Benefits Of Boondocking: You Never Know What You’ll Find

A few weeks back, I shared why I feel boondocking is more memorable than staying in RV parks.

While you never know exactly what you will find in the boondocks, pleasant surprises seem to come with the territory.  The following are a few surprises my wife and I recently experienced in our western travels.

Strange gravel

Pulling off to boondock along Indian Ranch Road in California’s Panamint Valley, I noticed a patch of rain exposed gravel that appeared to be different and more densely clustered than other portions of our campsite.

Obsidian

After setting up camp I took a closer look and discovered that the rocks looked more like a discard pile from a rock hound than occurring naturally. The specimens were different in both shape and color than the others, picking up a dusty black piece and holding it up to the sun I quickly realized it was obsidian!

Wow, quite the surprise! What was obsidian doing out in the middle of a valley? Was it deposited by a recent rock hound like I first thought, or was it left by a Native American hundreds or thousands of years ago and only recently exposed by a flash flood?

1936 date nail in an old fence post

Public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a favorite of boondockers. The BLM controls large tracts across the west for the good of the public including; recreation (boondocking), grazing rights, mineral exploration and more without a bunch of over restrictive regulations.

More than once we have shared BLM boondocking locations with cattle, where typically there are cows, fences and corrals not far away.

For those that love collecting Western Americana like I do, this is a perfect chance to add date nails to your collection as many of the fence poles began their life out west as railroad ties. Finding a date nail while boondocking is always a nice surprise.

Can you spot the lost sheep?

Speaking of BLM land and grazing rights, another pleasant surprise I recently experienced while boondocking on BLM land in eastern California was a visit by a sheep.

While completing my morning Bible Study I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and spotted a solo sheep approaching our camp (see photo). It was obviously looking to reunite itself with the flock but welcomed my companionship (from afar) before wandering off in another direction.

Pleasant surprises you won’t experience in an RV park, just another adventure in RVing!

See also: 5 Boondocking Lessons: How To Camp In The Wild Like A Pro

Dave Helgeson

Dave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer (The RV Doctor). When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.