Well I just spent one last night in Arizona, on my way to New Mexico just a tad further north from the border. Got a late start heading out yesterday afternoon, so just spent one quick night at the base of the Dragoon mountains only an hour from where I’d been for the past three weeks, and also the same area I camped at previously for two weeks, so I was familiar with the area.
I had to drive deeper into the forest service past where I had previously camped to find an open area to set up my tent for the night, and despite arriving in the dark, found a great location due to having thoroughly scouted the area the last time I was here, and I believe I was aware of literally every possible campsite in the entire area. I picked what I believe is the very last possible campsite that has any cell service at all, so that was nice. Plus it’s a little further off the beaten path, up a side road and then off that down a little two track for a hundred yards or so. Also had a really nice freshly dug fire-pit I put to good use for a couple hours before heading to bed.
The views are nice, a little closer to the base of the mountains than last time with some really nice up-close views of some really cool rock formations...
Dakota made a new canine friend this morning, with one of the nearby neighbor’s dog, and we went for a nice morning bike ride to get some exercise before the longer car ride. It was a very mild night and warm morning, as I was able to comfortably go biking in a t-shirt by 8:30 am!
Packing up camp is much easier with the smaller tent, especially when only staying one night, and got everything packed up in just an hour, compared to four or five hours taking down my bigger setup with wood stove and canvas tent when fully setup.
Now it’s off to find a campsite in the hills and forest for a change, looking at staying just north of Silver City in the Gila National Forest, so it’ll be interesting to see what I find, but the few pictures I’ve seen from the area make it look like I’ll have some really amazing views back in a more forested setting than I’ve had for a long while now.
So I better head out now, it’ll be a three to four hour drive, and I’ve got to stop at the Walmart in Silver City on the way, to replace the nozzle on one of the water carriers I just purchased, that has already broken, and try to find a place to recycle my used oil from my first backcountry oil change I did before I left Arizona to slowly head back north.
Fully loaded down, with just enough room to see out the back window, and it’s amazing how much can fit in a little Subaru... Not entirely sure if I’ll have cell service at my next campsite, but if not I’ll upload some photos of it whenever I make it into town for groceries and laundry...