Road Trip, Part One: How to Get a Solitary Campsite

Because Carson is 10, and because Will & Satchel got to go to Holland when they were 10, I promised him we'd do something special this summer. Not being able to afford India, I suggested we set out and see Mesa Verde & points in between in the Southwest. So on last Saturday afternoon, we loaded up into the car and headed off. We spent the night at good friends' in Merced, to give us a head start. Sunday morning, we left Merced at 6 am and headed south. This was Carson's first real road trip, and our first day we were getting our 'road legs', as it were. As the week wore on we got better and better at not stopping, and just letting the miles flow by, but that morning we had to stop a few times as Carson got used to the routine.

Our destination the first night was the Mojave desert, but I hadn't told Carson that I was hoping to catch the only tour of the day at the Mitchell Caverns - the tour was at 1:30, and we pulled in at 1:00, driving up the steep road to the tiny state park perched on the side of the mountain. Whew! It was scorching hot, and by the time of the tour Carson was wilting, but we watered up and headed down the trail to the cool limestone caverns. I love cave tours, as long as I don't have to squeeze through any tight spots - I love the coolness & stillness in there.

By the time we were done with the tour, around 3, I wanted to find a spot to camp. We could have camped there at the state park, with an amazing view, but I was afraid we'd be blown off the hillside - the heat was made tolerable by a stiff breeze and there were no trees to slow it down. So we headed up the road into the Mojave National Preserve to check out the campsites. So here's a news flash for y'all: the Mojave Desert ISN'T POPULAR in SUMMER! On car passed us on the dirt road, and we saw a few motorhomes parked in the first (awful) campground, but for the rest we saw no-one. (Yes, folks, I DID have a very large jug of water with us in my cute little 4WD Toyota, so you can stop worrying!) We headed to the second campground, fearing it would be as bad as the first, but despite the fact that most of it had burned a few years ago, there were a handful of sites with shady trees, and we were able to snag the best one in the place.

Of course, that's because we were the ONLY people there. It was pretty cool - okay, hot, really - clean, well-kept campground, decent bathrooms, water, recycling bins, and NOBODY. We decided to sit in the shade for a while before paying for the night, to see if it was doable, and it was actually very pleasant except for some persistent flies. I didn't mind the flies so much, as they preferred Carson's company to mine. Actually, perhaps it was Carson's sandwich they liked better than mine. This photo is titled "Yuck! A fly landed just as I was taking a bite!!!!" And here's what a good mom I am: I 1) laughed my head off, 2) made him re-enact it for a photo and then finally 3) made him a new sandwich.

The campground was weirdly beautiful - the burned trees were starting to lose their bark, and showed white under. There were blooming desert plants, and we saw some juvenile hawks, and we had a view of bare, colored hills. About 7 that night our solitude was broken - another car drove in and camped somewhere out of our sight and hearing. It was terrible! So crowded! (Actually, it made Carson feel a bit more like we were in a legitimate campsite - he wasn't so sure about being the only ones there). We were exhausted - as much from the heat as from the drive, and both asleep before 9. Which was good, because I awoke at 6 and had breakfast, by 7 Carson had been chased out of the tent by the sun, and by 8 we were driving with the AC on. We headed on north out the top of the park, to turn east and then south go to Kingman AZ, and saw jackrabbits & deer crossing the road, and more gorgeous desert, with Joshua trees & yucca.