3-8-2025 H: 66ºF L: 41ºF Valley Vista RV Resort, Benson, Arizona
It’s a travel day! We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Ajo, AZ. My initial impression of this town was that it was a sleepy, economically depressed, small town in the middle of nowhere. After interacting with locals, seeing the community engagement, and enjoying local art, we have fallen in love with this cute town.
3-9-2025 H: 70°F L: 33°F Valley Vista RV Resort, Benson, Arizona
We did laundry. Lots and lots of laundry. I’m not a big fan of public laundry facilities. I’m not sure how people like me (i.e. slightly germaphobic) do laundry on the road especially if living in a van. There are small, collapsible washers but they can only wash one or two items at a time.
3-10-2025 H: 75ºF L: 33ºF Valley Vista RV Resort, Benson, Arizona
We finished the laundry and bathed the boys.
3-11-2025 H: 70ºF L: 38ºF Valley Vista RV Resort, Benson, Arizona
We went to the Titan Missile Museum today. We learned about the level of security the staff were held to and the action sequence for launch. Staff had to make four phones calls to get into the control center and use a daily security code from the Air Force Base which was burned upon entry. It would have taken 3 minutes to launch the missiles once the president sent the message and the missile would have reached its target in less than an hour. The silos are nine stories deep.
There was an agreement in 1991 with the Soviets that the missile silos had to be decommissioned but some could be used as museums if the silo doors were permanently half open and the warheads were removed.
Red burn cup for codes
We drove through historic downtown Tucson, AZ. The old adobe homes had been restored and were stunning. We also laughed at the Ugly but Honest Pizzeria and Beer Garden – what a name!
3-12-2025 H: 70ºF L: 44ºF Valley Vista RV Resort, Benson, Arizona
We went grocery shopping and made Aloo Gobi with brown basmati rice from a recipe in Vegan Casseroles by Julie Hasson. We omitted the oil to make it whole food, plant-based. It was really good!
We also enjoyed a soft pink and purple evening sky with an almost full moon.
3-13-2025 H: 67°F L: 40°F Valley Vista RV Resort, Benson, Arizona
We went to the Windy Vista Point on Mt. Lemmon. It was cold and really, really windy. Driving just a little farther up the mountain brought us face to face with… snow. It’s 38°F on the mountain and I wore shorts today. Good thing I was born and raised in Michigan! We decided to warm up with a drink at the Iron Door near a ski resort but they were closing early due to an incoming storm.
We got up at 11:30pm to look at the blood moon. A blood moon is a lunar eclipse and appears reddish-orange as sunlight is filtered through the earth’s atmosphere.
3-14-2025 H: 48ºF L: 35ºF Valley Vista RV Resort, Benson, Arizona
We are really enjoying just relaxing at our campground. I’m not really sure what we did today besides play on our phones, watch Netflix, and read the news. Everybody needs days like this.
Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $36.19
Tesla Model X fuel: $0
Campsite: $0
Camping memberships: $38.26
Food: $178.90
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 185 (135 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 555.7 (161.6 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 2
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Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
It’s a travel day! We drove south to boondock on BLM land near Ajo, AZ in the area of Darby Wells. We found a site known as “the slab” because of the cement slab on a small hill. We like that’s its elevated for a nice view and the cement will help keep dirt from being tracked into the camper. After setting up camp, we enjoyed a crescent moon over the mountains and it was dark enough to see the Milky Way.
We woke up in the beautiful desert. I love how quiet it is and that we have space from other people. There are some flowers blooming on plants that otherwise look dead.
We dropped the truck off in town for charging. It’s a slow charger so it will take all day but the rate is really good (compared to a supercharger) at 21¢ a kilowatt hour. We spent the day sitting outside just relaxing. The boys are loving being in the desert because they can be off-leash.
We also cleaned up broken glass in the area the boys have chosen to go potty. It looks like people shoot guns at glass bottles up here. We filled up a grocery bag full of mostly broken glass and some garbage. I wish people would be more respectful of our public land.
Then we took the boys for a walk to see some of the abandoned mines. There are mining holes all over, some fenced off and some not. This area was big for copper mining.
We ended the evening with a gorgeous sunset. There is nothing like an Arizona sunset.
We took a walk in the desert and climbed the hills near our campsite. Peter and Marcel helped us find our way to the top where we enjoyed seeing how spacious the area is.
We drove to Organ Pipe National Monument but there really weren’t that many organ pipe cacti compared to where we are camping. On the way there, we were in the middle of a high speed chase by border patrol. It seemed like a lot of resources being expended with about six vehicles and a helicopter used to chase one person. I hope this person was being chased for more than just illegal border crossing. We drove to the gas station parking lot where they caught the guy and watched border patrol officers high-five each other and take selfies.
Every morning we have seen this little bird hop very close to us. We put out some water and a little food because he seemed to be asking.
I have been doing some research on the copper mining in the area which spurred Ajo, AZ into existence. The cement slab our camper is parked on has the incomplete name of “…an Copper Compa…” but I can’t find any info which fits. There were a lot of mining claims in this area according to the historical records I’ve found.
We took the boys for a walk in the desert and had fun noticing the saguaro cactus which look human-like.
We got up to watch the sunrise. Every morning and night the sky is full of color. It feels magical.
We went to the New Cornelia Mine, a copper mining pit, which put Ajo, AZ on the map. The mining company built the downtown area and homes for the workers and their families. The mine closed in 1985 due to a local union strike and declining copper prices.
We went to the downtown area of Ajo, AZ which was built by the mining company and was recently restored to revitalize the area. There were a good amount of people there and we have noticed that the town square seems to be the hub of activity for the town.
The Curley School Artisan Apartments are another result of the restoration efforts. We didn’t see a lot of art on display but it was neat to wander the halls of the old school.
We also stopped at the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. We learned about the plants and animals of the Sonoran Desert and the El Camino Del Diablo (The Devil’s Highway) which is a historic 250 mile long road which has been used for thousands of years. Many beings have lost their lives due to dehydration and heat stroke while traveling this road.
When we got home, we enjoyed another amazing Arizona sunset.
We drove part of the El Camino Del Diablo road which goes through both the Organ Pipe National Monument and the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. It goes 130 miles through these parks. It is recommended you have a high-clearance vehicle and all wheel drive. We turned around once the road became too sandy and we were afraid we’d get stuck.
Located on the El Camino Del Diablo is the Bates Well Ranch, a former ranch with a contentious past. It was located on National Park Service land but the cows and ranching activities destroyed the natural landscape until 1976 when the last rancher died and the land became part of the park.
We also drove past help stations where you push a button to call for help if you find yourself in trouble while in the desert. This area is very close to the Mexico border so I believe these stations are set up for people trying to illegally immigrate into the United States. The instructions say to wait patiently and help will arrive shortly; however, the pictures show the sun moving across the horizon as the person waits. I found that quite humorous. We also passed water stations and a border patrol post and lots of signs telling us not to pick up hitchhikers.
Next, we went to the Ajo Historical Society Museum and talked with long time resident and former mine worker, Mike. He said the cement slab where we are camped is approximately 100 years old and was the site of the office for Cardigan Copper Company. Mystery solved! An internet search revealed more info: “Some 1,000 tons of hand-picked copper ore were produced intermittently from 1917 through 1926” by this company. (Citation)
The museum is in an old church and had a lot of interesting artifacts and documented history. The museum is free and definitely worth a visit.
We took the boys for a walk around the BLM land. It seems for many years people have thrown garbage in the surrounding desert. We have found a lot of broken glass, rusted cans, and metal parts from equipment. I have enjoyed finding old intact glass bottles and trying to date them. Some are from the 60s and 70s. I found a Norwich triangle glass bottle made by Brockway. It’s probably an old Pepto Bismol bottle according to my research.
We ended our day with a vegan potluck in Ajo, AZ. It was in a building with a mural of angry rabbits. Apparently, the movie Night of the Lepus was filmed in Ajo. We really enjoyed meeting the people at the potluck. Some are full-time travelers like us and others are snowbirds who live in Ajo during the winter. The food was great and we had engaging conversation at our table. We met Skyler and his dad, Tom. Skyler is a musician and videographer and is in Ajo to do a film for the Ajo Chamber of Commerce. Skyler travels in his van with is wonderful dog and has not paid for a campground in three years. How cool is that?
Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $31.38
Tesla Model X fuel: $23.28
Campsite: $0
Camping memberships: $38.26
Food: $0
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 152 (115 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 339.6 (104.5 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 3
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Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
Today is an adventure day! We are exploring my old haunt: Scottsdale, AZ. My family used to spend a few weeks in Scottsdale every year. We stopped by the Embassy Suites, the hotel my family stayed at. It’s changed a little. I have fond memories of going to the lounge for happy hour and playing billiards. As a child, I was pretty good at billiards and the kind old men who let me play with them were often surprised.
Next we went to McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park. They have three large model train displays, two trains you can ride, the Pullman train used by four presidents, a museum, and playgrounds. Daniel loves trains and this was a park I went to many times as a kid.
Next we went to Cosanti Originals which was very unique. They make expensive wind chimes which are popular worldwide but it is also a practice in architectural design by Paolo Soleri.
We did laundry again because Marcel puked on the bed. I dehydrated apples for apply-cinnamon chips and tomatoes and onions to make a savory powder. We also extended our stay in Mesa because we are enjoying having some relaxing days.
We went to an RV show and had fun looking at all the camper vans, Class C rigs, and Class A rigs.
Next we stopped at Miners Rock Shop. What a cool place! So many rocks including phosphorescent rocks which glow in beautiful colors when a black light is shined on them. They also have supplies and equipment for cutting and polishing rocks too.
We went to Arizona Falls which is a small hydroelectric plant on one of the canals in Phoenix, AZ. It was first built in 1902 at the site of the waterfall created during the construction of the canal. The waterfall became a popular area for locals to recreate. The hydroelectric plant has been rebuilt several times with the last design artistically incorporating the falling water.
We went to Tonto National Forest again by the Salt River to look for the wild horses. We didn’t find them but the area was beautiful.
We stopped and talked to a man from Salt River Wild Horse Management Group who told us the horses usually cross the road at a certain time. He said there are about 380 wild horses in the area, they keep the mares on birth control, and they feed the horses hay twice a week because there isn’t enough for them to forage on. We stayed for 1.5 hours but didn’t see any horses.
We ended our night at Green New American, an all plant-based restaurant in Tempe, AZ. It had a cool atmosphere and great food! The staff was very friendly and gave us free food!
Daniel really likes botanical gardens so he recently purchased an annual family membership with the American Horticultural Society for $70. Part of the benefits include free admission to 380 public gardens around the country. There are two gardens nearby which we are going to check out.
Our first use of our new membership was Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ. We really enjoyed the plants and landscaping. We learned that a large saguaro cactus can hold up to 1500 gallons of water. I’m not sure how that’s possible as they don’t seem big enough for that amount of water.
The garden also had a climate change art exhibit, Toward 2050 by Ann Morton, containing hundreds of quilting squares with different designs and themes. It was interesting and inspired artistic ideas for me once we have a house and I have a craft room again.
We went to see a movie – Companion. It’s about an AI robot girlfriend whose programming is altered to commit a crime. It was ok. On the way home, we ironically saw a delivery robot.
We went to Japanese Friendship Garden in Phoenix, AZ. It was small but peaceful and nestled next to a large apartment complex. We both thought it would be nice to have an apartment overlooking the garden.
We drove to Dobbins Lookout to view Phoenix at night. Unfortunately, it was windy yesterday so the whole city was obscured by dust until it got dark. The city lights twinkled beautifully.
We went back to the Desert Botanical Garden to see the art installation, Light Bloom by Hybycozo, lit up at night. It did not disappoint! It was actually really magical.
We had drinks with Daniel’s friends: Mike, Debbie, and Chris. Marley, Mike’s dog, also graced us with her presence. We went back to Pedal Haus Biergarten in Mesa, AZ and I enjoyed watching the people on the sidewalk. Like most bigger cities, Mesa has a fair amount of homelessness and drug abuse.
Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $0
Tesla Model X fuel: $0
Campsite: $0
Camping memberships: $43.72
Food: $286.97
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 54 (17 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 298.9 (82.6 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 5
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Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
We traveled east to Mesa, AZ. Our new campground has a lapidary workshop!! I’m so excited!
We also went to watch the evening classes of the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show. Now, riding horses is not vegan but showing Arabians was a huge part of my childhood and I wanted Daniel to see and experience this hugely influential part of my past life. My main show horse, HTF Sofferty (aka Sam), was my best friend, mentor, and confidant. I learned so much from him and 25+ years later I still miss him dearly.
It was a laundry day. We also took the boys for a walk and got lost in campground. This is a very big park with lots of Canadians. Luckily, we found our way back to our camper before it got too hot.
We met with a couple of Daniel’s childhood friends tonight in downtown Mesa, AZ. Mike, Debbie, and Chris were fun to talk to. The bar, Pedal Haus Biergarten, was a converted gas station and pretty cool. According to Mike, who does a citizens patrol in the area, downtown Mesa has seen a lot of growth in recent years.
Went to USPS to pick up packages and Walmart for groceries. It’s nice to catch up on the necessities. When I was still working, I would typically go grocery shopping after work and literally power walk through the store because I was so ready to go home and relax. Grocery shopping was definitely a chore back then. Now, Daniel and I enjoy spending time together no matter what we are doing, even grocery shopping.
Well, we tried going to the lapidary but everyone was busy and, quite frankly, no one was very friendly. We left disappointed.
We went to Monte Vista RV Resort to check it out as we had heard it was a great park. It looked new and they had a large amount of new park model homes for sale. We have really loved the 55+ resorts we have been in. They seem to have a lot of fun with happy hours, clubs, and activities.
We ended our night with a Resident Appreciation event at our campground which included free food, games, prize drawings, and music/dancing.
Today is an adventure day! We started with Tonto National Forest. Canyon Lake is beautiful!
We walked around the small town of Tortilla Flats, AZ. It was an important stop while building the Apache Trail/Hwy 88 and the Roosevelt Dam. Now, it’s a fun stop for tourists. There’s even a dummy hanging from a noose.
We had planned on driving to Salt River to see wild horses but the road turned into an off-roading trail so we turned around. We found a great area to let the boys off-leash.
The whole area contains more lichen than we have seen elsewhere. We have learned that the presence of various types of lichen is an indicator of good air quality.
We also drove by Superstition Mountain where legend says gold is hidden. Supposedly, German immigrant, Jacob Waltz, discovered a large amount of gold in the area but the Lost Dutchman Mine has never been found. The area is also reportedly haunted by the ghost of Jacob Waltz.
We stopped in Goldfield, AZ. Founded in 1893, it was quickly abandoned when the gold ran out in the local mines. Some of the historic structures were destroyed by the military in 1943 but the town was later rebuilt by an entrepreneur and turned into a tourist attraction.
Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $0
Tesla Model X fuel: $0
Campsite: $15.08
Camping memberships: $38.26
Food: $187.29
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 177 (106 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 200.1 (50.2 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 2
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Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
It’s a travel day! We are going back to Arizona after some fun times with our friends in California.
We made it all the way to our campsite only to find one of the camper’s tires was leaking a massive amount of air. So we went straight to Discount Tire. They repaired the valve stems on both camper tires. There was a remnant of a rainbow over the truck as things were being fixed.
We are going on adventures today! We started with Fort Mohave Twins, a geoglyph possibly dated to 900 BCE. Daniel thought the two figures were cool but I was not impressed. You can see aerial photos on Google maps.
It was a nice area to rock hunt and the boys enjoyed being off-leash. Daniel took advantage of the wind to fly his kite.
Next we drove to Oatman, AZ which was a deserted old mining town but is now popular for its population of feral donkeys. We saw some next to the road, on the road, and in town. We saw a family with a very friendly baby donkey. If you stop your car, they know to go up to the driver’s side for treats. We gave two shy donkeys some water. At one point, I was surrounded by a gang of donkeys as I handed out pieces of apple, some of them nuzzling me for more. I was in heaven. *We later learned a lot of apples or carrots are bad for the donkeys and you can exchange your carrots and apples for healthier treats in town.
We finally found a truck that probably gets more attention than our cyber truck. It was so low to the ground I don’t know how it didn’t get damaged with normal driving.
We went hiking at Grapevine Canyon where petroglyphs date to 1900-1100 BC. It was a pretty area for a short hike. My favorite petroglyphs were the bighorn sheep.
We spent the evening watching the Super Bowl in the clubhouse at the campground. I won a giant campground t-shirt which will be used as a nightgown.
It’s an adventure day! We are going back to see the donkeys in Oatman, AZ. We learned that you aren’t supposed to feed them carrots or apples because they get so many of these treats it makes them sick. *You can get healthier treats for the donkeys in town. The town is fun with lots of shops and a shoot-out in the middle of the street which occurs on a regular basis. The donkeys hanging out in town were very relaxed.
We then continued on Route 66 and found some pretty overlooks and a popular memorial site.
We stopped in Kingman, AZ which is popular for turquoise. Turquoise is my favorite gemstone and color. I bought a strand of turquoise and Mohave green zinc. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with them but it will be something special.
We also stopped in Chloride, AZ , an old sleepy mining town. There wasn’t much to see or do but the residents seemed to enjoy decorating their yards with art. Cows had taken over the old gas station.
We drove to Lake Havasu, AZ to explore. We started with the London Bridge. We learned that only the exterior granite blocks of the original 1830s London Bridge were brought over from London, numbered and position catalogued. I had always thought Lake Havasu had the original London Bridge in its entirety. We’ve learned so much in our travels.
London Bridge and English Village, Lake Havasu, AZ
It’s a travel day. We traveled southeast to a small town in the middle of nowhere. It’s just a layover stop for us but it is close to Quartzsite. We learned that the Arizona Peace Trail is a 675 mile loop OHV trail. It is the largest OHV trail in the United States.
We drove to Quartzsite, AZ to explore some things we didn’t have a chance to checkout during Rolling Vegan Rendezvous in January. We stopped at a book store made famous by its past proprietor, Paul “Sweetiepie” Winer, who was a nudist and only wore a crocheted sock to cover his private bits. Reader’s Oasis Books is a used bookstore with an eclectic collection to select from. We found a Republican Song Book from 1964 which struck me as funny.
We took the boys for a walk back in the Palmosa Rd BLM area. It warmed my heart to see them so happy being off leash.
Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $37.72
Tesla Model X fuel: $0
Campsite: $85.16
Camping memberships: $38.26
Food: $180.95
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 348 (267 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 786.8 (232.6 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 3
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
2-1-2025 H: 75ºF L: 44ºF Thousand Trails Palm Springs, Palm Desert, California
We decided to relax at the camper all day. When we first started camping, before starting our epic trip, we were still working so we went to local campgrounds in Michigan for long weekends. During those trips we didn’t do much but hang out at the camper and enjoy our home away from home. Now that we’re traveling full-time, it’s rare for us to sit outside in our camp chairs all day because we’re too busy exploring the country. What a life!
2-2-2025 H: 79°F L: 47°F Thousand Trails Palm Springs, Palm Desert, California
We explored the local area. Palm Springs is known for growing dates. Our friends, Jen and Cindy, got us some Barhi dates which taste like caramel. We stopped at Windmill Market to get some more Barhi dates to munch on during our adventures today. Next we stopped at Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve where a natural spring supports palm trees and other plants.
Next we drove to the Palm Springs Visitor Center and downtown Palm Springs. I love the mid-century modern architecture of the homes and hotels. We also drove by the Roadrunner sculpture in La Quinta, CA which had been featured at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
2-3-2025 H: 79ºF L: 51ºF Thousand Trails Palm Springs, Palm Desert, California
We had our friend group over. We won’t see everyone again until the summer. I used my dehydrator for the first time to make strawberry-blueberry fruit rolls (like Fruit Roll-Ups) and they were well received by everyone. Recipe coming soon!
2-4-2025 H: 78ºF L: 52ºF Thousand Trails Palm Springs, Palm Desert, California
I used the dehydrator to make tofu jerky. Such a great snack! Recipe coming soon!
2-5-2025 H: 78ºF L: 50ºF Thousand Trails Palm Springs, Palm Desert, California
We went with Jen and Cindy to Bombay Beach and Slab City. They were nice enough to drive and let the boys in their truck. We had a blast with them!
We started our adventures with the art on the beach at Bombay Beach, CA which is right on the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is California’s largest lake and is the result of a 1905 accident when the Colorado River breached an irrigation canal. It was a popular vacation destination in the 1950-1960s; however, due to rising salinity from evaporation and industrial agricultural runoff, it is now filled with the bodies of dead fish and birds. The beach is now full of unique art installations.
Art on the beach at Bombay Beach, CA
The town of Bombay Beach had some unique features too. This town, once popular with tourists enjoying the Salton Sea, became a ghost town in the 1970s. In more recent years, it has seen a slowly growing population as it becomes an artist community.
The town of Bombay Beach
Next we drove to Slab City, CA. This area is known as “The Last Free Place” and it is full of unique individuals who are squatters, artists, homeless, or seeking to leave society. Its population ranges from approximately 150 in the summer to 4000 in the winter. It is on the site of an old military base which left behind cement slabs from the once standing buildings – hence “Slab City”. We were eager to speak with some residents to get a feel of what living in Slab City is like and why someone would choose to live off-grid in the middle of the desert.
We stopped at Salvation Mountain which is the work of Leonard C. Knight. Mr. Knight spent 28 years building this “mountain” out of dirt, cement, garbage, hay bales, adobe, and 500,000 gallons of latex paint. It has a religious theme as you can see in the pictures. Jen, Daniel, and I climbed to the top and had good views of Slab City.
Salvation Mountain in Slab City, CA
We drove around the area to get a sense of the conditions and vibe. This is a community built by its residents. We met a man at the entrance to Slab City who sells art made by residents and tries to rehome stray dogs – he had many dogs in his fenced in yard. We met a woman who sells her art out of a camper and gets her food from deliveries by a food pantry. She explained Slab City is divided into neighborhoods and that her neighborhood is run by women. We went in a bar where people lingered on this semi-hot day and a little girl with horribly matted hair came in with her mother.
Slab City has a fair amount of businesses and gathering places.
Overall, we had a couple impressions of Slab City. First, how odd that a large amount of people squatting in squalor draws a large amount of tourists. We were told thousands of people visit Slab City like it’s a tourist attraction. Second, while some living at Slab City may be running or hiding from the law or society, it seems some have found the sense of belonging and community they may have been looking for.
We ended the night with Charlotte and Taylor. Charlotte made a wonderful cauliflower dish in her air fryer along with fresh fruits and veggies. We had fresh carrots and oranges along with a chocolate frozen dessert made from sweet potato and avocado. It was so good and sitting around the campfire with these two special people (and Dexter the Wonder Dog) was a perfect way to end our day of adventure.
2-6-2025 H: 76°F L: 54°F Thousand Trails Palm Springs, Palm Desert, California
We went to Joshua Tree National Park today! The park is huge – almost 800,000 acres! The combination of the Joshua trees (genus Yucca) and the rock formations makes this park special. We drove the main road through the whole park and marveled at the changing scenery. We drove up to Keys View where the Coachella Valley and the San Andreas Fault Line can be seen in the distance. We drove from the Mojave Desert to the Colorado Desert, each with their own distinct vegetation. Joshua Tree National Park has always held some indistinct lore for me and it did not disappoint when finally visiting in-person.
Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $0
Tesla Model X fuel: $0
Campsite: $0
Camping memberships: $32.79
Food: $151.72
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 179 (129 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 149 (43 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
1-26-2025 H: 68ºF L: 42ºF Thousand Trails Palm Springs, Palm Desert, California
It’s a travel day! We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Quartzsite, AZ with our vegan tribe. Faith restored! Alas, it is time to move on and continue exploring this beautiful country.
We had intended to spend a night at Skooliepalooza OG but we heard the quiet section is really crowded with lots of loose dogs. We really wanted to see the pirate bus and chill out with great music – maybe we’ll drive back from our next campground.
We are staying near Palm Springs, CA for a week and a half where we will get to spend time with friends. Our campground is right next to the freeway and train tracts so it’s pretty noisy but we saw roadrunners in the campground so that makes up for the noise.
1-27-2025 H: 57°F L: 43°F Thousand Trails Palm Springs, Palm Desert, California
We took the boys for a walk around the campground and relaxed. Later, we hung out with Jen and Cindy. They are so much fun to talk to and we really enjoy their company.
1-28-2025 H: 65ºF L: 38ºF Thousand Trails Palm Springs, Palm Desert, California
Our friend family – Taylor, Charlotte, Jen and Cindy – came over to our campsite tonight. So good to hang out with the whole crew again. The boys love Jen and Cindy and appreciate their big chair.
1-29-2025 H: 67ºF L: 43ºF Thousand Trails Palm Springs, Palm Desert, California
We hiked the East Indio Badlands Trail with Jen and Peter. Marcel stayed with Cindy. Taylor met us and hiked for a little bit with his dog, Dexter. It was a great hike along the San Andreas Fault Line. We enjoyed the areas where you had to climb up rock crevasses.
1-30-2025 H: 69°F L: 44°F Thousand Trails Palm Springs, Palm Desert, California
Just enjoying the view from our campsite. The sky is so blue and the temperature is just right.
We went to Palm Springs for the Village Fest with Cindy, Jen, Charlotte, and Taylor. The Main Street was closed to vehicles and lined with vendors. It was a lot of fun especially with this awesome group of some of our favorite people.
1-31-2025 H: 68ºF L: 41ºF Thousand Trails Palm Springs, Palm Desert, California
Our friend family came over to hang out. After this campground, we won’t see them all again until the summer. We are just so thankful to have met each of these lovely people. It’s rare to meet people and feel perfectly at ease without any judgement.
Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $0
Tesla Model X fuel: $0
Campsite: $
Camping memberships: $32.79
Food: $281.90
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 319 (123 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 236.6 (75.5 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 1
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Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
We had a beautiful sunrise at the Rolling Vegan Rendezvous (RVR) camp. I’m grateful I got up early to enjoy it and take a short video.
Daniel and I took a morning walk through the Quartzsite desert with a couple other people and their dogs. The dirt here is like powdered sugar so every step you take causes the dirt to puff up around your shoes and pants. It’s impossible to stay clean here!
We hurried back from our walk to listen to a riveting talk by Forrest, an NPS forest ranger, on the importance of a plant-based diet for the future health of our planet. This is a talk he gives to visitors of the national park he works for. Here is a video of him talking to park visitors:
We had a great dinner with the RVR group. We watched the sunset and then sat around the campfire while a person from our group, Gale, shared a Celtic tale.
Today’s Rolling Vegan Rendezvous (RVR) morning presentation was on animal activism. We learned a lot. We feel proud to be amongst some courageous people standing up for animals.
We then did show-and-tell with our rigs. We loved seeing inside the camper vans as we find them so intriguing. They are stealth and compact. We love how every nook and cranny is used.
Interior of camper vans
Tonight’s potluck theme was soup. Our whole wheat bread was requested and we also made gluten free naan. We were blessed with another beautiful sunset.
Another great day at Rolling Vegan Rendezvous (RVR)! There was a beautiful sunrise and one of our new friends, Alex, took a picture of our camp setup with the sunrise in the background (see below). Our morning discussion was about vegan pets and vegan, biodegradable personal and household products. I learned about a small business, Zero Waste Outlet, which has great products. I’m interested in trying the Tangie Laundry Soap Bar.
Our final potluck theme was Whole Food, Plant-Based. Great food as always. Also another great sunset as Arizona seems to be known for.
Today was the last day of Rolling Vegan Rendezvous (RVR) so we said goodbye to some new friends. This is the sixth year for RVR. We are so glad we came to Quartzsite for this wonderful event. We learned a lot and it felt great to be around like-minded people. We hope to keep in touch with everyone. We also learned that boondocking is actually pretty easy and doable for us.
We learned of a great spot for crystal digging from fellow vegan, Victoria, who found some really big crystals recently at this spot. So we headed out to the desert with a shovel, bucket and other tools. We didn’t find any really big crystals but we found some smaller ones and it was fun to be out in the desert digging around in the rocks.
Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $33.26
Tesla Model X fuel: $0
Campsite: $0
Camping memberships: $21.86
Food: $15.96
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 27 (12 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 50.8 (18.1 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 2
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
It’s a travel day! We are so excited about the Rolling Vegan Rendezvous taking place in Quartzsite, AZ. It will be so much fun hanging out with other vegan campers. We will also really give boondocking a try since we will be there for 10 days.
After a pretty drive, we arrived in Quartzsite! The vegan meetup starts tomorrow but there are already 5 rigs here for the meetup. Two of the campers are modifying a schoolie (a school bus conversion). We were given a tour of the bus and it’s so cool! We also got to see a beautiful Arizona sunset.
We woke up to complete quiet and peace. You don’t realize how noisy the world is until you are exposed to quietude.
We spent a few hours at the giant flea market in Quartzsite. Then we came back to our campsite for an introductory meeting with the other vegans and a baked potato dinner. We sat around the campfire and talked to awesome people. It is so nice to be around like minded people. And the stars are so bright and visible out in the desert.
We started the morning with a talk on making food on the road using a dehydrator and solar oven. We also had great instruction on how to ferment food by Roy McLean. Roy and his wife, Janet, are both food scientist. Thank you for such great information! We are definitely going to get a small dehydrator.
Instruction on fermenting food
We drove into town for some errands and stopped for pictures along the way. There is quartz everywhere you look. I guess that’s why they named the town Quartzsite.
We had another wonderful morning with fellow vegans. We started with group exercise and then had a group discussion on camping gadgets and apps. We finished with group discussion about farmed animal sanctuaries.
GoSun solar oven
We had an Italian themed potluck. The food has been so awesome! It’s so fun to try new recipes.
Daniel gave a presentation to about 25 people on lifestyle medicine with a main focus on the benefits of whole-food, plant based food.
Our friends, Jen and Cindy, drove up from Yuma, AZ for Daniel’s presentation and then we explored the “big tent” in Quartzsite. We always have so much fun with them!
Great day! We learned about traveling to Alaska and Baja, Mexico. We talked with a fellow camper about ideas to keep food interesting. We dropped off garbage at the transfer station, got some groceries for tonight’s potluck, and went back to the big tent for a deal on silicone food storage bags and GripStic Bag Clips.
We had an Asian themed potluck. The boys got to come meet everyone. Marcel loved it! He went around the circle and said hi to everyone over and over.
Pictures courtesy of Sierra
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Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $20
Tesla Model X fuel: $0
Campsite: $0
Camping memberships: $38.26
Food: $67.24
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 107 (97 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 230 (73 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 3
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
1-8-2025 H: 70ºF L: 54ºF Encore Pilot Knob, Winterhaven, California
It’s a travel day! We drove east to a campground on the Arizona border. It was a beautiful drive through Cleveland National Forest. We loved the hills just covered in boulders and rocks.
Since we are so close to the Mexico border, we wondered if we would see any border crossers in the foothills. We did see a lot of border patrol officers in trucks and helicopters. Our friend, Taylor, said he had asked the campground staff about safety while biking on trails near the campground and was told he may run into “international travelers”. While driving today, we did see a man with a backpack cross the highway into the desert.
1-9-2025 H: 67°F L: 43°F Encore Pilot Knob, Winterhaven, California
We stayed at the camper all day. Daniel spent hours booking campsites. Some full-time campers travel when and where the wind takes them. Others, like us, plan out our travel itinerary typically 6 months in advance.
1-10-2025 H: 65ºF L: 45ºF Encore Pilot Knob, Winterhaven, California
We stayed at the camper and relaxed today. Unfortunately, we have a family member who attempted suicide last week. As family members, it can be hard to know what to do and the best ways to help. Do you ask why they did it? Do you avoid the subject while providing as much love and support as you can? There are support groups to help families navigate this difficult situation.
1-11-2025 H: 68ºF L: 39ºF Encore Pilot Knob, Winterhaven, California
We drove to Quartzsite, AZ to attend Rubber Tramp Rendezvous which is an event for full-time campers. Today they are offering a seminar on boondocking in Quartzsite. We have never dry camped for more than a day or two so we are eager to learn some tips. We also wanted to drive by the area where we will be boondocking with other vegans for the Rolling Vegan Rendezvous.
The drive took us through beautiful desert landscape. We saw a weather blimp grounded in the desert.
Unfortunately, we forgot about the time change from California to Arizona so we didn’t reach the event in time. We did drive out to the BLM area where the vegan meetup will be. It’s our understanding that the population of Quartzsite grows quite a bit in January.
1-12-2025 H: 63ºF L: 45ºF Encore Pilot Knob, Winterhaven, California
We stopped at Felicity, CA aka the “Official Center of the World“ according to California’s Imperial County and France’s National Geographic Institute. Felicity has some curiosities. They have a spiral staircase from the Eiffel Tower, a pretty church on a hill, and a history of humanity carved into granite. We did not feel like paying the entry fee for this roadside attraction so we just drove by.
We saw a beautiful almost full moon right after the sun set.
1-13-2025 H: 63°F L: 42°F Encore Pilot Knob, Winterhaven, California
We made a lot of snacks this morning because our friends, Jen and Cindy, came to visit. We made hummus, whole wheat bread, artichoke and spinach dip, chocolate pudding dip and paired it all with chips, grapes, and walnuts. Peter and Marcel were so happy to see them as were we.
1-14-2025 H: 63ºF L: º43F Encore Pilot Knob, Winterhaven, California
We went exploring today. Our campground is near sand dunes and 1.8 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. So we went to check out the border wall… and got pulled over by border patrol for “odd behavior”. And, true to my luck, I didn’t have ID on me because we were just going hiking. I’m glad that didn’t land me in trouble or deported!
We hiked near the American Girl mine. I found some pretty rocks. This is BLM land and another area popular for boondocking.
We drove through the sand dunes and stopped at the wood plank road. The 7-mile long road made of wooden planks allowed for easier automobile travel through the sand dunes and increased commerce between Phoenix and San Diego. It was used from 1914 to 1927 and was one lane but had periodic sections for passing. It is a California Registered Historical Landmark.
Stats
Expenses:
Tesla Cybertruck fuel: $38.58
Tesla Model X fuel: $0
Campsite: $0
Camping memberships: $38.26
Food: $107.77
Tesla Cybertruck miles driven: 150 (139 kWh)
Tesla Model X miles driven: 488.8 (159.7 kWh)
Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 2
Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.
Contact Happy Vegan Campers!
Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com
