Reflections on a Winter Camping Trip

Would we do it again?

That is always the question about any trip.

Winter camping? Yes. Having a flexible timetable is key because there could be situations where you need to make adjustments for winter driving conditions.

Texas in the winter? Yes. The weather can be unpredictable, but also very warm. According to the Canadians we met, Texas has the nicest weather with fewer people than some of the other warm states. We are looking forward to exploring the Big Bend National Park and someday camping on the beach down in the Gulf.

Pets on the trip? On this particular trip, we opted to take our dog. Doing this meant that we chose not to go to any national parks and that in some cases our hiking would be limited. Future forward, we'd probably leave the dog behind.

Biggest Surprises

Landscape: Hill Country in Texas. Just beautiful.

Daylight. We hadn't thought about daylight and it was dark between 5-6pm depending upon where we were. All of our camping has been in the summer and much of that in Idaho, Montana and Canada where the days are long and the nights are short. I think we got more rest on this trip that any trip we have ever been on as most nights we were in bed by 8:00 or 8:30pm.

Best Scenery: Yep, you guessed it. The drive from Ventura up the coast to Carpenteria, California. Having grown up in the area, you really don't know how beautiful it is until you leave and come back.

Favorite Camping: Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site. Wide open space, good hiking, and unexpected beauty.

Hwy 101 north of Ventura, CA: View of the Channel Islands, including Santa Cruz Island.

Enjoying the Oak View sunshine on our way back up to Oregon.

The last few days of our trip took us from Goodyear, Arizona to Eugene, Oregon.

Tip: There are so many people flocking to Arizona that camping reservations would be a good thing. However, Texas was a different story. Not making reservations provides flexibility and would be a plus.

Want to know more? You can read all about our 2018 South to Texas Winter Camping Adventure.

Lost Dutchman State Park: Hiking & Horses

Here we were...the last day of the year. Rain was to come in and we had decided to bag our last night of camping. So we got the tent taken down and headed out for our last hike of the year.

Yesterday we had blue skies. Today it was chilly. Especially after I had to abandon my warm camp coat...

Capturing our photo for a virtual geocache!

We had just passed some horses on the trail. Of course that meant that I had to carefully walk around the fresh horse manure...but the trail was steep and rocky. Anyhow, I lost my footing and took a spill. Fortunately, my hand did not get cut on the rocks, thanks to the very warm, moist and soft manure that my hand was resting in... 💩

Loved how you can see the various pottery styles by region.

Headed for the Pueblo Grande Museum in Phoenix, which was a perfect stop for a rainy afternoon. Had a hard time finding a place to stay that would allow dogs; ended up in Goodyear, Arizona where we had an early New Year's Eve and in-room pizza delivery—Rosati's Chicago style!

Tip: Finding a pet-friendly hotel in the Phoenix area was a chore. We didn't want to pay a $50 fee...ended up at the Hampton Inn in Goodyear. Nice and quiet; had a laundry room (only $1/load). The only thing that was a little odd about this hotel was that there was an "Antiquities Museum" which was a room devoted solely to the Bible. There were various historical documents that were for sale.

Lost Dutchman State Park: Know Before You Go

Our camping trip was coming to a close...we were scheduled to stay at the Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction, Arizona for two nights before heading northward to stay with friends and family on our way home.

We pulled into our site only to find the most dreaded sound possible: A VERY OLD GENERATOR. Sigh. T graciously asked the "neighbors" to abide by camp rules (limited generator hours), and they did. But now we had a decision to make. Stay here two nights as planned knowing that we were upwind from a very old and smelly generator in the rain or stick it out for a night and then head out. We opted for the best of all worlds: Stay a night, get in the hiking we wanted each day and then head out.

Trekking and Geocaching

We made the best of the generator situation by having dinner out during the evening generator window from 5-7pm. Whoop! No dishes tonight! Burgers are scrumptious at Dirtwater Springs in Apache Junction.

Wild Boar or Javalina?

TIP: If you want to avoid the generator situation, give the park a call to find out the best camping area. There are many, many campsites and they will most likely have some great advice.

Hiking @ Catalina State Park

Nothing like jumpstarting a day of hiking with a good breakfast! One of my favorite things to do while camping is to make a great breakfast. This morning, we had French toast with cream cheese and lemon curd.

Someone looks happy!

After luring her up with an early morning breakfast, we headed for the Romero Ruins Interpretive Trail and grabbed a few Geocaches along the way.

Early morning hike to the Romero Ruins Interpretive Trail.

Aha! An ammo can cache.

Better read up on the park trivia to get to this cache.

Arduino inside!

Once back from the hike, we headed up to the Canyon Loop Trail, but found everyone else was headed there as well - and I mean hoards of people and hoards of dogs. So instead, we took the Romero Canyon Trail and headed up to the very small pools. We saw a total of seven people and one dog over the next few hours.

Big, huh?

Napping on the trail.

TIP: If you take your dog on the trails, use a short leash. There are many opportunities for your pet to step on cacti.

Cadillac Camping @ Catalina State Park

At one time, this state park must have been outside of town...but not now. Tucson has made its way up to the boundary of the park, which has some pros and cons. Mostly, though, the park is a all on the plus side.

I called this experience Cadillac Camping because everyone had their fancy rigs, all decked out for the holidays, on nice asphalt slabs with complete hook ups. For us, it meant no dust or sand in our little popup and running water on demand.

Warm afternoon with great views.

Holiday Lights

Candelaria on the 2018 Winter Solstice

TIP: If you go, make reservations. This is a popular place to stay!

2018 South to Texas Winter Camping Adventure

The following posts outline our three week winter camping trip, including where we stayed, hikes we took, and other adventures along the way.

Happy trails!

• 2018 Winter Adventure: Heading South
• Agua Caliente: Coyotes and the Full Moon
• Anza-Borrego: Side Trip, Hike & Bathrooms
• Cadillac Camping @ Catalina State Park
• Hiking @ Catalina State Park
• On the Road Again: Catalina to Alpine, TX
• Alpine to Goliad: Wild Game and Fast Highways
• Christmas Eve @ Goliad State Park & Historic Site
• Christmas in Texas!
• Historic Goliad
• Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site
• Seminole to Deming: Let the Storms Begin
• Lost Dutchman State Park: Know Before You Go
• Lost Dutchman State Park: Hiking & Horses
• Reflections on a Winter Camping Trip