Camp reviews... I am doing this because the second hardest part of this journey in my opinion, will be deciding and finding good camp sites. So I am going to try and help that out a little for those who travel in my dust.
Leg #1
Big Bend Camp Site in Moab, Utah off of highway 128. Many who might be reading this are familiar with the campsites along 128. Big bend is definitely not the best but it is one of the biggest, so your shot of landing a site on a busy weekend (like when I was there) is better then most. The two campsite pull-offs directly before big bend are better in my opinion and should be checked first (more shade, wind, and noise protection). I was in site 19, the last available spot and it was vacant for good reason. No shade, wind, or noise protection and it was pretty close to the highway. It was super sandy so although it makes for easy stake driving and level ground it is also a messy scourge that will never leave your tent. In spite of my best efforts and folding the tent on the table I will have sand in my new tent for years to come. Campsite is 12 dollars and is fairly close to town and has some fun bouldering near by. On a side note north of town where I ended up doing my ride is BLM land and camping is free but there are no perks. I seldom use the perks anyway so the quiet would of been nice. Only gets 2 vortex's.
Leg #2
Clint and Ashleigh's C&B in Lakewood, Colorado. This place is the bomb. Company is absolutely terrific. The host Clint cooks up a mean egg in a basket breakfast and he enjoys the finer points of life like recreation and drinking a frosty beverage. Ashleigh is a joy to conversate with as well as a good cook. The place is fantastic and includes a washer/dryer, comfy couch, showers, and a wet bar in the basement. The stay is free provided you're not scared of a good time and don't mind mooching off the generosity of others. Recreational opportunities abound in the area. Even got in some nighttime ultimate Frisbee. 10 outta 5 vortex's for these luxurious accommodations.
Leg #3
Pike National Forest primitive campsites in Pike National Forest, Colorado. I spent two nights in the Pike and paid zero dollars for camping. It was pretty awesome. The first night I camped along Buffalo Creek Trail road. There are numerous free sites and its a pretty awesome area. I camped in the site nearest the first crossing of the Colorado Trail with the Buffalo Creek Road. There is plenty of broken glass and spent cartridge casings in many of these sites, but the scenery and the access is amazing. Also, you can get a ways off of the road and it's free! You can't beat that! Vortex's were a dumb idea. Ha but I'd give it 4.
Leg #4
John Martin Reservoir in Hasty, Colorado. Whoever, decided to settle down in Hasty, Colorado made a hasty decision. This place is desolate and hot! All jokes aside here is the review: I spent the night in the luxurious campsite section that had electricity, showers, laundry, and a fish cleaning station. The campsites had mature trees and great shade. It is still difficult to hide from 105+ temperatures, though. Fishing access was easy from the campsite and fishing was good, I caught the Drum and some channel catfish and the catfish were good eating. The drum not so much. Read the Dodge City post for more information. The showers cost 50 cents for three minutes but I think it goes at least eight and in that time I was able to wash my very dirty self, two swimsuits, and a shirt. The laundry facilities don't have a detergent vendor so if your like me and didn't bring yo laundry detergent with ya your S.O.L.. The park rangers, park ranger aides, and locals I met were all extremely nice, helpful, and fun to talk too. The bad part is that the campsite cost 20$ and you had to buy a 7$ day pass as well, but the day pass was good until noon the next day which is pretty good. 3.5ish spinnies.
Leg #5
Pratt Estate in Owasso, Oklahoma. Thank you Pratt family! This was an amazing stop because of them. I got to shower daily and the bed was thee most comfortable bed I have ever slept in. I can't sleep lying on my back... But in this bed I could, amazing. Paul let me use all his bass fishing gear, as I had none, and he let me use his Kayak and shoot his long bow. I scored two free going out meals while I was here and both were great. The area around the home was awesome and Paul told me all the great spots to hit up. Great place, great people, good time, but it is time to be moving on!
Leg #6
Ozark and Spring Creek Campgrounds in the middle of BFE, Arkansas. Both campsites were exceptional. Ozark Campsite was close to the Ponca section of the wilderness and was a little more tame with excellent access to good fishing on the very drought ravaged upper Buffalo River. 10$ a night, with good shade, and a free lightshow from the fireflies.
Spring Creek campsite was more remote and nearer to the Buffalo Point area. This campsite was a little more primitive, but had awesome shade and availability. Down a relatively long and steep dirt road this campsite can give you that car camping get away you want. But, at a price. There are wild coons everywhere and they are aggressive. But, if you keep a clean camp and a tight perimeter it is well worth it for the bass that can be caught at the confluence of spring creek a couple miles upstream. Best part is it is free, and one of the premier small-mouth bass destinations around.
Leg #7,8,9,10
My PEOPLE! If for no other reason college is great because of the connections you make. I was able to make it from Morgan, Utah to New York, going the long way without staying in a single hotel room. Almost every friend I stayed with was a connection from Utah State University. I stayed with Mandy in Birmingham. She practically lives in a resort and she made me some delicious home cooked meals. Then I stayed with my cousin Kyle in Jacksonville, NC and we did a lot of good fishing. After that I stayed a night with my friend Cam in DC. The place he was house sitting was extremely nice and having someone who knew the city allowed me to make the most of my short time there. Now I am in Albany, NY sleeping on my friend MacKay's couch. All this generosity has been so great and I am very grateful to have met such wonderful people. However, it all feels a little bit like cheating. I need to get back out there into the wild places and do some more camping. That's when I have felt the best during this trip and got the most out of my time.
Leg #1
Big Bend Camp Site in Moab, Utah off of highway 128. Many who might be reading this are familiar with the campsites along 128. Big bend is definitely not the best but it is one of the biggest, so your shot of landing a site on a busy weekend (like when I was there) is better then most. The two campsite pull-offs directly before big bend are better in my opinion and should be checked first (more shade, wind, and noise protection). I was in site 19, the last available spot and it was vacant for good reason. No shade, wind, or noise protection and it was pretty close to the highway. It was super sandy so although it makes for easy stake driving and level ground it is also a messy scourge that will never leave your tent. In spite of my best efforts and folding the tent on the table I will have sand in my new tent for years to come. Campsite is 12 dollars and is fairly close to town and has some fun bouldering near by. On a side note north of town where I ended up doing my ride is BLM land and camping is free but there are no perks. I seldom use the perks anyway so the quiet would of been nice. Only gets 2 vortex's.
Leg #2
Clint and Ashleigh's C&B in Lakewood, Colorado. This place is the bomb. Company is absolutely terrific. The host Clint cooks up a mean egg in a basket breakfast and he enjoys the finer points of life like recreation and drinking a frosty beverage. Ashleigh is a joy to conversate with as well as a good cook. The place is fantastic and includes a washer/dryer, comfy couch, showers, and a wet bar in the basement. The stay is free provided you're not scared of a good time and don't mind mooching off the generosity of others. Recreational opportunities abound in the area. Even got in some nighttime ultimate Frisbee. 10 outta 5 vortex's for these luxurious accommodations.
Leg #3
Pike National Forest primitive campsites in Pike National Forest, Colorado. I spent two nights in the Pike and paid zero dollars for camping. It was pretty awesome. The first night I camped along Buffalo Creek Trail road. There are numerous free sites and its a pretty awesome area. I camped in the site nearest the first crossing of the Colorado Trail with the Buffalo Creek Road. There is plenty of broken glass and spent cartridge casings in many of these sites, but the scenery and the access is amazing. Also, you can get a ways off of the road and it's free! You can't beat that! Vortex's were a dumb idea. Ha but I'd give it 4.
Leg #4
John Martin Reservoir in Hasty, Colorado. Whoever, decided to settle down in Hasty, Colorado made a hasty decision. This place is desolate and hot! All jokes aside here is the review: I spent the night in the luxurious campsite section that had electricity, showers, laundry, and a fish cleaning station. The campsites had mature trees and great shade. It is still difficult to hide from 105+ temperatures, though. Fishing access was easy from the campsite and fishing was good, I caught the Drum and some channel catfish and the catfish were good eating. The drum not so much. Read the Dodge City post for more information. The showers cost 50 cents for three minutes but I think it goes at least eight and in that time I was able to wash my very dirty self, two swimsuits, and a shirt. The laundry facilities don't have a detergent vendor so if your like me and didn't bring yo laundry detergent with ya your S.O.L.. The park rangers, park ranger aides, and locals I met were all extremely nice, helpful, and fun to talk too. The bad part is that the campsite cost 20$ and you had to buy a 7$ day pass as well, but the day pass was good until noon the next day which is pretty good. 3.5ish spinnies.
Leg #5
Pratt Estate in Owasso, Oklahoma. Thank you Pratt family! This was an amazing stop because of them. I got to shower daily and the bed was thee most comfortable bed I have ever slept in. I can't sleep lying on my back... But in this bed I could, amazing. Paul let me use all his bass fishing gear, as I had none, and he let me use his Kayak and shoot his long bow. I scored two free going out meals while I was here and both were great. The area around the home was awesome and Paul told me all the great spots to hit up. Great place, great people, good time, but it is time to be moving on!
Leg #6
Ozark and Spring Creek Campgrounds in the middle of BFE, Arkansas. Both campsites were exceptional. Ozark Campsite was close to the Ponca section of the wilderness and was a little more tame with excellent access to good fishing on the very drought ravaged upper Buffalo River. 10$ a night, with good shade, and a free lightshow from the fireflies.
Spring Creek campsite was more remote and nearer to the Buffalo Point area. This campsite was a little more primitive, but had awesome shade and availability. Down a relatively long and steep dirt road this campsite can give you that car camping get away you want. But, at a price. There are wild coons everywhere and they are aggressive. But, if you keep a clean camp and a tight perimeter it is well worth it for the bass that can be caught at the confluence of spring creek a couple miles upstream. Best part is it is free, and one of the premier small-mouth bass destinations around.
Leg #7,8,9,10
My PEOPLE! If for no other reason college is great because of the connections you make. I was able to make it from Morgan, Utah to New York, going the long way without staying in a single hotel room. Almost every friend I stayed with was a connection from Utah State University. I stayed with Mandy in Birmingham. She practically lives in a resort and she made me some delicious home cooked meals. Then I stayed with my cousin Kyle in Jacksonville, NC and we did a lot of good fishing. After that I stayed a night with my friend Cam in DC. The place he was house sitting was extremely nice and having someone who knew the city allowed me to make the most of my short time there. Now I am in Albany, NY sleeping on my friend MacKay's couch. All this generosity has been so great and I am very grateful to have met such wonderful people. However, it all feels a little bit like cheating. I need to get back out there into the wild places and do some more camping. That's when I have felt the best during this trip and got the most out of my time.
Just before reading this I was commenting to dad that I had no idea you had so many connections. I think it is so great that you've made so many friends and stayed in touch. Be safe and stay in touch. Love. Mom
ReplyDelete