Snowbirds begin southern trek
Each winter millions of RVers migrate south, escaping ice and snow for sunshine and freshly squeezed orange juice.
“We have a fruit tree right outside our door,” says Russ Russell of Spokane Valley.
Russell and his wife, Barbara, arrived in Goodyear, Ariz., on Thursday and plan to stay the next six months at the Destiny RV Resort.
“I’ll get up in January and pick my oranges and have fresh juice,” says Russell, a retired health care administrator. “You can’t beat that.”
In addition to “pretty much perfect weather,” Delores Maxwell of Chattaroy, returns each year to Apache Junction, Ariz., because of the good friendships she made over the past 15 years.
“It’s like a second family,” says Maxwell. “I once had a friend comment that people go down there to die in those RV parks, but nothing could be further from the truth. There are dancing, swimming, painting, ceramics and exercise classes, not to mention all the friendships you acquire among the other people in the parks.”
When Maxwell was widowed in 1999, she decided to continue her winter trips.
“I can look out my front window and see the Superstition Mountains,” she says. “That is a beautiful view.”
Everett and Helen Best of Spokane head for Mesa, Ariz., right after Thanksgiving to get away from the cold Inland Northwest winters.
“I am an avid exerciser,” says Everett Best, “and I ride my bike an hour every day. Down there I can do it all year round.”
The Bests bought a park model trailer four years ago in the Valle del Oro RV Resort because of its facilities.
“There is a great woodshop,” says Best, the featured carver this weekend at the “Artistry in Wood” show in the Lair Student Union at Spokane Community College. “I carve almost every day and teach lathe-turning classes.
“If you are bored in the park,” he adds, “it is your own fault because there is so much to do that you can’t get it all done.”
Arizona park information
“Destiny RV Resort, 416 North Citrus Road, Goodyear, AZ 85338, toll-free (888) 667-2454, www.destinyrv.com.
“Superstition Sunrise RV Resort, 702 S. Meridian Road, Apache Junction AZ 85220, toll-free (800) 624-7027, www.superstitionsunrise.com.
“Valle del Oro RV Resort, 1452 S. Ellsworth Road, Mesa, AZ 85005, toll-free (800) 626-6686, www.cal-am.com/vdo.html.
Don’t overlook Texas
Potter Lezlie Finet and her husband, Brian Nelson, of Veradale “have been RVers forever.”
Each December they head south for three months to explore California, Arizona and Texas.
This year they are traveling in their late-model, 29-foot Safari Trek with four dogs and a storage bay full of Finet’s clay equipment, including her potter’s wheel and raku kiln.
In Arizona they like to spend time in Tucson, Flagstaff and Sedona because they have “neat little art communities,” says Finet.
But the place the potter loves best is Rockport, Texas, about 30 minutes north of Corpus Christi.
“We stay in a funky old RV park that has been around forever,” Finet says.
“Rockport is not a big tourist area,” she says. “They have basically kept progress out. There are no big high-rises or condos blocking the view. It’s basically just little crab shacks, fishing boats and a quaint harbor. It is very scenic, peaceful and clean.”
“To get a look at Finet’s pottery, stop by her studio, 13902 E. 32nd Ave., this weekend as part of the Spokane Valley Studio Arts Tour. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, and Sunday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. If you can’t make the sale check out www.lezliefinetpottery.com.
“For information on the quiet seaside community of Rockport, see www.rockport-texas.com or www.rockport-fulton.org, write to the Rockport-Fulton Area Chamber of Commerce, 404 Broadway, Rockport, TX 78382, or call toll-free (800) 242-0071.
More snowbird information
Former full-time RVer Al Allaway of Yakima has written a book filled with stories about traveling with two eccentric pets, living as a snowbird and funny things that can happen along the way.
“Snowbirds Guarding the Gold: RV Life & Housesitting Adventures” (Author House, $12.50) was published in 2002.
The Allaways stayed in Yuma, Ariz., off and on for a dozen years.
“I’m a major desert rat,” says Allaway. “I spent lots of time out there soaking up the sun, taking photographs and digging around old mining claims.”
His Web site is www.allawaybooks.com.
Other resources
“”Survival of the RV Snowbirds” ($12.95) by Joe and Kay Peterson, founders of the Escapees RV Club. Go to www.escapees.com or call (888) 757-2582.
“Snowbird Properties.net (www.snowbirdproperties.net) is based out of Newman Lake. It is one of several commercial Web sites that offer information about RV properties, rentals and services.
“”Nevada in Your Future: The Complete Guide for Job-Seekers, Retirees and Snowbirds,” by Don W. Martin and Betty Woo Martin (Pine Cone Press, 2003, $17.95).