KOFA and wind

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Alpena Jeff

Alpena Jeff

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 7, 2014
Posts
965
Location
Up North - Michigan
We are planning on visiting KOFA for the first time next week. Winds are expected to be high teens to low 20's mph. I had to sell the beauty of this place to get my bride to try boondocking. She likes her hookups.
Question is, if these winds are going to blow sand, dirt, dust into all our crevices and get our recently washed coach filthy, well, I just can't say.
I know it's the desert and all but....is this going to be a mess?
Thanks, Jeff
 
IMHO ....The simple answer is yes......Expect and prepare for the worst.

I bought a rechargeable vacuum and used it daily while we were in AZ. I would also recommend one of those RV patio mats to act as a buffer to help keep dirt and small rocks from tracking inside. Of course you will need to weigh it down so it doesn't blow away.
 
Looked at it on Google earth...good place to study desert biome. 

Some mighty tough plants and animals out there, not to mention insects.

 
If the wind is blowing at 20mph with gusts to 25-30mph, even in an RV Park with full hookups you are going to get dust blowing.  You will have more protection from the wind buffeting the rig because of other RV's around you, but the dust and sand will still be there. 

I would wait for a couple of days before moving to KOFA to let the wind die down.  Much nicer when the wind is below 10-15mph. 

If you point the nose or rear of the RV into the wind the rocking is minimized.  You may want to pull your slides in to keep the slide topper awning from flapping.
 
We've been to KOFA twice, Quartzsite about 6 times and Death Valley maybe 4 times.  Only recall significant winds once and never needed to wash the RV because of dust and dirt.  I wouldn't let the winds keep me away.  The desert should be beautiful if the area's had as much rain as the rest of the Southwest. 
 
Gary, my mileage varied  ;)  ;D

Last year after a week in KOFA and two in Q our coach was sorely in need of a bath.

 
Heli_av8tor said:
Gary, my mileage varied  ;)  ;D

Last year after a week in KOFA and two in Q our coach was sorely in need of a bath.
Click to expand...
Our coach still hasn?t had a bath since Kofa, though we do have a full wash and wax scheduled for Thursday. Then it is down to the Alabama gulf for a week to warm up! We have only had a few days of real warmth this entire season. Bit of a change from Kofa for sure.
 
Alpena Jeff said:
We are planning on visiting KOFA for the first time next week. Winds are expected to be high teens to low 20's mph. I had to sell the beauty of this place to get my bride to try boondocking.  . . .if these winds are going to blow sand, dirt, dust into all our crevices and get our recently washed coach filthy, well, I just can't say.
Thanks, Jeff
Click to expand...

Go for it Jeff.  It's a boondocker's paradise. And let me add upfront  - I don't like dust/dirt either in or on my TT. 

Short answer - the wind alone will NOT stir up dust at KOFA as the areas your rig will be in have a rock surfaces.  Winds up to 20 mph are pretty common I think and don't make dust swirls or devils that I saw.  However, trucks, ORVs etc. traveling the access roads (King Valley Road, Palm Canyon Road, etc.) will kick up dust that blows around.  Park upwind of the general wind direction (side of road), and a decent distance from the road and you'll cut down significantly on the impacts of vehicle traffic.  Personally, I did not find that KOFA conditions resulted in much dust to the interior or exterior of my TT and I was at KOFA for two weeks.  And I'm anal about dust - years of allergies and ingrained cleaning practices!  Quartzite on the other hand did seem to result in more interior dust - again a 2+ week stay.  However, it's the same as KOFA.  Rocky surface, but the dust stirred up by vehicle traffic can be bad depending on rain and sprinkles.  After Q, I simply spent 30 minutes damp dusting the interior of the TT and shaking rugs, vacuuming etc.  There have been some real soaker rains since Q and the exterior of my rig does not have dust.  If you drive a toad on the roads, it will get dusty, and if it rains and you drive through the gully puddles, you'll have mud in the wheel wells, running boards, etc.  Ask me how I know??

I encourage you to try KOFA and not be worried about "this and that".  Just try to enjoy, as it is nice and nothing irreversible is going to happen due to the wind.

Linda
 
UTTransplant said:
Our coach still hasn?t had a bath since Kofa, though we do have a full wash and wax scheduled for Thursday. Then it is down to the Alabama gulf for a week to warm up! We have only had a few days of real warmth this entire season. Bit of a change from Kofa for sure.
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We just got a lot of rain yesterday so the first pre-rinse on the TT is done, Now if it would just warm up a tiny bit I could get out there and really wash and wax the darn thing,,LOL

 
Ha, we're headed out tomorrow to explore the back side of the KofA.  Going to start in off Vicksburg road and see what we can find.
Supposed to be 80 tomorrow.
 
Old_Crow said:
Ha, we're headed out tomorrow to explore the back side of the KofA.  Going to start in off Vicksburg road and see what we can find.
Supposed to be 80 tomorrow.
Click to expand...

Your starting to get on my nerves ;D ;D

We came home to temps in the 70's but after the front moved though our highs are in the 50 and we have a freeze warning for tonight....Hopefully this weekend we can get back to normal temps.
 
Old_Crow said:
Like I told one of my FB friends when she made basically the same comment.  It's a gift.  8)
Click to expand...

I've been known to have the same gift.....What I lack is the cure ;D ;D
 
Well, I forgot to set my odometer to get an actual mileage figure, but by looking at the KofA map I picked up at the entry kiosk, we did about 45 miles of back country trails yesterday.  Follow along on the map here:

https://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Kofa%20Hunt%20PURegs%202017%20Final.pdf

We started from Vicksburg road(upper right corner of the map)then left on the pipeline road for a mile or so, then left on KofA Manganese Road to Hoodoo Well, then right through Hoodoo wash to the Wilbanks cabin and well.  Then back north over Big Horn pass to the KofA cabin, then back out the pipeline road to Vicksburg.

Jeep Liberty's need not bother.  In fact, the section of this run over Big Horn pass(which had a couple of wash-outs and a section of wash with pretty big boulders in it)had me rethinking a lift on my stock Wrangler TJ.  The guy I was with has a JK with 3 1/2 inches of lift and even so he banged the skid plate a couple of times.
I have new scars on my skid plate and 3 out of the 4 control arm brackets.  Nothing bad, I tried the best I could to ease through those sections, so I didn't really bend anything, just scraped a bit.
Highest temp I saw was around 89, and there was a nice breeze most of the day that kept us comfortable.

Before we left yesterday, I dumped my black tank.  I then discovered that the valve wouldn't close all the way.  I filled the tank completely with water and dumped again, hoping to flush the obstruction.  Still the valve won't close.  It appears to be sealing, but not closing all the way.  I suspect one of the seals has rolled out of position.  So today, another flush of the tank, a flush of the gray tank, just because, and then disassembly of the dump valves. 

You guys can laugh now.
 
I just replaced the black tank valve on our fifth wheel. It was leaving a 1" gap when fully"closed". I kept having to do a lot of flushing to avoid the dreaded pyramid. This has been an issue since we bought it. I did end up with a clog a  couple of weeks ago. That necessitated getting an 1 1/2" hose on the shop vac to resolve. I ended up pulling out a wad of baby wipes out that just barely fit back up the pipe to
the toilet. We don't throw baby wipes in the toilet, so it must have been by the previous owner. Our pipe from the toilet is considerably long, with two 45? ells in it. The valve is cable operated, and the existing didn't have the collar and set screw for the cable attachment. It had a hole in the shaft, and the cable just went through the hole and was bent over. Replacing the valve wasn't as bad of a job as I thought it would be.
 
This is the first time the valve hasn't closed all the way.  I had a clog in our previous coach that turned out to be the piece of the tank they cut out to hook up the toilet.  Symptoms were pretty much the same as I have now, except this valve appears to be sealing where the one with the piece of plastic in it didn't  I figure, fix it now, avoid bigger problems in a month or two if it really is letting all the liquid escape.
 
After you dump the tank, close the valve and fill the toilet bowl a couple of times to put some water in the tank.

This will keep the valve under water and any gunk on it will stay soft and pliable.  It's when the gunk dries out and hardens that you have valve problems.
 
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