Ep. 307: Whitney Pocket, Nevada | RV travel camping boondocking hiking

[@futrade1]

Hey Mark, this video really warms my heart, those Whitney Pockets are on the ranch where my friend runs cattle right where you camped and I helped him on horse back rounding up the cattle from time to time. We used to have big BBQs there and Prong Horn Sheep would come and stand on those out crops and watch us. Your video was so well done and your research is great because you information was all spot on. If I'd have been there I'd taken you on down the road and up over the pass up on the Arizona Strip. Mr Mark keep on keep'n on, we watch every one. Yours truly, Ed & Pamin

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks so much for sharing your stories, Ed! Any time we get kudos like yours from someone with attachments to the area, it's extra special to us. That whole corner of Gold Butte has been on our radar for years, and we're grateful that we finally got the opportunity to pay it a visit and explore for a bit. We had a wonderful week.

[@GrandAdventure]

Apologies for the spot appearing in some of the video clips included in this episode. One of our cameras, the Sony a6500 mirrorless is the culprit. Those spots aren't visible through the viewfinder, thus they weren't noted until we'd already wrapped up filming at Whitney Pocket. That camera's sensor has since gotten a good wet cleaning (again). 😉

[@RamblinRoadies]

I thought it was my TV. I've been cleaning the screen.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@RamblinRoadies 😆

[@timclosson7166]

No apologies necessary!

[@GrandAdventure]

@@timclosson7166 It's still frustrates us immensely.

[@gina50gina]

I really enjoyed the remoteness and 'raw nature' appeal of this location. Very beautiful as well!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks as always Suzane!

[@Bakerman73]

Awesome! You really got it all set and figured out! Keep having fun out there!

[@bwiled26]

What we once enjoyed, we must do by 'armchair vacations' now. We so love your adventures!!

[@GrandAdventure]

Well, we're thrilled that we can bring you along! Thanks so much for watching.

[@bobanddangsjourney]

This is a fantastic place - thanks for making this it has been added to our list! We frequently drive nearby and this will make a fantastic add on. Fantastic job as always on the information and production - you inspire us :)

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you so much! This is the spot that we were talking about the other night Northeast of Lake Mead.

[@mccarthy7566]

I was thinking of the chocolate river right when you said the same thing 😆

[@GrandAdventure]

😄 As my mom used to say, "Great minds think alike."

[@joyces3550]

Hi Marc! Wonderful, beautiful video. Thanks for sharing your grand adventures, you always do such a great job! Take care!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you so very much as always, Joyce!

[@myatlantictravel]

Hello Mark, this is another great boondocking spot. The scenery is beautiful. We definitely will try that when we are in the area. 👍🙂

[@GrandAdventure]

You'll love it there. Thanks so much for watching!

[@gregpriddy8595]

Great drone footage, Marc. Nice to see Zoe enjoying herself, too. G

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you very much, Greg! One big reason that we prefer boondocking is that Zoe gets a chance to dog (and yes, that can be a verb 😄).

[@moretoliving2236]

I can see that you are getting more adventurous these days. Over last few years of watching your channel, you have slowly found yourself venturing a little further and further offroad. So much to see out there, which is why having a high clearance 4x4 is a great tool to have to any adventurer. Whitney Pocket looks very cool! Added that to my list of places to visit.

[@GrandAdventure]

Funny, but we believe that we've become less adventurous since our fifth wheel is now also our full-time home. We were far less careful about where we drug our former travel trailer.

[@Bill-YellowDogWelding]

Outstanding video! Just love the overheads. Keep up the great work.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you William!

[@ricksplace55]

Awesome video as always. I imagine those boon docking sites have the best night view of the stars. That is something I bet many of us would enjoy seeing.

[@GrandAdventure]

I'll have to work at my (lack of) astrophotography skills, Rick. 😉Then again, the skies at Whitney Pocket are slightly affected by the proximity of Vegas. Thanks as always for your kind words!

[@innovationsurvival]

Great drone video and area coverage. Thank you, you may have convinced my wife and me to drag our trailer there...

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you! That 21 miles of Gold Butte Road isn't for the timid, even though it's "paved." But it's worth the trouble.

[@travelerdirk7923]

Agreed the music is quite a pleasant change from the norm, I passed thru the Virgin River corridor years ago, absolutely stunning terrain along I-15

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks Dirk! FYI there's a little BLM campground just off of, but sufficiently distant from I-15 right smack in the middle of the Virgin River Gorge.

[@Thomas-sp1pp]

Mark, yet another great video, thanks again.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks as always, Thomas!

[@nstufflebeam]

I have been down there 3 times and thought I seen it all but you showed me so much more I need to explore. I usually take the ATV around there and much easier and faster to get around. Thanks for the great Video.

[@GrandAdventure]

Our pleasure, Nathan! Yep, an ATV would certainly speed up the exploration.

[@najruqwi7008]

Great video 👍. Beautiful views. Wish was there look like you had a great time.

[@GrandAdventure]

We certainly did! Thanks as always.

[@rv2travel]

Thanks for the video Marc! Always enjoy your locations.

[@GrandAdventure]

Our pleasure, and thank you as always for watching.

[@DownsizingMakesCents]

Wow you do get off the road with the rv and the truck, we are going to try to get more adventurous this summer. Larry

[@GrandAdventure]

This one was easy, Larry. Really easy.

[@GeorgeLamson]

Mark - As always an informative video. We were just there in late April. Luckily we didn't fall for the Google route to Little Finland that has you hike over that rough ridge to get to the ledge at Little Finland. Next time you're there drive down another 2 miles and take a right to drive right up to the Little Finland basin. You get a great view of the famous palm trees growing right along the ledge. The other feature to see next time is the Seven Keyhole slot canyon (about 3 miles from Little Finland). I've been up many slot canyons but the "keyhole" shape makes this one pretty unique. Keep making videos of your adventures!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks for the tips, George! Wish we had known about Seven Keyhole while we were there, but that just gives us another good reason to return.

[@robertnasser9937]

Nice❤❤❤❤ Home sweet Nevada

[@GrandAdventure]

This may be one of the prettiest corners of Nevada we've found, Bob.

[@daviscrt]

what a cool adventure. Thanks Marc

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks for coming along, Don!

[@Racnmasn]

Grand adventure, hello! Great vacation RV, Overland Campion, 4 x 4 Video! This is how I would like to go, adventuring camping, and I did in my younger days! Words can’t, or my words can’t explain out of this video reach me. I love four-wheel the Mojave desert and I love Yucca trees. Etc…… awesome video!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you so very much, Mason!

[@joannewinters9616]

Awesome thank you I really enjoyed that

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Joanne, we're thrilled to hear that!

[@rexcarlson3464]

Enjoyed

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks bud!

[@amyshoemaker1566]

Another GREAT episode Mark. We will have to put this place on our agenda for this summer. As always enjoy the journey. Looking forward to your next weeks show. Thanks for sharing

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Amy!

[@leighmcqueeney9848]

Another brilliant video. Greetings from Colorado Springs Marc. Tasmanians a long way from home. 👍

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Leigh! Enjoy the Springs.

[@GimpyCamper]

Nice remote spot

[@GrandAdventure]

It sure is, Barratt. About as remote as it gets.

[@gypsymountaineers3215]

Jim says, “Hello!” We loved the video. If you head east off the Mississippi this summer we could stalk you. I’ll bring Zoe some sticks.

[@GrandAdventure]

Hello Jim! LOL at stalking, we already know you're a stalker. 😶 I'm thinking we'll stay west this year as we'd much rather boondock, plus we'll save a ton.

[@JeffPattyLivingtheGoodLife]

That looks like a great place for us to put on our list. We homebase in Vegas so this would be a nice, close option.

[@GrandAdventure]

Yup, super simple for you folks to get up there. The only neighbors we had, about a 1/4 mile away and for only the last couple of days that we were there, were from the Vegas area.

[@mitzioden4926]

Thank you for the video! It is exceptional. The beautiful scenery makes me want to go there.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you very much Mitzi, and thank you so much for watching!

[@campingalan]

Hi Marc!! What a fabulous area!! Thank you so much for sharing your experience here! Incredible colors right now too!! Safe travels!!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Alan, and same to you both.

[@campingalan]

@@GrandAdventure You are most welcome, Marc. Heather, me, Remy, and my daughter and her fiancé are heading to the inaugural burro race in Naturita, CO this Saturday. It isn't too far from our property in Paradox.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@campingalan very cool and reminiscent of our time together in Creede. I'm sure you'll all have a blast!

[@fxwofficial9110]

So glad to see this. The views are really beautiful!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you!

[@rv_at_the_beach2603]

Awesome scenery. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[@GrandAdventure]

And thanks very much for coming along!

[@idahoblessing]

Good to see you're back home exploring the west. Great video!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you so much, Terry!

[@cpwatching5647]

Very nice camping spot. Enjoyed exploring the area with you. Thank you!

[@GrandAdventure]

We are very happy to have brought you with us, thank you very much for watching!

[@scotty92028]

Good stuff Bro !!

[@GrandAdventure]

Appreciate it Scott, thanks so much!

[@Harlemworldboy]

Greetings from Saint Albans Queens New York!

[@GrandAdventure]

Greetings to you! Thanks so much for coming tonight.

[@safepetproducts]

Stayed in that very spot at the end of January.

[@GrandAdventure]

It's a gorgeous spot to camp, isn't it?

[@2nddancervadventures643]

In the mid ‘90’s I helped the BLM monitor the Gold Butte area as part of their “Wilderness Volunteer Program.” One day I was stopped by a member of the Bundy family (local ranchers who refuse to pay their grazing fees, and then cause stand-offs with law enforcement ) who saw the US Govt plates on the truck I was driving. He aggressively said, “we don’t like the govt around here!” But when I explained we were just getting our tax dollars back by getting a free ride in their vehicle, he said, “Well, if you don’t work for the government, then you don’t have to worry about being physically harmed.” It’s a shame that whole family isn’t behind bars - ripping off us tax-paying citizens, then threatening us with violence!

[@GrandAdventure]

We recall well the Cliven Bundy standoff. We deliberately didn't bring it up in the video, however, as we make a conscious effort to avoid anything that could be remotely construed as political or controversial. We'd rather leave the channel as a relaxing escape from such issues.

[@conniewaite1371]

Maybe you need to hear their side of it

[@laughingram7287]

Looked like a great place to stay in Vegas. Really nice area to explore and boondock; funny that it is so close to Vegas, but worlds away. I’ve been to Finland (at night) so I was trying to figure out why they called it that. Saw your answer in another post. Fin land. Thanks, Ram 👍🏼👍🏾

[@GrandAdventure]

Finland at night...in winter that's what, 20 hours per day??

[@normgibson6565]

Like that area of NV.

[@GrandAdventure]

It was a new one for us, Norm, although it's been on our radar for quite some time. It didn't disappoint.

[@camperbum]

Wow, their's so many places to see in America, thanks Mark for sharing some of them. We went camping this last weekend, tried out my 2 mopeka sensors, so far so good, hopefully yours are too.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Dave, we are loving ours, especially the water tank one. We have had the propane sensors for years, but the water tank sensor allows us to monitor our water usage much more effectively while boondocking.

[@camperbum]

@@GrandAdventure good to know, I'm going to put one on the Water tank eventually, but the other tank's have given me trouble even after put new sensors in and trying alot of other stuff, gray tank works right away and the black tank starts working when at about 20% so far.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@camperbum If you've put a Mopeka sensor on the black tank, they're not designed to do that as black water has too many solids that render the sensor ineffective.

[@camperbum]

@@GrandAdventure it's working, not perfect but it does. I've using Matt's tank stuff, it breaks down about 90% of all matter in the tank.

[@Freightmeister]

Mark, you picked such an absolutely gorgeous, amazing location. And great music choice for this episode. Nicely done.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you very much, Richard!

[@WootAnimefan]

While visiting these location Please remember to bring lots of water and sunscreen, remember you're hiking in triple digits in summer country

[@GrandAdventure]

That's why we went in early May. It was hot enough then; we wouldn't even think about heading to Whitney Pocket in summer.

[@brucehundley9936]

Have you done a video on what cameras and drones you use?

[@brucehundley9936]

Saw sony a6500 camera. What about the drone? Impressive quality!

[@GrandAdventure]

We haven't done that video, Bruce, but it's on our list. Today we're using: * Sony a6500 * GoPro Hero 10 Black * DJI Mini 2 (drone) We also own, and have regularly used previously a DJI Mavic Pro, DJI Osmo Pocket, DJI Osmo+, GoPro Hero Black 9 and 5, and others, too. Those still get used on occasion.

[@akgobears]

No shade at Whiney Peak...I would croak LOL !!! At 3,000 ft it seems this place would still get a bit to warm for me....There are some nice views in the area though ...Wondering if he casino you stayed at allows overnite dry camping ??? Looking to see what is on the next video, travel safe, be well....

[@GrandAdventure]

Same to you! The casino has separate RV parking, and I didn't see any signs restricting the length of stay.

[@akgobears]

@@GrandAdventure 👍

[@AmericanWanderers]

Another good episode. Gold Butte has been getting a lot of coverage from The RV videocasr world lately. You covered a couple of places I had not noticed in the others. Think I'd rather visit in early spring when the temps are not 99 deg tho You got me to clean my computer screen to see if those black smudges where on my monitor or your camera. They are on your end, probably on the sensor. Di spite common misconception spots on the lens are not in the focal plane and do not show up beyond some degradation of the image

[@GrandAdventure]

To be honest, J, We hadn't noticed the other coverage of the area. It's been on our radar for years but we finally got there. And you are absolutely correct, it was dust on the sensor. The sensor in that camera got yet another deep wet cleaning this week.

[@AmericanWanderers]

@@GrandAdventure Well it is on our list to visit, we got going too late from FL this year just getting to east CO Friday.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@AmericanWanderers yep, the desert heat is well underway, so we ran to higher ground this week. It's always a fine line trying to get the timing right.

[@gorrdd]

Thanks Marc... really nice area. The drone coverage was exceptional. Yeah... this season in northern Texas has a super bloom of wildflowers this year. Both the Prickly Pear cactus and the Indian Blanket are very prolific. Those violet cactus blossoms were fantastic to see. I always like the time you take too view the natural habitat, plants, flowers, and desert growth. I was wondering what your temps were? 99-17 is still 82° back at the Pocket. Will your solar system support the additional draw of fans blowing, while you're working? Gord

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Gord! We had low to mid-80s for highs, with nighttime lows dipping into the high 40s. Nevertheless, Mrs. GA sleeps with two fans running all night and we watch TV and have all the lights on in the evening, running 3 PCs and Starlink 24/7, and we're still only down to 65-75% battery by morning. We're back to 100% state of charge by 1:30-2 p.m.

[@gorrdd]

@@GrandAdventure That's fantastic solar power, Marc. You indicated late last fall that you were going to increase your battery capacity. Did you end up doing that? I don't remember. Gord

[@GrandAdventure]

@@gorrdd yep, we added two more Battle Born lithium batteries, now total 600 amp hours.

[@Bakerman73]

Beautiful videos! RVing is not camping, c’mon now😂 get out there with a tent and a bag if you’re going to say camping. Dragging a building along with you for shelter is RVing

[@GrandAdventure]

LOL! And the debate continues. Thanks so much for your kind compliment!

[@kurtschulmeyer1041]

I much prefer gravel roads: many old roads in the Sierras are gravel/ dirt mixed with patches of pavement: very rough. The desert has a beauty all it's own .

[@GrandAdventure]

It sure does, Kurt. And funny that you should mention the Sierras... 😉

[@Bakerman73]

One positive thing that you are teaching people with your videos is to learn how to survive in an earthquake, or disaster, no joke. It may not be on your heading or description, but you are getting the average person out to survive in a more portable environment. It would be prudent for you to go through how much effort it is for you to set up your RV building, stock it, gas it, supply it, clean it, and how much effort it takes for you to depart. Both prior and when you were leaving your, non-backroad campsite. If you have I’ve not seen that episode, my apologies. Being a four-wheel-drive, primitive camper, we never had people around. Kids can shoot bow and arrow in an organized way, target shoot, fish, make as much noise as they want due to the fact that we don’t have to park in the municipal parking lot with other opinions, music, generators, and otherwise nature disturbing behaviors. My family stayed in only two campgrounds in 15 years again averaging 32 nights in a tent per year. They were startled by the amount of human noise, disturbance, 10 PM generator shut off times, laughable obstructions to enjoying the breeze of the trees, the animals and the flow of the river. Now, with a view as a local, owning a place on the edge of the Tahoe national forest. It is startling the view of the locals have of these building dragging people needing such amenities just to spend a weekend or several days just to be comfortable. It’s not easy to bring the amenities you bring, and sustain a happy natural environment when you’re surrounded by other buildings and noise. Cheers to you for putting up with all that. The value you provide to the average flatlander (as they’re referred to by locals) is a great benefit. We love the money you spend in our stores and the taxes and camping fees you provide, big help. All the best to you! Life is mostly about enjoyment in the later years. Glad to see you happy! All due respect 🫳🏼🎤

[@GrandAdventure]

The respect is felt, thank you. As full-timers, though, we already travel with nearly everything we own, so there's very little prep involved. We try to be prepared for most contingencies at all times. Load up on groceries while in town, and we're pretty much good to go.

[@keithsmith5998]

Captain Kirk's grave isn't very far from there.

[@cbingham40]

Would you go to Nevada or Utah in June ?

[@GrandAdventure]

I'd definitely pick Utah personally, as there are more higher elevation locales to escape any heat wave. June can be comfortable, or hotter'n hell.

[@bobbaldwin9267]

Why do they call it little Finland

[@GrandAdventure]

Bob, because of the proliferation of rock fins.

[@Bakerman73]

With all due respect, there is no debate. You bring along air conditioning into the great outdoors? You know your house has all that and you don’t call it camping. Is it camping if you eat a sandwich in your backyard at home? Primitive campers that don’t require any facilities, tables, benches, bathrooms etc, or anything, get to experience how it is to be in the woods. If you have a building around you and conditioned air, you must miss so much that walks and flys by your structure. maybe you have a ring doorbell that keeps you informed of nature outside your RV building😉 I do respect getting out there and seeing these beautiful places. Your videos that you share can spur a homebody to likely take a step outdoors. I just find it completely inaccurate to call that camping when you have a refrigerator a stove, generators. Take a break from all that and just set out a sleeping bag. I primitive camped with my family averaging 32 nights in a tent per year until 2016. I bought an All-wood, no drywall log cabin in Tahoe National Forrest that has the amenities of your RV for 145k. when I go out back to light, a fire, a beer and a sandwich, hike, I surely don’t call that camping. no disrespect intended, carry-on 😀👍🏼

[@GrandAdventure]

And no disrespect received. After all, it's your opinion and we value that. Of course, the theory changes slightly when you're not comparing your RV to your home, but instead is in fact your home.