Little Rangers need to get their kits out at least once a month. They need to explore outside, learn valuable skills like tracking, stamina, waking at dawn, building fires, watching the stars....they need SKILLS and they are only going to get said skills by going out and roughing it in the wilderness.
Alas, one skill for a ranger mom trapped in the valley of the Sun, is to reserve campsites far in advance. 6-5.5 months in advance....
If we were really cool, we'd figure out how to make camp in the site-less wilderness...preferably under bracken where the Crebain of Dunland cannot sight us....but we aren't at that awesome yet. So we'll stick with reserved sites, until our skills are much much better. Dispersed Camping is far far more epic. This year, research dispersed camping and how it works, also scout out places for dispersed camping near our favorite sites.
UPDATE: IT seems that contrary to my impression, Payson is actually COOLER than Sedona in the summer....So next year we are going to check Payson first for June, July, Aug. Sedona is more for April, May, Sept
UPDATE UPDATE: Driving up towards Heber from Payson gives you 2000+ ft of elevation, and its a little cooler, at the cost of 20 more min driving.
Feb-March really focus on my own little piece of earth, gardening, etc.
March--AZ Desert dawn hikes, Lost Dutchman campsite...or THE MINE cold
[I need to reserve the Spring reservations by Nov/Dec, and Summer reservations by Feb/March]
April -- AZ Rim-country/Sedona Oak Creek--- AZ desert Dawn Hikes
- [too hot to camp in AZ desert]
- [Mingus Mountain and Mogollan Campground and Aspen AZ not open till May],
- THE MINE Morenci, AZ
- Yavapai, White Spar (Prescott) is open [but terrible bathrooms] not alot of trees
- Sedona/Oak Creek stuff is Open
- Maybe....Payson IS ALL FF IN APRIL [Christopher Creek] and Ponderosea (AZ)
- Houston Mesa [Payson near Water Wheel, Flowing Springs] are FF in April
May -- AZ Rim-country, Prescott, ----Sedona/Oak Creek stuff is Open (Payson is open)
- Mingus Mountain!
- Ponderosa AZ ??
- Sedona/Oak Creek stuff is Open(Pine Flatts) [We had a great time at Cave Spring Sedona in May] Manzanita campground?
- Christopher creek might have water in it
- Houston Mesa Campground NEAR Water Wheel Falls (Payson)
- Mogollon Campground on Rim ?? (too cold?)
June
- last chance at Prescott,
- Payson-ish Houston Mesa Campground (5200 ft) NEAR Water Wheel Falls (Payson) NEAR Flowing Springs
Payson--Christopher Creek[bit too hot only 5000 ft elevation]- past Payson towards Heber, up on the rim, elevation 7000 ft higher on the Rim near Woods Canyon Lakes---Sinkhole Campground (7560 ft), Spillway campground, Aspen AZ (7000 ft)Mogollon campground (7700 ft)
Maybe Sedona & Oak Creek CanyonToo Hot
July--Mountains or Creeks,
CHRISTOPHER CREEK IN PAYSON(no water in the campsite creek yet, hot at 5000 ft)- Houston Mesa Campground NEAR Water Wheel Falls (Payson) NEAR Flowing Springs
- past Payson towards Heber, up on the rim, elevation 7000 ft higher on the Rim near Woods Canyon Lakes---Sinkhole Campground (7560 ft), Spillway campground, Aspen AZ (7000 ft) or Mogollon campground (7700 ft)
Maybe Oak Creek Canyon/Sedona [bc of Oak creek. Also Manzanita is COOLER they say, Pine Flats, Bootlegger, Cave Spring],Maybe Mogollon Campground is 2mi from a lake....Too Hot- DREAM: THE ROCKIES, GORE CREEK
Aug--Mountains or Creeks, PAYSON,OR THE ROCKIES GORE CREEK Oak Creek Canyon/Sedona... Too Hot
DREAM: THE ROCKIES, GORE CREEK CHRISTOPHER CREEK IN PAYSON Payson-ish Houston Mesa Campground NEAR Water Wheel Falls (Payson) NEAR Flowing Springs
Sept--Mountains or Creeks, PAYSON, OR 2nd half of Oak Creek Canyon/Sedona [Finally Cool Enough!...]
- CHRISTOPHER CREEK IN PAYSON EARLY SEPTEMBER
- !!! Houston Mesa Campground NEAR Water Wheel Falls (Payson) NEAR Flowing Springs [fIrst half september 87/57, SECOND HALF OF SEPTEMBER 82/52 sweet spot.
Oct -- AZ Rim-country, Prescott, Mingus [may-oct] OR Oak Creek Canyon/Sedona...
- Last chance for Mingus !!!!
- Cave Springs, Sedona
- ??Houston Mesa near water wheel 72/42 range
Nov--AZ Desert
- AZ desert dawn hikes,
- Hidden Valley,
- Fat Man's pass
- Sears-Kay Ruin (Hohokam)
- Check out Alltrails
- ??Montezuma's well [3 hr drive]
- Pioneer Museum?
- Lost Dutchman campsite
Dec & Jan--AZ Desert dawn hikes [Hidden Valley, Pioneer Museum? Fat Man's pass, Sears-Kay Ruin (Hohokam)] Have back-yard fires and toast marshmallows.
Feb --AZ Desert dawn hikes, Lost Dutchman campsite.
- Feb-March I really focus on my own little piece of earth, gardening, etc.
- October/Nov is put the winter garden in.
- February/March is put the summer garden in.
- July--Sept you kinda pull the plug on the garden [grow yams and basil?], focus on keeping the trees alive
So camping season is really May--October
And how to homestead...when we are in a little quarter-acre lot in a desert, and may move in the near-ish future?
Homestead, but not as the homestead being the goal---as we may need to sell, and later owners destroy it. Plant fruit trees, for the future if owners keep it. And always garden with the kids. Involve my little rangers as much as possible...because its about the memories being forged WITH them, and the skills being forged IN them, and not about the physical garden or home so much. We are traveling, but we can make these way-stations along the way as beautiful as we can. As green as we can. As productive as we can.
But it should always be about the little Rangers, and not the way-station.
So let's get out there, and go Rangering....
