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.