The 2024/25 RV Snowbird Season
General RV Chat
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We made it back to the desert! I got a nice boondocking site at Trona Pinnacles, about 40 miles west of Death Valley, California. I decided to stop off for a bit when I saw a favorable weather forecast for the first week of December. There would be lots of sun and, more importantly, not too much wind. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that holds.
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This is an update on what we have been up to since we left the Oregon Coast. I reviewed our various stops as we traveled south from the Oregon coast to the southern California desert. What a contrast in conditions from the wet, cloudy coast to the dry, sunny desert. It's good to feel that warm sunshine on our faces!
youtu.be/JM8PiS4IqQY*Related Links*
Harvest Hosts 30% Discount Link - (offer valid Nov 1, 2024 – Jan 1, 2025) harvest-hosts.com/NZB2XK
*2015 Trona Pinnacles Video* - youtu.be/TOdEIfEFOqw
2024/25 Snowbird Trip Videos - youtube.com/playlist?list
LYRV&B Substack - loveyourrv.substack.com -
Glad you liked the Pinnacles, great place unless you're playing high school football, there's no grass on the field and its a sure bet
you'll leave a good deal of your hide there when the game's over. -
😁👍
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There was quite the beauty cloud show today at the Trona Pinnacles, and even a few raindrops fell. Thanksgiving weekend is winding down and has quieted dramatically as the off-road ATV crowds have headed home after a fun weekend. I'm looking forward to a peaceful, sunny, warm week ahead.
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To truly appreciate the beauty of the Trona Pinnacles, or the desert, for that matter, you have to see it late in the day or around sunset.
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RV desert camping at Trona Pinnacles National Natural Landmark in Southern California. This stunning location is perfect for a peaceful and unique camping experience. The video was taken in late November and early December. I will show you our camping site at the Trona Pinnacles. loveyourrv.com/free-rv-ca
Also included is a look at the unpaved road in and around the Pinnacles. It is mostly gravel, sand, and rock and, at times, can get badly washboarded and rutted in spots. Camping is primitive boondocking. Pack it in and pack it out. There is one small vault toilet.
For services, the town of Ridgecrest is about half an hour away. Find a Sani Star dump station in the Desert Empire Fairground, propane at True Value Hardware, and other supplies and groceries at a Walmart Supercenter. For more info on the Trona Pinnacles, check out my previous blog post and video from 2015 youtu.be/pmuIR9eA24I
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I took this video last night of the SpaceX rocket launch on the California coast from Trona Pinnacles. I think it was carrying more Starlink satellites to orbit. It looked pretty cool. youtube.com/watch?v=pFAGK
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Yesterday, we hooked up the trailer after a pleasant visit at the Trona Pinnacles and overnighted in Amboy CA, across from Roys Cafe and Motel, a Route 66 nostalgia attraction. Today, we have landed in Joshua Tree National Park at Belle Campground! Lucky to snag a spot to shoehorn our rig into. :)
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Roy's Motel & Cafe in Amboy California youtu.be/dQ0I9D3cVrI
Location details, video footage, and photos from our overnight stopover at Roy's Motel & Cafe in Amboy, California. Located on the historic Route 66 highway. They are now part of the Harvest Hosts membership site, offering free RV overnight parking in a large, flat dirt lot across the street. It was an interesting and nostalgic place to visit and learn the history of the place. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amb
Related Links:
Trona Pinnacles Video - loveyourrv.com/free-rv-ca
Roy's Motel Website - visitamboy.com
Join Harvest Hosts - harvest-hosts.com/NZB2XK (Affiliate Link)
Amboy Crater Video - loveyourrv.com/amboy-crat
2024/25 Snowbird Trip Videos - youtube.com/playlist?list -
Here are some photos of our recent campsite in beautiful Joshua Tree National Park. The elevation was around 4000 feet, so nights were chilly, near freezing, but days weren't too bad when in the sun. We stayed in Belle Campground site 17. Our rig just fit. It was $15 a night, with no hookups.
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We made our way yesterday from around 4000 feet up in Joshua Tree National Park down to below sea level in the Salton Sea State Recreation Area. Both are very scenic & peaceful, but the Salton Sea is a bit warmer. ;)
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Anne and I spent our 1st wedding anniversary and 21st as a couple doing what we love, out in nature. Explored the Sonny Bono National Wildlife Refuge on the south end of the Salton Sea in California. Sunny, warm weather and a great day with my sweetheart. Can't beat that! When I met this Great Blue Heron, I wondered if it was a fellow BCer also doing the Snowbird migrating. :)
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Made it today! Sunny Arizona!
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We overnighted at Dateland last night. They now have a huge dirt lot in the back, and we asked if we could stay and got permission. It looks like trucks may use it, but it was pretty mellow last night. They also have lots of electric car charging stations. They have an interesting gift store, and we bought some dates, of course :) They also have date shakes. It's a good stopover between Yuma and Gila Bend on Interstate 8.
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This video captures serene and captivating wildlife scenes from the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, located at the southern end of the Salton Sea in California, not far from Palm Springs.
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Beautiful evening boondocking in southern Arizona near Ajo. It has been much warmer and drier than the last few Decembers, and not too much wind. Hope that keeps up.
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Got this closeup of a Costa's hummingbird today. What amazing little critters.
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Merry Christmas everyone from our boondocking camp in southern Arizona! Hope you have a great holiday! Cheers, Ray
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Had a nice Christmas day hike yesterday in the area around our campsite near the little town of Ajo in southern Arizona. I like this part of AZ because of the lushness of the desert landscape and surrounding hills, which makes for some scenic hikes. Also, one of the few parts of AZ with the cool-looking Organ Pipe Cactus that you can see on the left of this picture. Far off in the distance, you can see mountains located inside the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Our camper is in the middle of the photo.
