us through some great small towns, like Artesia and Cloud Croft, as well as through some high mountain terrain we never associated with New Mexico. We were in awe at the amount of apple trees growing right along Hwy 82 and its winding curves alongside the Rio Penasco.
As we dropped into the valley, we could see the dunes of White Sands National Park in the distance and heard the roar of the jets from Holloman Air Force Base taking off overhead. The valley in between several mountain ranges was beautiful.
It seemed to be easy money as we drove onto the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land just south of town. With only a few boondockers already there at 1 pm on a Thursday, we felt confident we could find a spot.
Then it happened! As Andrea was out walking around looking for our spot to call home, I saw it.
At first, I could not make out exactly what it was, but it certainly appeared to be a scantily dressed person standing in the middle of the only road in or out waving at us.
Andrea got back in the truck, and we preceded with caution. It was clear our new friend had no intention of letting us pass without a conversation. I drove to the right of the person to make sure they would be at my side of the vehicle and not Andrea’s, so she did not have to use any karate before we parked 😊
As we got closer, the image became clearer and could not look away. It was happening. We were driving straight towards a pink thong bikini attached to a 60 + year old man.
He had apparently appointed himself as the defacto camp host and told us where the best spot for us would be. Unfortunately, it was right next to his!
For an area we had hoped to leave the Queen unattended in while we explored the area, this encounter left us feeling uneasy. I’m sure he would have been a great neighbor and I could only imagine the future conversations we could have had based on the first one. However, it did not feel right, so we passed on his offer of the best spot and went to plan b.
Thankfully, there was a state park (Oliver Lee) just up the road that had first come first serve spots we were able to get.
The moral of this story is that no matter how well you plan, a 60-year-old man in a pink thong bikini may cause you rethink it!
Although he did have an amazing tan with no visible lines at all 😊
See you all down the road!