Desert day 1: Stoddard Wells OHV park

Day 103

First things first. Time to find a our new parking spot for the day. After scoping out the lay of the land we moved about a 1/2 mile in from the road. There's a toilet and fire rings in this area. That's good enough for us. Within this massive 53,000 acres you can camp anywhere you want, so long as you stay off the race track. Race track? WHAT!!!????? I love the sound of horsepower in the morning.

A team with it's trophy truck and two more dune buggies showed up mid-day for some practice. These guys are running the course at 75 mph and getting everything dialed in for their next event. Sitting so close has its disadvantages though. Each pass they make by sends a wave of dust towards us. We're using old Roo to block the wave so we can enjoy some outside time.

The sun is bearing down on the arid land and it's a little bit dry outside. Hanging underneath the motorhome is a remote thermometer and it's telling me that the humidity outside is 1%. Katie heads inside to find purpose for the 2 lbs of limes she bought the other day.

I'm greeted with fresh squeezed lime-ade complete with garnish. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon. After finishing up a glass we pack up Shirley and head out into the desert. We're searching for abandoned mine shafts that litter the landscape.

I pilot Shirley only a couple of miles from base camp. There's no one out here if we breakdown, and it's a long walk back to the RV in the blistering heat. No mine shafts today. We'll head back to the RV and look for some other things that need to be done.

It's not easy to find places on the road to work on stuff. People tend to frown upon tools and parts laying around the Jeep in RV parks. Three months on the road without a working stereo in Shirley is getting old. This week I'm finishing the install before we leave, no matter what. She's getting a cheapie head unit from Wal-mart, some $20 BOSS speakers front and back, all hooked to a 1,000 watt amp for good measure. Darkness dropped before I could finish the first door. Guess I'll have something to do tomorrow.