Full-Time Airstream Life Year Two: January Camping Reviews

We started the month of January by finishing up our month long stay at Fountain of Youth Spa in Niland, California. It was good data for us to see how it felt to stay in one place for that long. We started to get a bit itchy to hit the road at about week three, but ultimately staying in one place for that time period was the right thing for us. We needed a bit of a break and some downtime before hitting the road for what promises to be a VERY busy 2024! Read on for the rest of our January camping reviews.

After leaving Fountain of Youth we had planned to check out a long term visitor area (LTVA) outside of Yuma, AZ. We have gotten mixed reviews from other digital nomads about LTVAs; many love the community and the opportunity to mingle with others who live a nomad life as well as appreciate the budget friendly nature of these spots. ($180 for 6 months!) Others want more space and don't especially want to be as close to your neighbors as you would be at an RV Park, with none of the amenities. We scoped out spot after spot after spot and couldn't manage to get any internet coverage at all! So we pivoted for what would be the first time this month and managed to book a spot at Coach Stop RV Park in Wellton, AZ. The park itself was small and basic with mostly park models and long term residents. We camped in their dry-camp area (electric and water only) and it met our needs. The park had the bonus of being only 5 minutes away from Steve's Dad's winter home which allowed us to get some good quality time with family for that week. We would likely only return to Wellton in order to visit with Bob, but this is a good, affordable option if we do go back.

The Dry Camp Area at Coach Stop RV Park in Wellton, AZ

Painted Petroglyph Campground is the type of Federal Recreation Area we love best. Dry camping for $8 a night, with huge and well spaced out sites, as well as views of the Arizona mountains all around us. The weather was incredibly rainy during our stay so we didn't get to enjoy the outdoors as much as we had hoped, but we did explore the petroglyphs and enjoyed this spot immensely. We would absolutely stop again if we were in the area.

Using our solar set up at Painted Rocks Petroglpyhs Campground

Our next stop was supposed to be a Boondockers Welcome site in Goodyear, AZ, close to where Steve had to take his SHRM-SCP certification exam (HE PASSED!). Unfortunately, we ran into another instance where the slope of their driveway was too steep and we would have bottomed out before we were able to back fully into the spot. Luckily we learned our lesson from our disastrous bottoming out last November, so we bailed out before doing any damage to the trailer. We managed to snag a campsite at Lake Pleasant Regional Park on the far northwest side of Phoenix. Maricopa County does a wonderful job with their regional parks and we were sad that we didn't get to stay longer and enjoy more of the outdoors and beautiful sun while we were here. We would absolutely stay here again and highly recommend checking out the Maricopa County Parks if you want to camp in the greater Phoenix Area.

Glad to not have any RV slide outs so we could fit in this site at Lake Pleasant Regional Park.

If you know us, you know we have a tendency to alter our planned route for a good concert. We decided to change up our plans a little bit so that we could see the Broadway tour of Jagged Little Pill at ASU Gammage in Tempe, AZ. This Boondockers Welcome host was perfectly located to drive to a weeknight showing. And though it was a little bit strange to be parked on the road in a suburban subdivision, it was exactly what we needed. We continue to be so grateful to the Boondockers Welcome hosts who have welcomed us onto their property.

Just an Airstream in the 'burbs!

Ultimately, January ended up being a bit more expensive than we had planned, but we are grateful that we have the ability to be flexible with both our plans and that our budget allows us to book last minute campgrounds when free camping options fall through!

And with that, 2024 if off and running!