Indian Bread Rocks

If you’ve been following along then you know we ended up at the Indian Bread Rocks BLM last Sunday after failing to get a spot at Kartchner Caverns S.P. If you haven’t been following along then go catch up…I’ll wait here.

Looking very small

Okay, now that we all know how we got here, let’s talk about this secluded beauty of a boondock. First of all I have no idea what the name refers to, so don’t even ask cause your guess is as good as mine. What I do know is that we’re on BLM land located on the very edge of the Dos Cabezas Mountains. We are about 8 miles south of I-10 and the town of Bowie. We’re also only 30 or so miles from the New Mexico border, which is perfect since that’s where we’re headed tomorrow. Our close proximity to Bowie really means nothing, since as far as towns go this one is umm..shall we say less then bustling. When we drove through I saw a liquor store, a post office and a bar. I guess that’s all this town of 600 residents needs. Oh, there’s also a gas station near the the 10 that sells beef jerky, pecans, and gas for $4.76/gallon. So yeah, we’re pretty much on our own out here.

Just us and the dust on a windy day

Which is perfectly fine with us. After spending a week at a private park in town, even a town as cool as Bisbee, we’re always ready for some time away from it all. This winter we’ve been feeling like we really have this boondocking thing dialed in. We figured out that for a one week stay we have enough power, fresh water and holding tank capacity to comfortably survive without even having to think about finding civilization. It’s such a great feeling to pull into a gorgeous spot such as this and know that we are completely self-sufficient with nothing but the rocks, yuccas and prickly pears for company.

rocks, rocks, rocks

A Yucca grove

Prickly Pear Cactus forest

Actually we have had some company- in the form of great big beasts who like to leave stinky surprises in our campsite.

What are you looking at?

This entire area is open range for cattle and we’ve seen a ton of them around. Or so I thought. But then I realized today that it really is only a group of 6 or 7 who we keep seeing over and over again. For the most part they’re fairly skittish and tend to run away if we get too close, but one windy day when we had the door closed I looked out to find a few grazing right outside our window. Of course I immediately ran for the camera. Given my fascination with these bovines you would never guess that I grew up in Vermont where the ratios of cows to humans is probably tipped in favor of the cows. But those were stinky, dumb dairy cows who trotted into the barn every night for their trough of grain, and these are tough, rugged cattle who forge around the desert for tiny bits of dried up grass. So much more interesting right?

The neighborhood cattle

Besides playing the part of cattle paparazzi, we’ve been busy exploring the area on foot and by bicycle. There are no formal trails around here, but there are some fine areas for rock scrambling and back road riding.

Rocks for climbing

Roads for riding

There are roughly six to eight potential boondocking spots out here. Two at the picnic area, where you have access to a pit toilet, some picnic tables and a grill. Two where we are just a little ways from the picnic area. Two more farther down the road with wide open views of the open desert. And two more even farther down the road after it gets rocky. The last ones are really only suitable for a truck camper or other vehicle with high clearance.

Our spot, the picnic area, one of the great big spots down the road.

I think the spots down the road (before it gets rocky) are probably the best out here as far as views and privacy go. There was already another trailer in one of those spots when we arrived on Sunday, and by the time we saw them leave on Monday morning we didn’t feel like moving. Not that there is anything wrong with this site, but the picnic area is just within view and we have seen a few folks, and one family, doing what it is people do at picnic areas. So for total seclusion a bit farther down the road is the way to go.

Us & the picnic area. Also big rocks cast big shadows

That’s really all I have to report this week. Tomorrow morning we’re going to check out Fort Bowie Historical Area, and then we’ll pack it up and head into New Mexico for the start of our three and half month exploration. So excited!