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’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.
Dave,
Did you know that some of the old utility power poles have date nails as well? I used to collect those but I think the oldest I found was 1908 or 1921.
Drew,
Yes I know that. Some railroads would use them in their telegraph poles too.
I have a date nail I found inside the wall of my house as I was remodeling it. It had the numbers 16 on it’s head. My son in law who owns the house and who inherited it from his grandmother even confirmed that the house was originally built in 1916
Danny, Pretty cool. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your reply!
I think the number 16 was the weight/discription of the nail. Sometimes called a penny nail.
I have a 1938 that I made a tir tack from.
troy
tie tack
Sounds great, I agree. I also like the part of your bible study. You just ga e me the old kick in the back side to get mine going again. Thanks for the reminder????
Jim, Happy to be the motivator – hate for you to become a lost sheep too. Take care and safe travels!
that 16 probably meant it was a 16 penny nail
Not Hardly “Rob”. I’m a Carpenter, and I have my own wood-working shop and I grew up with my Grandfather who was a professional Carpenter, I know the difference between a 16 penny Nail, and what was stamped on the old nails back in the late 1800’s through the early 1900’s eras, and that one of mine is way too short for a 16 penny nail.
So what was the purpose in putting a date on a nail?
Keep up with the age of the tie for maintenance.
Douglas,
In the case of telephone/power poles the 2 digit number indicates the year the pole was installed into the ground. In later years, the grid was mapped out and finally computerized- making these date nails redundant (good thing too- many ended up in personal collections).
Drew
date the installation of poles (telegraph and telephone, electric and corner posts) before computer records.
Enjoy reading your experiences. If there is a “link” to boondocking in/on BLM land, would you be so kind as to forward that on to me. We enjoy boondocking but not sure of all of the places it is acceptable. Thank you.