Tag: back roads
Random Camping in David Thompson Country, Alberta
May 18, 2021
Random camping
Random camping is the experience of heading out to public or crown land and camping where you choose. You can find a spot that is exactly what you and your family are looking for. We enjoy listening to the silence away from the road and other campers. Being self-sufficient gives us pride. Dark skies for photographs are important to me. Appreciating unspoiled nature is good for our souls. If you are travelling and just need a quick spot to spend the night, random camping might be a good option.
Random Camp Site 
Random Camp Site
There are several rules on the Alberta Parks website. There are other expectations and camping limitations, however, that need to be considered before participating in this opportunity. I will try to include those here. This discussion will be specific to random camping in the Alberta Foothills known as David Thompson Country.
I live in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, Canada. “Where Adventure Begins,” is our local motto as the land to the west of us is primarily foothills that become the Rocky Mountains as you head further west. The land belongs to the province of Alberta, so logging companies, oil and gas companies and ranchers are allowed to lease it for their commercial needs. There are also some summer camps, small rural communities, and outfitters who take people on horse trips.
Many of the campgrounds located along highway 11 are first come-first served, even during Covid challenges. Others require a reservation. Random camping is definitely in the first come-first served category.
How to Find a Spot to Random Camp
We spend a lot of time travelling the roads west of Rocky Mountain House. I enjoy photographing the beautiful waterfalls in the area, the winter bubbles at Lake Abraham and the changing seasons. We also have a wood permit and cut dead trees for firewood.
Each time we are out, we look for spots that are accessible for our 26 ft 5th wheel. Our hitch had some room to slide so we can manage a slight grade change to get onto an access road. A rock fire ring is a good sign that others have used this site.
The most popular sites are recognizable by the lack of deadfall in the forest near the site. The most frustrating sites are those with several fresh stumps from people cutting down live trees for firewood. Not only does this affect the long-term sustainability of this random spot, but live trees do not burn well at all.
Possible location Random camping site
OHV Trail access
There are often OHV trails close to random camping sites. This may be an advantage or disadvantage, depending on whether you plan to ride the trails yourself. What may look like a good place to camp in the peace and solitude of the great outdoors may turn out to be a staging area for quads and side by sides. The Bighorn Backcountry Map includes areas closed to OHV travel during certain times of the year. Be aware of these regulations as well.
What do you need?
The overall view is important to us. We look for views of water or mountains. We also depend on our solar energy system when we are random camping, so we want a site that allows the sun to reach our panels for a good part of the day. Water views need to be assessed in terms of where the water level might be during runoff or heavy rain. Is the ground stable enough to hold a trailer in the wet and can we easily tow the trailer out of the site?
Busy Saturdays are good for scouting sites by noticing where others have chosen to camp. As retirees, we prefer mid-week camping so can usually use one of these locations another time.
Mountain views Water views
How to keep track of random camping sites
Bighorn Backcountry Map
Cel service is accessible along highway 11 (David Thompson Highway). It is mostly non-existent south and north of this corridor. Google maps will show where you are as you travel without signal, but won’t let you pin a location. The best way I have found to keep track of possible random camping sites is to use Google maps and a paper map. The Bighorn Backcountry Map is available locally and in Nordegg. It shows the PLUZ-Public Land Use Zones which are primarily from Nordegg to the south and west. It is a large map to refold in your lap.
Backroads Mapbook for Central Alberta
My preferred map is the book Backroads Mapbook for Central Alberta. We keep this book in the vehicle all the time as it contains not only the highways but also all the secondary roads, logging roads, power cut lines, etc. Fishing, hiking, and ATV trails are in the adventure section.
Many of the backroads in David Thompson Country are industrial roads and a clear sign marks almost every km. By following the dot on Google maps and matching it with the km markings on the road and the curves on the paper map, I can put an X on the map when we discover a good random camping spot. We often stop and walk into the site to determine if our trailer can access it easily and take photos. I might circle an area that has multiple sites.
After we use a site, I save pictures from that site in an album and give a name to that X on the map for future reference.
Considerations for random camping
As of June 1, 2021, Alberta plans to require a permit for random camping. The bill has been proposed, but not passed at the time of writing.
Random camping spots may have a somewhat level space to camp, some deadfall for firewood and a great view, but there are many things you will need to provide for yourself.
Toilets/Water
You will not find toilets/outhouses, water, power or garbage cans. Tenting is possible, but you will need to find a way to manage your toilet issues that will not impact the next visitor or animals in the area. Trailers with toilets and water tanks are a good option, but you need to be aware of your capacity before deciding on the number of days you can stay in a place. Grey water is not to be dumped in a random site.
Power
Battery capacity is another consideration for random camping. Know how long you can stay, especially when the nights are cool and you use your furnace. If you plan to stay a few days, a generator may be required.
Our trailer has a solar system that can easily allow us to stay in one location for as long as our water lasts. This system is new to us this year, and although there is a price tag, we appreciate the flexibility of where we can stay without having to interrupt the peace and quiet with a generator. Professional help is important when setting up solar panels, batteries and inverter/chargers. Canadian Energy from Red Deer set us up with just what we needed. The best price for solar panels was with Amazon.
Firewood
We always bring some firewood from home. As I mentioned, the most popular spots have been cleared of all deadfall. There is lots of deadfall in the rest of David Thompson Country. A short trip with your kids should give you plenty of wood for your stay. Collecting deadfall does not require a wood permit, but cutting dead trees does.
Never cut live trees. It might seem like a fun activity but it impacts the site for years to come. The wood won’t burn and cutting trees can be very dangerous. Choose to clear out a space in the undergrowth nearby and enjoy a crackling fire with dry wood.
Check fire advisories for the area before you leave home and be sure to have enough water to completely wet your fire.
Safety
It is very dark at night once you leave the David Thompson highway corridor. This makes for wonderful night photos, but bears, deer, wild horses, cougars, wolves and coyotes live in this area. Large groups and people noise is usually enough to keep them from interacting with humans. If you are camping alone, be aware. Bear spray is essential. Stay alert. Keep your food safely stored in your vehicle or trailer. Don’t leave a cooler outside. Camp stoves and barbeques also have a strong smell for animals and should be safely stored when not in use.
Make sure to have a good first aid kit with you. It is a long way to the nearest hospital and there is no cell signal in many areas of David Thompson Country if you needed to call for help.
Be alert on the roads. Many are active logging roads with large, heavy vehicles. We have a small radio set to the company’s frequency to know where the trucks are. These frequencies are posted along the roads used by these vehicles.
Clean up
Staff are not in place to clean up your site for the next visitor. We find that a foldable leaf bag rack works well for collecting cans or other recyclables. Pick up any garbage that may have blown into your site or been left behind. Store your garbage inside at night or if you are away from your site.
Take all your garbage home. Don’t leave it in the firepit as it will attract animals. Don’t drop it at a viewpoint or day-use area. They are not designed for a weekend’s worth of garbage and also cause problems for animals.
Staking out your random camping spot
I have seen people take their trailer out to a spot very early in the week to get their favourite place for the weekend. Please keep in mind those of us who prefer to camp midweek but can’t use our favourite place even though no one else is using it. Your equipment is also at risk for damage or theft by animals or people. This land belongs to everyone and the random camping system works best when you keep others in mind.
Random camping benefits
If you love the peace and quiet of your own place in the wilderness, random camping might be for you. It is also a good choice for a large group, post-Covid who don’t want to disturb other campers. You can get away into areas that would not sustain a campground. If you are self-contained, it is fun to discover a new place and listen to the silence.
It is a bit more work to look after the site, but this is the price you pay for having a beautiful place to stay, away from the crowds.
Travelling without a Plan…Houston to Nashville Road Trip
November 5, 2017
I love to travel to the deep south of the United States, especially in the fall. While winter is threatening at home, the weather in Texas feels like summer. The leaves are all gone in Alberta, yet the trees along the Natchez Trace Parkway through Mississippi are just starting to change colour. The beaches in Biloxi on the Gulf Coast are deserted in October. Flights are cheaper and accommodations are easy to find. And of course… the Houston Astros won the World Series while we were there so it was definitely a great time to travel.
Plan #1
This trip took many forms and in the end, was not recognizable from our original plans. We wanted to travel to North Carolina by way of Houston to see the fall colours in the Blue Ridge Mountains and visit our son and daughter-in-law who live in Texas. They have an old car of ours that we thought we could pick up there and drive through the Carolinas and be home within our 2 week time limit. We booked our flight to Houston which was only $180 each for one way.
Change of plans #1
The car wouldn’t start. It is old and not currently registered in the United States. My son and a friend spent an afternoon trying to boost it, to no avail. We priced renting a car in Houston and flying home from Raleigh, NC. but hat would cost about $1200 for 2 weeks because we weren’t returning it to the point of pickup. That meant we could only travel at most, one week away from Houston. I booked a flight back home, at $110 each. Peter’s plan was still to try to get the car running so he was not interested in making plans until he sorted out the car.
Plan #2
The Houston Astros were in the playoffs so we decided to make this a fall sporting trip. We looked online at the possible sporting events besides baseball. The Formula 1 was in Austin. University of Houston Texans were playing football at home and Ole Miss in Oxford, MS had 2 home football games while we were there. That sounded like a great plan. We would rent a car and attend some events we had only seen on TV. We booked a rental car for a week for $180.
If we stayed in Houston for a few days we could see the car race and the University Game. We might even get lucky and get a baseball ticket. Then we would travel to Nashville for a chance to hear some country music and come back through Mississippi to hang out at a tailgate party in the Grove in Oxford, then watch a home game. We would return to Houston for more baseball then fly home. We might even fit in a little golf along the way.
Change of Plans #2
The grandstand tickets for the Formula 1 in Austin were sold out on their website, although there were a few for some of the curves along the track. It would be a very hot day standing in the sun in one spot.
There was a Dynamos soccer game in Houston on Sunday afternoon with seats. That seemed a better plan. We decided to watch the start of the race on TV on Sunday then go to the soccer game.
That left Thursday to golf at Tour 18. It is an 18 hole course “inspired” by famous PGA courses including Amen Corner at Augusta and the 17th Island green at Sawgrass. I only had a few of my clubs tucked into Peter’s bag and no golf shoes, but it was fun to play with my son and husband, and I enjoyed the heat. Peter was 2 under through Amen Corner so he really enjoyed it. The Texas fairways are rough but very thick and fluffy so the balls sits right down in the bottom.
No Plans…Let’s see what happens
Friday was a day to tour around Houston. There were some neighborhoods with so much debris still piled up on the street in front of their houses as a result of Hurricane Harvey. It consisted primarily of demolition materials removed from flooded homes. Some houses were having roofs re-shingled. For the most part, though, it was hard to believe that they had been under so much water a couple of months ago.
We spent the evening at the Beer Market Co. The playoff game with the Yankees was on. It was exciting to watch a home playoff game with locals all cheering for their team, and then to have the home team win. It was almost as good as being at the game, but a lot less expensive. The quality of craft beer in the USA has continued to improve over the years we have travelled there. I had a delicious Lemon Ginger Radler.
Plans that changed me
Our kids were busy on Saturday so we decided to volunteer with a group from their church, Bayou City Fellowship. We met in an area of the city that was needy before Hurricane Harvey and even more so afterwards. The church had received supplies and donations from around the country for the past couple of weeks. They had made up bags of cleaning supplies and had many boxes of toiletries, bleach, garbage bags, blankets, towels, toilet paper and paper towels.
Other church members arrived with vehicles full of supplies they had not required in the flood clean up of their own homes. Mosquito repellent, brooms and mops as well as more bleach were common items. Someone had donated a couple of cases of new children’s backpacks which brought big smiles to those children who needed one. There were maybe 25-30 volunteers, including several children.
Distribution Process
A large cube truck arrived about 8:30 am. It contained the donations, as well as some small tents and tables. A large speaker played upbeat music to try to make the day seem a bit more festive. Several people from the line came and helped unload the truck. We set up 4 stations and sorted everything. There were 3-4 people in each tent to distribute the donations. Those volunteers who weren’t at a station helped those in line with their things or just talked with them to see how they were doing. We had to be aware of family groups and give an allotment to each family, not to each member. This was difficult as several small groups claimed not to be together. Apparently the line to receive supplies had begun to form about 6:30 in the morning.
Many thanked us although several didn’t speak any English. One woman was thrilled to get a broom! The odd donated bottle of dish soap or laundry soap created great excitement and work gloves and masks were much appreciated. It was difficult to chat as the line was long and moved steadily. It was really hard when we ran out of supplies before we ran out of people after about 2 hours. I got to go home and sit by the pool in the sun. They had to go back to their damp homes.
Things that struck me about Volunteering
- Some of the volunteers had been flooded at home too.
- People are people whether they have or whether they need.
- I wanted to feel proud about offering to help in a place that needed it, but it wasn’t about me. I was honored and humbled to have been given the opportunity to serve others.
- We were asked to see the change in us as a result of being part of this day, to see the world in a new way.
If you want to know more about the continuing relief effort of this group in Houston, check out the church link above. It includes some moving stories.
Our plans send us north
It was hot on Saturday, but Sunday morning began with a thunder-storm. When it rains here, it really comes down, even when it’s not a hurricane.
We had several recommendations about trying Airbnb home sharing service and decided to try it out in Nashville. We booked a private bedroom and bathroom, plus use of the living room for $118 for 2 nights. Since it was our first booking, we received a $53 discount after that. Last minute booking is much easier in October than in the height of the summer.
If you might want to try this service, set it up at home first as they want to send you an email and phone text to confirm your information. We had our phone plans set to just wifi so this was a challenge. The app made it easier to communicate with hosts over wifi. Here is a discount link to Airbnb
Finding the Natchez Trace Parkway
The roads out of Houston are much like the roads in Houston…filled with traffic. We chose to take as many backroads between Houston and Nashville as possible. It is over 1200 km so we planned two days to complete our journey. Our last-minute planning searches for things to do in Nashville revealed that the Calgary Flames were playing hockey against the Nashville Predators in two days time. What luck!
Natchez was our first stop. It is a small city on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. It looks to me like a cross between Vicksburg, MS and New Orleans, LA. as it is filled with old antebellum homes and has several walking tours for architecture or views of nature.
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- Big bridges over the MS River
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- View from the bluff
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- Old buildings-big trees
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- metal grillwork
It is also the start of the Natchez Trace Parkway, which follows the old trade routes from the SW corner of Mississippi to mid Tennessee, ending in Nashville, a distance of 440 miles. It has a slower speed limit, no signs or billboards are allowed, but there are lots of picnic areas and historical points of interest. We saw deer and wild turkeys along the way, but on the first section from Natchez to Jackson, MS, we didn’t see another car in our lane. October is a great time to travel in the south.
We spent the night in a hotel in Jackson, MS, of Uptown Funk fame, and continued on the second part of the trip towards Nashville. We had a coffee stop in a little place called French Camp, where we hoped to have a scheduled phone conference meeting with Alberta Golf. It just happened to be the place where all cell service ceased to exist.
Entrance and exit points to the Trace are limited, so we were lucky to find a little cafe in Dennis, MS, run by a woman and her sister-in-law. There were a few relatives and a couple of locals in for lunch but the chili and grilled cheese were only $5 and tasty. The service was so friendly and the stories were great. Small family restaurants are so worth a stop.
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- Dennis Cafe
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- cafe inside
Last Minute Plans in Nashville
We arrived in Nashville with just enough time to check out our Air BnB and get to the hockey game. The Predator fans are serious about hockey! We saw so many jerseys, scarves, socks and jackets in Preds colours. We got tickets at the back of the middle bowl for about $50 each. It was fun to be part of this crowd since they had secret chants and cheers for different parts of the game. The game ended with a shoot-out and Calgary won. We were so glad that we hadn’t filled all of our time and were able to fit in the only sporting event that we hadn’t considered before we left home.
Our hosts recommended the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Trolley bus tour of Nashville. Both were well worth the time. The Hall of Fame was busy, but it had a great historical perspective on country music as well as influences from a large number of performers. There was a wall of gold records and the Hall of Fame itself is a round room with all the inductees arranged randomly on 5 line staves. The museum commissioned a painting for the room that included a variety of musical styles and transportation methods used as these styles were becoming popular. They really did a wonderful job in this museum.
Unplanned Hop On, Hop Off Tour
Bill, our driver, knew so many stories about this city. He told jokes and connected the past to the present in such an interesting way. He knew who owned most of the recording studios, where Taylor Swift just bought a new penthouse (and the rest of the building under it), how long the line up might be at Hot Chicken as well as the growth in the number of hotels in the city and why there is a full size replica of the Parthenon in Nashville. We were enjoying his performance so much that we decided to stay on the bus for the entire route and hop off on the second loop if we saw something we really wanted to see with more time. As it turned out, most of what interested us were within walking distance after we got off the bus.
It was well after 3 when we finished all the exploring and we wanted to eat some Tennessee BBQ. Jack’s had a combo plate we shared with ribs, brisket and pork shoulder and 2 sides. According to our trolley driver, mac and cheese is considered a vegetable so we had to check it out. They served the meat without sauce, which is served on the side. There was the choice of Tennessee sauce which is vinegar based and tangy, Texas which is think and tomatoey and St. Louis which was sweet and smoky. That was my favorite.
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- BBQ Combo
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- Nashville Dreaming
Unplanned Music…But what else would you do in Nashville?
Broadway is the main street in the downtown area. Even though the hockey arena has the same address, most of the buildings from the arena to the river are small bars that have live music from 11am until after midnight. Some are 2 or 3 levels with music on each level. Up and coming musicians perform for 3 or 4 hours. You can go in and listen for a bit then move on if the music isn’t to your taste. Most of the songs are covers of country stars with a few original tunes in the mix.
We listened to a couple of guys sing in Margaritaville after the hockey game. They were entertaining with their spin a song wheel to help them with their playlist.
The second night we went into Barlines Bar in the Omni Hotel. It is across from the convention Center and was really busy when we arrived, but they found us a table right at the stage. We listened to Hali Hicks. She had a session guitarist, Jeffrey Weaver, playing with her for the evening. With her voice and his masterful playing, it was great entertainment. The local craft beer was excellent and then the Flames vs St. Louis game was broadcast on the screen beside the stage. And then game 2 between the Dodgers and Astros started on the huge screen behind the musicians. Could we have planned it any better?
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- Barlines Stage
Back to Mississippi
Our son went to college and also got married in Mississippi so we have been there a few times before. The land near the river is a flat agricultural floodplain where they grow cotton and soybeans. Cotton was being harvested while we were there. They kill the leaves which exposes the cotton and makes for easier picking. It was strange for us to see bales of cotton as large as haystacks would be in Alberta. The eastern part of the state consists of large pine and oak forests.
We returned on the Trace towards the NW part of the state where Oxford is located. Our Airbnb hosts lived in the country on a beautiful acreage. They were so gracious and made us feel like family. If you want to learn about the people and get a real sense of the place, then this kind of accommodation might be right for you. We don’t have much experience yet, but it felt like an upscale hostel stay.
We also spent a couple of evenings with our daughter-in-law’s parents in Grenada, MS. They were so hospitable and even though we technically are family, they treated us so well. Those who live in the southern part of the United States really have their own culture and way of seeing the world. It made me think of the Canadians who live in Quebec and want to protect their language and culture within a larger country. Being kind and gracious to visitors is certainly part of that culture.
Change of Plans #2 Again
Our plans to attend the Ole Miss football game in Oxford seemed too complicated to be worth pursuing. Tickets were $90 each for a college game although the resale sites had better prices. We weren’t able to connect with any of our son’s friends to meet up and trying to find parking in this football crazy town (think The Blind Side) made our plan more energy than it was worth. We decided to change our plans and head south to the Gulf Coast.
Biloxi was a short overnight stop. The beach was white and the sunset spectacular. The Star Hotel was reasonably priced with friendly staff and the restaurant across the street had a nice wood fire, delicious seafood, local beer and the Astros playing game 6.
Even though we made our road trip based on our wish to attend the football game in Oxford, it was okay that our plans changed. If we hadn’t headed north, we would have missed out on Nashville, the Flames game, our wonderful hosts at Country Living BNB, visits with our Mississippi family and a wonderful night on the Gulf coast.
Being retired and having flexible travel time makes planning on the fly much easier than when I could only travel on school holidays, to the places everyone else wanted to visit. The fact that we have family living in the area helps reduce the anxiety of having a place to stay. Try it on your next trip. Leave some time open for opportunities to present themselves or people to come into your life. You won’t be disappointed.