Escapees July-August 2022

If you’re accessing a boondocking area that is down a dirt road, and your RV is not a high clearance vehicle, I suggest that you stop at a safe location and either walk or ride a bicycle and scope the road out before you take the RV down it. This is especially important if you’re towing something. If you’re running with a small RV or a truck camper or whatever it’s a lot easier to turn around than if you have 20 or 30 feet of trailer behind you. I have a little motorcycle on my RV, and I regularly unload it and ride the road before I take the RV down it. Once you reach the area where you intend to camp, look around and see if there are any signs of places where people typi cally park. Often, you’ll fi nd fi re rings and there may be tire tracks or other signs that fellow campers have been there. There are usually a lot of possible choices, so now’s the time to consider some things. Consider the Weather When you look at a potential parking spot, evaluate it in terms of getting out in case of bad weather. Unless you’re in some part of the country where no bad weather ever

occurs (which is nowhere), it’s important to think about your departure before you park. Be aware of water fl ow areas, desert washes, or low areas that may fi ll with water and become ponds or lakes in case of a large thunderstorm passage. If there are vicious ruts in the road, even if it’s dry now, it means that it does get wet and people either get stuck or get buried in those areas. It’s also important to pay attention to the weather forecast for the area you are camping in. There have been a number of times where I have chosen to depart ahead of bad weather, and I have never regretted it. Besides, there’s always another campsite a little further down the road. Be Sure to Look Up! So many times we pay more attention to what the road or ground surface is like and we fail to notice overhanging branches and low clearances. This is especially important for people who are guiding someone who is backing up. If we’re going to be camping out in the boonies, especially in forests, be aware that there is nobody trimming these

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July/August 2022 ESCAPEES Magazine