Boondocking: Sometimes referred to as "dry camping." Boondocking is any time you camp in your RV without water, sewer, or electrical connections.
Well, that's what I'd been doing the last several months. I had bought a retired Ambulance and had converted it into a stealth camper. I went the full nine yards to make it self contained.
I had a complete Lithium battery system, a propane generator, six hundred watts of solar on the wide, square, flat roof, I had a hundred gallon fresh water tank, and a forty gallon gray. But no Black tank. Why? Well because I installed an incinerating toilet instead of a messy cassette or or standard toilet.
I was loaded and set for a good three or four months, and could pretty much refill water anywhere and there was o shortage of grocery stores just a few miles down any road near any gas station.
Cruising through the Tahoe National Forest, I found a turnout that backed on to a beautiful stretch of forest. I backed my rig in behind a small stand of trees at the far end of the turnout and setup for the night.
There were about half a dozen cars in the turnout. Some I could tell were boondockers. It was kind of obvious when you had a 1980's station wagon with the windows covered up. Not very stealthy. But to each their own.
It was still about three hours til sunset, and the little Ma & Pa grub shack across the road looked inviting, so I thought I'd go check out the local cuisine.
What I came up to, was a quaint little red barn style restaurant with an outdoor patio dining area and a small pond with all manner of exotic fish swimming around. It must have been heated, because the temperature at night would get too cold for these types of fish.
I opted to eat outdoors. So I took an empty table near the pond, and scanned the menu. A cute young gal in her twenties bounced over with an adorable smile on her face to take my order.
Not being all that concerned about calories, carbs and other bad things, for one night, I ordered the Chicken Fried Steak and eggs with loaded potato skins and a cup of coffee.
My server accepted the order with a smile and bounced away with a cheery, "Comin' right up darlin'." First to arrive was a large carafe of coffee, a large mug and a bowl of creamers and one of sweeteners.
When the food arrived, I ate in silence and just listened to the bland conversations of the other patrons. The food and service were excellent and I made sure to tip my server appropriately. Then I vanished across the highway and slipped into my rig.
I opened up a side door and put up an awning so I could sit and read for a while. When a couple of guys, that I had seen at the restaurant came walking up to my place and gave a friendly wave.
"How ya doing?" The taller one that looked like he was about to Hulk out of his shirt said. "I'm Tim, and this is Justin." he continued, jerking a thumb to his right at his partner.
Justin was a bit smaller, but still fit and the definition was evident through his tight under armor shirt. "We're in the Class A, across the road." He said, gesturing to the American Coach with the "Oh my GAWD!" Paint job, in the parking lot of the restaurant.
"Pleasure to meet you." I said. "I'm Chuck." And got up to pull a couple of folding chairs out of my side compartment. "Have a seat."
For a while we chatted about places we've been and places we were headed. Tim mentioned he'd noticed my rig, and wondered about the setup. I gave him a tour Justin also convinced Tim after a short argument over cost, to get rid of their toilet and black tank for an incinerator unit. Score one for my team.
After the tour Justin shook my hand and thanked me for the hospitality. When he shook my hand, his other ran up the length of my arm. I could see him looking at me, judging my reaction.
It clicked then. These two weren't just traveling together, they were a couple. Apparently they were looking for a third for the evening and I was the one, if I proved amenable.
I covered the hand that was half way up my arm with my other hand and lifted it. I placed it on my hip and said. "Why don't we take a walk?" and I smiled. "Check out the forest, it is so beautiful." Tim and Justin just smiled at each other.
