On Friday we moved from Concho back to the national forest land between Cottonwood and Sedona. We got a GREAT site with a shade tree, and way far back from the dusty road with all it’s traffic. Deb got a lot of things fixed on her camper (to the tune of nearly $900) by A-1 RV Service in Camp Verde; really good guys who do great work. Those are the same guys who fixed my fridge and brakes. Now her old battery is working great, and she even has a new battery monitor inside the camper so she can easily see how it’s doing. It was a shorted-out awning motor that was causing her batteries to go dead all the time. (The new motor cost $300!)
All was well….enjoying the campsite….then it started to rain. Uck! After an all-day rain yesterday, continuing on into today, our campsite is a muddy mess! And it’s the kind that builds up on your shoes until you’re lifting 10# of mud with each step. I’m so glad I have my imitation Crocs with me! Regular shoes would be ruined. Princess Roxie kept bugging me to take her out this morning but I didn’t want to get all muddy again so I put the leash on her and forced her out the door while I stood safely in the doorway. She landed in the mud and very gracefully somehow twisted around and leaped back into the camper without taking another step! Here’s her footprints…..the ONLY doggy footprints! I don’t know how she managed that trick. Roxie HATES getting her feet wet!
The next time she asked to go out I knew she REALLY must have to go, but I couldn’t even drag her out the door. It’s amazing how strong a 10# dog can be. So I put on my yucky shoes and carried her over to a grassy area so she could do her business, then carried her back to the camper. I found a tent state and scraped 1/2″ of goo off my shoes before I went back inside. Here are my footprints:
I think it’ll be a few days before either of us will be able to drive out of here! Now I’m not so glad we got this campsite wayyyy back from the road! I have Things To Do, too…I’m selling my half of the 40 acres in Alaska back to the other co-owner and I needed to go print the Quitclaim Deed and get it notarized. Sigh. Maybe tomorrow?
I’ve been trying to make some summer plans. You know me; I love making plans, even if they don’t work out in the end. I’ve just about given up on finding cheap land in a place that’s cool in summer, where it’s also legal to live in a camper. All those places have terrible crime ratings! I guess cheap land attracts that sort of people?? Anyway, we were thinking of spending the summer around Flagstaff where it’s nice and cool, but they have that Southwest monsoon thing going on….heavy rains every afternoon all summer. And after this experience, I’m not interested in having rain every day. So now I’m thinking to maybe go on up to southeastern Wyoming; the Medicine Bow National Forest is one of my very favorite places and the mountains are beautiful and cool, plus it’s north of the monsoon territory. Anyone have any other good suggestions of where to spend the summer where it’s cool and fairly dry? (with lots of free camping too, of course)
Little Bitty Living 
15 replies on “Rain Rain Go Away!”
We are going to try Boise, Idaho.
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Yah, you are more heat-tolerant than I am. Boise average high in July =91. Nooooooo!! I’m looking for under 80 degrees….though I do love Idaho!
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We are going to try Boise, Idaho for a month this Summer. (April)
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Idaho! Glad you and Deb are together. I understand she is whining. LOL
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Yeah she hates it here. I think she’ll probably take off for Pahrump as soon as she can get her truck out of the mud.
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Oregon Coast! You can’t drive up the CA coast because of the road damage.
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Plan my trip for me. Just slow and easy to the northwest and back.
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Ha ha, nice try. Trust me, you would NOT like the campsites I’d find for you!!
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The temps are great if you’re right next to the ocean but there are not many free campsites there….they are all inland, where it gets quite hot. Did I forget to specify it had to have free campsites too? And it’s 1100 miles away. I was thinking somewhere in WY or northern CO.
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Have u thought about Pure Michigan in the summer😎😎😎
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Hugh, that was my original intent…come to AZ for winter, and buy some land in northern MI for summer. I love it up there! But AZ and MI are soooo far away, and I hate the long drive between them, so trying to find a nice cool spot for summers closer to here.
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As a ‘Zonie who has done the Flagstaff thing to escape the summer desert heat, I’m here to tell ya that the monsoons are no more of a problem than any place else where the heat builds up during the day and then cools down with T-storms late afternoon and eves. Plus, it’s not a daily occurrence and the monsoon rains are spotty so it pours all around you but you never see a drop. Flag is a nice place to spend a summer.
Last summer I spent five months in CO with my 13’ Scamp and made one of the most memorable summers ever. Boondocked the entire time—only spending eight nights on campground fees which totaled less than $75 using my America the Beautiful senior pass. I did the summer on $600/month or less which included gas, food, propane, laundry, and other assorted sundries. Took showers for $1-$5 at community centers or hostels whenever I had to go into civilization for supplies (at Walmarts-where else?). Entertainment was watching wildlife, hiking, day road trips over the many high elevation passes, and talking with many interesting people. Weather was generally around 72 degrees as most of the summer was spent around 9500 feet in elevation. So many great boondocks available that provided outstanding camps and yet are easy to get to towing a trailer. I’ll do it again as I still have not seen RMNP or the Maroon Bells. I never went north of I-70 so there is still a lot for me to see and do in CO.
Also, have you considered the White Mountains around Greer, AZ? Or, from Alpine to Hannigan Meadows in eastern AZ is gorgeous. Both are high elevation and offer plenty of boondocking in the national forest (Apache-Sitgreaves), I have spent a summer camping in that area and it never got above 75 and nearly every night was in the 40’s. Northern New Mexico also has some great high elevation camping and boondocking. Have you done any exploring of the mountains of Utah? Utah is one of my favorite states. Diverse, beautiful and an outdoor lover’s playground. Planning is such great fun, isn’t it? Whatever you decide to do, have a good time and a great summer!—Audrey
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Thank you Audrey, for those great suggestions! I am considering all those things. I love the national forest area around Clints Well (N. of Payson) too, though I think I still might like to get north of the monsoon line…..I really hate rain.
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Is Medicine Bow NF really above the monsoon storms? I have a dog who can’t stand the thunder. I will be in CO most of the spring. Love Flagstaff. Lots of great boondocking.
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It is, according to what I found on the internet: The monsoon typically affects Arizona, New Mexico, western Texas, southern Utah, Colorado and southern Nevada. No mention of Wyoming! And I think it’s only in the southern half of Colorado.
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