And so it begins....

We are homeless...well actually it is more like landless.  Two humans - both 56 years old - male and female and a 20 month old German Shepherd Dog - male. This whole idea started with a Tiny House concept. (Google it!) We decided we really didn't need a lot of space and possessions to be happy. Along came another thought. How about touring the U.S., Canada, and possibly Mexico? In order to do that we would both need to retire, acquire our own "tiny house" and have income - not a fortune but enough to pay for gas and food - no more rent - no more mortgage!
This was very appealing to Mike and me. We both had an inner repressed hippie from our
youth beckoning us to the open road. I had always wanted to travel and see this country with no strings attached.  Instead I chose a "safer" route - went to college, got a job, got married had a child and put my dream on the back-back burner. 

Mike and I at the beginning of our RV experiment-May 2013 

Fast forward--move to Arizona, divorce, laid off, hired by TSA, breast cancer--skipping through that part of my life to one year cancer free! It's time to re-think the dream.
We bought a Forest River R-Pod - small but it has everything we need - including a very comfy bed! Over the spring and summer we had dry runs - dispersed camping - primitive camping on the Mogollon Rim in the Sitgreaves National Forest. We used a generator to run appliances like the all important coffee maker and toaster! We pooped in buckets using plastic grocery bags as liners (thank you Walmart and Fry's). We ran our fridge with propane and heated our water with it as well. We were able to take hot showers! Such luxury out in the middle of nowhere - Forest Road 237.

One of our Rv camping experiments on Forest Rd 237.  September 2013.



Many people don't realize there is dispersed  a/k/a primitive camping (no fees!) on National Forest lands and Bureau of Land Management areas. We figured on dispersed camping all over the country. Hey, as taxpayers why not take advantage of this public land!  When we need more luxury we would stay in an RV Park. We purchased a membership to Passport America which gives you 50% off the cost at participating RV parks across the country.
Mike has a pension - I worked - if we marry I get health insurance and Mike gets a full time camping partner. Easy peasy - we are ready!
Moving several times in the past six years I have lightened my load of stuff considerably.  My essential keepsakes went to Chris, my ex-husband. We had a good yard sale - where in desperation we practically gave things away. We acquired a young German Shepherd to accompany us and gave our notice at the apartment. We managed to empty out our residence - some items went in the alley where deserving folks get free things. For weeks we sang "Night and Day" ad libbing lyrics to fit our current mood or predicament. It was our "freedom theme song" brought on by watching "Fantastic Mr. Fox" so many times....(notice I did not say too many times)!
We managed to get on the road a little after noon, stopped at the Fresh Start women's donation center where I gave up my business clothes.
The first destination was to be Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area. $5 a night to stay in the campground or we might find dispersed camping. We went from Phoenix to Gold Canyon to Safford with a stop in Globe. By the time we hit Safford we knew it would be dark soon. There was just no time to look for a dispersed camping site. We drove into Gila Box in the dark. It was a scary roller coaster ride of hairpin turns, steep inclines and declines (think Space Mountain). We hit the campground, paid our fee and picked the first site we saw. It was an easy pull through and we kept the truck hitched up.

A view from our campsite at Gila Box October 31, 2013.  Notice the beautiful cliffs bordering the Riparian area.

Riverview Campground - pretty much high desert at the campground but a short walk down hill and there is the Gila River flowing along. Lots of trees along the banks. We walked to a sandy beach where I'm sure wildlife come to drink their fill. We saw prints in the sand - looked like javelina - but no critters. Later I walked the dog to an historic marker. In 1846 the U.S. Army camped on that spot on their way to California to fight the Mexicans.
We wanted out of the desert, two nights and one full day was enough. We were trying to escape the heat but it was still hot!  The river was nice but you were not allowed to camp near it or in the trees. Downsizing was another issue. We still had way too much stuff so I Googled thrift shops and donation centers in Safford, the closest town. We found a recycling center that would take everything that we needed to unload (we even had a vacuum cleaner....really, a vacuum cleaner for a 15 foot trailer?) This place employed young men of the community who needed the work - a win/win situation.
The U.S. Forest Service/Bureau of Land Management Office in Safford was staffed by the nicest, most helpful people. After chatting with them for camping ideas they gave us a choice of three different destinations. 

Aravapai Canyon was the place we selected.   

Adventures in Aravapai

                                                 

A scenic view right before entering the Aravapai Wilderness area.

Outside the actual Aravapai Wilderness Canyon there is a road called Turkey Creek where dispersed camping is allowed.
In order to get there we had to backtrack to Pima and then go southwest on Klondyke Road. This is a well maintained dirt road with several ranches and surrounded by BLM wilderness. The scenery was beautiful and we rarely passed another car. This is definitely a road less traveled. We made our way to Klondyke which shows up as a town on the map but there really wasn't anything there - a little store that was closed, a few rough houses and ranches. We kept driving along approaching Aravapai Canyon noticing more and more trees and a few isolated houses.  Then, of all things, in the middle of nowhere, we passed an old, quaint church - The Salazar Family Church. It looked like it had been there a long time.

The Salazar Family Church

The Forest Service Information Officer had explained to us that we would cross water six times before we reached our destination. It seemed more like eight and we actually crossed the stream - tires through the water - no bridges!
Finally we made it!   The entrance to the Canyon!  A few cars parked there indicated people who had permits to be in the Canyon. We were permit-less so we took the road following Turkey Creek. Immediately the road turned quite rough and it seemed to fork left and right. Stopping the truck, Mike and I set out to do some scouting. I'm so glad we did because one side the road was completely blocked. The other direction yielded a dispersed camping site. Getting there would be a little tricky though.

                               

                        

  Beautiful cliffs all around us!                                Beautiful wilderness all around us!

This is the second time, by the way, that we arrived at our destination after dark. It seems to be a pattern we are developing which is not good when you are "primitive camping".
To say this road was a challenge was an understatement. We had a very short distance to go and we managed to get stuck. The darn attached step under the trailer door and the trailer stabilizers--grrrr! These items were hampering our forward motion. Then we saw the lights of an ORV. It was Frank Salazar and his friend to the rescue. They not only helped us get unstuck (Frank drove the truck and trailer over the most difficult section) but also gave us a little history of the area. The Salazar Family Church is still used but only for special occasions. A pastor or priest has to be called from Safford, there are no weekly services. We thought it might be a good spot for our wedding until he told us that. He also told us about the Turkey Creek Cliff Dwellings further down the road. He said it would be worth our while to check them out.

We fell into bed that night totally pooped.

Our canine friend, Kilo, woke us just before dawn. He had business to attend to outside. After our morning coffee and breakfast we decided to take a bike ride down the road. Before heading out we met Stace from the Nature Conservancy. This organization owns a good deal of the land around the canyon and he told us about some really nice camping spots farther up the road. One site had a pull through turn around and he told us that was the only way we'd be able to get out. Really?  The ONLY way out?  The look on Mike's face told me he smelled a challenge!

It was a good day for a bike/hike. Kilo trotted along with us herding me as a German Shepherd is apt to do! We saw some awesome campsites but felt we didn't want to venture any further with the trailer after our previous ordeal. Coming upon a sign for the Cliff Dwellings we started on a trail that led up the side of a rocky wall. Hiking along we eventually reached an area where two cliffs met in a V and we were suddenly walking through the cliff dwelling area. There were pools of rainwater and it felt surreal like an alien landscape. The floor was practically smooth, a gray, clay color as were the cliff sides. No wonder people had lived there, it was absolutely beautiful! Frank Salazar told us his uncle found the site and retrieved many artifacts that he turned over to local museum.

    Kilo leads the way and Mike follows.

                     

This was one of the most enjoyable hikes we have been on!  It was well hidden and we were delightfully surprised!  We are standing in the cliff dwelling area with a natural stone staircase to follow the trail!

     

             

                                                                                     

                                               Cozy Cliffs                                        

We did a little scrambling and Kilo had to be coaxed a few times but it was an awesome hike. Mike was determined to get a signal on his iPhone but alas it was not to be. Still no signal even when we reached the top of the cliffs. Mike would have to wait to wish his daughter, Yibbie, a Happy Birthday.

                           

                                 Sometimes it was like walking in a tunnel!

 Incredible view from the cliff.

On the way back to our trailer a family of javelina (two adults and a baby) crossed our path. Kilo saw the baby and started after him. Fortunately the javelina family got away unharmed as did Kilo.

  

                                       

Needless to say we slept really well that night, so well we completely slept through the rain shower that dampened everything we had left outside.