Tag Archives: Utah

Boondocking

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If you’re properly prepared and have the right approach, it’s a surprisingly affordable way to travel in the southwest and beyond.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I got a request from one of my YouTube subscribers for more information about boondocking in an RV. This is a topic near and dear to me, as I spend a good portion of every winter camping for free on public land in Arizona and California. It’s a nice, inexpensive way to enjoy nature and solitude. Kind of like having your own mobile Walden Pond.

Boondocking Defined

Boondocking — at least the way I see it — is camping without any RV hookups or conveniences. Although this is usually done in parking lots (think Walmart) or on public land, you can be boondocking in a campground if that campground has no services. It basically means relying on your own equipment for power, water, sanitation (toilet), and food storage/prep. It usually refers to staying in a vehicle or RV, although I suppose you can do it with a tent, too. (I’ve already had enough tent camping in my life, so I won’t address that here.)

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Autumn 2017 Roadtrip Postcards: The Night Sky Photos 

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So far, I’ve attempted night sky photography in two places: Horsethief Campground Just outside of Canyonlands National Park and Lower Onion Creek Campground in Castle Valley about 25 miles from Moab. In both cases, I shot before dawn because a waxing crescent moon illuminated the night sky until after I’d gone to bed. I’m not really happy with any of the images, but I thought I’d share four.
At Horsethief, the problem was that the night sky didn’t really get dark enough and there were some light clouds.

The night sky to the southwest. You can clearly see Orion’s Belt.


My Truck and camper, parked under the night sky. The light in the camper is a candle.


At Lower Onion Creek, the Sky was very dark. But the problem there was wind. Although I have my camera on a very sturdy tripod and stayed on the west side of the camper so it would shield me, there was enough movement to blur the stars. Very disappointing!

Milky Way on the left, Big Dipper on the right.

Another night sky shot with disappointing focus.

Autumn 2017 Roadtrip Postcards: Arches National Park

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I spent all of Thursday afternoon at Arches National Park, visiting and revisiting some of the arches and rock formations. My last trip here was at least 20 years ago and it was different than I remembered it. I took two hikes totaling about for miles and saw nine different arches either up close or at a distance. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get back this way, so I tried to make this short visit count.

Here are some of the photos I shot with my Nikon.

They call this valley Park Avenue, likely for the tall rock formations on either side.

Balanced rock, which is clearly visible from the road, looks ready to topple over at any moment. On this trip, I hiked around it; I don’t recall doing that on my first trip to Arches.

I hiked to the upper Delicate Arch viewpoint and wasn’t satisfied with the view. So I kept going until I could clearly see the arch against the sky.

My 300mm lens really brought the detail of Delicate Arch into view. This photo is not cropped.

This view of Landscape Skyline Arch is only a short walk from the parking area.

Autumn 2017 Roadtrip Postcards: Morning at Green River Overlook

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This was my second trip to the Green River Overlook in the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park in less than 24 hours. The previous afternoon, I’d stopped by to check the view, but because it faced west, the light was not good for photography. So I returned the following morning. Here’s a cell phone shot; I was lucky to have very nice light. 

Early morning light through scattered clouds illuminates Canyonlands and the Green River’s twisting path.

Autumn 2017 Roadtrip Postcards: Sunrise from Dead Horse Point

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Dead Horse Point is a state park that features an excellent viewpoint for Canyonlands National Park’s canyons. After shooting the night sky before dawn on Thursday morning, I drove out to the point to capture some images and drink in the scenery. Here are a few cell phone shots.

Dawn over the La Sal Mountains.

Predawn reflected light illuminates the canyons.


First light touches the canyons and buttes in Canyonlands National Park.