Heading Out

[cchandka]

hi, all

the retirement clock is ticking down the last 11 days ... YAHOO !

We will be heading out on our first snowbird trip in our Scamp Fiver and wonder if anyone on the forum will be spending some of the winter in the Phoenix area ? We are not sure yet of where exactly we will wander (isn't that great?) but that is the general direction we are looking at.

We have been campers all our married life (46 yrs) but this is the first extended time in 19 feet with 2 adults and a dustmop named Roscoe.

Really getting anxious.

Kacey in Wisconsin

[Cathi]

So exciting for you! Good luck in your travels.

[Larry,C]

When I retired last fall we packed up and headed for Arizona. We ended up spending most of 9 weeks all over the state. We went to Scamp Camp Southwest (highly recommend) in Sedona (beautiful area) and the Balloon Festival in Lake Havasu and then to the Fiberglass rally in Quartzite. We would be somewhere in AZ right now except for jury duty. We will be headed west right after Christmas and will likely be spending some time in the Phoenix area. We enjoyed the week we spent just north of there at Lake Pleasant. If you see a Casita with too many solar panels on the roof be sure to stop by and say hello.

[reeves99]

Wonderful! Keep us posted about your travels and impressions on snowbird life. Can hardly wait to hear about it. Bon voyage!


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Jon in AZ]

Best wishes in your retirement and travels, Kacey! Enjoy your visit to our beautiful state.

You may want to include some time in the SE corner of the state, too. There's beautiful country in the Chiricahua Mountains, Kartchner Caverns, San Pedro riparian area, Saguaro National Monument,... Some of the higher elevations are best in the shoulder seasons, when the low desert gets too warm.

Lost Dutchman SP near Phoenix is one of our favorite winter camping spots. You need reservations for the best spots, but overflow spots are often available on short notice.

Lots of places to dry camp for little or no cost as well. Others will know more; my wife says flush toilets and hot showers, or she stays home.

[rgrugg]

Spend some time in the Verde Valley....Cottonwood and Camp Verde. A really good spot because so many interesting day trips can start there.Some examples: Phoenix metro area, the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Sunset crater and Wupatki (Indian ruins), Walnut canyon (different ruins), Meteror crater, Jerome, the train ride at Clarkdale, Prescott, Payson, and many other interesting destinations. I'll be at Rancho Verde rv park at Camp Verde for the month of January. Maybe I'll go somewhere else for a while. Planning on the fiberglass rally at Quartzsite in February. This winter will be winter 19 or 20 in AZ. Kinda lost count. Great state with lots of interesting places and things. Enjoy.

[Jon Vermilye]

I'm a bit west of Phoenix at the Quartzite La Posa West LTVA. Will be going the the Scamp Camp in Sedona this weekend, then back to the LTVA, although I may move to the Imperial Dam LTVA after Christmas. Right now there are two Casitas next door to me, and a Scamp down the road...

[Paul O.]

Almost two years ago we spent a week at the Gilbert Ray Campground, just west of Tucson - very nice! And, took a tour of Kitt Peak observatories, well worth the trip.
Gilbert Ray Campground - Pima County

[floyd]

Thank you for reminding me of how exciting that anticipation was!
For us it was eight years ago, we dropped off the keys and headed for a ScampCamp in MO. We had the trailer packed and waiting in the parking lot at work. When we showed up for the ScampCamp we found that we were the only ones to show. Smallest ScampCamp of all 40 some which we have attended!
Still had a great time and all the company we needed!
I remember playing this song for a year before retirement, with a new twist on interpretation....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5iq438ZLk8

[Carol and Mike]

Also in the SE (Sierra Vista area) are Bisbee and Tombstone, a nice museum at Fort Huachuca and some wineries in Sonoita. It's high desert so the temps are cooler.

[Paul O.]

Retirement is the best job I ever had!

Here we are at the Gilbert Ray:

[John & BJ S.]

The Maricopa County Parks are often highly regarded but since we live in East Mesa we've only camped at them a couple times.

Sent from my XT1032 using Fiberglass RV mobile app

[honda03842]

McDowell Mountain Regional Park just outside of the nice community of Fountain Hills. This is a marvelous huge park surrounded by mountains with more trails than you can cover, great for bikers and hikers. All the sites are nice. If you want to be away from the majority they have smaller tucked in sites. Reservations are a good idea.

Fountain Hills is enough of a community with a 50 story fountain, however if you want more downtown Phoenix is a comfortable drive.