Intro to Snowbirding in Southern Arizona

Snowbirding = Flying South for the Winter

Roper Lake State Park and Mount Graham.
This photo show the campground cabins along the lake.

Sunrise over Roper Lake, Arizona

I've read quite a few blogs about "Snowbirding" in Arizona, Southern California, and Mexico.  I follow a few blogs and learn when and where folks "full time" in their RVs. Living in Durango, Colorado is awesome, but for the winters, I plan to be a snowbird, and needed to scout some ideas.

Cherry Baby and Saturn with morning rainbow. 

In January I met up with some friends for a few weeks of camping in Southeast Arizona.  This is their second year of retirement, they spent last winter in and around Southwest New Mexico and Southeast Arizona. The names of the locations they explored in 2014 really intrigued me; Bisbee, Tombstone, the Chiricahua Mountains, Cochese Stronghold.  And as this is the first year of my extended travel with part-time retirement, I decided to rendezvous with them at Roper Lake State Park.

My friends have a classic 12 foot camper and tow it with their Toyota Tacoma.  A sweet set up.  Our rendezvous location was Safford, AZ, Roper Lake State Park. With a clearing storm coming through, the sunset and sunrise were photographically inspiring.  The campground was quiet and in the Gila loop I paid $15. for the night; no hookups, but water spigots and hot showers too.  Roper Lake has three loops for camping and can supply up 30-50amp service.  The campground even has a hot tub!  What a deal.  Here's a map of the State Park.

My friends' rig, sunrise at Roper Lake State Park

Day One: Durango to Bluff, UT (121 miles)

Day Two: Bluff to Holbrook, AZ (200 miles)

Day Three: Holbrook to Safford, AZ (215 miles)

I was solo, and often am, so the third day was kinda long for me, as the travel from Show Low to Globe was through the mountains, the Apache Reservation.  There were lots of hills with signs suggesting that vehicles towing trailers check their brakes for the downhill.  I certainly followed those suggestions, and stopped when I felt a bit overwhelmed by the drive, rested.

On this trip I learned that I can tow for 250 miles per day,  I prefer just around 200 miles.

I'm a newbie at towing my camper, took driving lessons and have been on many familiar roads, but when the travel includes mountains, and unfamiliar routes, I see I need to take my time.

Destination, Gila Box Riparian Area.  Safford, AZ

The reason for meeting friends at Roper Lake was our plan to caravan to Gila Box Riparian Area, northeast of Safford, and just about 20 miles from Roper.

Gila Box, BLM site. 

Outside of Safford, Arizona

The first thing I learned while towing my rig to the Gila was that the campground hosts, Walt and Kathy, were going to be fast friends.  They met us at the entrance and escorted us up and down the tight curves to the campground.  The road is narrow, well paved, but there are a few blind curves so Walt and Kathy made sure no other vehicles were coming at us.  

Walt, collecting the trash left behind.  

On my last day, Walt and Kathy escorted
me out of the Gila and gave me walkie talkies
for the drive to town.

The Beauty of the Gila Box

The Gila River, near the "take out".

Gila River, the beach.  I sat here many times with my sketchbook, camera
and reading material. 

Barrel Cactus galore.

Prickly Pear Cactus right next to my campsite

Home-sweet-home for 12 days

I settled in to Site #9, and set up my camper to catch the morning sun and southern exposure, my friends at Site 10. A 30 watt solar panel proved perfect for two weeks of "dry camping".   One of the main reasons I chose a travel trailer is to unhook and be free to explore with my jeep.  My "clunker" mountain bike serves me for daily trips to the loo, and to exercise and enjoy the land.  As you can see, I like a "gravity" chair and folding table end table at camp.  At $2.50 per night (with America the Beautiful Pass) the Gila was the best bargain for front country camping.  We had the campground to ourselves, with spacious sites, great views and the river flowing nearby.  And having Walt and Kathy, Jim and Marianne (BLM Volunteers) onsite sure helped me to feel safe and comfy.

The campsites at Gila included sweet light, covered picnic
tables and fire rings.

Part II. Geo Cache, ATV tour and New Friends

RV Solar Power

Solar Power for Camping, Hiking and Photo Gear

I live simply, and when camping do the same.  I'm not one to watch TV at night at home or while traveling. I tend to watch the night sky and do a bit of reading or art-making while camping. I do watch movies at home, but prefer the quiet of camping and my connection to the land and universe.  On a cold night I light a fire and enjoy friends and family at camp.

When dry camping, I like to keep my 12V house battery charged for lights and to run the water pump and toilet.  I bought a 50 watt and a 35 watt solar panel.  The 50 watt panel came with a kit that includes a 12V backup battery for traveling and to charge AC devices. I have not needed the 50 watt for my limited power needs in my Saturn.  All of my interior and exterior lights are LEDs so they use very little juice. I turn off the water pump when not in use.

At Wahweap campground,  a 35 Watt Solar Panel is hooked up
to trickle charge my rig when dry camping.  It's often sunny out here
in the Southwest, so solar is the way to go.

Boondocking in Utah, my solar panel has kept my 18 footer fully charged
for a week of camping.  When I unhook and go for a backcountry 4WD,
I disconnect the panel and take it with me, for emergency power.

Since taking this photo in the fall, I've removed the awning as it was torn, and had a lot of mold when unrolled.  I will replace it.

While dry camping (boon docking) in Colorado, I kept my battery charged
by solar trickle charge.

Solar Power for Hiking and Backpacking

I am a photographer, and carry lots of camera gear while hiking.  Digital cameras eat batteries for lunch, so it's important to be able to keep the batteries charged in the field.  On a recent 5 day backpack, I tested a few solutions to battery use. One solution was to carry 3 dedicated Nikon batteries for my D5100 (my lightest weight camera body); another idea was to use the Goal Zero to charge the AA batteries for use in my point and shoot over the 5 day trip.  Here are some suggestions to increase the battery power when recharging at home is not an option.

• Try to limit the amount of "chimping", reviewing every photo. (any monkey can do that)
• When shooting video, which requires the use of the LCD, don't review when finished recording
• Weigh the difference between carrying extra batteries for your cameras, or re-charging in the field

What I learned was that for 5 days of photography, including video recording, I need an additional dedicated Nikon battery, which only weighs a few ounces.  But since I also carry and use an iPad, I like the Goal Zero system for charging batteries and devices in the field.

I bought the Goal Zero Solar Panel/Charger.  It charges 4 AA batteries using the sun in a short 2 hours.  Once charged I can use the device to charge up more AAs or directly charge my iPad or iPhone through the USB port located on the battery pack.  I don't mind the extra 1.2 lbs and can charge AA and AAA. 

The battery pack has inputs for the solar panels and USB devices.
It includes an LED light that runs for 120 hours.

The Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Solar Kit, weighs just 1.2 lbs and sells for around $80. at Amazon
Here's how it works, hang the Goal Zero Panel on your daypack or camera bag, and hook up
 the battery pack. The panel will charge the battery pack in 2 hours.
Connect your USB device to the battery pack and charge
your iPhone, iPad or digital camera.

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