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England’s London Bridge in Arizona you say… really it’s there we saw it for ourselves.

Outside it’s minus 30 Celsius (23 F), I sit in our cabin, wood fire stoked and reflect on our trip south last winter. The memories are awesome urging us to repeat again this winter even with our dollar in the tank around 70 cents and possibly going lower. By the time I finish this article we just may say it’s only money and live on the edge of poverty.

Back to the London Bridge, it’s not in London, England anymore but situated in Lake Havasu, Arizona, which is kinda cool as we could drive there with our truck camper to see it in person.

We left one of the highlights of our trip Valley of Fire (featured in a past blog) after skipping Las Vegas Nevada. Not sure of the highway number as we took backroads to Henderson over to 93 south to Kingman south again on 40 to 95, the only road into Lake Havasu City. North of Lake Havasu we overnighted on our first BLM land, the Havasu Wildlife Refuge, free camping on public land. This off grid camping is available throughout Western United States and was very appreciated by us Canucks. In doing my research I ran across one of the best ambassadors for Arizona on YouTube, Russ from his channel RVerTV.  Russ taught me everything I know about dispersed camping on BLM land and LTVA camping in Arizona. It was a pleasure to actually meet him in Quartzsite and thank him in person, my kinda move star.

Lake Havasu is a large reservoir formed by the Parker Dam on the Colorado River. It sits on the border of Mohave County, Arizona and San Bernardino County, California. We really enjoyed the area but Lake Havasu City is a real tourist trap with approximately one million people visiting each year to see one of its main attractions, the London Bridge. If you’re into lots of entertainment, boating, fishing, nightlife and many events hosted as well as shopping there is plenty of opportunity to do so. We only really visited the bridge and the tourist visitor’s center which covers a good acre of land. After eating at a Fish and Chip shop, yes a British style restaurant, what else would be near the London Bridge, we checked out many of the interesting shops.

The beauty of travelling in a truck camper is one has no room to purchase a lot of “things”. During our walk around the area I remember Russ (RVerTV) mentioning they had sightseeing cruises of the Lake and area that were kinda expensive. Charlotte and I stood watching a big Ferry loading at the dock; the sign said $5 each. Thinking it was a deal and off season we would take the sight-seeing tour. Well we got the tour right across the lake to a casino. We just drove through Nevada where every gas station is a mini casino, so we waited ten minutes and took the ride back. We got our money’s worth as I was able to talk to a resident of Lake Havasu that grew up there when it was just a village on a dirt road, the changes he has witnessed. The community was first established during World War II as Site Six, an army Air Corps rest camp on the shores. In 1959 Robert P McCulloch purchased 3,353 acres on the east side of the lake along Pittsburgh Point, a peninsula that he would eventually create by digging a channel into an island. Four years later he would purchase 13,000 acres of Federal land which would eventually be incorporated as the city Lake Havasu in 1963. In 2020 the population was 57,144 and growing as a recreational resort city.

London, England was replacing the London Bridge and in 1968 Robert P McCulloch purchased it for 2.5 million US at auction. An Arizona company was hired to disassemble it, mark each stone and have it shipped to California where it was transported by truck to Lake Havasu. The same company then re-assembled it over the channel he had dug at a cost of seven million US dollars.  It took three years to be completed; I would hate to think what that would cost today. So when, “London Bridge was falling down”, Robert P. McCulloch salvaged it and it now resides in Arizona. It’s definitely a beautiful sight and well worth the trip to see it. If you have ever owned or seen a chain saw with the name McCulloch on it or some power equipment it was manufactured by the McCulloch Motor Company owned by Robert P McCulloch.

There is much more to the story of Lake Havasu and the London Bridge, this was the 25 cent version, you will just have to check it out for yourself. If you are travelling in a RV North is the Wildlife Refuge BLM land, across the Lake in San Bernardino County the Lake Havasu State Park and nearby Cattail Cove State Park, worth checking out.

From there we headed to our truck camper rally in Quartzsite, our only planned destination.  The London Bridge was one highlight, others were, naturally our rally, the Dwarf Car Museum and Valley of Fire all featured in previous blogs. If you’re interested you can pull them up on our site menu. Enjoy the photos and my take on the London Bridge. Enjoy your time wherever you are, travel safely and respect our natural lands.

Now the urge to travel and explore has been re-ignited may have to roll some of those pennies we have been saving and cash them in, even though we may need more to spend in US dollars. We don’t need to spend on more “stuff” just more memories so stay tuned and I will share as much as I can. Thanks to those who subscribe and the many comments I get. For some reason when I try to answer it appears they do not get out still working on that, forgive me I’m 74 and technically challenged. The site now has had close to 40,000 views that keep me motivated to continue. Thanks.

Next up: Perhaps more Arizona or some winter camping…stay tuned.

Gerry and Charlotte (practicing Nomads)

E mail communications: gerry@studiowest.ca

Let me tell you about a trip we will probably not make again. After spending time this summer at the cabin doing some landscaping and maintenance and totally rebuilding and painting our canoe trailer we very seldom pull, we had to hit the road somewhere. Our usual go to place the Narrows in Prince Albert National Park has become very popular.  A new breed of campers along with generators have taken over and that atmosphere of backcountry camping has disappeared for us, time for a less popular spot. A young lady, a full time nomad I had done a post on was staying in Beaver Glen and it was time for a visit to swap stories of our travels before she heads south.

On our way into the park we spent several days at Sandy Lake campground, camping along the shoreline. In late August there were lots of spots open and very quiet, the lake is great for boating and fishing as it’s fairly large and wide open. We liked the first come no reservations campground. On to Beaver Glen where we spent several days and had a great visit with our friend Cara and her dog Bruno. The campgrounds were quiet at this time of year that was until the weekenders came and the limited sites were all booked. It’s actually quieter than the Narrows campground as there is power supplied, no need for a generator.

Now the start of the trip I will probably not take again… we left looking for provincial recreation sites, thinking they may be like the ones we found in BC or the BLM land down south, we were wrong. We took Highway 240 in the south of the park heading west looking for Blue Heron campsite. Many backroads later we stopped a local resident who was walking on a rural road and asked where the campground was. She had never heard of Blue Heron and checked with her neighbour who did not know of it but gave us directions to a campsite at Fish Lake. We headed out to Fish Lake marked Blue Heron in the Back Roads Maps and found basically a rundown campground with very small sites even our truck camper was too large for some sites at $20 per night. We moved on.

We knew one of our favourite regional park campgrounds in Big River would be our next stop over in our search for provincial recreation campgrounds. We had never travelled north of Big River past Nesslin Lake off Highway 922, be warned this is a logging road, wide and well graveled, but a logging road. There are hundreds of beautiful lakes in our north and very few roads to them. Our first stop was at Nesslin where we had been many years ago, this has been a provincial leased campground and has it ever grown since we were there and way too busy for us. As it was pretty much shut down for the season so we kept moving north. The road into Nesslin is quite the drive  but in wet rainy weather it could be a lot of fun for sure.

On our way north the logging trucks started, it’s marked a logging road and most drivers treat it that way, you get out of their way, and there is no slowing down. For the next mile you cannot see for dust and fear another is behind also using the entire road. These guys do not share, at some points we had our flashers on the dust was so bad with no wind to clear it. We tried to stay out of their way, they have a job to do, the disappointing thing is when we were in BC all logging roads have a radio frequency one can call on so we know where the trucks are and they know where we are. We felt safe as we could pull over in advance and let them do their jobs. Having purchased the radio just for that use we could not find any channels on line or advertised anywhere we could use on our northern roads so it’s every person for themselves. It’s got to be an industry secret in Saskatchewan.

Next stop Zig Zag Bay recreation site on Delaronde Lake, this provincial campground is also leased out to private operators and locked up for the season. Ok, so we moved on to the next rec site on our trusty Backroad Maps, Hackett Lake Recreation Site, also a provincial leased out campsite, the campsite was open and very well kept. The campground host said they were open for hunters and they had closed the other site as family demand had dropped later in the season. I don’t put the cost on the operators but we found the rates high for the services offered and being right on a dusty logging highway. It was fairly early so we stopped for lunch glad to be off the logging highway for a spell. Even the camp host admitted they waited for a break between the early long haul and the short haul loads to travel for supplies. We had only driven for the morning and our camper which is usually well sealed was full of a fine dust, everywhere. The highway is wide and in fairly decent shape better than some paved highways we have travelled; it was the constant pounding of heavy logging trucks that crushed the gravel in to a fine black pepper like powder and it got in everywhere. I had to replace my air filter on the truck when we got back home.

Our break was over and we headed to Smoothstone Lake Recreation Site. Well the lull in the trucks was just that, there were even more coming and going, we would pull over when we saw them coming and stop as there was a blinding dust that followed for miles as it was a calm day. Well we did not find a sign for Smoothstone Lake Recreation Site but we took a side road off the highway heading north toward the large lake on our map. At this point any pull off would do for the night. A sign finally read Smoothstone Lake Lodge this has to be the place we figured but no, it was as advertised a lodge. This place is fantastic, it’s well-kept log cabins and site is second to none that we have seen and way out in the beautiful wilderness. We met Carolyn Gliege who was preparing supper for the hunters who were out with her husband Lyndon on a bear hunt. She informed us the provincial recreation site we were looking for was left abandoned and was no longer in use but the site was still there. Carolyn gave us directions after a short visit and we headed out, time to find a spot for the night, they did not offer camping sites there.

Approximately where she sent us we found a trail leading towards the lake, no sign just a trail into the bush. We started down the trail to find it getting pretty sketchy in some spots and we did not know for how far or where it led so we turned back to the junction of the highway where we stopped to plan our next move. That’s where we met Lyndon, he was on his way back from setting up his hunters, he confirmed the abandoned site was down that road and one of the best beaches anywhere was down that road and he of all people would know. He figured we would be good with our truck camper rig being 4×4 but would probably not want to be there if it rained. There was rain in the forecast but that was tomorrow so we decided to go and watch the sky as there is no cell service here. Yes the road was sketchy but doable after we knew what was at the end. We found the site definitely abandoned and overgrown but right on the lake and it was perfect, no one around for miles. This site would not be accessible for anyone pulling a trailer or a larger RV as we had to squeeze around fallen trees and the grown in road.

After a day of dodge-em trucks and dust we cleaned the camper and enjoyed sitting outside in the quiet of the north, we had the whole abandoned campground to ourselves and the cost was right. There used to be a dock and a boat launch and I’m sure there are locals who still come here to fish but I will never tell where this place is, the fun and challenge is finding it  yourself. The beautiful beach we were probably close to, but like most provincial sites the road was gated and locked. We thought we could probably walk in the next day but it looked like the rain was coming, I had made a deal with Charlotte if it started to rain in the night we would get up and drive out. That was so she could get some sleep and not worry. That night as I sat looking out the camper window after supper I caught the flash of an animal run across in front of the camper, I’m sure it was a big cat; I grabbed my camera just in time to see it leap probably 8 to 10 feet up a tree. Yep it was a bobcat perhaps a lynx I could not get close enough as it hid behind the tree watching me, and then it was gone. Just a memory just a photo of a tree and a shadow.

Well we left the next morning, would have loved to stay longer but we beat the rain out and kept it behind us the rest of the trip. The best roads are those less travelled for sure. We then took the Elaine Lake Road Highway 916 towards Lake LaRonge and Highway 2, a beautiful drive with few logging trucks and traffic. A big tip if you’re looking to book a hunt or even a getaway at a northern lodge you have to look up www.smoothstonelodge.com   owned by two people in love with the north and love their lifestyle and they share the beauty of the wilderness with others. Tip 2 take Highway 2 towards Laronge and turn west on 916, that section of the drive was relaxing and beautiful well-kept road. So don’t let Highway 922 deter you from visiting the Smoothstone Lodge. I thank Carolyn and Lyndon for helping make a not so good trip one we will remember.

We did it, will I do it again probably not, I’m sure it’s beautiful in areas away from the road. However  the logging trucks, the miles of trees hanging in dust and campgrounds either very popular or not  open at all along the way did not excite us. For us the travel is the enjoyment and adventure and not so much the destination. For now I will leave it to the loggers and not recommend it for recreational RVing and camping in my books anyway. We have travelled logging roads in BC and some sketchy roads in the Yukon and NWT so are no strangers to these roads. We just found the recreation sites either closed or leased out and in our books the ones open a little expensive for what was offered. We have found in our home province all public land is pretty much either leased out or blocked off for recreational camping unlike Alberta and BC. The provincial parks we have are great, however unless you can plan where you will be months ahead our campsites are just about totally booked solid on weekends. Here we do not allocate a percentage of sites as first come for those travelling. We appreciated the non-reservation sites offered in many northern BC provincial parks as we travelled. And it is our hope someday we can treat travellers to this option here in Saskatchewan.

Way too long again, I should write a book sometime, anyway  this is just our experience definitely not what we were expecting, but perhaps our expectations were too high. Some you win some you lose but it was well worth it…we just probably will not do that trip again.

Take care, safe travels and we hope to meet you down the road. Thanks for reading not sure what’s next haven’t made reservations yet! Perhaps London Bridge…subscribe and stay tuned.

Gerry & Charlotte…Nomads in training!

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Sometimes that detour in our travel plans is meant to be as we discovered the Valley of Fire State Park in the Moapa Valley Nevada. So far this may have been one of the highlights of our trek south to spend the winter out of the snow back home. We hate big cities and strongly dislike popular tourist areas and anywhere else that reservations are required.  Las Vegas, a destination for many, holds no interest for us besides they were preparing to hold the Taylor Swift Superbowl  in that city. That morning from our home in a truck stop we discovered a road that would allow us to bypass Las Vegas and take us by the Valley of Fire State Park…cool let’s try that and see what happens, a unanimous decision from the boardroom table. Being as we were going to be early for our planned Truck Camper Adventure Rally time was not a problem and it also took us by the Hoover Dam.

Never having travelled south in our RV before this was all new to us when we arrived at the State Park. We were asked how long we were going to be in the park. We had no idea so I told him we were either just passing through or if we found a place to camp may stay. He charged us $15 US to enter or approximately $20 Canadian. Ok we were fine with that. As it turned out it was the best money spent as we totally enjoyed the entire experience and the Park.

The park covers 40,000 acres of bright red Aztec sandstone outcrops mixed in with grey and tan limestone. The park contains many hiking trails, and ancient, petrified trees and petroglyphs dating back more than 2,000 years. It has a visitor center which we found provided information on geology, ecology and history of the park and area. There are two campgrounds totalling 72 sites all with shaded tables, grills water and restrooms. A dump station and showers are available. What spoiled the Park for us is the reservation system as all campsites are available by reservation with 14 maximum stay limits. We were told after stopping at the information center if we could find a spot that was not reserved we could stay just deposit $10 US (approx. $13.80 Can.)  This was great there were two spots open and we grabbed one depositing our US $10 cash in the box. We spent the day touring the park, we stayed in the Arches campground where there were many arches in the rock formed by nature. We got to see our first mountain goats with some young up in the rocks. We also got to meet our first American Nomad, Keith a young man (around 40ish I suspect) who claimed he was a sort of anti-social type who preferred to stick by himself. Well for our entire time there he talked non-stop and we spent several hours visiting, we found his nomad life interesting and he taught us a lot about travelling and camping in the US. We were impressed with his openness and friendly conversation especially for a self-proclaimed introvert.

We enjoyed the park so much that day we decided to stay over another day, Charlotte  dutifully placed our $10 US in the box and registered for another day and as we were really enjoying the views and meeting those camped there, a couple in their Airstream from Regina, Saskatchewan our home province. About 3 that afternoon after returning from a hike we get the “knock” I open the door to a park Ranger who asks us if we have paid our $15 I said yes when we came in and told her we paid our $10 for the extra night. She was definitely doing her job and she informed me just to be in the park was $15 per day…oops now we know. Our site was costing us $25 US or $34.50 Canadian, have I said our dollar sucks. The Park was worth it and although we would have like to stay longer the sites were all reserved as the season was beginning. So if you’re so inclined to book your life in advance you should probably reserve a site if planning on staying.

We lucked out this time but there is a lot of BLM land around the area we can stay on, no reservations required. We love the freedom of staying or leaving so tying ourselves to a deadline or committing to a campground that could be a disaster is not in our books. We are travelers enjoying the country we happen to be in. that being said the park has a lot to offer and we enjoyed it totally well worth missing out on the sights, sounds and the crazy traffic of Vegas.

Our second day we took a road winding through the mountains to a hiking trail that took us back to the remains of an old movie set. The remains were a bit of a letdown but the hike was so worth it they called it an intermediate difficult hike but we found it a bit of a challenge as did a few others part way along the hike.

The petroglyphs were amazing and while there we met a young man from England who moved to Vancouver and was now living and travelling in his SUV and enjoying every day seeing the sights south of our border. As amazing as this park was the US is full of nature’s beauty from canyons, forests, Rocky Mountains to desert and I can see why so many people we met can live and travel exploring their country in some form of an RV.

I’ve been told I get too wordy by a neighbour who follows the blog, he is no doubt right I’ll end it here so enjoy the photos of the Valley of Fire at least. More to come in future blogs on our winter experience and boondocking in the good old USA, did I mention our dollar sucks.

Subscribe if you wish notification of when I get around to posting by email; promise no junk mail I do this for the fun of it. Keep healthy and safe; we hope to meet you somewhere down the road watch for the studiowest.ca Northern Lite.

Gerry (RV cowboy)

Charlotte

Practicing Nomads and loving it!

This winter Charlotte and I spent two months in Saguaro country mostly in Arizona. We were amazed at the size and numbers of this majestic plant/tree/cactus. We spent just about all of our time on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land and LTVA Long Term Visitor Areas. All these areas on public land and we thank all the American people for sharing these beautiful areas with us for camping. On these lands the Saguaro is native and you know you are in the warm desert when spotting them as they are definitely not cold weather plants. The photographer in me could not help but capture 100’s of images of the majestic plants all very unique and never two the same. We were fortunate enough to have stayed until April just when the desert was starting to bloom, but the Saguaro usually blooms later into June. We found all plants in the desert have needles or spines that are very sharp and can really hurt. This is for their protection from wild life and tourists. Lots of travellers will already know about the Saguaro but for those of us northerners I would like to share some of what we have learned and my images of these beautiful plants of the desert.

Saguaro is pronounced “saw-WHA-row”   a cactus that belongs to the plant family Cactaceae.  Cacti are distinguished by several traits including succulent branches and clustered spines. Saguaros belong to the sub family Cactoideae and within that family the tribe Pachycereae. The larger members of the Cactoideae, including the Saguaro, are called columnar cacti because of their tall cylindrical stems. Along with the Saguaro two other species call southern Arizona home.

The Organ pipe cactus with multiple branches stemming from the base and can grow to the height of 26 feet. The Senita, referred to as the old man cactus has a similar form but only reaches ten feet. Both these are more likely to be seen in the Organ Pipe National Monument near the Arizona- Mexico border where we stayed briefly and hopefully will be able to identify them in my images.

The Saguaro is limited to growing in the Sonoran desert common in Arizona and the western half of Sonora, Mexico. A few grow in California along the Arizona border. These plants are very much like us snowbirds and hate cold weather. They usually stop growing in areas where the temp can reach freezing temperatures for more than 24 hours and need warm and rainy seasons to have the seed germinate. During our stay we also ran across small Saguaro and are told they can survive a frost if the temperature reaches above freezing the next day. I think the tallest Saguaro in 1991 measured 59 feet and has since fallen and Charlotte and I were able to see most of the skeleton at the Quartzsite Museum on display. Fifty feet for a Saguaro is possible to exceed but most are in the 30 foot range.

Most of the growth of the Saguaro occurs during the summer rainy season so in wetter climates they will grow taller and more branches. The Saguaro grows very slow and at the end of their first year be just a quarter of an inch high and in four years be just an inch. As they grow larger the ability to produce sugars and store water their growth quickens. When they reach reproductive size approximately six to twelve feet tall they are growing about five inches a year. Once plants are able to produce blooms the rate slows and when branching begins growth slows to two to three inches a year. The accordion style stalk allows the plant to expand as they take on water from the rains.  Some will appear well fed and bulge out during wet season and contract during dry times. Water not used to grow will be stored in the cortex to live on in the dry seasons.

The tallest Saguaros could be up to 200 years in age but most do not live past 150 years old. In the Tucson area a plant five feet high is probably 30 to 40 years old and a 20 foot plant about 70 to 90 years old. We found many of the very small cacti growing near a tree or by rocks; this we find out is for protection from the sun and animals to survive.  Mature plants have an extensive root system extending up to 50 feet from the trunk perhaps only 5 inches below surface.  Depending on the climate and rate of growth depends on how many branches they have, the more branches the more fruit and seed they can produce. The plant flower in April through to June, the flower white in colour, opens around 10 pm and midnight and close by late afternoon the following day never to open again. Only about 40 to 50 percent of the flowers produce a fruit when ripened, drop 2000 to 2500 tiny black seeds and very few survive the climate birds and animals. 

The native people of the area O’odham collect the fruit as they ripen if they can beat the birds and use it in many ways. They can eat them fresh out of hand, or boil them to make jam and syrup or grind the seeds into a powder for nutritious flour. The dried pulp can be reconstituted in water to make a sweet drink and wine is also made from fermented syrup. The wine consumed during a ceremony meant to encourage summer rains.

Arizona’s native plant law protects all cacti including Saguaros on public and private lands which I feel is totally necessary as urban sprawl and pavement continues to grow across the country. Coming from Saskatchewan, Canada where there is very little public land use, we found the millions of acres of public land very refreshing to see and even be able to stay on for a set period of time.

Hope at least a few found this interesting I also checked sources to hopefully provide accurate information. Information on the internet is not always reliable so I chose to gather information from an old school book. Enjoy the photos as we were able to get back off the beaten paths with our truck camper and enjoyed every minute we spent in the quiet desert this winter.

The truck camper is polished and ready to head out on our summer adventures away from crowds to enjoy nature in its natural form.  More to come on our two months on the less travelled roads in Arizona.  Enjoy every day and protect the beauty in nature as we go, thanks for being here subscribe for notice of post if you wish and hope to meet you down the road. Watch for the “studiowest.ca” Northern Lite.

Gerry (RVcowboy) and Charlotte   (practicing nomads.)

This winter Charlotte and I were amazed to discover Dwarf Cars and Legend Racers in our travels of the Arizona deserts. We were leaving the Phoenix area and planning on finding some BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land on which to spend the night. For those of you who are not aware the USA has millions of acres primarily in the west that are government owned on which they allow free camping. In most areas the maximum stay is 14 days, no services, pack in pack out. We thank the American people for sharing their land with us.

Back to our discovery, we stopped for lunch at a state park somewhere in the Maricopa County and the young lady camp host told us while in the area we had to see Ernie’s Dwarf Car Museum which she said was nearby. With our truck camper home is always where we park it, so we figured it did not matter where we stopped for the night we would take the time and check it out. Good thing we looked it up and set our GPS which should be called MSD (Marriage Saving Device as Char had the lawyer on speed dial during our entire trip). Following the GPS down roads we would never have taken and side roads we were surprised to find what we would call an incredible discovery right out in the desert.

The Dwarf Car Museum nothing fancy just a wooden structure and a workshop, inside we met Ernie, a down to earth very humble man, a creator of automobile masterpieces.  We were told even while in grade school Ernie was building automobiles out of wooden crates. Years later he got more serious and created his first Dwarf car, a Chevy 2 door sedan made out of 9 old refrigerators. The “Grampa Dwarf” was manufactured in 1968. Ernie had collected pieces for 3 years to build that first car which included an 18 hp. Wisconsin engine.  That original car is still running and driving today as all his creations are running and street legal in Arizona. If I’m not mistaken I think all are built to ¾ scale right down to the trim and upholstery.

After attending sidecar motorcycle races in Phoenix Ernie felt they were too slow on the corners and adding a fourth wheel would speed up the race. He went to work in his shop to produce a four wheel version adding a body to it that was identified with the cars of that era. He felt it would add to the excitement as well as the speed to the racing. In 1979 the first Dwarf Racer rolled out; now known in the racing world as the Legends. The first race in Prescott, Arizona in 1983 featured 12 of Ernie’s cars and the small racers are still popular today. Ernie said he did not want to get into the manufacturing business so sold his 12 designs to a company that continues to manufacture them today using fiberglass bodies.

The metal shaping skills Ernie had learned building the racers he then went on to master and apply to what he wanted as a masterpiece as he felt his first “Grampa Dwarf” was a little crude. He wanted to produce right down to the detail trim and interior a running replica of a 1932 Chev 2 door sedan. Approximately 3 years later it became what would become one of many masterpieces as you can see by the photographs.

People’s amazement and fascination with the Dwarf Cars kept Ernie motivated to keep on building I think I counted eight and I don’t think he may be done yet. I asked if they were running, Ernie walked over to the Dwarf 1940 Mercury sedan and started it up giving it a couple of good revs a big grin on his face, “I’m going to drive this one to town tonight”. Ernie now uses import engines in the cars he said before showing me his shop and a large 4×8 sheet of metal that someday will become another masterpiece, a work in progress in a regular shop with simple tools, not big fancy equipment or robots to do the work.

The collection of cars includes of course the “Grampa Dwarf” a 1928 Chevy 2 door, 1939 Chevy 2 door sedan, 1942 Ford convertible, 1929 Ford Hillbilly, 1949 Mercury, 1934 Ford sedan, 1940 Mercury sedan and a 1954 Chev Bel Air. I actually just touched on a bit of the history and the museum you really must if at all possible see it in person to believe it. For those who cannot I hope I have shared a bit and you can find out more at www.dwarfcarmuseum.com  The museum is located 52954 West Halfmoon Rd. Maricopa, Arizona 85139.

The day Charlotte and I visited it was quite busy with people but we were impressed with the way Ernie took the time with us all to answer questions and of course to pose for photographs. With the help of his family members they were very hospitable, just down home people proud of the pleasure they give to others with the presentation of the “Dwarf Cars”.

Thankful to have our truck camper if we were towing 40 feet behind us we probably would have not have taken the time to visit what I consider one of the “Wonders of Arizona”.  Did we find a resting spot, yes somewhere in the desert between there and Yuma. Arizona a few miles from the Mexican border. We happened to take a trail to another quiet spot and enjoyed a restful evening on top of a hill overlooking the vast desert, home for the night.

Thank you to the new subscribers and those interested this job pays nothing so it’s your interest that makes it worthwhile. I must admit though as I’m running so far behind on my posts from last winter it’s nice to revisit some of our notes and images for myself and Charlotte as she checks to make sure I got things spelled right. Subscribers get notice by email when I finally get something hammered out and 100’s of photos edited to post.

More to come on our experience in truck camper off grid living and the great people we met in the desert and how our experience changed us and our impression of the desert.

Safe travels this summer we really hope to meet some of you down the road.

Gerry and Charlotte, ”Practicing Nomads”.

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Charlotte and I were fortunate enough to be on hand when of 400 plus truck campers invade Quartzsite this past February. The truck camper rally has been on our bucket list for several years now and we finally got to add that check mark.  The event organized by Mello Mike from Truck Camper Adventures attracted truck camper owners from all over North America and beyond. If you’re into truck campers or thinking about a truck camper you have to check out Mello Mike’s site www.truckcamperadventures.com   Mello Mike and his crew did a fantastic job of keeping one of the largest, if not largest ever, off grid truck camper gatherings running smoothly, very entertaining as well as informative over the 4-5 days we spent off grid in the desert.

It was amazing to see all the different makes, models and sizes of truck campers arriving; coming from Saskatchewan in Canada truck campers are few and far between. Those of us gathered shared a common passion for the versatility of a truck camper mounted on a 4×4 that allows us to go just about anywhere the big units cannot and park in small spaces. The slide in also allows the truck to pull boats, horse trailers, cargo trailers and as we discovered in Arizona a side by side off road vehicles. Some units even pulled Jeeps another favourite vehicle in the desert.

Charlotte and I met people with massive rigs and those with smaller rigs, some fixed, and some with pop up tops and those with one to 4 slide outs on big 450 and 550 trucks. Our crowd was made up of many who live full time and travel in their camper, those who just travel during the summer or winter months, and some serious off road off grid campers. The information we gathered here cannot be found in any book or on line and we just sucked it all in. The willingness of those living and travelling in what some may consider a small space to share their knowledge and experience was overwhelming and we thank them all for that. Many do not know that many truck campers can cost the same or more than a lot of the big class A motor coaches with some of the Earth Roamers truck campers in the million range.

The best part of our gathering was it did not matter what year, model or price range your camper was, we were more than welcome and accepted….after all we are all living the same dream in our small homes on wheels. We were from all nationalities, not all grey hairs as there were some young bucks with the big Kodiak 4×4 truck campers with military grade tires, and those in between.  The classes on Lithium, solar, full time RVing, first aid, camper and truck weight ratings, Harvest Host camping, photography, off grid camping and more that I cannot remember, were extremely welcome for us nomads in training. We thank the suppliers who helped put on the event for their displays and assistance.  Evenings of fire pits, a good old country and western music entertainer and food topped off the event.

For us it was not only a chance to learn more but enjoyed the open and friendly people we met sharing travel and life experiences, the good and the not so good of life on the road. Thanks to Mello Mike and his crew we felt right at home in the middle of the Arizona desert with close to 800 strangers, a lot now friends. A big bonus for me is I got to check out some campers we do not see north of the border. The Four Wheel Pop Ups, the Rossmonster hard side pop up and one of my favourite that we do not see  in Canada the Alaskan hard side pop up. Thanks to all who opened their home on wheels for us to see and get to know more about the features of these RV’s.  From the massive to some homemade campers that made you question why one laid out 50 grand and some even more. The simple freedom and lifestyle is what it is all about, was the message from many we took away with us.

Mello Mike from Truck Camper Adventure is planning the 2025 gathering; will we be there, well we do not plan our lives that far in advance but if all goes well and it’s meant to be YOU BET! Not sure he can keep the prices but we felt the $50 per camper was a real good deal even if that translated to $70 Canadian. Yes our dollar sucked but it was our decision to go. Ya can’t take it with you. I priced out another gathering which we will not be attending at close to $300 US, so thanks for keeping it real and affordable.

As one has probably already gathered I am a truck camper guy and Charlotte and I, over the years, have owned many RV’s from fifth wheel to bumper pulls and we keep coming back to our truck campers for freedom and simplicity. Which camper was the best…well they all were. We park it and we are at home even on a driveway, so here are a few photos I have dug up over the years, and yes Charlotte and I have hardly aged a bit must be that nomadic lifestyle….

Last but not least our Northern Lite, at todays prices probably our last. After all these it’s no wonder I have no money, but each of the campers have given us many memories, much more important than cash.

Our travels into the desert for two months, our thoughts, what we learned boondocking off grid and the folks we met. The lifestyle is not exclusive to truck campers only, there are good folks in all sorts of rigs we found out…  That coming in a future blog, the beauty of being so far behind posting is I get to relive it all over again. Hope you enjoyed the images and your comments are very welcome.

“Your journey is not the same as mine, and my journey is not yours, but if we meet on a certain path, may we encourage each other”.  –Unknown- 

Be kind, stay safe and we hope to see you down the road.

Gerry and Charlotte: Nomads in training.

Facebook: Gerry Popplewell

Part two

Our truck camper adventures in Northern British Columbia continue…

I’m a little behind in my posts as many will notice but hey I’m living this life to see and experience and when the weather is good we should be on the road and not in front of a computer…right! I knew those who follow will understand. A lot of water had gone under the bridge since my last post.  I’m writing this just outside of Quartzsite, Arizona camping on BLM land.  We left Saskatchewan at the end of January to attend a Truck Camper Rally there in February and that was awesome, I will be posting images and thoughts on that in an upcoming post. I will also share our travels to Arizona and images of our travels so stay tuned, but now I want to continue to share the beauty of northern British Columbia, Canada.

As per my last post did Scott and I ever find that elusive water fall? Well after three separate days of hacking our way through devils claw, a very tall plant with sharp needles, that grew everywhere back in the mountains, no we did not find it. I knew it was not a figment of Scott’s imagination as we were close enough we could hear it.

Hearing it and getting to it was no easy matter, we literally climbed the side of a mountain, Scott hacked our way through deep ravines with a machete,  ravines so overgrown and dense we could not get through.  Scott had come to an old hunting lean-to on previous trips along the river that ended at a 40 foot stone wall, and to get around when the river was high was impossible and one could hear the falls from there. I guess one could say we were “stonewalled”. 

We left the area to continue our travels without seeing the falls but later Scott tried again along the river when the level was lower and did find the elusive falls. The importance of this is that even the local Rangers did not know these falls existed.

In the mountain areas west of Dawson Creek we found many fossils and some unique streams Scott took us to for some fishing. We thank Scott, our new friend for showing us the area.  Scott, like others we have met on the road, have been very helpful in setting us on the right directions in the area we are exploring and much appreciated.

We were planning on heading down to Prince George then on to Prince Rupert, but like so many of our  plans that summer we had to improvise as fires were burning in those areas. Instead we headed to Tumbler Ridge area west of Dawson Creek an area which we really liked and stayed in for over a week exploring the area. One of our highlights was driving to Kinuseo Falls and the Provincial Park there near the Monkman Pass, the road in is only 50 kms but it took us almost two hours to get there. It’s a rough gravel road (Kinuseo Rd. a forest service road) winding up the side of a mountain not sure I would drag a 30 foot trailer up there but probably some would try it. I would say definitely not for big rigs, but that’s when I appreciate our truck and camper and where it can get us.

The Falls are spectacular and drop further than the Niagara Falls in Ontario, from Tumbler Ridge one can book a jet boat to the base of the falls which would be even more spectacular then where we were at the top of the falls. There is also a hiking trail which is a 3to 4 day hike, experienced hikers recommended. The Provincial campground nearby was pristine and very quiet as we were the only ones there with a camper another car and tent showed up later in the day. This is definitely grizzly country and great care has to be taken with food, garbage etc.

After the drive up we kind of had an idea why there were not a lot of rigs camping there also one must realize no cell, no power but lots of well-maintained clean sites, gazebo with BBQ stove, and pit toilets. We overnighted on the river and made the trip down early in the morning before the big trucks got going.

The community of Tumbler Ridge is small, basically a coal mine and tourist town. It has the essential amenities only,  groceries etc. with several campgrounds. The area is known for hiking and perhaps biking in the summer and snowmobiling in the winter, skiing and snowshoeing. Some say the busiest time is winter here.

From here our travels took us back to Dawson Creek where we met Joie a 31 year female nomad I featured in a previous post. Our plans due to fires and evacuations in the NWT had changed and once again we had to be flexible.

Well this post was written in Arizona but not published until arriving back at the cabin how bad is that, I can blame it on the lack of a US data plan or perhaps just enjoying the trip more than staring at a screen and the time required inside. I’m going to share my images of the beautiful BC North Country, and may even add to them this coming summer. However the next posts will feature the Truck Camper Adventure Rally we attended and our Arizona winter travels while they are fresh in mind. We experienced off grid living with it great points and the challenging situations one encounters while off grid and will be sharing those thoughts. I think for two rookies alone in the desert we did mighty fine…and I met Russ from RVer TV more to come for sure.

You can always take a chance and sign up to be notified of my sporadic posts.  Thanks to our new subscribers and your comments you keep me motivated and feeling guilty on not posting regular, but very much appreciated. Enjoyed meeting some readers of the blog while on the road  and we hope to see you somewhere down the road watch for the studiowest.ca condo and make sure to say hi.

Remember: “Some of the best journeys are when you just pack up, hit the road, follow your heart and see where it takes you” –unknown-  No reservations required our thoughts exactly.

Gerry and Charlotte:  Nomads in training.

Facebook: Gerry Popplewell

Charlotte (Partner in life and travels)

We left Whitecourt and had one of our longest drives so far right to Dawson Creek, B.C., Mile Zero of the Alaska Highway. This is our second visit as we were here last year on our way to Dawson City in the Yukon.  Many campers were at the Walmart resort we asked if it was OK to stay and they said yes, however our experience from last year told us it was a very noisy night with traffic. We opted instead for the rodeo/fairgrounds and being all alone had a very quiet night.

This morning another slow start we went by the fairgrounds office to pay for our stay and were told no charge…bonus! We then toured the sites Dawson Creek had to offer and started our trek to Prince George down Highway 97. A great drive but very busy with trucks, we nearly collected a moose as I had to hit the brakes hard to avoid collision, had one of those big rigs been on my tail as they usually are….well who knows. Stopped in Chetwynd for lunch, a very interesting B.C. community. I will detail in another post. We are for sure now in the Rockies and by chance we stopped to check out a BC Provincial Park.

We discovered a beautiful quiet campsite overlooking the lake and the best part it is a free campsite for 14 day limit. There are 14 campsites here with no services other than pit toilets, picnic tables and fire rings. This year the fire ban has been on since May in all BC parks in this area. As we found out BC has many free camping areas most along forest service roads this however was one of the few free provincial campgrounds.

Just a note on finding those off road forest service campsites one has to be careful if they are being actively logged or connected to mine sites. The roads are usually partially maintained and can be anywhere from good to bad and could become quite tricky in a rain storm. Before leaving I purchased a Boefang FM radio for the truck as we intended on checking out these sites off road. The radio provides a great deal of safety for not only us but big rig truckers on the road as well. I programed a lot of the BC service road channels into the radio before leaving home. These roads usually have signage with the radio frequency posted. As you drive up these roads you will notice a road name and kilometer marker approximately every two kms and you call out that saying the name km and up meaning you are on your way in. Other logging trucks and those equipped with radio have the right away on the way out as they are usually loaded. They will also call out road name km and down, this gives you notice you do not have the road to yourself and you must get over to let them pass safely. We also tuned in road repair crews on one trip in so were expecting a slowdown. I personally would not travel these service roads without the radio for my safety and for those making their living travelling these roads that are sometimes very narrow on the side of a mountain.

Back to our campground experience, we really enjoyed the beauty of this little lake and the quietness so decided to stay another day instead of an overnighter. I had noticed one of my stable blocks that contact the overload spring was worn on the campers’  passenger side, the heavy side more than the driver’s side. My 12.5 ton jack I purchased at a garage sale came in handy to lift the blocks off the springs and to switch them side to side. The camper had also shifted to the passenger side so I once again installed the two front camper jacks and lifted the camper shifting it closer to the driver’s side and more centered on the truck. So far the KO2 tires are working out great.

We spent time just sitting and enjoying the quiet and beauty of this spot. Tonight the Park Ranger and his crew of 4 student rangers tented in the tent area next to our campsite and had a chance to chat with them about the area and the parks down the road. Reportedly there is a water fall approximately  3/4 hour hike from the campsite, Scott our neighbor in the campsite next to us informed  the ranger  who was not aware of it so they decided to try and find it. They left and approximately 10 minutes later I decided to catch up to them and see this for myself, grabbed my camera and stared to follow hoping to catch up which I never did. Luckily the thick overgrown trail with lots of deadfall across it had been marked by red markers and I managed to follow. Not overly prepared for a hike of this nature wearing tennis shoes with only my camera and bear spray I found it tough going and probably exerted myself extra trying to catch up. About two kms in I was told later, I came to a huge steep mountain ridge, I made it almost to the top but the daylight was running out and there was no sign of the other three hikers at this point, not even their footprints. Finally 73 years of common sense kicked in and I decided to turn back. Very tired by this point and found the way back very long and more deadfall to climb over than I had remembered going up. I felt bad by not seeing the falls or knowing how close I was, but as it turns out Scott, the Ranger and his student never saw the falls either. Where I had climbed the ridge was probably the right trail they had left and followed a lower trail running into a stone wall. Night was approaching and they returned not being able to relate if the falls were worth the hike. Should all sleep well tonight.

The next day as we were in love with this site we decided to stay and after the hike made it a camp day. I organized the rear travel box and truck trying to make things we were using more accessible. We met Nick and Mellany from Fort St. John, a couple travelling in a small Hummingbird overland camper with rear kitchen pulled by a 4×4 Ford Ranger, a neat set up.  We hit it off instantly as they also like to camp off grid and away from the pack. Now Scott our neighbour met them as well and we all passed the day  getting to know more about each other, the area and camping ideas for off grid. Scott still wanting to find the falls informed us if we wanted to come on the hike tomorrow we were welcome. Being as I felt I was close to them the last trip I was first in line to volunteer to accompany him the next morning. We enjoyed a quiet evening in this beautiful little park. The Ranger and his students were actually fairly well behaved. They were leaving the next morning, they had their hands full with bear problems and fires in their area. Scott kept chasing a bear from the campsites during our stay which kept getting extended.

Do we find the falls? Where is this gem of a campground?  Well it’s like a good fishing hole as soon as you tell one person it’s crowded and fished out. Besides the people we met that go there a lot know where we live and I have a travel blog so I had to promise the secret would remain as to avoid bodily harm to myself.

The beauty of travelling is to discover gems like this, we were not even looking for it and as it turned out was one of the nicest campsites of the whole trip and free, gotta love BC. Another reason we love BC north is that not all sites in the parks can be reserved and for travellers like ourselves can find a first come site and stay, unlike some provinces that are booked every weekend so travellers are out of luck. I could never figure out why people would head right straight across Saskatchewan with its beautiful northern forest and the grasslands to the south. But if you want a campground on the weekend during the summer … forget it they are booked as we found out many times.

That’s it the quest for the falls and more of northern BC’s beauty as well as Tumbler Ridge in the next posts as to keep these ramblings manageable. Thanks to all those interested and your comments are always appreciated I enjoy reliving our travels and being able to share my images with those interested. We love our truck camper it has allowed us to roam places of beauty off the beaten trails and views of our natural  environment few get to see let alone camp in. Watch for our Northern Lite studiowest.ca  condo and say hi, as we hope to meet you along the road….

Gerry (Rvcowboy) Word butcher

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Charlotte (Editor in Chief)  In charge of my bad spelling.

Cowboy Trail: Rocky Mountain House Part two

Our trip from Sundry to Rocky Mountain House was only 81 kilometers, we arrived early in the day so we could check out the National Park.

Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site commemorates a series of fur-trade posts built between 1799 and 1864 by the North West Co and the Hudson’s Bay Co (HBC) near the junction of the North Saskatchewan and Clearwater rivers. The posts were established to form a link between the eastern supply routes and the Pacific Slope fur trade, and it was intended that they would promote trading relations with the Kootenay of eastern BC.

The posts were in the territory of the Blackfoot Confederacy, which opposed trade with the Kootenay, so they failed in their intended purpose. Instead, Rocky Mountain House became the centre for sporadic trade with the Blackfoot. Despite HBC attempts to close the post, Blackfoot pressure kept it in operation. Little remains except 2 restored chimneys from the last establishment. Trade with the local aboriginal peoples continued until 1821 when the companies merged, they continued to trade until 1875 and closed the Rocky Mountain House post. The name of the settlement however remained. We’re told the Post there was opened and closed seven times in its existence. The site includes a campground, visitor centre and interpretive hiking trails.

The Park campground unserviced sites were $26 per night where we stayed. The campground also had showers and washrooms as well as some other interesting accomodations. One can book the Métis Trapper Tents: Sleeps up to 5: double or twin beds, wood floor, table, and chairs. Fur Trade Camp Kit: bison hide, period cooking kit and utensils, blow tube and flint/steel fire-starting kit, bannock mix, trapper’s tea, spices, oil, and soap.

Another option Tipis: Sleeps up to 8: sleeping mats. Wood floor, table, and chairs. Fur Trade Camp Kit: bison hide, period cooking kit and utensils, blow tube and flint/steel fire-starting kit, bannock mix, trapper’s tea, spices, oil, and soap.

Or more modern Trapline Cabins: Sleeps 6 people: 1 double pull out bed and 4 sleeping mats in the loft. BBQ, table, chairs, cookware, utensils, mini fridge, induction burner, microwave, and lighting. There are also Walk in tenting sites along the river.

The day was a bit overcast and rainy, we donned our ponchos and toured the histoic sites walking approximately 5 kms. There are many hiking trails of varying distances to choose from. We found the park very interesting watching some jig dancing, wearing native costumes in the days of fur trading.

We also visited a early blacksmith shop demonstration before hiking back in the pouring rain. Along the river path we took back is where we discovered the Trapper cabins and walk in tenting sites. There are many hiking trails where if you pick the right time you can see Bison and also some in person demonstrations of Tipi living on the prairies. We found the park very interesting and to do it justice perhaps two days to see it all taking ones time to check out all it had to offer. Sometimes we just rush too much.

The campground was quiet for most of the evening but it was Friday and the weekenders arrived. Arriving later in the evening they set up across the road until 1 am, portable fire pits, tables chairs, BBQ’s were all set up with the constant banging around of car doors and the unhooking and leveling of the big unit. At just before 8 am in the morning the generator fired up to perk that first cup. Other units were arriving and it looked like it was a group camp out so we decided to move on that day and head to Drayton Valley.
Am I old and grumpy… probably, but first of all we try not to arrive too late at our campsite and if we do we try to be as quiet as possible, saving setting up to the next day. But we’re finding unserviced sites are becoming very noisy. We have spent a lot of money on solar, batteries and ways of cooking making coffee etc without a lot of power so we can utilize the less expensive unserviced sites. We carry a generator as a last resort emergency power source, as I hate the sound of even our own quiet generator running and I’m sure the couple in the tent next to me did not leave the city to camp next to a power plant. We as RVers must be considerate of those who wish to get into nature and camp without all the necessities of home with them and do not require power.
This site is about RVing and travel so I can rage on. One of our favorite National Park campgrounds at the Narrows in Prince Albert National Park in Saskatchewan. Once a quiet campground to enjoy the sounds of nature and a little peace and quiet around the campfire has become a mobile home park with generators providing the power day and yes last year all night. In one way I feel sorry for those who were sold a 40 foot something on wheels that requires massive power and they provide a single 12v battery, or perhaps two at most. This little 12v battery has to power two maybe three slides, at least four leveling jacks and of course the power awnings just to get set up, and already the battery is dead. This is before the microwave, air conditioner, coffee perk, toaster, water pump and large screen TVs are even turned on. Yes one would have to run a generator, or better yet book a site with power they now come with 50 amp. These units they call campers are actually mobile homes and require 110 power not one 12 volt battery as sold by the mobile home dealer.
Unfortunately we along with a lady who does a lot of camping especially at the Narrows packed up and left early as this is not what we signed up for. We choose the Narrows for what it used to be, a quiet place to listen to the loons, and escape the noise of everyday life in the city to CAMP. Perhaps it’s just me but when you book an unserviced site one should be prepared to do without power, sewer and water. I would not think of taking my 4×4 truck camper into a walk in tenting site. Just a little consideration folks we all love the getaway.
When you spend months in your RV as we do we get to see many places and experience all types of camping and people. We find those who spend a lot of time in there RV and travelling are much more relaxed, happy and considerate of those camped around them. We travel for the sights, meeting new people and to enjoy the beauty of nature God created. There is nothing more beautiful than nature quiet and at peace. For all others there are taverns, bars and nighclubs and city lights and sounds built for exactly that reason.
We enjoy sharing a bit of the beauty and places we see in hope it will inspire others to travel and learn about our history, communities and lifestyles. We share the good and the bad of RVing along with the beauty of nature where there is no downside if left in it’s natural form. Let’s be mindful to keep nature and its creatures for all to enjoy, by not leaving our garbage and destroying natural habitat along with a healthy respect of the people around us. Even the grumpy old campers in their slide in truck campers.
No more rants I hope that I have not offended but I would rather it was taken as constructive criticism. Thanks to our new subscribers, our old ones will tell you they have never been bombarded with unwanted product, just notices when I get around to posting. Were just selling the lifestyle as we see it nothing more. Your comments are alwayts appreciated.
Next post we continue up the Cowboy Trail (yes there is such a thing I did not make that up) check it out. Until then we hope to meet some time down the road.
Gerry (RVcowboy)
Charlotte (Editor In Chief