spring camping

Spring camping is always a bit dicey. This trip was no exception.

Spring weather can change quickly. We were equipped for what we expected. What we did not expect was continuous winds.

We left Idaho Wednesday, camped a mile or so off the highway in the Nevada desert, but at 6000 feet elevation. We were in the tear and were comfortable, David slept on his cot next to his jeep. It was a bit windy and cold and he was not comfortable.

Thursday night we were in Death Valley (more on that later). We set up camp, sat in the hot water a while and came back to make dinner. But the wind had picked up and it was quite impossible to even light a stove with the wind blowing.

So we ate another cold meal.


Thursday night the wind blew harder and harder. Inside the tear we were jostled around a bit, but outside David’s tent was flattened. He had to push it out to make it stand up again.


Daylight the wind got worse. We looked around the edges of the valley and could see evidence of wind. Before we left civilization, we caught the weather forecast: over 100 mile winds on the ridges out of town. The wind was to last a week.

So, while the wind was blowing at 25 to 40 mph, we broke camp and left the valley after just one night.

We did not go to the “regular” Death Valley, but to the Saline Valley to the side of the park. There is a lot of desert, usually a lot of quiet, hot water pools and 60 miles of horrible gravel and washboard roads both in and out. A few hard side campers (mostly pickup campers and small motor-homes) come into the valley, but mostly it is people in pickups and jeeps sleeping in tents.

When we left most of the camp left with us.

We drove down to the touristy part of the park. If we could have gotten a space in the RV park there (they were full mostly, of motor-homes that were worth more than my house) it would cost $30 a night (the camp at the end of the rough road was free).

So we drove out of the park. We thought of going to a park in Utah, but were told that the winds were there as well (it was a huge weather front we were involved with). We drove north to Tonopah, Nevada got a motel for $40, each took a shower to remove a LOT of sand, and slept well.

Saturday, rather than enjoying the sun and the hot water, we drove home.

But that is how spring camping can go.

Miriam is one fine camping companion. Through all of this she never complained about anything. She ate cold food with us, she slept in the tear (which is full of sand now) on sandy sheets. She is a super lady.

In Idaho we have three good days this week, enough to get some spring work done, then cold and rain returns.

But summer is on the way, promise, and we will go camping again.