Full Timer Travel Patterns...?

[Barbaraok]

Val Vista is a nice park.

As to not much in the way of views - your in the desert. It is flat, etc. And we never pick a park for the VIEWS when parking for the winter season. We pick ours (Mesa Spirit) in terms of ease of access to the roads, so we can get in and out of the park easily, close proximity to all of the things we want to do (museums, restaurants, shopping, hiking in the Superstitions, etc.), price, lot size (comfortable for the coach, the patio area, and the car, nice pool, etc. We're aren't camping, we are living there for 3 months because it is warmer than most other places in the country, we can afford it, and we have things to do for the time we are there. I think you are thinking of fulltiming as being a "camping vacation" - - it isn't. In fact, you will need to get out of the vacation mode or you will wear yourself out and be unhappy.

You will be 45 minutes or so from the Superstition mountains, the light rail station is about 4 miles west of you on Main street - you can take that right down to the Heard Museum, downtown Phoenix, etc., you will have to spend at least one Saturday or Sunday at the Mesa Marketplace (a great 'flea' market) picking up those little things you didn't know you needed , and so on. Before you know it, you're time will be up and you will be wondering where it went.

Barb

[chapdog]

Barb,

Deborah too really liked Mesa Spirit for overall feel, larger sites available, and that there are areas allocated for RV's rather than being between park models (nothing against them but think we are more likely to relate to RV'ers). If the special at Val Vista doesn't work out that's probably where we will end up.

As far as your statement that full timing isn't vacation camping and we will be unhappy... That's your oppinion. Personally in our new rig, I don't really feel like we are camping the moment I walk in. ...but I know that's not your point nor is it mine.

Please remember, we are just starting out and the yearning for the journey/adventure part of it is initially strong for us. Most certainly plans will evolve but a "camping" vacation is exactly what we are looking for to start with. Having done extended trips before, I can safely assure you it's going to be a Blast at least for a very long while. Part of the reason we are doing this after all is the flexibility to move or not.

And you know what, if you are right and we are not happy, we can always sell the rig and settle down again.

Our general plan is to explore the East and North next year and possibly Mexico the following year and see how we feel about it after a couple years.

Don't pop my bubble before I even blow it?!

[Doug Sage]

Also check out Canyon Vistas in Gold Canyon. They have a 3 month special too. The park is near the base of the Superstition Mountains so you have a view. The desert is beautiful and there is State Trust Land along one whole side of the park so you aren't looking at a concrete block wall. The have a dog area that covers about half of the park and includes a GRASS greenway where you can walk your dogs. One thing about the 3 month specials is that they start is September. It is STILL HOT then! This park is a little newer than most so the people there aren't as old as some parks. Nearly all the parks in the area are 55+ however. There are a lot of active people around! We have been part of a 4WD club, hiking club, geocaching club, etc.

We went full timing over 4 years ago and the first year we didn't know where we wanted to spend the winter. We ended up spending a week or two at sites in Arizona and Texas. Then we left in February and drove the gulf coast and up the east coast to Washington DC in time for the Cherry Blossom Festival. We discovered that we needed to have a weather alert radio and have it turned on because of the tornadoes and huge thunderstorms. We had grown up on the west coast so we had seen most of the western states pretty thoroughly but we had never been east of the Mississippi. We then went up into part of New England and then back across the northern states because we had an appointment with our daughter and grandkids in Yellowstone. Then it was back to Portland (our home town) in late August for doctor appointments and visits with friends and relatives. Then we went down to Texas again for the winter. We spent 3 months in Rockport and that was a lot of fun because of the fishing and nearby wildlife refuge. The problem was that it was too windy and rained quite a bit. That spring was up into the Midwest to do some genealogy research and visit friends. Then summer was in Banff and Jasper areas where we visited our daughter again. After that it was back to Portland for a couple of months. Then the next winter we tried Arizona and went to Canyon Vistas. We are now signed up for 5 months at Canyon Vistas and love it there. Lots to do in the park and around the area. We have decided to spend this much time in Arizona because of the weather. We have found that if we leave too early in the spring then the weather in other areas is still bad. We also enjoy the friends that we have met in Arizona and want to spend time with them. We have been there for two winters and still not seen all there is to see in the area. By the way, there is a tour company that plans lots of tours through the winter months. You can do all kinds of things from take a cruise to go to the Rose Parade to take casino trips.

Anyway, to answer one of your questions, how long you stay in one place depends on a lot of things. The two most expensive parts of your budget will be fuel and campgrounds. Fuel can be controlled by the number of miles that you drive the RV. If you have plenty of money then it may not be an issue. Campgrounds are an issue too. At nightly rates you can easily pay $40 per night depending on where you are. At weekly rates you can average 7 nights for the price of 6. We have paid from $350 to $900 per month (generally electricity is on top of that). Again what can you afford?

The first year or two we moved a lot but soon got into the habit of staying at least a week to get the special rate. The next couple of years we have traveled less miles and stayed in one place longer. We have found that it is a pain to pack up the rig and move every night or two if we can avoid it. We also try to limit ourselves to driving no more than 250 miles per day. When we are trying to get someplace then (like getting to Yellowstone to meet our daughter) we will drive for a couple of days and then stop for a day or two. Then drive some more. It doesn't always work, but we try real hard not to have a schedule that forces us to be somewhere on a certain date. As others have said, we tend to find someplace we like and stop and check it out for a few days. Now we tend to spend the winters in one location and during the summers we travel around the country. Feel free to PM me if you need more input. It is a great way of life and we do not want to ever go back to a house and the yard work, etc. required to keep it up.

[chapdog]

Doug,
Yours are very simular to our flexible plans for next year. Good call on the weather radio. A part of us hopes there might be an opportunity to be of some assistance should there again be weather disasters in the South, or East. Not sure what shape that might take but over the last few years have have often felt like helping out physically some how. But our personal safety will of course be the priority.
Less is better on the campground costs of course but we have budgeted $1,100/mo. inc. utilities, and sat. TV. That is in the belief that we'll sometimes get better deals and sometimes not.
Will check out Canyon Vistas too. Did a Christmas Bird count there a couple of years ago and loved the scenery.
I anticipate our traveling trends to evolve simularly to yours. We can only hope that once well underway that we'll share your view on staying out indefinitely.

[Romeo]

Our friends stay at Cocopah RV and Golf Resort in Yuma each winter, so we are likely to go there with them this winter since this would be our first time going South. Their rate appear to be resonable, from what I am hearing:

Daily: $46.00
Weekly: $265.00
Monthly: $560.00 plus electricity
Annual: $2,880.00 plus electricity

Does anyone have any experience with Cocopah?

I would be interested in hearing the pros and cons regarding Yuma. Many people seem to think that is the place to go for the winter.Having lived in Phoenix and visiting Yuma once about 20yrs ago... the thought of staying in Yuma isn't very exciting

What about the Tucson area? Is it any cheaper than the greater Phoenix area?

I am apprehensive about staying in one spot for 4 mos. As I have posted elsewhere, I would like to travel to some extent in the winter, but don't know how practical that is. This could be a possibility for the second year, maybe.

This first winter we will be "snowbird-ing", not fulltimeing, yet. So will have the expense of maintaining a home.

[chapdog]

Yuma touts itself as the warmest place in the continental US in the winter. We stayed at a decent place passing through last year which had a cute little $15/ round par 3 course. Don't recall the name. Weren't there long enough to comment beyond that 'cpt there are about a gazzillion RV spots available there so it must have something going for it.

Tucson on the other hand we lived in for a year and half (S+B). Just hit 1 million in the metro area a few years back so nothing compared to the scale of Phoenix. Yes it's cheaper generally too.

Tucson is also kind of the hippy step child of Phoenix. No where near as glitzy and no where near as many man made water bodies. We loved it there with the 4 surrounding ranges and spectacular sunsets. Monsoons in late summer are more prevalent than the Phoenix area as well.

Loved the foothills of Catalina mtns. Mt Lemon has the most southery operating ski mtn in the US. One can go through multiple dramatically differnent ecosystems (and 50 degree temp. change) in just the hour it takes to drive up there. Other scenic-highlights of the area include the Saguaro National forest just East of downtown and the famous Desert Museum another 1/2 hour further West.

Lastly, for those interested in Tucson and areas south there is some of the best bird watching of the country.

[Romeo]

Originally Posted by bigmichael

Last winter, for the first time since our first year experience in Mesa, we sat still for 3 1/2 months at a newer park in the desert. It wasn't in our plan, we just liked it and stayed. Partly because it was newer, everyone was looking to meet each other as they hadn't been coming for years. It was geared to our age group, with tons of live entertainment, no polka bands, but lots of classic rock groups and cover groups, some counry acts, and some comedy. And a poolside beer and burger bash with live music every weekend.

My wife wants me to ask where that park is located. I think she like the idea of
"... a poolside beer and burger bash with live music every weekend..."

[Barbaraok]

David,

I wasn't suggesting that the 'vacation' fever that we all get when we start is wrong, it is just that you will slow down some as you get it worked out of your system. We've all been there - our first 6 months out we put 11,000 miles on the coach and were exhausted when we got back to Texas for Christmas.

We try to follow the 2-2-2 plan, 200 miles/day, stay at least 2 days, in the park by 2:00 pm. We now find that we like 1 and 2 week stays - - long enough to really explore the area and go back to a good breakfast place more than once, but short enough so we leave wanting to come back again. And we like the 3 month stint in Arizona because we get a chance to recharge the batteries, get to go to some good concerts, good food, museums, plus a lot of friends passing through so a chance to catch up and then there is the fun of spring training games, and hopefully pleasant weather. This is also the time we do some 'upgrades' or delayed maintenance on the coach, clean out old clothes, get some new ones, etc. It works for us.

We've been out at Gold Canyon and the parks out there are nice, but it is pretty far out and if your new grandson is in Tempe, that would be quite a drive every day.

Barb

[dangofamily]

Originally Posted by Senior Chief

Save your money in other ways; don't pay for a 50 amp site if you don't need both air conditioners. Don't pay for sewer, but dump your tanks as you leave the campground. Forsake the "resorts" and their high prices and stay at a mom-n-pop or a state or muni campground. Give up expensive and fattening "fast food" and save your eating-out money for authentic regional restaurants.

I love this advice. By the way, what kind of equipment does it take to Boondock?

[Senior Chief]

Originally Posted by dangofamily

I love this advice. By the way, what kind of equipment does it take to Boondock?

It kind of depends on your rig. Serious boondockers (meaning: folks who stay in remote/ primitive areas for extended periods, weeks rather than days) usually invest in good solar arrays to take advantage of the nearly limitless, quiet power available.

If you pull a fifth wheel you'll probably want to invest in a generator. Honda 2000ie or larger if you want to power your AC

Upgrading/enlarging your battery bank.

Changing out incandescent bulbs for low amperage LEDs.

A lot of boondocking is just learning some new habits to extend the life of your batteries, fresh water and waste tanks.

Many, many RVers hate the idea of boondocking, whether its in gorgeous and remote Forest Service dispersed campsites or on the blacktop at Wally
World. Different strokes for different folks, thank goodness.

[bigmichael]

Originally Posted by Romeo

My wife wants me to ask where that park is located. I think she like the idea of
"... a poolside beer and burger bash with live music every weekend..."

Sorry-I probably took it a little off track-as its not in the Meas area but rather in Yuma at the Palms.

[dangofamily]

Thanks for the great boondocking tips. We have solar panels on our to do list. We have 2 batteries for the house and 1 for the vehicle. How's many more would you recommend? We are very interested in keeping costs down and seeing stuff that is "off the beaten path"

[pdq_bc]

Hi David

Thanks for starting this topic
We too are just transitioning to full timing (house sold in May and closes this Wednesday)

Having read the posts - love the opinions and the variation - and all of it reminds me: "what works for you MAY work for me...and then again...it might not!"

regards, pdq

[dsbike]

Originally Posted by Senior Chief

IMHO it's a huge decision that has big consequences. It's all about reduced expectations. Are you sure you can hack living in a MH every day? With no place to call home?

Isn't it great how different we all are?

This poster's idea of "reduced expectations" and no place to call home is just absolutely the reverse of how we view our full-timing life.

Staying in one spot and being chained down by house and yard and chores and possessions and the expectations that tomorrow will hold the same views and the same people as today- THAT would be our "second best" kind of life.

No "home"??? We carry our home with us, and it is filled with the people and pets that we love and memories that we cherish. More square footage won't do a thing for our happiness.

Maybe we're just waaaaay outside the mainstream, but all our nearly 4 decades of marriage my husband and I have hoped and prayed for a time when we could be together 24/7, not separated by the Navy or jobs. Togetherness is a blessing for us, not a problem or an issue to be managed.

We spent our years accumulating and upgrading our "stuff", and I thank God that He has given us the opportunity to put that behind us.

As has been stated too many times to count; everyone is different. I agree with the previous poster that RVing full-time is more than just a physical change of residence; that it has huge consequences.

Deciding what your priorities are in life while you contemplate a full-timing life is probably a great idea no matter what you decide.

Allison

Very well put. Our sediments exactly.