Hubby already did a post on Castle Air Museum RV Park, Atwater, CA, but here are my impressions.
Castle Air Museum RV Park, Atwater, CA : It isn’t so much as a park as it is parking lot that has been converted behind some old housing. They have 6 full hookups (50amps) ($25) and 12 dry camp ($15), back ups, no pull thorough, but able to handle any length of rigs…they had a 40ft. With the first night rental of a full, you get a 1 free pass to the air museum. Dry camp includes one dump per day. Cash or check only. No internet, but 3g verizon and AT&T hotspots worked well. It helps raises funds for the museum.
The two dumps are open for none renters at a low $5 cost. LOVE the fact that were you put the money for that are ordnance (bomb casings for you civies).
It wasn’t fancy, but we liked it for that. We were able to see really cool military aircrafts from the museum right behind us! So made it worth it. The long term camp hosts were very friendly and helpful when we had our blow out. The people they recommended for the repairs were great.
If on our way through there, we would stay there again. The base was closed in ’95 but still has that military feel, which I love and miss.
Went to the Air Museum the day before we left. Totally enjoyed all the aircrafts. And me, use to being around tanks…this was so cool and different. The B-36 was HUGE! And they had the bomb door open so you can look into it. They also had a casing from the thermobomb. Make sure that you wear sunscreen on a sunny day….my nose is still feeling it….lol
We took a lot of pictures from the Air Museum, we’ve posted them here : http://wherethehellarewe.com/2013/04/10/castle-air-museum-atwater-ca/
We went through a lot of lonely dessert roads, total change in landscape for us.
After we left there we went to the Arabian RV Oasis in the very small desert town of Boron, CA. Really, not much there. But it was a good overnight stop, gravel lots, fairly level, we got a pull thorough, only $20 night with Good Sam/Passport discount. 30amp full hook ups, No internet, but 3g verizon and AT&T hotspots worked well.
If you do end up in Boron, highly recommend you stop at Domingos Mexican & Seafood…..totally worth the stop!
We decided to our next stop was Joshua Tree National Park, instead of heading to I-40 and then down to I-10 to get to the Cottonwood Campground on the south side, we drove through the park starting at the West Entrance. With Admiral Ackbar, towing Kermit, up and down hills, near roads and 10miles of construction…it took forever.
Since we got here later then we planned and it being a Friday, the Cottonwood Campground was pretty full and spots not that big for our rig, at least for our comfort level. Way too narrow road through the campground. Good thing that when I went to the official Joshua Tree National Park site, they actually have recommendations for BLM camping overflow right outside of the park, 6 miles from the campground. Which seems to be working out much better.
Just a note, the Cottonwood Campground does not have hookups, but it does have a dump and portable water if you are in the BLM area.
There is actually 4 different spots. That was so damn helpful…http://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/upload/overflow.pdf
I-10 is about 1-2 miles away, so you see and hear that, but isn’t that bad. And we are able to use our verizon 3G and AT&T hotspot, which we won’t have been able to inside of the park.
We are able to see a ton of stars, even with the glow of Indio & LA 25/100 miles away….I even saw my first shooting star, among all the planes….lol That was totally awesome. Still totally looking forward to NO light pollution for star gazing….this is just a tease…grin
Loved the fact that we were pretty much alone the first night…..one another BLM RVer (you can tell that this wasn’t their first time, unlike ours…lol) and then the only other one was a family tent camping, right behind us. I know these are open…but geezzzz there is so many other sites…..did they have be that close to us? lol
With it being a Saturday night, we have a few more campers. Hoping to have a none, other then the fuller timer about .5mile away Sunday and Monday night….totally enjoying the feeling of isolation.
This is our first time boon docking……I’m still digesting it….so that’ll be a post for another time. It is a learning experience. But I’m really enjoying it.
We are planning to leave here Tuesday and head to a RV park in Quartzsite for full hooks up for at least one night, just to be able to use our washer/dryer….grin Then on to Organ Pipe National Monument….for another 3-4 nights of boon docking.
Not sure where after there, we’ll have two nights before we hit Patagonia.….playing around between another BLM or a RV park…but the ones I’m finding on the way there are either 55 over only or way not worth it…we aren’t into the pricey resort ones…not us at all.
Totally off subject, I’m no longer worrying about tanks as much…just annoyed by them….lol. Both our black and grey sometimes shows totally full even when we just emptied them….rolling eyes. In process, learned that the sensors rarely work and we now know about how long our black last. Still working on different methods to clean the sensors so they will work for a bit. I need to pick us up some calgon water softener so we can do the geo-method.
Even through you aren’t suppose to, we did put some bleach in once and filled the tanks about 1/3 before a long drive just to help to get worst of the smell out for time, then dumped immediately at the next stop.