Let’s Get Snowbirding 2013/2014 Started!

One nice thing about living in your RV 24/7 is that whatever you need to travel is likely already with you.  I would say that was about 75% true for this year’s preparation.

For the month of November, we lived in the RV in our house’s driveway. The intent was to be able to get a few things done to the dolly and motorhome before taking off. While Paul was able to get some important things done, there were precious few nice weather days, so he did a lot of maintenance prep in 20 degree temps.  For the record, I did my part and removed 5 pairs of shoes from the RV and some clothes that aren’t needed for the trip.

We really enjoyed spending lots of time with grandbaby Gabriel, and my kids with their S/Os, while we were parked at the house.  Both Gabey and us have suffered some separation blues since. Skype has become very important, so glad it works!

We left at 2 p.m. on Black Friday, 11/29, after I got some very important shopping done with my Mom.  The roads were clean and dry and Paul drove like a freezing man seeking warmth.  This year we bee-lined straight for Arizona, which made for some long days of driving. 

The route Paul took was one he’d driven before, but I hadn’t seen. We drove from Panora to York, NE, and went south toward Dodge City, KS, arriving at 11 p.m.  We were driving past Lincoln, NE, when the Iowa-Nebraska football game ended and were thankful we weren’t going in the same direction as all the traffic. 

We stopped in Concordia, KS, for a Chinese dinner and came away with plenty of leftovers. Back on the road for several more hours, we stayed overnight at a Flying J parked in the back 40 with the trucks. It wasn’t too noisy for a change.

Saturday, we were on the road by 7:45 a.m. and took the familiar route through Liberal, KS, Guymon, OK, Dalhart, TX and stopped in Tucumcari, NM, at Flying J’s for a lunch break and rest. New Mexico has the best bridges over the interstate, each with a different theme. Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures of the bridges so you’ll just have to Google them on your own.

We stopped in Gallup, NM, intending to spend the night but the weather was cold and misty and Paul was still in drive mode, so we went another 70 miles on to Holbrook, AZ and stayed at the Hopi Travel Plaza.  It was a 14-hour-drive on Saturday, but it positioned us well to have a short day on Sunday, in the daylight.

Because we had a shorter drive on Sunday, we didn’t rush to hit the road first thing in the morning. We both showered (4^th day), and puttered around before hitting the road around 10. Sunday’s drive was beautiful! Paul took us south from Holbrook to Payson, where the road travels through a few national forests. There was evidence of previous fire damage to the trees, but the growth of new trees was everywhere you looked and I’m sure it will right itself with time.  Trees that were not damaged were lightly frosted and a joy to drive through.

Check out this guy at 6500 ft elevation. What a trooper!

We stopped in Payson for brunch at a neat restaurant named 260 Café. It was our favorite kind of place with real food, plenty of locals and servers that knew and talked to everyone.  Here’s a couple pics of 260 Café.

Our intense driving journey ended with arrival to the Santa Fe RV Park in Apache Junction.  I looked them up on Friday using my handy Passport America app on my phone after renewing our membership. The rate was so good Paul passed the info on to his brothers Brian and Jim who are also snowbirrding this year.

Monday brought a work day, so it was back to the grind for me. I do have a lovely view from my office though. Jim was only staying for 2 days, at this point, so we got some visitation and grilling in before he had to leave on Monday.

We’ll be in Apache Junction for the next two weeks. After that we have one week of parking which is unplanned as of this moment, before we finish the year with the RV Forum peeps at Catalina State Park in Tucson.

Be safe and warm out there!

Ann and Paul