RV Life as an Introvert – Telephone Cove BLM near Laughlin, NV

After leaving the Yuma area, we traveled north to Laughlin, NV (Bullhead City, AZ) to meet Kevin’s brother for a late lunch. Then we made our way to Nevada Telephone Cove Dispersed Camping area, which is on the banks of the Mohave Lake. It is only about ten miles northwest of Laughlin and camping is free. It is my understanding that if you go to the Arizona side of Mohave Lake, you have to pay for camping, but please do your own research to make sure. I found it, once again, on FreeRoam.

That’s Gordito, looking all handsome and everything. LOL

While the site is only about 10 miles from Laughlin, be advised that 4.5 miles of that distance is on a sandy, gravel, washboard road with some twists and some steep grades (short though they are). So be prepared to have your gizzard jiggled out for 4.5 miles. We have a 27’ Class-C (who gets a bit cranky on washboard roads) with a toad, so had an issue with one steep hill. Gordito began to spin down into the sand. We did make it, though. On the way out the next day, we unloaded the car and I drove it out ahead of Gordito, and he made it just fine.

We are discovering that most BLM lands are accessible by gravel (usually washboard) roads, so if that is the price we have to pay for peace and quiet and privacy, then so be it. It is worth it.

Out our front door, away from the lake.

We arrived there late Friday evening, knowing it would probably be busy/crowed with weekenders. And we were correct. Telephone Cove (TC) is simply a stretch of beach on the shore of Mohave Lake where you can stop anywhere and camp. There wasn’t a place on the shore, so we circled around and got a primo spot on the opposite side among some shrubberies (you are required to say that with a British accent, ala Monty Python style – LOL). We put our door facing the mountains and not the lake, and so got privacy that way. The ground was level enough to not have to use levelers – for just one night, anyway.

We noticed rigs bigger than ours when we got there, so don’t worry about getting in. If we did it, and they did it, you are bound to succeed. There was one site right on the shore that was obviously un-manned but “saved.” Not sure of the rules on BLM land for that sort of thing, but we thought it was really bad form. We could have camped on the shore were it not for that.

See that unmanned “save” by the lake? Not cool.

The area offers a vault (bathroom), a huge dumpster for trash, a few trees and shrubs, and a boat launch. There were plenty of toys present: side-by-sides, jet skis, boats. Due to it being the weekend, we expected this. The sign there stated that you can stay up to seven days in a row.

The lake was cold, and the breeze was hot – nice combo. However, it was so hot that we had difficulty getting to sleep later, even with all the windows open and a (hot) breeze. It finally did cool down sometime later in the night. This is when we decided to invest in some smaller, rechargeable (maybe solar), clamp-on fans. We ran the generator for a bit so we could use the air conditioner to cool us down before going to bed, but we are hesitant to run it too much, because we know peeps want peace and quiet. However, we noticed several other rigs running theirs, and from our camp, we could not hear them. I think we just need to get used to running it more when we need to.

I would highly recommend TC BLM area for introverted boondocking – especially during the week, not on holidays, and not in summer (kids are out of school and on vaca with the fam). Please note that we were there in mid-May. On our way out the next morning, we saw LOTS more folks coming in with more toys for weekend fun, so introverts beware. LOL

What’s your fave rechargeable (maybe solar?), smaller, clamp-on fan for camping?

RV Life as an Introvert – VFW BLM North of Yuma for Boondocking

After several days of waiting on RV repairs in Yuma, we are FINALLY(!) on our way north (and hopefully to some place cooler). We could have gone ahead and driven Gordito as is, but he had a few things that needed to be done and now we can feel more confident about getting to where we want to go safely.

However, we only got as far as a few miles north of Yuma to the VFW Bureau of Land Management (BLM) camp because it was late when the shop finished with Gordito. But we were determined to leave and break the holding pattern we had been in for nearly a week. So around 6pm we pulled into the area. And after beginning to feel like we were being held hostage in a bad version of a low-budget horror film about being unable to exit a hot city with little to no T-Mobile cell coverage (even with our cell phone booster), we were happy to have made it even this short distance away. At least it’s progress, right?

Anyway.

I was surprised to find that I actually liked the VFW BLM land. Yes, it is right next to I-95 and a railroad track – so it is somewhat noisy. But hey, that’s what earplugs are for. We heard a few human voices, but not many, and nothing loud. The area is mostly flat with some native, shrubby plants scattered throughout. RVs and vans were parked at intervals – but not too many (remember, it’s hot as hell already in Yuma even though it’s only early May), because most everyone else has, wisely, bugged out.

At the back of the area are large trees, and we managed to snag a spot right against the trees, thus putting us in the shade (hard to come by in these parts!). We put our front door facing the trees instead of the camp area and have a lot of privacy that way. It’s so much nicer than the one photo I saw on FreeRoam. I took some photos the next morning to include here and on FreeRoam if it’ll let me add some. I’ve only used the app a few times so far, so I’m not sure of the possibilities.

The VFW BLM has no services, to include no dumpsters, no water, no dump station, no electricity. So, pack it in; pack it out. Anyone can stay; you don’t have to be a veteran or anything (even though I am a veteran). At the entrance, it said to register with the camp host, but we never figured out who or where that was. And considering the week we’d had (stressful!), we were exhausted, so drove in and parked. No one ever said anything to us about it, so…

The site was very level, so that no leveling blocks were needed. Although I’m not sure we would have bothered anyway, considering we would only be there for one night. The ground is mostly rough sand, so in high winds it might be dust-stormy around here, but it was good weather for us. I expect it would be hot as hell – even in the shade – during the day, but we got there late and left early, so it was mostly cool breezes through open windows for us.

Even with the highway right nearby, there was plenty of wildlife – birds, crickets, bunnies. And because there were so few folks here and everyone was parked with plenty of space between, this introvert felt quite comfortable. I didn’t like the lights at night, however. I like to sleep with no lights outside at night. People-made lights ruin the nighttime, IMO. There were a few lights near the entrance, around the VFW venue (building) there were really bright once we went to bed.

Google said VFW BLM was only 2. 6 miles (8 minutes) from Yuma, so if you stay here and need to shop or go see a movie, you’re well placed to do just that. It’s kind of the best of both – outside the city but with the city close enough for comfort.

I would tentatively recommend this place for introverts – probably dependent upon the season. Do some more research about other times of the year if you plan to make this a destination. Keep in mind how hot it is here, too, in the summer. In the winter, this would be a perfect stopping place, IMO.

As boondocking goes, this is only our third time trying it. Once was last year and in a Wal-Mart parking lot. So that one doesn’t really count for the introverted boondocking experiment. However, the other two times have been successful as far as this introvert is concerned. I could get to really like this.

What are your favorite boondocking (and good-for-introvert) places?

RV Life as an Introvert – Fortuna Pond (Lake) for Boondocking

If you’re an introvert and looking for paradise, it might just be Fortuna Pond (some places list it as “Lake”) outside of Fortuna and Yuma, Arizona. We spent one night there, and it was heavenly for this water, tree, and bird lover. And I think boondocking might be the answer to the introvert’s question of how to survive RV life.

I must admit that I have been sitting squarely on the struggle bus here lately due to having to be around too many people, too much noise, too many lights (you know, human stuff), etc. for too long without a significant break. Because while I love having full hookups, I do not like most RV parks. In fact, I have yet to meet one that totally works for me. My mental health has been suffering, therefore. I’m stressed out, easy to anger, easy to panic, prone to freak outs and panic attacks, impatient, jumpy, super sensitive to noise, movement, and lights.

To counteract this problem, I doubled up on my meditations each day and started being more mindful about practicing my mindful techniques (funny how that works, huh?). I began making a list simply titled, “What Do I Need?” All these measures are helping. I decided to try something else that might not only soothe my soul but that is also free; I suggested to my partner that we do more boondocking. I like the idea of being away from noise, lots of peeps, and lights for a day or two here and there to keep me in the functioning, contributing adult category (something that was slipping away from me).

So, last night we spent the night at Fortuna Lake. It is listed as a pond in some places. In others, it is listed as a lake. I’m not actually sure if there are two different areas, or if the naming of one area is the issue, but wherever we were (the signs there said “Fortuna Pond”), it was wonderful. It is about 15 minutes outside Yuma, Arizona. And it is an oasis, as far as I am concerned. It was a small body of water surrounded by unmanicured grasses, trees, and shrubs. It is listed as bureau of land management (BLM) land, so there is not a fee to stay there. And you can stay for up to 14 days in a row, according to the BLM rules.

In order to find BLM/boondocking possibilities, I downloaded a free app out of the playstore called FreeRoam (they’re a nonprofit) that I really like. You can set your filters for all kinds of stuff, and it will point out the areas that might work for you. It has info, reviews, and photos of each area. I haven’t tried it for regular RV parks, but I like what it’s showing me for free boondocking possibilities.

Fortuna Pond had all kinds of wildlife, very few peeps, and the only human-made noises were one train that passed, distantly, at night. I also heard approximately three vehicles while we were there. They passed by on the nearby dirt road. And the road to get there does need to be addressed. When you turn off the paved road to get to the pond, you must drive about 2.5 – 3 miles on a dirt and gravel road, most of which is washboard. I am not a fan of washboard roads, but I have to say that road was worth the jiggling to get to such a great spot.

We were there in early May, so it was hot, but that also means fewer peeps. I would recommend going during the week and avoiding weekends and holidays. Fishing is allowed and apparently the lake is stocked on a regular basis with trout, bass, sun perch, catfish, and carp. I have heard other folks have gone swimming in the lake, but we did not. I did see two snakes swimming at dusk, so stay alert. I am not sure of the type of snake (they were too far away to tell), but they were not small. Also, it is my experience from growing up in a hot place with lakes that dusk is a snake’s preferred swim time. So maybe swim but not late in the day? Don’t take my word for it though, do your research.

We have a 27-foot class-C with a toad, and we had no trouble finding several spots we could stay. We chose a spot right on the pond and it was great. I got to listen to birds and frogs – and very few peeps. Perfection. It was sandy, but we had little to no wind, so no dust in the air. And sand is to be expected because Yuma is in the desert. And it was hot that time of the year – again: desert. I have read that the pond can be very busy and crowded during weekends. Indeed, there were several locals there for the fishing as day-users even on a weekday.

We ran our generator for a short time when we first got there around 6pm to cool down the inside of Gordito, but it cooled down nicely outside after dusk. It was the first time on our trip that I got to sleep without my earplugs. I wanted to listen to the night as I slept, and I was not disappointed. We had a new moon, stars, water, bird song that turned into cricket song as it got dark, bats that came out a dusk, and a cool breeze.

It was somewhat buggy (it’s a lake area, after all), but I will let you in on my secret for repelling mosquitos. Take a high-quality garlic supplement. I take them year-round. The high-quality ones can’t be smelled by people, but it can by insects. And apparently, mosquitos don’t like peeps marinated in garlic, because I never have mosquito problems. It will not work if you take one or two before an outing. You have to have taken them for a while, so that you are nice and saturated.

I highly recommend this spot for introverts – and anyone who wants to fish, likes wildlife, and craves peace.