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

Dateland

Dateland is marked as a town on maps but there’s really not much there – the Dateland Travel Center, an RV park, some interpretive signs about the Army airbase that was used for just a few months, a school for the kids living in the surrounding area and a large dirt lot.

The dirt lot is located south of the travel center and is a great place to stop for the night. Follow the signs for truck parking. Not many truckers or RVers spend the night so it’s fairly quiet. Dateland  32.79821, -113.54024

Oak Flat Campground

The campground and the surrounding area has been a spiritual site for the Western Apache for hundreds of years. Here the Apache harvest medicinal and basketry plants that grow near the springs and wetlands. They gather for prayer, dancing, and coming of age rituals for young tribal members. The land is managed by the forest service and was supposed to be preserved forever. That changed however, when an Australian mining company bought a nearby mine. New machines and new mining methods will allow deep mining of copper, making the mine the most productive in the country.

The Apaches are concerned that the mine tunnels will cause the land to sink and the mining operation will cause the springs to dry up and the water to be contaminated. The Apaches and other Native America tribes are fighting to get the land preserved as a sacred and historic site. Gatherings and demonstrations are sometimes held in the campground.

A few people were camping when we stopped. Some signs, a teepee, and several wickiups were the only evidence of the demonstrations. This is a well used site so the roads and camping spots are rough. A recent rain filled a large pothole and we didn’t explore the eastern section of the campground. Amenities include tables, fire pits, and vault toilets.

 

The ground is hard packed so rolling is not too difficult. The trails are not accessible but we did walk/roll along Magma Mine Road which is paved but steep with some traffic. Campground  33.30769, -111.05206

Lorenzo and Seth Wright Pull Off

A stone pillar with a bronze plaque was erected in 1938 as a memorial to two brothers who were killed while pursuing a band of Apaches who had stolen horses. I’m sure there’s a lot more to this story than the few lines on the plaque.

The pull off is huge. There some traffic noise but other than that this a great spot for an overnight stop. Pull Off  32.761, -109.43947

Casa de Azucar– Sugar House

This is an amazing work of art! Rufino Loya Rivas, who started building  in 1973 and finished in 1998, created Intricately detailed flowers, leaves, and pineapples to decorate the wall that circles the small house where he lives with his wife. He also made several very elaborate religious alters and memorials.Everything is in perfect condition because 88 year old Riva is constantly touching it up. Slip a few dollars in the collection tin to help pay for paint.

There are several good curb cuts to the sidewalk. The house can also be seen from the street which has very little traffic. It’s also possible to see it all without leaving your vehicle.

Any size RV can be parked along the street. Casa de Azucar  31.83344, -106.44034

El Paso Zoo

In 2012, El Paso residents voted to fund improvements to city parks, libraries, museums, and the El Paso Zoo. All four areas of the zoo – Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Chihuahuan Desert – were slated for updating. Most of the work has been completed and includes a rope climbing challenge, a simulated flash flood, and a large fabricated rock mountain that the lions can climb up and look down on the grassland animals.

 

   

The pathways are paved and flat plus the zoo is fairly small making it easy for visitors in wheelchairs. Some of the enclosures have railings that block the view but most have an alternative viewing area. I didn’t look closely but I believe the train and carousel are wheelchair accessible.

  The parking lot is large so RVs will fit if pulled through the spaces or parked across them. Zoo  31.76814, -106.44543

Chosa Campground?

Is this a campground? The BLM and all of the partners proudly displaying their logos on the sign want to us to believe that it’s a campground but it’s not a campground. It’s a large gravel lot without a single amenity. :-D

The surrounding land is predominately BLM land, much of which is leased to oil and gas companies, with  a network of dirt roads and thousands of oil wells. I suspect that the “campground” is an attempt to keep people off of the roads and the leased land. It’s a fine spot for a quick overnight stop but that’s about it. Campground 32.08853, -104.43201