Friday, April 24, 2015

Weekend camping with a friend

This last weekend a friend from Albuquerque came to Arizona to camp with me for a few nights.  We first met in Clints Well, Arizona.  About 60 miles south of Winslow.  What a beautiful 14 day stay area.  It had actual sites, fire rings, picnic tables and a toilet (which smelled and looked like someone exploded in there).

Blue and TicTac in our spot

I was there 2 nights completely by myself before my friend came.  I was cold but really didn't think anything of it. Just figured I was a wimp and had to get use to it.  I did have a little snow on TicTac when I woke up Friday morning.  What a difference it makes sleeping in the cold without my boys.... They gave out a lot of warmth.

This is our spot from the edge of the spot.  Must of been the camp host spot at one time.

By Friday people started to show up.  That afternoon a woman stopped by to see my rig.  She lit her cigarette and started to tell quite the story.  Started with a political rant... On to domestic violence, a husband who was part of the mob, working for the CIA, being raped by Obama in Chicago and back to a political vote for Hilary because domestic violence needs to be stopped in this country.  She could really tell a story... You couldn't get a word in edgewise but it was interesting as she chain smoked the entire time... At one point she had 3 lit cigarettes in her hand.  My friend showed up a little bit into the conversation and probably an hour later this random woman was leaving.  The only thing I didn't like is she would take a step towards me, stare me in the eyes, point with the hand with the current smoking cigarette and say "you know where I'm going with this" every few minutes.  I just nodded my head.

By Friday evening the campground was full.  A family with a popup trailer didn't have a place to park so I offered for them to stay in our spot with us.  They declined and went looking elsewhere for a campground.  

My friend and I opened a bottle of whiskey and started a fire.  After a bit we decided to walk around the campground.  It only has 7 sites so it is quite small.  We met a couple from Canada who were biking around Arizona and might go thru parts of New Mexico.  We met 2 ladies who were RVing together and heading to a party somewhere in the woods the next day.  On our way back to our site the family with the popup came back in the campground and took us up on our offer.  They set up camp while my friend and I had the most delisious jalapeƱo and cheese dogs, marshmallows and whiskey.

The family pretty much kept to themselves and my friend and I stayed up quite late talking about everything from how to pee in the woods, relationships, work, family, friends, disappointment and everything in between.

At the end of the night she went to sleep in her tent and I went back to TicTac.  It was the coldest night... Or maybe it was the whiskey but I couldn't get my lower leg to my toes warm.  I had on 2 pair of wool socks and I tried a hot hand but the hot hand would get cold after a minute or two on my foot.  The rest of my body was warm but my feet made it quite miserable.

The next morning we decided to go back to Cottonwood and warmth.  I chatted with another group of campers while my friend was packing up her tent and stuff.  It was 2 couples who were super nice.  They asked me what we were talking about the night before.  They said they saw one of us going from a squat to a stand over and over again and that some of our conversations was quite funny.  I'm assuming that was the demonstration my friend gave of how to squat to pee in the woods.  And who knows what parts of the conversations they heard. Haha

Once we were all packed up we headed back to Cottonwood and a huge temperature difference.  We went 60 miles from well over 7000 feet to around 4000 feet and close to a 20 degree difference.

Campsite in Cottonwood.
Our spot in Cottonwood.  My friend slept in her car that night.

The fire ring I made. :)
I made us a fire ring and it looked quite good.

Fixing the knocked over rocks the next morning.
My friend left after 1 night for an interview in Phoenix but stopped by for another night on her way back to Albuquerque.  Another night of whiskey, marshmallows and the yummy hot dogs... And of course conversation about everything.

I always feel like Alexander Supertramp when I sit outside TicTac
My friend took this most fabulous photo. 

We also saw 2 baby cows down the road.  This 14 day stay area is in open range so cattle sometimes stop by.  

Mooo cows :)
These 2 were on the road going out of the campground.

It was quite the fabulous few days.  I love I can find people to camp with.  My friend isn't an RVer or living on the road... She comes to camp with a tent for the weekend when I am somewhat close to her.  Truly cool!







22 comments:

  1. It seems to me that the lady with 3 cigarettes at once + all that nonsense talk had few screws lose... there are many on the lose, their appearance is like anyone else, but they have fews flaws in the attic !!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi!
    I am enjoying your blog very much...saw your guest post on Cheap rv living!! Keep having good times and collecting wonderful memories....

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love the reference to Alexander Supertramp.

    ReplyDelete
  4. When it comes to deciding the size, if you are not going backpacking in the wilderness where the weight of the camping tent is a major consideration, always go for a tent that will take more people than the quoted size. Manufacturers of camping tents usually overstate the amount of people that can comfortably sleep in a tent. tbreviews.com/top-15-best-camping-tents-for-your-family-on-the-market/

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your post is very helpful, thank you. Camping isn’t just the all-American pastime-it’s one of the best ways to put your survival skills to the test, while enjoying yourself in the great outdoors. There are several skills that you can put to the test, even on just a typical family camping trip. See more http://survival-mastery.com/skills/camp/car-camping.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. I used to have a look a like trailer towing with my motorbike Trailers. I normally took it with me while going out for camping.

    ReplyDelete
  7. There's nothing quite like camping and staying on a tent. Yet, I love your cool TicTac! It's quite unique, haven't seen one here in my city so wow! Do you ever camp out of the TicTac and stay on a tent where it's more comfy? Plus, it can really create warmth when the temperature dips. It's not fun having our toes frozen while we try to sleep, right? I'm an avid camper and here are some of the best products I've tried http://myoutdoorslife.com/gear/camping-and-hiking/best-car-camping-tent.html

    ReplyDelete
  8. In this survey of the best 5 man tents I trust you'll see that I remained consistent with that objective. Ozark Trail tents

    ReplyDelete
  9. Find dirt cheap prices on survival gear including first aid kits, fire starters, food supplies and more for camping or zombie defense at survivalgeararmory.com. survivalgeararmory.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Another time he car camped at Floyd Bennett Field in The Camping Companion, where old airfield runways crisscross the grounds and the NYPD conducts full-on training exercises including rappelling from helicopters and high-speed car chase practice. In short, know what you’re getting into.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I truly value this superb post that you have accommodated us. I guarantee this would be helpful for a large portion of the general population. https://www.minds.com/blog/view/797039625330032640

    ReplyDelete
  12. I’m reading the stuff of your site continuously n I have got really a lot of the things that’s very important. You have put the great effort here.
    Outdoor Federation

    ReplyDelete
  13. useful information on topics that plenty are interested on for this wonderful post.Admiring the time and effort you put into your b!.. best rated roll up tonneau covers

    ReplyDelete
  14. I really appreciate this wonderful post that you have provided for us. I assure this would be beneficial for most of the people. best rated truck bed covers

    ReplyDelete
  15. While looking among the outdoor tents accessible today, you should consider the general weight of the unit that you intend to buy. For some, this isn't at exceedingly imperative.rv dealer in arkansas

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a great experience! I prefer to travel with all facilities. So usually I rent a car

    ReplyDelete