Saturday, March 12, 2022 Pump Station Road Dispersed BLM
Today is a warm and calm day. The winds at this time of year in Arizona seem to pick up in the afternoons.
I’ll confess, I’m tired of the wind. The day may be warm and sunny but when the winds kick in the fun ends, for me. I’m not fond of wind, especially when grains of sand come flowing along with it. This is why I usually get most of my outdoor activities done in the morning – hiking, running, RV tasks, etc.
Since I’ve realized that most places I boondock there are no trails nearby I’ve taken up running again. I was once an avid running, completing a half marathon at my height. Then I discovered hiking. I loved running but I loved hiking even more! Plus I lived in California outside San Francisco at the time – there are 1000s of trails in the Bay Area! I miss the accessibility of trails but not the traffic to get to them.
Here outside Tucson at Pump Station Dispersed BLM there are plenty of roads to take a quick jog in the morning to get my blood pumping. It seems my body remembers jogging because right away I was able to finish 3 miles. It also helps that when I can I do hike with at least 10 pounds on my back and for miles. The combination of hiking and jogging has kept me relatively fit.
I’ve been at this location now for 6 nights, this ties with my record for staying put in one place. The other was during my maiden voyage after getting Minnie Rambles in the Kaibab Forest where I drove 11 miles out on a washboard road to be adjacent to the Arizona Trail. I hiked the AZT that time and was happy I could stay put that long. That was a trip with no cell service, it was blissful! (If I have service, I’m likely to check my phone for emails and Social Media often.)
My fresh water is holding out, which is usually the gauge when I need to leave. It’s still at half a tank or so which means I have 15-20 gallons left.
I’ll also gauge whether or not to leave by how much fresh food I still have. This is running low and would have been lower if Hunter didn’t take me in to grocery shop a few days ago. It makes me think about the fact that I’m a solo traveler and will need to be sure I prepare better when I plan on staying somewhere for a longer period of time. My freezer is just about empty, I can always stock up on frozen foods.
I don’t really worry about being hungry though, I have so much dry goods and backpacking food in my pantry yet I do prefer the fresh stuff.
I’m also solo again, Hunter left last night to work and hit her storage unit. For the last couple of weeks Hunter and I have been camping on and off together, it’s been nice to have the company. We’re both introverts and understand the need for the other to be solo to recharge, I love that she understands me. Soon we’ll be on our own merry ways going in different directions but for now we’re hanging around the same city and figured we’d hang out together. Plus, we talk for HOURS! It’s nice to have someone around that “gets” me.
