Large Boondocking Camp Party in Ocotillo Wells!

Spring brings camping trips, and camping trips mean fun, food and friends!

It's no secret that we love dry camping and boondocking, but we love it even more when we get to share it with friends and fellow camping enthusiasts.

Our church group got together for an "off the beaten path" weekend full of off road adventures, exploring, campfire tales and pot luck (with lots and lots cookies...no seriously, there were a lot of cookies there)!

Near the main turn off, we saw an out of place billboard marking the location of where the 1991 movie "Bugsy" was filmed and we found ourselves on a very long and very rutted out road along the outskirts of Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area. After twenty minutes of teeth chattering, we were nicely shaken (not stirred) and we arrived at our dusty destination.

Our home for the weekend consisted of a large circle of class A's, travel trailers, pop-ups, tents and fifth wheels. People of all ages crowded around this large circle and we had fun getting tours of everyone's "home".

By day, we were all explores, although we explored the vast desert in our own ways. Some chose to lounge around the camp, some went off on their quads and dirt bikes, while others (the totally trailer crew), chose to explore deep canyons, wind caves and ancient fossil beds!

By night, we huddled around an all consuming bonfire, swapped stories and ate a lot. There was a hefty line for the potluck which allowed me the opportunity to climb on top of our rig and get some overall shots of the happy campers.

Kids running and playing in dirt, teenagers huddled together having "important teen conversations", adults swapping RV stories and lots of laughter filled the night skies over Ocotillo Wells this weekend.

We met a lot of new people and we feel very blessed to have been a part of this adventure. Life is good, so share it!

Funny sign in the middle of the desert about the filming of the 1991 movie "Bugsy"

 Hubby and new friend, doing "Trailer Talk"

 A portion of our large circle of toys (Totally Trailer is the brightly glowing one with monster flag)

 Somebody got a new laser toy and we all had fun with it around the campfire...made for an awesome pic too! (p.s. those specks in the sky are actual stars..amazing night)

 Campfire Tales in Ocotillo Wells 

 There's always a line at the buffet!

Check out the view I have from up here of the sunsetting over Ocotillo Wells 

And of course, what is a camp site without a flag. In our case, it's a monster Welsh flag!

"Outlaws" in Sedona

The city of Sedona evokes many emotions from visitors. From the red and orange stained skyline, to the jagged rocks that seem to pierce the bright blue sky, to the calm and tranquil atmosphere…Sedona truly is a diamond in the rough.

One of the best features of Sedona is the ability to venture off on hiking trails, biking and off road trails to really experience the true beauty of Sedona’s back-country.

We were fortunate enough to find the friendly staff at Sedona ATV and rented the four- seat RZR for the day. Due to the snowy conditions, we could not take the Schnebly Hill road that we had our hearts set on exploring. Instead, we found ourselves on the Outlaw Trail and I’m so glad we did!

Before long, we felt like true outlaws fleeing the town confines to find ourselves in the middle of the wild west. Surrounded by jagged rocks, cacti, red dirt and washouts, this rough and tough trail was exciting to navigate and gave us a 360 degree, panoramic view of Sedona.

Sedona ATV provided us with all of the gear, a picture book and a “there is no way you can screw this up” map of the trail. They even gave us two blankets; however, the cold was so piercing that day, no amount of blankets could save us. The Totally Trailer Trio was so, ridiculously bundled up that we actually looked like bandits, which ended up befitting this rugged Outlaw Trail! When I say we were bundled, that might be an understatement, considering I had on four layers, a turtleneck, scarf and face cover, earmuffs and headband (under my helmet), long underwear, three pairs of socks inside my Columbia snow boots and four packets of hand warmers! I wore a whole department store that day and is was absolutely worth it. 

The trail consisted of steep rocky ledges (that required careful wheel placement), ancient red rock arroyos, desert-brush landscaping, Indian ruins and went through Sedona’s western canyons. Adding to the adventure of the day, it even delicately snowed on us near the Honanki Ruins.

The adventure also brought us to the Vultee Arch Trail and the famous Devil’s Bridge hike which are each their own mini adventures.

We had an expert driver (hubby) but no matter how careful we were, we still ended up caked in red clay mud that sprayed up the sides of the RZR and coated us like an art canvas. Speckled from head to toe, the splashes were a reminder of the fun we’d had that day.

Considering Sedona covers over 19 square miles of gorgeous countryside, there is no better way to see the land than cruising in an off-road vehicle. The ATV ride was an overload of the senses: feeling the bumps in the rugged road, seeing the richly pigmented landscape, experiencing the adrenaline rush of navigating rocky crevices and tasting the freedom of the great outdoors.

There is so much to see and do in Sedona and just when you think you’ve seen it all…you discover a new hidden gem. Totally Trailer invites you to get outdoors and get dirty in Sedona!

The Sedona area has a plethora of places to stay, eat, camp and is surrounded by some of the best and scenic RV camp spots.

Stay tuned for our Sedona Backcountry Video!!!

Our RZR chariot for the day and little one ready to get dirty!

Map and detailed picture book with "you can't screw this up directions" provided by Sedona ATV (by the way, we still took a wrong turn)!

Just getting started on the Outlaw Trail and the GoPro is ready for action front and center

The family of bandits on the Outlaw Trail is a little too realistic here!

Check out the different colors in this landscape, can you see the snow falling from that dark cloud in the background?

Awww...Outlaw Love

The texture, the colors and the formations are simply breathtaking out here in Sedona

parked out front of the Honanki Ruins Site (equipped with muddy blankets and all)

Passing the Honanki Heritage Site 

Red, green and blue...some of our favorite colors perfectly blended in nature

Live action selfie in Sedona

Our blog and Adventures!

We are so excited to start the new year by launching this blog (mostly because it gives us a reason to travel more this year)!

This is not a typical blog that will be updated daily. We will blog while we are on the road or when we have something "totally trailer" to share.

Thanks to our iPhones, we can take pictures and update our blog live and as it happens (knowing us, we will have something new to share hourly)! The blog also shows where we are and we will put links in for you to see our entire photo album from our trips.

We will start the blog by catching up on where we left off with the trailer (since we are coming up on our 1 year anniversary with it).

Don't miss the fun.... We can't wait to see what 2013 brings and to continue working on being "Totally Trailer"!

Totally Trailer Trio

Can You Keep Up With The Totally Trailer Trio?



Welcome to our new Blog!

Well we've gone "Totally Trailer" in our 31ft. Aljo Travel Trailer. We invite you to join us on our adventures as we travel to the most remote, deserted and warmest places we can find.