A Smoky Experience!

Author’s note: I wrote this story when we first got our trailer that we would eventually live and travel in a few years ago. Would like to share what our first experience was like, the disaster it could have been but was not and ended up to be a good trip!

There is something that is disconcerting when you see smoke in a vehicle, especially if it is yours. I was sitting on the passenger side, gazing outside as I saw one desert bush pass by after another on the side of the road, excited to go camping in our new trailer. It was our first time out and I was super stoked to get out of the heat of the valley of the perpetual sun and into something slightly cooler. I turned away from the window as I felt heat on my feet. Looking down, I saw the dreaded smoke you don’t want to see when driving away from the city, where few repair shops are desperately lacking. I think the smoke was producing heat as my feet were getting very hot. I put them on my seat, praying the truck would not catch fire underneath me, or anywhere. Oh my goodness, can you imagine sitting in your vehicle and you cannot let your feet touch the ground because it was really hot and smoky??? The sun was sinking fast, and I wanted to get to the campsite and into safety before darkness took over the land. We were going camping in the cottonwoods in Cottonwood, Arizona, and I was praying we would make it.

Ah, yes, the joys of camping and vehicle struggles. We had planned a trip with our new trailer to take us into the mountains and escape the heat of the city. There was a barbecue in store for us and we could not wait to taste the delicacy of this tasty meal. This would be the first trip up into the mountains with our trailer. My husband took care of getting the truck ready for this trip as the mountains could pose a challenge to drive, since it was in dog days of summer.

We had a large hill to climb, where many people suffer from overheated vehicles pulled over to the side of the road. I was dreading this part of the drive with the smoke still pushing itself up from the floor. But my husband kept driving, confident we will make it to the campground. The hill arrived (or did we arrive at the hill?) and my anxiety stepped up a notch. I was hoping to drive up the road without any worries.

My husband reassured me the smoke was coming from the exhaust, which was under my seat. Again, he felt confident and did not pull over as we knew we already had exhaust problems, but this was taking it to a new level, smoke pouring into the cab of the truck, dancing around inside, creating a terrible odor. I will admit it was a little eerie to see smoke coming inside the cab as we were driving. Was the truck going to catch on fire? Will we make it to the campground safely?

Luckily, the answer to the last questions were "yes." For that, we are thankful. Even though it was dark, the campground was well lit and we were able to set up camp. Since we arrived after dusk, the kind people at the park had put a cone on our lot, so as to avert others from taking our spot. Isn't that such a cool and neighborly thing to do? This camping adventure is at one of our popular state parks: Dead Horse Ranch State Park, in Cottonwood, Arizona.

Conveniently located in Cottonwood, Arizona, this campground is a haven for fishermen, not only for them, but also for those who want to get away from the city for rest and relaxation. It has trees and low lying shrubs, RV hookups, with the exception of the sewer; however, it has a dump station in the campground. The camp workers also are fabulous. They even called us after we left to inform us that we left some things behind.

So many things to do, such as a train ride on the Verde Canyon railroad (highly recommend this and do not forget your camera!), the Verde River nearby to float on with a tube, kayak or paddleboard, Tuzigoot National Monument in nearby Clarkdale for a good walk into our ancient past, and it is conveniently close to Sedona, without the limitless traffic that Sedona has. If you like wine, they have plenty of cute wineries for your tasting pleasure! Don't forget to take a walk down into history in their downtown area. We actually enjoyed the company of good friends at Dead Horse State Park as there are plenty of large camping sites and cabins at reasonable fees!

So, if you are looking for a nice, quiet place to stay for a night or more, I would recommend Dead Horse State Park in Cottonwood, Arizona. Come when Arizona is cooling down and temperatures are mild and pleasant. Hope you enjoy your visit as much as we did!

And what did we do about the smoky problem? Since we mostly drove downhill after camping, we did not experience it. My husband did a “wrap,” kind of like a gauze type of wrap around the exhaust. Not a permanent solution, but it did help for a time!