Bob Volger: Come Experience America’s Wilderness

As a volunteer for Back Country Horsemen of America, Bob Volger explores America’s West and works to bring its rich experiences to the next generation. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

On our first cross-country truck camping tour, many months before launching Truck Camper Magazine, we traveled to dozens of National Parks in the United States and Canada.  Every park was a revelation offering new dimensions to our understanding of nature and the world we live in.  Those magical six months will forever be remembered as a high point in our lives.  But that isn’t exactly the whole story.

While we were glowing with joy at the opportunity to take in the splendor that spanned before us, we yearned to share the experience with our friends and family back home.  At those very moments, our friends and family were in classrooms, offices, meeting rooms, and cubicles.  The contrast couldn’t be stronger and the feeling of tragedy was inescapable.  For the betterment of us all, more people need to experience that sheer power and wonder of nature.

Interviewing Bob Volger brought all of these feelings back into sharp focus.  After a thirty-year career in dentistry, Bob Volger put down the drill and picked up a saddle.  With the confines of a dental office long behind him, he set out to explore the American West, and give back.  Today he volunteers with the Back Country Horsemen of America and strives to foster sustainable use of public lands and welcome a new generation of Americans to experience the back country.

TCM: How did you get into truck camping?

Bob: Before we bought our camper, I was working on a large piece of property helping to manage a commercial cattle herd on 11,000 acres in Colorado.  I was sleeping in an aluminum horse trailer while managing the cattle.

Our truck camping story started when my wife and I stayed in the horse trailer at Onion Creek in Moab.  It was early Spring and we happened to get a snowstorm.  We were covered in snow when we woke up.  That’s when we started researching truck campers.

I didn’t want to buy a new truck or horse trailer, so we went to Denver and visited truck camper manufacturers.  We came home and compared notes.  We really liked Robby Rowe and his wife, Cari, and the idea of designing a custom pop-up truck camper.  We went with the Phoenix Camper.

TCM: Why did you decide to go with a pop-up camper?

Bob: They are lighter, so the truck gets better fuel mileage.  We were looking for light weight because I have a half ton truck.

TCM: Tell us about your custom Phoenix Camper.

Bob: I wanted the biggest water tank I could get in front of the wheel wells.  I carry water in the horse trailer, but we camp in dry places.  Robby was able to fit a forty gallon water tank in our camper.  The tank also serves as a nice step up to the overcab bed.  Robby made the water tank drain go out the back so I can attach a hose and fill buckets for our horses.

Another custom change was putting the biggest window possible on one side of the camper.  We didn’t get an awning because we didn’t feel it was necessary.  I also don’t have an overhang on my camper so I don’t need a hitch extension or stabilizer bar. 

TCM: Now that you have your camper, has it worked out as you had hoped?

Bob: Yes, without a doubt.  Most of the time I’m using the camper by myself.  It’s a roof over my head.  I can turn on the heater and dry my clothes.  It’s so convenient.

I love the lift mechanism.  It’s so simple.  To lower the roof, I just pop a vent open and try to lower it evenly, so the corners will pull in evenly.  The four zip velcro windows are just a treat.

My wife, Laura, really likes the camper.  My grandchildren like camping and they’re not worried about the mountain lions and bears in the camper.

TCM: How does your truck camper help you while you’re out camping with your horses?

Bob: It separates us from the horses.  When we used to go camping, we'd have the horses on a highline; then, we would get in the horse trailer with the broom, sweep it out and set-up cots.  That became our home.  Now we can leave that trailer as the horse’s area and we have our area to sleep and eat.

I start this cattle stuff in June when we can get into high country.  We ship in mid-October, which can be cold, rainy, and nasty.  I’m out all day, like Lonesome Dove, with my hat and saddle soaking wet.  I’ve been slipping and sliding all day.  It’s recreation for me, so I’m smiling the whole time.  At the end of the day, with our Phoenix Camper, we are able to step into a water tight space to get warm and dry.  It’s a place to fix a meal, have a drink, and it keeps the smile on my face.

TCM: It sounds like you have a very good life.  Tell us about your horses.

Bob: My horses and I volunteer for the Back Country Horsemen of America, http://www.backcountryhorse.com.  I’m in two chapters, but primarily in the Four Corners Back Country Horsemen group. 

We work with federal and state agencies to preserve the common sense use of horses and mules in the backcountry and equestrian trails in the wilderness areas.  We also advocate for equestrians using the trails in a sustainable common sense manner and perpetuating the use of the trails in the future. 

I volunteer for the state parks and Colorado State Parks and Wildlife and the United States Forest Service.  Trail maintenance is our primary area of emphasis for the USFS. 

Colorado State Parks and Wildlife owns a property called Lone Mesa State Park, which is between Dolores and Norwood, Colorado.  It’s an undeveloped property that the state owns, and the state of Colorado leases the grazing rights to the Ute Mountain Indian Tribe.  The Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe keeps a commercial herd of 400 mother cows in the summer to fatten up the calves.  The entire operation is supervised by range biologists and managers of the herd. 

We help them rotate the cattle from one pasture to another to prevent overgrazing.  We also help them vaccinate and doctor the cows.  It's beneficial for my horses to be around other horses, as well as cattle, elk, deer, wild turkeys, and the occasional bear.

Today many folks use four wheelers for the type of work we do, but at Lone Mesa we have to be horseback to cover the varied terrain that includes steep slopes and heavily timbered areas.  We’re playing cowboy, but that’s how beef is raised in the West before it goes to a feed lot.

TCM: Is this something you’ve always done?

Bob: No.  I practiced dentistry for thirty years.  Since I had a profession that was indoors, I enjoy being outdoors with the horses.  I’m also trying to train my horses for when my grandchildren are ready for them.

My pop-up camper allows us to go to remote places overnight with our horses.  Having the camper there on location is such a treat.  It’s the nicest little home.

TCM: What else do you do with your horses?

Bob: I’ll go to my grave without having explored all of the trails in the Four Corners area.  There’s something new and beautiful over every mountain.  It's nice to introduce new people to wild places where they can turn off their cell phones and just visit by the campfire.

My biggest concern philosophically is young people making decisions about public lands without experiencing the soul changing experiences they provide.  They are, after all, our future leaders and decision makers.  Such decisions will not be good for the land and the people who wish to use it responsibly.  I would like younger people to get into the back country and experience a trail ride or backpacking trip.  Kids cannot understand the wilderness until they experience it.  I just want people to get out and experience, even for once in their lives, the wilderness of America.

TCM: I saw the picture of the bear you sent us.  Tell us about the bear running through your camp last year.

Bob: It’s not a big deal.  Black bears in the lower forty-eight are not aggressive bears.  They have gotten accustomed to people because we leave garbage where they live.  They are not attracted to people. 

When I saw the bear, we were in Lone Mesa.  A week earlier, a cow had been killed by lightening, so the bears were feeding on it.  A fellow who got there a day earlier told us that a bear had come down near the creek.  We were there and decided to have a beer and wait for the bear to come down the mountain to feed.  We were sitting in our folding chairs.

At 7:15 my friend’s wife said, “What’s with Buckley?”.  The horse’s ears were up and he was watching.  We turned around and within thirty feet was this bear heading through our camp.  The horses were not frightened, but they were alert.  The bear was looking for the cow.  We grabbed our cameras and took pictures.  I love to see wild animals.

While we’re out in the wilderness, we are really careful where we put our food and where we do our dishes.  One thing about being out west is that bears are everywhere.  Be careful where you store your food. 

TCM: Are there any other things you like to mention in this article about truck camping, towing, or horses?

Bob: If people have questions, I’ll be happy to help as best I can.  I think pop-up campers are the most fun little rigs.  They are flexible and comfortable.

TCM: We certainly support your efforts to get more Americans to experience the back country.  Thank you for your efforts, and good luck.

Bob: Thank you.