Camping in a Wal-Mart Parking Lot

April 17 – 18, 2017 (Yes, still catching up from my travels this past winter).

After spending time down House Rock Valley Road, returning to the Page, AZ area was a bit of a shock. Tourist season was fast approaching, and it was evidenced everywhere I went. I considered camping on the beach at Lone Rock, but the entire edge of the lake was now lined with huge RV’s running generators. There was no chance of a peaceful, quiet evening by the fire with just the sound of nature like the last time I camped there. I left quickly and found a quiet spot on BLM lands west of Lone Rock with stunning views and an area all to myself.

Down at Lone Rock in the Glen Canyon Recreation Area…

I spent a day in Page, AZ shopping, then met up with Bob Wells of Cheap RV Living.com to do an interview on the SPOT Personal Locator Beacon that I’d been testing for him, but that night a dust storm moved in and the sand was flying.

Camping in a dust storm isn’t much fun because a person can’t even open up their windows for air, so I decided to try a night in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Page, AZ where the dust was much reduced because of the fact that I was parked on the tarmac.

It was an interesting experience, and something I hope I don’t have to do on a regular basis. I was woken several times during the night by RV’s coming in, and someone banging on something metal with what sounded like a sledgehammer at 1:00 am. There were dogs barking, doors slamming, generators running, and delivery trucks nearby that were running their engines all night. The bright lights required me to put up everything I could find on my windows to block out the lights.

However, I did feel safe, because it was basically a big campground of travelers and campers. You see, Page AZ is surrounded by the Navajo Nation and non-tribal members are not permitted on Navajo lands without a special permit, and there are hardly any campgrounds in and around Page (and those that are there are pricey) and BLM lands are a bit of a drive out-of-town, so the Wal-Mart parking lot becomes the campground for the night. I guess it’s smart of Wal-Mart to allow this because nearly every one of these campers will spend money in Wal-Mart while they are there. I did.

I made a video of my experience, and you can watch it here:

My First Time Camping in a Wal-Mart Parking Lot (YouTube)

In my next post, we go for a hike in a slot canyon and I hope you’ll join me.

I hope you have enjoyed this installment of my travels during the winter of 2016/2017, and hope you’ll continue the journey with me. Please visit the HOME page to find more articles, and feel free to share, sign up and leave a comment. Also please visit my YouTube Channel. Until next time…remember to step outside of your comfort zone as often as possible and watch it grow.

Roxy ~ A Nomad for Nature

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