CAMPED ALONG THE BANKS OF THE SAN PEDRO RIVER

THE CHARLESTON ROAD PARKING LOT

Definitely a little cooler in this neck of the woods. Had a quiet night & no town constables came around to roust us out behind the Visitor's Center. The Centers doors opened at 8 & a few minutes later we were inside asking questions about the area & stocking up on brochures. An elderly lady was most helpful and made it clear there was no boondocking sites in the area. Luckily we had heard of one on the highway from Sierra Vista to Tombstone.

I checked Google Earth last night & it showed us where we could find a Wal-Mart in town so we didn't waste any time getting ourselves over there for a few groceries. In the meantime the wind gusts had picked up something fierce & while in the Wally-World parking lot our rig was being rocked back & forth like a small boat on a choppy lake. Picked up a few groceries & waited out the wind.

Around 11 we decided to head out in search of the Charleston road boondocking site. Wind had let up a bit so the short 8 mile drive wasn't too bad. I had previously un-hooked the car so Kelly followed along behind. Had checked the site out on Google Earth so knew as soon as I came to a river I would be there. No problem finding the big square parking lot on the south side of the bridge & east of the San Pedro river.

THE SAN PEDRO RIVER IS ABOUT A HUNDRED YARDS BEHIND THE RIG

The whole parking lot slopes towards the river so there was no finding a level spot. Ended up putting some wood under the back tires. Didn't want to use the jacks in case we had to unexpectantly leave in a hurry. We are only about 20 miles from the Mexican border here so there are additional things to take into consideration when setting up camp.

Took the furry guys for a walk down along the banks of the San Pedro river. Lots of animal tracks down there & later in the day around dusk we walked over to the old steel bridge (web album) & looked down upon 3 deer casually drinking along the river bank.

STROLLING ALONG THE BANKS OF THE SAN PEDRO

About a mile north of us up the river lies the ruins of the old western town of Charleston. In it's heyday Charleston was known as a rough & tumble town which boasted saloons, livery stables, restaurants, hotels, a school, a church, a post office, & stores that held $100.000 in goods. We understand there isn't much left on the site anymore. A few crumbled foundation walls & that's about it. We'll try taking a hike up that way in the morning but the underbrush along the river is pretty thick so we'll see how far we get. Or, we may follow the old railroad bed on the east side of the river & then try crossing the river farther up.

There is also a cairn (will get a photo of that to-morrow) here dedicated to the Morman Brigade who in 1846 encountered a number of wild bulls at this spot while trying to cross the river. A clash with the bulls erupted resulting in injuries. It is said that the "battle of the bulls" was the only battle the Mormon Battalion ever fought.

Nice sunset to-night & we were fortunate enough to see deer down at the river drinking. We've heard this parking lot is a favorite spot for telescope gazing astronomers & I can sure see why. No moon to-night & the sky is about 90% clear of clouds so the stars are just a poppin out of the night sky. In fact it was so clear that I could actually see beyond the stars into the future. And, the future told me if I don't smarten up right quick & knock off all the peanut butter & honey sandwiches I'm going to roll right past the 210 pound mark!!!!

No idea where we'll be to-morrow night but it just might still be here in this very same spot. And thanks to the folks on the RV Net Forum for the info & stories on this area......................

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm

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