HOWA-Bring Your Own Vehicle

It's been so long since I posted! We've been camping in the desert above Pahrump, Nevada with a group of HOWA volunteers and recipients of the Bring Your Own Vehicle program. Our job title is camp host which means pitching in if anyone needs a hand and watching over the camp when people are away at the build site. Mostly we're just hanging out and socializing. :-D It's been fun getting to know all of the new nomads and catching up with old friends.

The Minivan Build Program is Homes On Wheels Alliance initial program, fulfilling a mission of supplying minivans to people who would almost certainly become homeless if they didn't receive some help. Between the summer of 2019 and the fall of  2021, HOWA granted vans to eighteen people. However the skyrocketing price of minivans has currently made the program unfeasible which led to the development of Bring Your Own Vehicle. This program is tailored to current nomads who cannot afford to upgrade their homes on wheels due to the expense of parts and installation. Nine nomadic recipients  are currently in the program. Some are getting almost full buildouts - insulation, floors, wall coverings, beds, shelves, vents with fans, and solar systems - others are getting simple additions such as floors or solar systems.

We've had several potluck dinners, a pancake breakfast, game nights, and nightly campfires. The weather has run the gamut from hot to cold, calm to windy, sunny to cloudy and the sunsets have been gorgeous.

Tropicana Casino–Laughlin

RV parking is permitted in the two large lots at the western end of the casino property. Follow Tropicana Drive to the top of the hill. At times the lower lot is reserved for event parking and RVers will be asked to move to the upper lot.

These lots are not free like some of the other casino lots but because they’re set back from Casino Drive they're much quieter than the other lots. Register at the front desk – $10 a night, $50 a week, and $5 for dump and water. We stayed for two night so that we could visit with friends- thank you Fred and Barb for the great visit!

We did not check out the accessibility of the casino but getting to it from the parking lot using a wheelchair is difficult due to the hill and lack of sidewalks. Casino 35.15879, -114.57898

Alley Road BLM Boondocking

Scenic Loop Road changes names as it twists and turns through the hills south of Ajo. We’ve camped in the southeastern section where it’s known as Derby Wells Road. We like that area a lot but decided to try Alley Road which is in the southwestern section and is accessed from Rocalla Ave in Ajo.

There are pros and cons to camping on either end of Scenic Loop. The dirt road to Darby Wells camping is very washboard but the sites are numerous and the roads are better for walking/rolling. Alley Road is in better condition but it’s narrow and has steep grades. Rolling along the roads is difficult. There are a few small sites and a main site that is very large and flat. Phone signal is better along Alley Road than along Derby Wells Road.

It’s possible to drive any RV along the entire Scenic Loop Road but be aware that sometimes sections are washed out. The dirt road is 7.5 miles. This is a beautiful area of the Sonoran Desert with a variety of vegetation and wildlife. Alley Road Boondocking  32.34737, -112.8958