Posts Tagged With: Trailer travel in the USA

Fledgling Snowbirds

We are one month into our first-time snowbird experience, having ditched the cold, gray Oregon sky in exchange for brighter, warmer winter days in Tucson, Arizona. We spent three nights here last March, which is when we decided to reserve the same site for our 2-month stay this year. We liked the lemon tree – the roots give us a sense of permanence, while the bushy green shrub semi-hides our neighbors nasty plumbing hoses.

We’ve called this little spot of Tucson real estate home since January 9th.

The park is well taken care of and the staff is helpful, but watch your speed when coming and going. Trash pickup is a breeze. We simply put out bags out in front of our trailer and the golf cart men quickly scoop it up and take it away!

It’s fun to walk through the park and see how others stake their claim. A herd of donkeys, a dog fence along perceived property lines or perhaps you’d prefer what I call the “skybox sites.” It’s all in good fun!

We quickly discovered the Saturday morning golf tournament. Organized by one of the longtime regular snowbirds, the 2-hour challenge includes cash prizes for top scores. With putting greens scattered about the property and 30-plus holes, it’s much harder than it looks…although one of us (ahem) got six holes-in-one last time we played.

No resort would be complete without an official corn hole court. Two pickleball courts are kept clean and dry for those who brought their rackets. Above is one of two pools, both with a jacuzzi…very popular with the snowbird crowd.

We also have the BBQ Rush Restaurant on site. I haven’t tried all the food, but they have some of the best BBQ’d chicken I’ve ever had. It was the perfect spot to reserve a table and watch the Super Bowl. I’d guess about half the crowd went home happy.

Camping cabins, an exercise room, washers and dryers, several dog parks and wash stations for pets provide guests with most comforts of home. The property also offers a pretty good morning walk. With 400 sites, I’ve discovered takes awhile to cover the entire property. 

Even with all this, plus a bike trail, right out our front door, the best part is still the incredible hiking available within a short drive. Will we come back next year? It looks that way, but we’ll see.

Categories: Road Trips | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Maine or Bust 2022: The Granite Dells

The fascinating rock formations of the Granite Dells create a maze of walking trails.

We couldn’t wrap up our stay near Sedona without a trip to the Granite Dells. Located about 4 miles north of downtown Prescott, Arizona, day hikers will find miles of trails winding up and down through forests of large boulders. The feeling is a little unworldly.

We chose to explore the curiously named Constellation Loop Trail, a 2.4 mile hike up, down through a variety of landscape and rock formations. Although there is a bit of climbing, this is not too challenging of a walk. We saw people of all ages wandering…picking and choosing their route from the many intersecting trails. Reg and I couldn’t help but think how much our three boys would have loved racing each other along the dusty paths – back when they were young enough to make a competition out of anything and everything!

At the end of our loop we learned the history behind the Constellation Loop trail name. The large plaque serves as a nice memorial to the five servicemen who will be remembered by all who walk this trail.

Categories: Maine or Bust 2022 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Travels With Minnie: There’s No Place Like Home

There really is no place like home…that’s true for me at least. Friends of ours know those “happy to be home” feelings don’t last long with Reg. He’d just as soon sell the house and live the nomadic life. That is not a lifestyle he can have with me. I insist on a home base.
That being said, we managed to make a comfortable home within Minnie’s walls for the last 2 month. I thought it would be fun to share all our campsites with any of you who might be planning an extended camping trip of your own. A little inspiration perhaps. We cheated just twice with hotel rooms, once for convenience and once to avoid the Nevada heat.

With all the recent talk of increased RV and travel trailer sales, we were worried that finding space might prove difficult. Traveling in early spring with no firm plan seemed to help. We chose to drive a more northerly route first and found most campgrounds with plenty of open spaces. Not wanting to get stuck in a Walmart parking lot or roadside rest stop, we reserved 2-4 days in advance. There’s a limit to how much we’ll rough it.
Thanks to all who followed along with us. We plan to be back with more adventures soon.

Categories: Travels With Minnie | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

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