Just returned from a week of State Park desert camping near home in Arizona. Hot days (mid 90's) to start the week , late weekscattered rains. Thursday morning rainfall rapidly progressedfrom a pleasant drizzle to inability of the campsite culvertdrainage to handle the flow from uphill... water rapidly re-diverted from well established washes to over-flow conditions. Our tire chalks washed away... mesquite and scrub branches heardscraping the under carriage... water flowing rapidly (6-10 inches)under and around 5th wheel with accompanying mud . I never felt any movement. I thought it was an adventure... the bride was notamused. After the cloudburst the Park moved us to a campsite withbetter drainage ... and higher elevation. They lost a wooden walking bridge in the process... stated this "never happens". It happens.I love this stuff. A good time was had by all (almost all). ;)ChasDrama shots....Happily ever after shots...

Well, quite an adventure indeed. Glad you are ok, but as a "bride", I too would not be amused. Who knows what could have happened.

Renee...She was not willing to "walk out of it" to higher groundas the water flow and debris was too swift. I deferred to her judgment. She call the F.D....but surrounding roads were washed out and they could not reach us. As it turns out, the cloudburst (thankfully) ended, and the high water mark rapidly receded. I tracked my buried tire chalks down the ravine. In hindsight... I probably should have had a Plan B as soon asit started raining... I live in the desert, so, should know better. The diameter of the under the road culvert tubes is inadequatefor moderate to heavy downpours...and quickly overwhelmed. Moral to the story... try to book higher ground campsites, and, atthe minimum, have an evacuation plan in mind. Really, I know better. The Desert makes it's own rules....Emergency windows would have been of little use... ladder to the roof was a possibility (until if/when the rig started floating)... just staying put was actually the safest course of action. Chas

Hope you service the brakes and bearings. Truck to also. Chris

an adventure to add to the ol' memory book. :)

just a reminder... Desert rules | Good Sam Community

24 Replies

Desert_Captain
Explorer III
Oct 23, 2014
Farmhawk wrote:
One of our favorite campgrounds!! Lost Dutchman State Park!!

X2 Always a pleasure!

:B
weakknees
Explorer
Oct 23, 2014
Here's a couple that happened to me. I was going hunting in the Gila in New Mexico. The main road was tacky wet but no muddy. As soon as I pulled on to the road to our camp site after about 50 yards the trailer sunk up to over the axels along with the truck. After we got the fifth wheel off the truck and filled in the road( about 2Hours)I was surprised but the truck pulled the trailer out. Same place at a family Labor Day campout I had to leave the fifth wheel there for three weeks Waiting for that same stretch of road to dry enough to pull it out.
RoyB
Explorer II
Oct 13, 2014
Back in the day the APACHE TRAIL up to the Roosevelt Lake was a favorite camping place for us. This was off road Tent camping with two or three couples with Jeeps and loaded down utility trailers. You find out real quick about those great well shaded contributories feeding the main trail roads when it rains hard. Sometimes a bad choice for a camp site.

Been to the Lost Dutchman State Park many times camping.
Farmhawk
Explorer
Oct 13, 2014
One of our favorite campgrounds!! Lost Dutchman State Park!!
laknox
Nomad
Oct 13, 2014
Mother Nature =always= wins in the end.

Lyle
NJRVer
Explorer
Oct 13, 2014
Some years ago wife and I were at the Biosphere and one of those storms came up out of nowhere. There was about 8" deep water running hard through the paved parking lot along with who knows what that would occasionally be seen flapping through the water like a fish (??), except of course there were no fish in the desert. The road way was washed out and everybody had to hang out for a few hours until they filled it back in so we could drive out.

Glad everything was ok. If one side of your wheels was on softer ground than the other, that may have been a different post and different pictures you posted.

I'm guessing the desert must be pretty green with the rain that has been happening this season.
MTPockets1
Explorer
Oct 12, 2014
Is this Lost Dutchman State Park? Just pulled in today. Nice place and can see where area had water on roads.
coolmom42
Explorer II
Oct 12, 2014
cdlaine wrote:
Yep... luck of the draw on this one... 100 yards away another
5ver was high and dry... in our case, in-action was the appropriate
response.. but, overcoming or ignoring the urge to "do something"
seemed counter-intuitive (that was the hardest part for me). We appreciate
the good thoughts and are looking forward to a great winter of desert camping.

I have (since) wondered what it would take to "float" one of these rigs...seems slope,
combined with "tidal force" and mud/debris movement would play a part... as would lift.
About 1 1/2 months ago during the monsoon, local news featured a "double wide" in
nearby desert floating along until trapped up against structure. The elderly folks inside
were in a raging spontaneous river , and required helicopter lowered rescue assistance.

It can happen, even in a desert, even in a drought.

Now...when I hear "it never happens" I get the giggles.

Chas

It happened... In NASHVILLE, TN in 2010. Mobile homes floating down I-24. No joke.

No desert there, ever.
Poppy_s_5th_Whe
Explorer
Oct 12, 2014
Scary for sure but that final picture of where you moved to was just spectacular!

Chas, check your PM.
cdlaine
Explorer
Oct 12, 2014
Yep... luck of the draw on this one... 100 yards away another
5ver was high and dry... in our case, in-action was the appropriate
response.. but, overcoming or ignoring the urge to "do something"
seemed counter-intuitive (that was the hardest part for me). We appreciate
the good thoughts and are looking forward to a great winter of desert camping.

I have (since) wondered what it would take to "float" one of these rigs...seems slope,
combined with "tidal force" and mud/debris movement would play a part... as would lift.
About 1 1/2 months ago during the monsoon, local news featured a "double wide" in
nearby desert floating along until trapped up against structure. The elderly folks inside
were in a raging spontaneous river , and required helicopter lowered rescue assistance.

It can happen, even in a desert, even in a drought.

Now...when I hear "it never happens" I get the giggles.

Chas