Author: Gerry Popplewell

 I would like to just share some images from Elk Island National Park, taken this past summer. After years of driving by we no longer skip a stop-over at this National Park located just east of Edmonton, Alberta on the Yellowhead Highway. In a previous post I have given much of the information on the park so will not repeat in this post. These images were taken in June so wildfires were burning and either creating a haze or some interesting colour to the sunshine.

I hope you enjoy these images and if you have not visited the park, I hope they will create in you a desire to do so, you will not be disappointed.

Not having any commitments back home until the end of June, we decided perhaps the next National Park should be Waterton National Park in southern Alberta. But having met and visited with some other travellers they told us they were leaving to attend a rodeo in Wetaskiwin. Heck that was kinda on our way and although it would be far from our first rodeo, we decided it just might be fun. Join us for some images and rodeo camping in the next posting.

I would like to thank those who commented on our last post of Bud Miller Park, always appreciated. For those who want to get notification on my sporadic posts, one can subscribe no charge and receive notice via email. My days may be numbered on promoting posts on social media groups.

Enjoy every day, take time to notice nature, it’s perfect in every way, and we hope we meet down the road.

Gerry & Charlotte, practicing nomads

Well winter is settling in Saskatchewan, Canada and back at our cabin, it’s time to refresh the web site with a hidden gem we discovered this summer. Besides wild fires almost every where this summer we managed to log over 10,000 kms again and most of it smoke free and decent weather. I will start with a little hidden gem in Lloydminster, Alberta, just across the Saskatchewan border.

Well sometimes our travel plans get changed due to mechanical issues but during that delay I discovered a hidden gem.

Our planned travel to Elk Island National Park in Alberta, Canada was disrupted by one of a thousand sensors on these new vehicles and needed to be replaced. If I put the transmission in park, it would not start and it locked in park. Thanks to YouTube, I discovered a way to get it into neutral where it would start. The Ford dealership in Lloydminster confirmed the problem was a neutral lock in the transmission but did not have the part in stock. They could have it the next day and to be at the dealership at 7 am. Well three hours in it was still not in the shop, my time is not worth anything it appears as it was near noon before they got it in. Many hours later I was once again on the road, now two days late. It’s not just that dealership I have experienced this, at several others as well, the upside having an extra day to kill I discovered what I consider a hidden gem in Lloydminster.

Bud Miller All Season Park, definitely worth a visit, I have been in Lloydminster many times, driven through many times and never knew this park existed. The park covers 200 acres of playground for residents and visitors to enjoy at no charge. Set in a well treed rolling hilly country it features 6.3 kms of paved and 6.9 kms of gravel hiking and biking trails all extremely well maintained as is everything else in the park. I was totally impressed as there was no litter and all facilities were clean and top notch, possibly because there were trash receptacles everywhere, something not all parks provide.

The park is located at 2902 59^th Ave and features as mentioned hiking and bicycle trails, community gardens, flower gardens, picnic areas, children’s playgrounds for every age group, sports facilities and water spray park. Fishing, tennis, beach volleyball, lawn bowling, ball diamonds and miniature golf are just a few of the activities offered. There is an aquatic complex that offers a wave pool, water slide, whirlpool, steam room, sauna and fitness room.

As the sign says not to disappoint, winter activities include 7.5 kms of groomed cross country ski trails, tobogganing and ice skating on the pond.

While I spent the day there the park was well used by the residents and in speaking to several, they all said it’s one of the city’s most welcome additions. What I noticed is how well the users of the park respected its amenities by keeping it clean. This park would put most provincial parks to shame not only in how well-groomed and clean it is but in the massive activities it offers… no Lloydminster is not just one of those dirty oil industrial cities in Alberta. One just has to take the time to search out its many hidden gems. Just a reminder as we travel there is beauty everywhere, and it should not take a truck failure to make me slow down and enjoy the many beautiful smaller communities along the road. I’m very happy to have been able to share some of the beauty of this park.

As provincial parks and national parks turn more to only online reservations, we have been searching out campgrounds in the smaller communities along the way. We have been very pleased with the community run campgrounds, usually less expensive, quiet, no reservations required. It also offers one a chance to check out their community shops and attractions. Some of these smaller communities and villages have some of the best restaurant food and bakeries anywhere, home cooked. Too often we let out destination get in the way of enjoying the journey as I found out in Lloydminster. It’s now a stop- over for us.

Well, we made it to Elk Island National Park in Alberta, then did something not planned, headed south, way south. Another destination, but we enjoyed the journey this time as well, those I will save for another post in the near future.

To all, safe travels out there wherever those may take you, enjoy each day as we are not assured more along the way. “It’s in our nature to explore, to reach out into the unknown. The only true failure is not to explore”. Earnest Shackleford.

Hope to see you all down the road, join us this winter as we record some of our interesting travel locations.

Gerry & Charlotte, practicing Nomads

How about a Bronc Riding School? Perhaps this is not your typical travel blog post. However one never knows where one will end up when you travel in a truck camper that can get you right up close to the action where other large RVs can’t go. Thanks to having a complete self-contained home in the back of our truck we have been able to experience our beautiful country in our travels, if interested check out our past posts. It’s not the places we have been but the great people one meets along the way from different walks of life that makes our travels special.

Again this year I was fortunate enough to have attended the Lee Bellows Memorial Annual Bucking Bronc School held at the Bill Gommersal Arena in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. Lee, along with Don Gillespie and Kelly Brice 17 years ago saw a need for a school to not only promote the sport of bareback and saddle bronc riding, but to share the experience of past rodeo champions to make the sport safer.

Over the three-day weekend they introduced 38 new students to the sport, a new high total this year that would have put a big smile on Lee’s face. Students, both cowboys and cowgirls, come from all over to learn the basic skills. Starting with ground school, equipment checks, physical conditioning and riding techniques on mechanical horses, is just the beginning. It’s about learning the proper techniques of the sport and safety, to get them started in the very action packed sport, I was told. Staying on the back of one of these trained bucking horses for eight seconds is job one, then one must learn how to safely get off preferably with the help of the pickup men. If your eight seconds was cut short and one finds themselves on the ground there are also techniques for staying out of the way of flying hooves. All good lessons learned from the experience being handed down.

In my past life I did a lot of rodeo photography, following the circuit where I got to know and even photograph many of the professional cowboys who are now older and wiser sharing their knowledge with those wanting to participate in either saddle bronc or bareback riding.  Rodeo people are like family and I have been very blessed to have had the opportunity to meet many of them with camera in hand. There are many ways to participate in the sport, this was mine. So my annual trip to catch up with old friends I have a lot of respect for is always special.

There is a fee to attend the school, and that money is used to help cover a little fuel expense for the stock contractors that haul in the horses, and pick up men who also have to transport several horses to the event. The rest of the crew are all volunteers gladly sharing their experience to keep the sport of rodeo alive, safe and exciting. Over 50 horses chosen by the stock contractors that would be suitable to start students on were hauled in. These are the real thing, trained to buck so the students are not getting a free pass, these horses do not like passengers. Francis Rodeo stock, a longtime supporter of the school, along with Tom Bingham, Don and Rebecca Helmeczi and Kaycee Ericson of 4E Buckers supplied the stock this year. For the students safety the best pick up men in the business, Wade Rempel, Luke Ellingson and Dwight Dokken, are brought in. I think one of the toughest jobs in rodeo is being a pick up man rescuing riders from bucking broncs and seeing to the riders safety.

Lee Sinclair, Ross Smith, Don Gillespie, Steve Glenn, Dallas Bessey, and Matt Campbell are just a few of the many involved that lend a hand and help instruct in classes and in the arena.

This year the school had the honour of having Miss Rodeo Universe, Kaili Hill along with her boyfriend Ronnie Courtright all the way from Reno, Nevada. “We drove 20 hours to get here, Ronnie wanted to try riding bucking horses and we were told about this school here by Steve Glenn”, Kaili said. It was a pleasure for sure to have met these two really nice individuals, I commend the judges or whoever chooses Miss Rodeo Universe they got it right in their choice of Kaili. She is and will be an excellent ambassador for the sport of Rodeo. Thank you for coming to Saskatchewan.

I’m sharing a few of the many images here on this site for those interested and if you happen to be in one of the images that’s great. Riding bucking broncs is not for the faint of heart so if you showed up and tried you have my respect. For those who will continue on in the sport of Rodeo in whatever capacity, best of luck and safe travels. Hope we can meet you again down the road.

I’m sure after seeing all the fun these folks are having there may be some who want to sign up….the tradition continues thanks to all those involved.

If you’re interested in getting notified when I finally get posts up you can just subscribe for free and get email notice. This keeps me motivated to continue…thanks again for those who have taken the leap of faith.

Gerry (RVcowboy )

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Charlotte (partner nomad)

A question we have always asked ourselves do we need a home base? Charlotte and I have spent a lot of time travelling in an RV of some sort, mostly in truck campers. Although we have had everything from bumper pulls to large fifth wheel units. We have travelled extensively either for pleasure, a year on the road publishing our Pure Country Magazine or our photography and marketing business taking us all around the western provinces of Canada. Below just a few of many RV’s over the years, the campers may have changed but we still kinda look the same a testament to a relaxing nomad lifestyle.

So it was only natural after retirement and wanting to continue to see this beauty of Canada and the USA, we questioned do we really need a sticks and bricks home base. Well in Canada and in our province of Saskatchewan one needs a fixed address to a residence to have access to our health care, auto insurance etc. We have a postal box but that would not cut it, so we decided we could rent a small room or apartment to qualify. Having spent so much time on the road in small RV’s we realized to be happy and comfortable we required very little and could easily live without our house (big by our standards not so much in today’s standards) and a whole bunch of stuff.

 It was decided the nomadic lifestyle won out. We went through three truck campers before deciding on a four season Northern Lite 9.6 model. More camper than needed for an occasional trip to the lake, we were going to live in this for a period of time. We put our house up for sale and started getting rid of a lot of stuff, quads, snow machines, pontoon boats and more stuff than one could imagine. We just did our kids a big favor on our passing.

That’s when the “home base” reared its ugly head again during one of our many, many garage sales. A small cabin just up the lake from us came up for sale and the location overlooking the lake got the best of us and for a small price we purchased it for cash. Our home base was established and worse yet we now owned two pieces of property and a truck and camper, so much for downsizing. Going back to the garage sale I pulled all my wood working tools off the tables, the cabin now needed work.  After having just renovated our home totally we were now back in the game doing it all over.

Well it took nearly a year and a half to sell our primary residence and we were completely renovating the “home base” from roof to floor. Luckily I was able to take a contract and continue working in between so we were able to pay cash for our renovations but there was definitely no travel during that time. Our home base had become an anchor not to say a money pit for a while, but we felt it would be the perfect retirement condo someday. Being not independently wealthy we knew this nomadic lifestyle would not work unless we were totally debt free and that happened the day we sold our primary residence.

All things work out in the end as I was encouraged to retire from our contract as no one wants a 70 year old these days doing their marketing, even if I did know what Twitter (X) was. Now I’m happy to be out of marketing as every time you pick up your phone you are bombarded on every medium by ads for stuff no one really needs, yes marketing has changed.  Now it was time to hit the road.

As you know from my past posts, we have travelled and lived as nomads on the road renting our small cabin for a period of time and totally enjoying the freedom and experiencing the beauty of our country. Do we regret the decision to purchase a home base….No as the upkeep taxes, insurance and utilities when we are not there are cheaper than renting and if we are careful we can continue travelling. This winter we are hunkering down in minus 40 Celsius Saskatchewan weather and that’s minus 40 for our American friends as well. Now you know our pain, but our wood stove and little cabin are very warm and cozy. We planned on being in Arizona once again at a truck camper rally but with our low Canadian dollar and expensive health insurance we decided to wait and  see what our governments on both sides of the border did to our dollar. Well we waited now we wait 30 more days, the one thing we have learned as nomads is, if it does not feel right trust your gut either stay put or move. Well, we at this time are staying put as our politicians all have their moment in the media. We have been very fourtunate to have travelled almost every highway in Saskatchewan as far north as we can go. Also as far north as we could drive in Manitoba and Northern Manitoba and time in Northern BC. The end of the road in the Yukon and Northwest Territories. South in the USA to Arizona and the Mexican border and in between. And yet there is still lots we left to see. Sharing some of our travel images with you.

There is a comfort in having a home base, admittedly more so for Charlotte and as we get older we know we have a place without a high overhead  at this time and a bunch of stuff to maintain. Time and freedom become very important, free to move when we feel the need with our home on wheels, and freedom to hunker down in the frosty winter in a cozy home base. We are so fortunate by shedding more space than required, more utilities, more taxes and more stuff we can still afford the semi nomadic lifestyle we both enjoy.  The downside is while we are gone the base expenses remain and it’s something for me to worry about while on the road. Even with either good tenants or a great neighbour checking it constantly it’s still on my mind.

When I mentioned freedom remember, the bigger the fire you build for yourself, the more time you will spend hauling wood to keep it going. A lesson I wish I would have leaned many years ago. We love the simplicity of our Northern Lite truck camper, it’s a complete home on wheels, is it a four season?… maybe in British  Columbia, it’s good but we will be testing it during  two weeks of minus 40. We have found what we appreciate most is the freedom to move when we want, finding a quiet spot in nature, the places we have seen and the great people we have met on the road, not the stuff we own that would tie us down.

May my next post be about someplace down the road either camped in a snow bank or desert…freedom 75 stay tuned and thanks to those who have subscribed you make editing worthwhile. If you want more information on some of the areas we have traveled you will find them in the travel menu. Thanks again.

Hope we can meet up down the road take care ya all and safe travels.

Gerry &Charlotte

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.

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