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When we left Patagonia, we decided to just drive around the mountain and find a place to stay near Sierra Vista. We ended up in a small town called Hereford just south of Sierra Vista. We drove down a rugged dirt road and dropped the Airstream at a nearby parking lot so that we could scout for a good campsite. At this point it was nearing sunset and we were trying to get set up before dark. Rule #1 - never get to a campsite that you don’t know when it’s dark!
We found a really cool spot off the road far enough so we could have a bit of seclusion and we were pretty sure that we could fit in if we were really careful. Sometimes we just love the challenge of getting our rig into small spaces!
We quickly went back to hook up the Airstream and drove back to the spot only to find a Jeep had parked in 'our spot'! What the heck?! We were only gone like 5 minutes.
Jonathan got out and asked them if they were going to stay the night there. We were already off the main road and this site was the only place we could turn around. It was not an option to back up. Luckily, they said they were just going to do a fire for a few hours and they’d leave after sunset. There was literally another site just 20 feet up the road that would have been perfect for a jeep to hang out in but they weren’t moving.
Well, maybe we can go up to the next spot and finagle our way in?? We tried...but NOPE! It took us a good 45 minutes to back up the rocky road, trying to avoid boulders and trying not to smash our stabilizers on the crazy rocks that were sticking out of the middle of the road. It was a very stressful 45 minutes and now the sun was beginning to set.
We barely made it out and most definitely added some new scratches to the side of our rig, but we made our way back to the lot where we had previously dropped the Airstream to scout just an hour before. We sat there and just waited to see if the Jeep was going to leave. An hour later we were so excited to see them pass by and we drove back to 'our spot' and set up camp in the dark, breaking our #1 rule.
Anyway, this spot was great!
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We are getting asked more and more questions these days so it’s time I start addressing some of them! Some of the most common questions we get asked have to do with water.
- Where do we get it?
- Do we filter it?
- Is it safe to drink from your tank?
Well, I hope this gives you a better idea of how we get water to our rig while living off grid.
Where do we get water?
Since we are primarily boondocking (camping without hookups or off the grid) we have to really search out where to get water. Luckily, we have great resources like Campendium that include reviews where people share places they filled up their water tanks or dumped their black/gray tanks. That is super helpful information for those of us who enjoy spending time in nature and not in RV parks.
When we find a place we want to visit, our next step is to search out water. If it wasn’t mentioned in a review or if we’re somewhere not many people know about, we try calling a few gas stations to see if they have potable water or nearby RV parks to see if we can fill up there. Most RV Parks will let you fill up your tanks for a fee. Typically for our 40 gallons, we are charged anywhere between $3-$10.
First, it is very important that you invest in a good hose. You want one that is plenty long because there will be situations where you will not be super close to the water source. We didn't want one of those bulky hard hoses because they take up a lot of room and are a pain to coil up.
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Seeing that we’re a family of introverts, it was time to find a secluded place where we could recharge, and enjoy some outdoor hiking. We were in need of warm weather and sunshine so we packed up and headed south to Patagonia.
We found a nice little spot off of a quiet road to call home for the week.
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We have made some pretty great friends while on the road. Sometimes it can feel a little lonely out here, especially around big holidays. This year we were getting a little down about not being close to home for Christmas, but our friends invited us to celebrate with them and what a treat that was.
And you know you're having a blast when you don't take time to take many pictures.
We made our way back to Phoenix after a lovely week at Catalina State Park. We tagged along to Michelle and Juan’s church for a beautiful Christmas Eve Service and later that night we had the best Mexican feast with their extended family. Of course their family is just as sweet as they are and they welcomed us with open arms and the best bean burritos I've ever had! The kids had a blast playing outside in the leaves and we all went home with happy hearts.
The next morning we made our way into our friend’s home and had our very first sticky buns experience! Oh, and bacon.
Sidenote: I need more sticky buns in my life!
We exchanged a few small gifts and had an epic Nerf Gun war! But, like mom always said, it’s all fun and games until someone gets shot in the eye…
While the Trujillo's went to do Christmas with their families, we stayed in the house to catch up on laundry and enjoy having a house to spread out in. Although, we never spread out very far...
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After getting our truck all fixed up with the new accessories in Phoenix, we were ready to get back on the road. We didn’t want to go far since we had been invited to spend Christmas with our friends, Michelle and Juan Trujillo! We’ve been seeing a lot of them this year, and were really looking forward to spending Christmas with their family.
We were able to find a spot at one of our favorite state parks in Arizona: Catalina State Park. It’s such a weird place because as you’re coming down the 77 you’re passing by every big shop you could possibly need and then you turn right at the entrance to the state park and you’re instantly transported into a desert wonderland.
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Ashley Longnecker / February 06, 2018
We’re Jonathan & Ashley Longnecker. We love weird ideas, great food, travel, drawing, music, homeschool, tattoos, dreads, woodworking, design and our 4 amazing kids.