Goodyear, AZ - How Time Flies

I'm not quite sure how it got to be Friday already.  But I've looked at my computer, my iPhone, and the paper calendar on the wall, and they all assure me that it is indeed Friday.  I may need to turn on the TV and check with Facebook to be sure, but it looks like I just lost about 3 days.

Well, technically, I didn't loose them.  Kim and I have been doing "stuff" that is hardly interesting to anyone but those involved.

I first want to take the time to say again how much I love, love, love the River Breeze RV Resort in Ehrenburg, AZ.  It is one of those jewel of a park things.  I reviewed in on rvparkreviews and was really hesitant to do so as I wanted to keep it all to myself.  I have been looking for "the" park for us to winter in, and this is definitely one that will be on the top of my list.  We are still a few years from making a long term commitment to being away from the grandkids for a whole season, and I have other places to investigate.  Now granted we were only there for two days, and as I understand it, many of the snowbirds had already left to head north again, but the park was quiet and green and peaceful.  There were a few boats on the river, and I could see how in the summer the noise from all the partying may be bothersome, but it wasn't a problem while we were there.  While the weather was summer perfect for those of us from the PNW, I'm sure the longtime Arizona folk considered it at least sweater weather, if not coats and uggs weather.  We were in shorts and enjoying the sunshine.  While I didn't use any of the facilities at the park, they did have a pool and hot tub (which they keep covered when not in use - conserving the heat and keeping it clean).  The laundry had 6 washers ($1.25) and 6 dryers ($1.00).  There was a Rec Room with a pool table, a ping-pong table, and folding tables for cards or jigsaw puzzles, along with a kitchen for potlucks and parties.  Everything was clean and well maintained.  I just loved the energy here. The nearest shopping is in Blythe, CA, across the border.  I'm already looking at when we can return later in the year.

The 2.5 hour drive to Goodyear (just west of Phoenix) was uneventful.  Not my favorite stretch of highway, but then I'm not the one doing the driving.  I'm just the one looking out the window.  I think Kim appreciates the cruise control factor more than I do.  We stopped at the Bouse Wash Rest Area for a pit stop and lunch break.

I believe there is such a thing as too many options.  Between the new GPS, Google Maps, a regular map and instructions on a website, we had 4 different ways to get to Destiny Phoenix RV Park.  Because we knew there was construction on I-10 here, new on and off ramps, and revision of other on and off ramps, we elected to follow the website directions instead of the others.  Glad we did.  The others would have had us pulling the rig all over the area.  We came off the Citrus Avenue off ramp, turned right and drove about ½ mile, and voila!

A nice park, as far as I can tell.  We haven't spent much time here - although it has been 3 days apparently.  Kim's mother and brothers live here, so we have been visiting with them.  We had breakfast with a high-school classmate of mine that I had not seen in at least 35 years.  I hope she doesn't mind my sharing our picture.

Today we are back over at my mother-in-laws for a bit, and then off to do some shopping.  I will say one thing for Goodyear, Avondale, Litchfield Park and all the surrounding areas east of Phoenix, there is no want for shopping opportunities, that's for sure!  Tomorrow, we are meeting up with some other friends for breakfast.  Sunday, more relatives arrive.  Who knows from there.  And then we leave for Verde Valley on Tuesday!

As I said, not much of interest to report this week.  Here are a few pictures of our site at Destiny Phoenix RV Resort.  With any luck, I may convince Kim to go up to Estrella County Park to check things out.  I'm not holding my breath though.  I'm trying to remember that this week is about seeing friends and his family, and not just about what Betsy wants to do.  I have 51 weeks a year for that.... wink-wink-wink.  In my dreams......

And this is an empty spot next to us.  Love having the orange trees around us!

More resort pictures to follow in the next few days....unless time continues to fly.

We've Not Been Travelling In The RV For A Few Years......

does that mean we are still virgins?   Well, if not virgins, certainly we are in need of more experience.  I prefer experience of the "good" sort....you know, the kind where you read about some problem and its solution before it happens to you!

We are about six weeks out from hitting the road again for a journey to California and Arizona.  Both Kim and I are busy reading other blogs and checking out websites.  I've got half the trip planned with our longer destinations being the Santa Cruz area, San Diego, Phoenix and Cottonwood, AZ.  We may be traveling by the seat of our pants on our way home, depending on weather and how much we miss seeing the grandkids.  That's the hardest part of us - missing the day to day interactions with those little buggers.  However, the traveling itch has struck and it must be tended to.

If you have any must sees in the areas we will be visiting, please do let us know.

Special Diets and RVing

I am on a wheat free, dairy free diet, so finding stores that carry the products I eat can be difficult while travelling.  We were in Northern Phoenix, and there really was nothing close by that carried all the things in one store.  Here are the stores we shopped at most frequently:

Safeway in Anthem, AZ carries many gluten free products including waffles, rice crackers and pretzels. (5 miles from our campground)
Bashas in Cave Creek/Carefree carries wheat free bread and dairy free ice cream. They have a great meat market - the best hamburger and steaks we found in the area. (10 miles from our campground)
Whole Foods Market in Tempe or Scottsdale (both about 20 miles from our campground) carried everything I needed from rice bread to rice cheese to coconut milk (in a carton like regular milk, not the canned coconut milk used in Thai cooking) and coconut milk ice cream.
Trader Joes had the best bulk food shopping that I found.

I don't do soy products myself, but soy milk is readily available at most stores, and many do carry the Soy-Delicious ice cream too.  I didn't find that many stores carried soy cheese or almond cheese either - other than Whole Foods and Trader Joes.

I was a little surprised that the 'regular' stores did not carry these products as I can get them at my local Top Foods and Safeway Stores in our small home town of Snohomish, WA.  We stocked up before we left Phoenix as our next stop was Earp, California/Parker, Arizona and then on to Yuma, and I'm not sure we will be able to find these things in the smaller towns if it was a challenge in Phoenix.

Phoenix Wrap Up

I just wanted to share a few thoughts about our stay at Pioneer Park in North Phoenix.  I found it to be a nice RV Park.  Mostly snow birds or full time residents in their late 60s to 80s.  We had a site on the perimeter edge, so that our back window looked out on to the desert.  We did really enjoy this as we were able to watch the local wild life, including the twice daily parade of quail, the daily visit of the local coyotes as they ran by on their way to Lake Pleasant, the bunnies, the squirrels and the birds.  The sunsets were gorgeous!  This is a quiet park.  People were friendly, and the office staff very helpful.  The restrooms and showers are a bit dated, but clean.  The pool and spa are under cover which is nice morning or late night swims.  There is a pool (billiard) room, a craft room, a card room, a library and puzzle room, plus a large multi purpose room.  There was a shuffle board court, and a quite popular horse shoe pit (complete with bleachers), and bocce ball court.  Shopping is close by off I-17 at the Carefree Highway and Happy Valley Road.

The only minor complaints I had about staying here were nothing that the Pioneer Park people could fix.  The wind whips up quite a bit at night and can shake and rattle the rig quite a bit.  It's worthwhile to roll up the awning each afternoon.  There is a shooting range just over the hill, and the sounds of gun fire carry.  You learn to ignore it rather quickly.  And when the FBI comes to practice with automatic weapons at the nearby Correctional Center, it's a bit unnerving.  I'd rate the park a 9 out of 10.

We did drive out to look at the camping areas at two regional parks - Lake Pleasant and Cave Creek.  Beautiful desert camping areas.  There is water and electricity at each site, but no sewer hook ups.  I loved the views and the quietness of the parks, and would definitely consider camping at either place in the future.

All and all, our visit to Phoenix was good.  We have family here, so we will return.  I didn't realize how big the metropolitan Phoenix area was.  The freeway/highway system I found confusing, and I am very thankful for GPS.  What did we do without it?

Traveling By Air - Now Feels Weird

We are back at Pioneer Park in Phoenix, after flying home for the holidays.  The last few years, I had flown hither and yon on business and pleasure, so much so that it got to be routine, and no big deal.  Now it just feels weird.  No fear or anxiety, but just not right.  I guess I am liking this whole RV thing.

We were treated to a beautiful sunset on our first night back!

 The coyotes were surely howling last night.  I guess they appreciated the sunset too! Rumor has it the javelinas have returned but I neither saw nor heard them.

This morning the sun is out, the quail are on parade, and life is good .

Thar She Blows

It was perfectly calm in Laveen, but apparently the breeze picked up out at Pioneer Park in North Phoenix.  And of course, you guessed it - We left the awning out when we moved into Tom's house, waiting for the electrician and insurance adjustor.  I haven't seen it yet, but there apparently is a nice rip in the awning over the doorway, and some damage to the extender thingees.

Have to wonder, is there a place to put a note on the insurance claim that we are new at this stuff, or will they think we are perpetrating insurance fraud?  Nope, we are just learning through our mistakes.

Funny this is, I'm a practicing psychic and got the hit to check the awning the other day, and didn't follow through on it.  What a dope!

Living and learning and carrying on.

Pioneer Park in North Phoenix

After visiting a number of parks in the Phoenix area, we decided to take a spot at Pioneer Park for two months.  Kim's parents had lived here in their own motor home and then in a park model for a number of years, so we were familiar with the park.  It is a 55+ park, and so we are some of the youngsters here.  We picked a site so that when we backed in, our main living room windows looked out onto the desert.  The recliners we have are swivels, so we can turn and look out at the view, or we can turn and look in at the TV.

We do have neighbors on both sides, but we just close the side shades and leave the back ones open.

And we finally have the awning out!

Our view, looking toward Anthem.

And the view toward the northwest.

We have fun watching the quail, the roadrunners, and the bunnies each day.  Still waiting to see (or hear) a coyote or the havalenas.

I think we will like it here at Pioneer.  There is an indoor/covered pool, hot tub, card room, pool/billards room (with at least 4 decent tables), a big rec hall and lounge.  There are 2 laundry rooms with regular size washer and dryers and also commercial size.

There is shopping within 5 miles, going north to Anthem, or south to Happy Valley.

We will be here for 2 months, which hopefully will give us time to do some exploring.  I want to get back up to Sedona, over to Cottonwood, Prescott, Wickenburg, Superstition Mountain, and down to Tuscon.  I'm giving Kim a week or so to get settled before I start in on, "Let's go here" today....

Three Days and Counting to our Launch

Today I am off to an "Until We Meet Again" lunch with some good friends in West Seattle.  Kim is building me a desk that will fit perfectly in the slide.  Tomorrow we hope to clear out one of the storage lockers, and finish up stowing the odds and ends.  Saturday will be family day and the last loads of laundry.  And then...

We leave Snohomish for Phoenix on Sunday.  Plans will take us down I-5 to Salem, OR the first night.  Then on through Canyonville, OR (Seven Feathers Casino - yay!), Red Bluff, CA, Bakersfield, CA, and then to Laughlin for a 2 day stay (Ask us if we like to gamble? LOL).  Then we have a short trip to Ehrenberg, AZ for an overnight there, and on to Laveen, AZ where Kim's family lives.  We will overnight there, and hopefully by the time we arrive, I will have figured out where to stay in the Phoenix area until Thanksgiving.

If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!