We’ve finally reached the California Desert. After all, the whole point of this trip was to retrace the routes and locations listed in my Frugal Shunpiker’s Guides to update the information. So here we go….. I guess the “work” part of the trip has officially kicked in. If only all “work” was so enjoyable!
Death Valley
Our first destination: Death Valley National Park. With winter moving into spring, we wanted to arrive while temperatures were still below average. In Death Valley, “below average” means temps are still a 2-digit number. Whew – we made it. Barely!
It was a quick visit – we knew what we needed to check in the park, knew where we could camp just outside the park entrances (at higher, cooler elevation) and spent just enough time to drive our favorite scenic loops, and take in one new-to-us hike.
Mojave National Preserve
Our next destination, Mojave National Preserve, was a much longer stop, provided more appealing temperatures and we spent six nights in total. Two in each of three very distinct sections of the park.
Second overnight camping stop in Mojave National Preserve was at Kelso Dunes. It’s one of only 30 singing dune fields in the world!Randy hiked to the top of the dunes. Not a fan of dune hiking, I went for a “more sensible” walk myself. He shook so much sand from his boots and pockets after that hike that I think he could have been fined; removing natural resources from the park is an offence.
We saved our favorite section of this park for last: Hole in the Wall.
One thing was consistent throughout the park. We kept running into this guy. He seemed to be hopping from bush to bush. I’m sure I saw him hiding colorful Easter Eggs. We hope he made it to your area this weekend too! Wherever you are!
Happy Easter!!!!
Days on the road at time of writing: 34
Camping costs to date: $18
Thank you so much for your updates! It was great to meet you both at Escapade and look forward to seeing you along the by ways. We spent happy days boondocking in Mojave and had great fun on the dunes and climbing the rings at hole in the wall. But you always inspire us to keep exploring!
I guess you could say we inspire each other. Let’s keep doing it for a long as we can!
So glad to see you out on the road again. Can I receive your blog posts via email? Thanks for all the work you do. Your guides make our travels so much easier and more interesting.
Great to have you following me, Sunny! You will find a “Keep Updated” link on the bottom right-hand panel on your laptop. May have to search for “more” to find it on a mobile device.
When I click on that link I get a bunch of coded gobbledygook. Can you possibly sign me up somehow? Thanks.
Hmmm. Thanks for letting me know, Sunny. Must be something wrong there. I’ll look into how to fix it and let you know when it’s done.
It happens on other blogs sometimes too. I tied from iPad and laptop.
We are newbies and are planning our first long term trip. We are using you blog for information about what to expect when dry camping. What do you do for internet service when posting to your blog.
Welcome newbies. We use a cell phone data plan (have used both AT&T and Verizon) bluetoothed to my laptop. Our signal booster – the We-Boost Drive 4G-X RV (new this year) was quite helpful in areas where the signal is so-so. Sometimes we’re able to find reliable Wi-fi and will use it, when possible, for uploads to avoid excessive data use.
I’ve been through the Mojave, but years ago! Your pictures make me want to spend a weekend trailing through. Awesome site here, gonna dig through more of your updates.
Please! How can I get the California guide for coast and western sierras?
With a little patience it will again be available for purchase by the end of the year. I removed it because it had been too long since we retraced the route and I won’t sell something that is likely to contain a lot of outdated material. But the route was just reviewed and I’ll be totally revising the guide now before I make it available again. Thank you for your patience.