Camping in the desert!

Joanne

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Aug 2, 2015
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Desert Camping

I have a friend who travels from southern England out to Las Vegas to visit a couple of times a year. We usually spend a few days exploring old mines around Vegas, then head north to our mine. We usually stay up there for a week but we extended this trip to ten days. The camp is about 45 minutes down a dirt road to the closest town. Although we occasionally see a truck down in the valley, it’s not unusual for us not to see another vehicle for our entire time in camp. We usually make one trip into town during our trip to restock with ice.

I thought I would share a few pictures about our most recent trip. We have been coming up to the mine for a number of years and have things pretty well figured out for our style of camping while we work on the mine.

I’m still using the Desert Dawg as my camping trailer. It’s seen a lot of use on roads that I never planned for when I originally built it. Still, it’s hold up pretty well. I think there is a rebuild in the future to fix issues that time and use have exposed. I still love camping out of it!!
As you can see, we pull the trailer forward so that we can set up the cooking area. We also set up the chairs and little side tables so we have somewhere to set food and drinks.

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All my food preparation takes place in the galley. There’s lots of work space even if I do let it get a bit cluttered. We are usually storing a week’s worth of non-refrigerated food in the back as well so I do have to try to stay organized.

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We use two saw horses and an old door to create a large table. It hold our water tanks, washing tubs, and where I stack my skillets up off the ground. The white tubs are reserved for doing dishes. The black one is our utility tub that we use for washing our faces, taking a “bath”, or occasionally doing a bit of laundry.

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Of course I take along a selection of cast iron. Since there are usually two of us in camp, I bring along a 10” shallow, a 10” deep, and a 12” deep. The 10” shallow is the oven for biscuits and cinnamon rolls. The 12” deep is for baking double loaf of No-Knead bread. The 10” deep is along because it was my very first (and still favorite) oven. The plow disk cooking table is perfect since it’s light and easy to break down and pack.

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We don’t have a picnic table to eat at so we use a couple of folding recliners and collapsing side tables. Although this setup wouldn’t be right for everyone, we have found that it works perfectly for us. We also sit here at night to watch the sun go down, followed by looking for satellites and watching the stars. The skies are so dark out there that the Milky Way is just a white blanket of stars stretching across the sky. I never tire of looking at it.

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There are no facilities out here in the middle of the desert so I have to make my own. This is a Walmart “utility tent” that I set on top of a pallet topped with plywood. The tent has mesh along where the walls attach to the floor allowing me to take a shower with my portable shower tank.

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Like many desert campers we utilize two coolers. One holds the food that we may need from time to time during the day. The other is dedicated to longer term food storage. Once a day or so we move the next day’s food from the long term cooler to the daily cooler. We keep our “long term cooler” under the table so it’s out of the sun. The “daily” cooler is kept in the back of the trailer. We drape a blanket over it to try to reduce ice melt.

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Getting down to cooking, we always have a coffee pot with us as well as an old “boiler”. Having a large boiler is really nice when heating water for dishes, a quick wipe down to get off, or Tony’s regular cup of tea. The stove is a Camp-Chef Weekender. I’ve used this stove for a long time but it appears that it has been discontinued.

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I like to make good food when we are up at the mine but I don’t insist on cooking everything from scratch. With this in mind I usually cook up Pillsbury biscuits or cinnamon rolls. They may not be as good as I can make from scratch but they are quick, easy, and pretty darn good. They take my breakfasts to the next level.

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The sausage are already cooked and wrapped in foil staying hot. Eggs are just about done. It’s a good way to start the day.

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Although some may consider it a luxury, I always have an antique stove top toaster in the trailer. I know that there are a couple of modern versions available in the camping shops, but I’ve never particularly liked them. These old toasters do a nice job. If you like toast, hit your local antique shops and grab one.

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Another trick we use to make eating a bit easier is to use a large platter as a “lap table”. It’s big enough to hold a plate of food, silverware, and a napkin. It’s wide enough that I never feel like I’m going to spill my plate of food on the ground. Of course if you are really hungry, just skip the plate and load up the platter with all the great chow! :-)

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Tony demonstrates eating using our lap table. Actually he’s not. He just wanted me to leave him alone so he could eat his breakfast.

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I always try to make some No-Knead bread while we are up at camp. I double the recipe so it makes a nice sized loaf. We usually eat a few warm slices as soon as it’s cool enough to eat. Then we move to sandwiches. Fresh bread really changes the whole flavor of a sandwich. If we haven’t eaten all of the bread by the third day, it’s time for French Toast! It makes amazing French Toast. Although it’s a bit of work to bake bread, it really adds to the fun.


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So why are we camping out in the desert? Well it’s the site of our mine. Historical information indicates that this mine was a gold and silver producer during its main workings during the early 1900s. An assay report indicates that there is recoverable gold. The mine is 100’ deep and has three primary levels.

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Of course we brought along some classifying screens and gold pans. Unfortunately we didn’t find any gold on this trip. Still it was a fun time.

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On the way home we decided to take a little break and get a bit of sun. ;-)

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It was actually a beautiful day out on the dry lakebed. We had nice clouds to make it even prettier. And yes, this is actually how we get to our mine.


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If you are interested in seeing a video from our latest trip, Jeff Williams stopped by to check out our mine. Click here to watch the video
 

Terry Soloman

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You are a PRO! :notworthy:
 

Obsessive

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Nice set-up!!

looks like a great time out in the desert.
 

Rookster

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I like that. Really neat setup.:icon_thumright:
 

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Joanne

Joanne

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Thanks all! We do have a good time out there. I just wanted to share the photos in case they might help some of you with your camping setup. I always enjoy seeing other folks' camping techniques so I can steal the best ideas. :-)

Joanne
 

RGINN

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Wow! Way more stuff than I would have around, but excellent set up. I like the modern day chuck wagon.
 

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Joanne

Joanne

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Wow! Way more stuff than I would have around, but excellent set up. I like the modern day chuck wagon.

Yeah, quite a bit of stuff but it makes for a comfortable camp for us. Especially since we are in one place for a week or more. I would streamline it a lot if we were moving every day or two.

Since I love to cook outdoors, the trailer is really perfect for me. A modern "chuck wagon" was exactly what I was thinking when I built it. Those old cooks had everything they needed and nothing they didn't.

Do you have any pictures to share of your camping setup? I'm a fan of seeing other people's campsites.

Joanne
 

Kace

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Great Set Up!

I like tiny campers too. What does the inside front look like? Only if you don't mind showing. Describing is fine if you don't wanna show pics.

Thanks,
Kace
 

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Joanne

Joanne

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Great Set Up!

I like tiny campers too. What does the inside front look like? Only if you don't mind showing. Describing is fine if you don't wanna show pics.

Thanks,
Kace

You can see EVERYTHING about the trailer if you click on this link: Desert Dawg build It's the website dedicated to my build. The trailer has a queen sized mattress so there's plenty of room for two inside. I really love camping in it.

Joanne
 

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CygnusX1

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Very nice! It makes me want to go camping! :laughing7:
 

Joseph08

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Camping in desert is not easy still a lot of fun. Hope you had a great time!
 

OreElse

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Very nice set up, makes me want to join you. Oh and the chow looks great! Best wishes!
 

Lunch Bag

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Enjoyed seeing your self-built Teardrop type trailer. I highly doubt an off the lot trailer could take the perpetual beatings yours must experience.

Even with our state-of-the-art kitchen, we can’t produce anything near what you’re creating in the desert.

Thank you for showing us your dream setup!
 

wildpig

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Nice camp, looks like a fun camping trip!
 

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