You learn so much when you’re trailer-ing/RV-ing/Wanderlust-ing. Through the expansive network of fellow travelers, I learned about BLMs. This stands for Bureau of Land Management. This is a government agency dedicated to preserving the vast landscape so the public can use it for free. Often, these BLM locations allow people to camp for free, even up to 14 days.

On our way to Sedona, we stopped at a BLM site called Dome Rock, located right off Interstate 10. The roads leading to the site were unpaved and there was no way of knowing if we were supposed to park straight, diagonally or perpendicular…nor did it matter. This was the wild west and you could park anywhere. We found a fire pit and camped next to it. Thanks to my friend, Lina who equipped me with two fire starter logs before I left Santa Barbara, we built a campfire and roasted marshmallows. I felt like a legitimate camper. And I’m a little embarrassed to admit that 1) it was the first camp fire I’ve ever built and 2) it was the first S’mores I ever ate. My only excuse is that I grew up as a city girl.

You may be wondering if this area was safe. It never occurred to me that it wouldn’t be safe. Most campers are extremely friendly and helpful. In fact, when we were looking for a spot to set up camp, we unintentially drove down a road that was made for ATVs…you know, those all terrain vehicles. As we were towing along this road, a band of ATVers came down the road. One of them stopped, took off the bandana covering his mouth and asked if we knew where we were going.

“Uh, not really.” I answered. “Should we not go this way?”

The unmasked ATVer said, “Well, I wouldn’t recommend it, you’ve got yourself a nice set up there and you might ruin it.”

He buzzed off and at the first turnaround, we followed the road back to a less rugged section and set up next to a fire pit. It was perfect for this city girl and her crew. Here’s what we woke up to.

Taken with FujiFilm Finepix X100.