Boondocking Spot - (Weston, WY)

I woke up early but stayed in bed and read until I went back to sleep.  Eventually, we got up around 9:00.

The campground had already emptied out.  But we weren't going very far and were in no hurry.

It was cool and cloudy, and we even had a little sprinkle of rain as we were packing up.  We pulled out of our site around 11:30.

With our short stay, we didn't see a need to hit the KOA dump station, so we simply exited Devils Tower National Monument and headed back toward Gillette.  That was an easy sixty miles, and then we had about another 30 miles to go.

We entered the Thunder Basin National Grassland and had a few more miles to go to our turnoff.  The turnoff is a well-maintained red gravel National Forest road that leads to the Weston Hills Recreation Area, a Bureau of Land Management area adjacent to the National Grassland.

 

 

We had scouted the area last Sunday for boondocking sites.  Before going too far, Linda took the Jeep in to make sure the spots we selected were available.  Fortunately, our top choices were empty.

We took a spot that can actually hold two RVs.  It sits in a valley, so we get a little relief from the wind and and we can't be seen from the paved road (WY 59).  It's a very, very nice boondocking spot.  :)

 

 

Oh, and it is not actually in the Weston Hills Recreation Area, but rather inside the Grassland (where dispersed camping is also allowed) just before getting into the recreation area.

This shot is from just inside the recreation area looking back down to our rig.

 

 

The road into the recreation area goes up a pretty steep incline into the upper elevations.  This is a picture from a roadside pull-off (possibly used for boondocking by brave souls), down to where we are parked.

 

 

We are the little white dot directly in the center of the photo.  :)

Here's a little zoom in.

 

 

Going on up the mountain, we eventually came to a "T" in the road and decided to go the right.  It ended with a loop overlooking some gorgeous scenery.

 

 

 

Returning and going up the other route, we found the road to be a little rougher and more suited to ATVs and off-road vehicles.  We drove for awhile before turning around.

The roadside wildflowers were gorgeous as we returned and started down the mountain toward home.

 

 

Here's a closer look at the mountains that are part of the main view from our rig.

 

 

Back at our spot, I got out our loungers and we read in the sun.  With highs only in the 60s and some wind, it was a bit chilly when the sun went behind the clouds.

Eventually, Linda fixed some dinner and we settled in for the night.  We kicked on the inverter, watched one TV show, and then read until bedtime.

We don't have cell service except for one bar while I'm plugged into our cellular amplifier.  Of course, when the inverter is off, we don't even have that.

You know, I've often heard hard-core boondockers say "I don't know why anyone would ever pay to stay in a campground."  Well, with sites like this available all over the wide open west, I can certainly understand that statement.  :)

This is exactly why we spent the money in 2007 and 2008 to upgrade our battery bank, get a quality inverter, and add solar panels.  Three days of no hook-ups this week, and we haven't turned the generator on yet. 

We're looking forward to a lot more of this boondocking stuff over the next year or so.  :)

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Comments

[Rick]

What a great place. Peace and tranquility. I especially like the red gravel roads.

[Bill and Linda]

Howard, if you will, it will be very helpful if you give us some detail on just how much power (amp hours) your using and what you’re using them for to give us some calibration on how much is needed for “normal” use out there. (Whatever normal is) This will be interesting and informative in many different ways as you ease back into the “off-grid” life.

We'll be right behind you guys in about 2 months.

Thanks as always

[Laurie & George]

Such a beautiful, peaceful spot! Like you are the only two in the world :)

[Dee Walter]

It's so great to have so many options. We shiver on how you guys can do that. We're still cement pad people with people around us. Neither of us are "loners".

Have fun, it's sure fun reading all about how you stay so "alone".
We're headed that way in two weeks.

[Nancy and Bill]

It feels so peaceful just looking at the photos! We are stuck in the middle of chaos here at Myrtle Beach State Park in the middle of summer;o(( But you do what you have to do, so PLEASE post more pictures of this beautiful place:o)))

[ed and Anne Smith]

hi folks, when are yous gonna hit the big Q in AZ.? Want to meet up yous one of these days and compare notes about our Cambridges. Maybe for the big show? Just FYI, and of course a bit of bragging, we went from Xmas last year until the 1st of April in Quartzsite without any Geny, 550 watts of solar and six 6 volt gel batteries, of course ran the water heater and fridge on propane., but still pretty darn goodme thinks eh!!