Butterfly Wonderland

 

The main attraction of  Butterfly Wonderland is a large conservatory featuring hundreds of free flying butterflies but there's also a small gallery with butterflies emerging from chrysalises plus a 3-D movie and small tropical fish, insect, and reptile galleries.

 

A sign in the conservatory states that 1000 butterflies are released every week. Since butterflies live about three weeks there are thousands of butterflies in the conservatory at any given time. However they are not all flying around. Some are hidden in the foliage so the number of butterflies visitors see is actually a much smaller number.  

  

 

We happened to luck out and visit on a day when visitors can watch a butterfly release. The butterflies are newly emerged from their chrysalises so they're groggy and the staff will gently place them on visitor's shoulders on request. 

 

The butterflies get a little tattered as they near the end of their lives.

 

The conservatory is accessible with ramps to a slightly elevated area. The theater has spaces for wheelchairs.  

The parking lot at Arizona Boardwalk where the conservatory is located is large enough for any vehicle.  Wonderland  33.55451, -111.87619

 

Desert Tortoise Campground

Desert Tortoise Campground is one of two Maricopa Country campgrounds located on the shores of Lake Pleasant. Desert Tortoise has three sections - two  with semi-developed dry camping sites and one with developed sites that include water and electric hookups. The other campground, Roadrunner, has developed sites only. We camped in Scute Loop of Desert Tortoise which is the only one without a shower house. The dump station at the intersection of South Park Road and Desert Tortoise Road is shared by all the campground loops. There isn't any potable water at the dump station so fill up at the campground if you need water. The only water faucet in Scute Loop is at the restrooms and using it requires partially blocking the road. Each loop has a gate arm and a keypad to enter in a code. We were told that this was to keep picnickers from taking over the campsites.

We did not reserve a site ahead of time to avoid paying that fee. The day fee was included with the campsite fee which isn't always the case. Extra fee can really add up! It seems like most people do reserve ahead of time because there isn't much of a spot to pull over at the park entrance booth. 

We were assigned an accessible site that wasn't any different that the other sites but it was close to the restrooms. The sites are all fairly level and the concrete tables have extended tops. None of the trails are accessible. 

 

The water in the lake was really low maybe from the drought or maybe from seasonal fluctuations. Park  33.85921, -112.30628

 We wanted an easy overnight spot and found this on iOverlander. We didn't go all the way to the end of  the dirt road and stopped just short of the beginning of BLM land but to be legally camped I recommend going to the end. We camped in large bare spot that had obviously used by campers and ranchers. It's close to the railroad tracks but no trains passed by while we were there.

The ground is fine silty soil so rolling around is difficult. 

The road is one lane and in fairly good condition but use caution if there's has been recent rain.  Camp  33.88566, -113.3862

Blue Cloud Camping Area - BLM

Blue Cloud is located just five miles away from the small town of Parker, which has everything that a camper could need, so it's a popular spot. We snagged a private circle that overlooks a dry stream bed. It's pretty close to Route 62 with the expected traffic noise but since the dirt road continues for  a couple of miles it's possible to get far enough away that the noise is minimal. 

The road is in good condition. We walked/rolled about 3/4 of a mile- doable with assistance. Areas large enough for single vehicles and groups are located on either side of the road. Camping  34.16634, -114.36968

 

2025 RTRs

Another great gathering of nomads for the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous and Women's Rubber Tramp Rendezvous!  This is the six year that I've volunteered at the HOWA booth to answer questions, hand out stickers, and collect donations. The RTRs are geared towards new and soon to be new nomads so many of the people who come are new to the road and the daily seminars are very helpful for them. 

The free tables are always popular as nomads find items that they need and drop off  things that they thought they needed but are now just taking up space. 

Attendees can get clothing repaired for free at the sewing booth, play board games, listen to buskers, sign the 2025 plywood van, eat lunch at the food trucks, buy tickets for the sweepstakes of Bob Well's ambulance, donate to get a 2025 RTR name button, buy an RTR tee shirt or pick up a pre-ordered one, and get their picture taken with Bob Wells. Since Bob Wells' YouTube channel is where many nomads discover that this life is a possibility for them, meeting him is exciting. 

          

Volunteers are the vital force of the RTRs and every year we have a large group of wonderful people who willing give their time to make everything run smoothly from setup to break down. For all their work they get a pizza lunch, cupcakes, a 2025 patch, and HOWA's complete and total gratitude. 

We usually camp with some of the volunteers on BLM land. This year was exceptionally windy so few nightly campfires were held but we did have a chili potluck dinner organized by D. Rock and the traditional burning of the plywood van. Looking forward to next year!

Getting up early every day to volunteer does have some advantages. We got to watch the moon set! :) HOWA  33.676, -114.2102