I can see Wickenburg, Arizona, in my future.
I'm still hanging around the Dome Rock boondocking area, but I'm thinking about moseying over to Wickenburg tomorrow or the next day. It doesn't matter; the weather will be beautiful, with temperatures in the high 70s. The winds are low, and so is the humidity, so any day would be fine for traveling.
Due to my terminal laziness, I won't be driving to the Walmart in Parker; I'll buy some groceries when I get to Wickenburg. I might as well get used to Safeway prices since I'll be paying them for a while. They also have a Bashas' grocery store in Wickenburg, which is an Arizona chain store. They're pretty big, but the prices, as far as I can tell, are about the same as Safeway. The Safeway is more convenient for where I boondock, but other than that, it doesn't make a difference.
I'm looking forward to getting to Wickenburg and hopefully taking some pictures of the Team Ropers there. I think the best time to be in Wickenburg is in November because, in Las Vegas, I believe, they have a big championship in December. Wickenburg is a very popular place to train for the championship because of all the team roping arenas.
There's a lot of prize money available to folks who are good Team Ropers, and they have team roping contests all over the country. Team roping is a popular rodeo sport and a lot less dangerous than other rodeo sports like bareback riding and bull riding. And you can be a Team Roper even when you get old if you can still stay on a galloping horse.
theboondork
Dome Rock boondocking area Quartzsite, Arizona.
No matter where you boondock in Quartzsite, you can find places surrounded by neighbors or be alone; it’s up to you. That’s one of the many freedoms that boondocking offers.
Sunrise, Quartzsite Arizona.
Sunsetting at Dome Rock boondocking area… The BLM calls it “dispersed camping,” but what do they know?
You may have noticed that the mining roads look white instead of dark-colored like the prevailing rocks. That's because there's a lot of quartz in these mountains. In fact, the miners were burrowing into the mountain and throwing away the worthless quartz in their tailing piles.
Prospectors have always known one of the old sayings: "You will find quartz without gold, but you won't find gold without quartz." This means that the old prospectors were looking for veins of quartz, which is the logical place where you may also find gold.
Another old gold mine at Dome Rock.
The sun setting on my teeny tiny home, as I prepare for another night of the peace and quiet of living in the desert... Sleep comes quickly to those free to wander.