Settling In

We were up early again yesterday morning (do you see a disturbing pattern here?), and left the motorhome at the Apache Junction Elks lodge while we took the van and went scouting for an RV space.

The last couple of years, most of the RV parks in Apache Junction and East Mesa have had vacancies all winter long, but that doesn’t seem to be the case this winter. Maybe it’s because fuel prices are down, or maybe it’s because people have stopped worrying that the sky is falling, and are traveling again. Of course, the extreme cold in so much of the country may also be a factor.

Whatever the reason, we stopped at a couple of places where we have stayed before, but they were booked solid, as were several other RV parks where we stopped. This area has a lot of small, run down RV parks where I wouldn’t be comfortable, and even those were full, or else they were asking way too much for what they had to offer. I mean really, how much of a premium do you place on folks standing outside drinking in the middle of the day, derelict trailers, and piles of dog crap?

Friends had recommended a couple of very nice upscale RV resorts, but their monthly rates were way beyond this poor boy’s budget. There is nothing wrong with these types of places, but we’re not “resort” people. We don’t use things like swimming pools, spas, and craft shops, and since our purpose in being here is to spend time with our family, we won’t have time to participate in the activities that many of these places offer.

After looking at several places that didn’t work for us, we noticed a mobile home park called Patio Gardens, with a sign out front that said “RV Spaces For Rent,” and on a whim, we stopped to check it out. They had three RV sites available, all back in 50 amp full hookups, with parking on gravel and a cement patio. The price of $365 a month, plus electric, was the best bargain we had seen all morning, and less than the dumps we had looked at earlier.

Unlike some of the mobile home parks in this area, this place was very clean, the managers are super friendly, as are all of the residents we have met. An added benefit is that it’s less than a mile from Terry’s parents’ house. We immediately wrote them a check, and then went back to the Elks lodge to pick up our motorhome.

Since it was only four or five miles, we didn’t bother hooking up the van, Terry just followed me back to Patio Gardens, and by about 1:30 p.m. we were all settled into our site and hooked up. Several men who live here were sitting under the awning of a mobile home across the street from us, and they watched as Miss Terry guided me into our site in one smooth maneuver. Once I was parked, they all clapped and said it looked like Terry and I knew what we were doing. I told them we’ve done this a time or two before.

Soon after we were parked, Terry’s mom came by to see our Winnebago, and she was very pleased with our new home on wheels.      

Now that we’re settled in for a while, we will hopefully have time to get the motorhome cleaned up, and maybe even organize the storage bays underneath. Of course, that’s after we run up to our old hometown of Show Low to see my daughter and her family, and give those granddaughters of ours some long overdue spoiling.  

Thought For The Day – Some people create and maintain problems because they give them a sense of identity.

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