Greetings from Phoenix!

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
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Goodyear, to be specific.

Not gonna lie, it made a really poor first impression. Traffic on 10 was beyond angry-making and the motorists on it drive like crap. I lost count of how many times someone cut me off and made me slam on my brakes. I am thankful that I decided on this Goodyear RV park rather than the one right in the city because I'm seriously over traffic. I figured it would be crazy because of Memorial Day weekend, but this was just stupid.

I think we're going to like our RV park. First of all, the site is level paved and not gravel. We're right across from the bath house - which is really nice - and a putting green (!). Pool etc are right up the street.

Once again we have no cable, so I rely on you all to keep me up on the news. I'm missing The Five :frown: . We do have a bunch of local channels, though, so that'll work.

Must go get food now....
 

vraiblonde

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I officially hate it here. Destiny RV Resort, btw. Last night I was cautiously optimistic because the resort seems nice and there's a great sushi place a couple miles from us.

Unfortunately today I was confronted with a 4 page legalese-written "lease agreement" that they wanted me to sign....to stay in one of their RV sites. This was on top of 8 million other forms I had to fill out to promise standards things like I'll pick up my dog's poop to the extraordinary like I won't engage in criminal activity during my stay. I've honestly never seen anything like it.

Monello finally filled it out and signed it, but if it were up to me we'd be packing up right now. In three years I've never been presented with a formal legal agreement like that to rent a site for a couple of weeks. The dipshit at the desk tried to lie and say it's AZ law, upon which I informed her that we just left Tombstone and they had no such requirement.

The amenities are pretty nice, though. Pool is great, a terrific fitness room, and it's very neat and clean. I'm particularly happy with the roomy bath houses with high pressure showers - that one in Tombstone was a trickler. But there is no cable, and no internet (on their website and when we checked in they said there was wifi, but that's another lie because every time I've tried to connect it says there's no service), and we were just informed that they don't allow children for more than one night - the last part doesn't affect us, but I'm guessing families who are planning on staying a week or more might like to have that information, which is not disclosed on their website.

They have security to an alarming degree. A guard out front, a gate, wrong way spikes on the exit, they give you a key to everything because it's all locked up tight, including the pool. Seeing that concerned me that there was high crime in this rural outskirt of Phoenix, but we met one of the full time residents in the laundry room and she say's it's not, that she leaves her stuff out all the time and nobody bothers it. But having everything locked down like that - I've never seen that in 3 years of full time travel. We'll make a point to batten down hard every time we go somewhere.

Memorial weekend and there's only a handful of travelers here, almost everyone is a full time resident and only a few spots in the numerous regular spaces are filled. Contrast that with super out of the way Tombstone, which fills up every single weekend starting on Thursday.

I'm going to wait until we leave to blast the review sites with my take on this joint because I have no doubt they'll proceed to make me miserable while they can. The lady at the desk got pissy with me when I questioned the "lease agreement", which made me want to ratchet up with her (or smack her face). Yeah, bitch, you give me 4 pages of lease agreement and just want me to sign it without question? That explains why there's nobody here. Pissy lady also tried to snark me off with, "Well, we'll let someone else have your spot if you don't want it," because yeah, I can plainly see people are beating down your door - the number of empty sites on a holiday weekend speaks for itself. :rolleyes:

I'm sure it will be fine for the three weeks we're here, but I'll be pretty glad to put this place in my rearview.
 

Monello

Smarter than the average bear
PREMO Member
My impression so far.

This campground has a membership gym quality workout area. 5 weight machines. A few tread mills, Abs stations. Free weights, dumbells, kettle bells, hula hoops, jump ropes, etc. Since we are now in off season, I'm curious how much use that equipment gets in the winter when the place is packed.

They have a nice pool & hot tub area. You can bring food and drinks in there. The meeting place/rec center doors go out to the pool area.

We have a lime tree on our site. It has a bunch of fruit on it. There is at least 1 orange tree with fruit here. We can pick fruit, they just ask that you don't take all of it and leave some for others. I think we can manage to do that.

It doesn't get cold here at night like it did in Tombstone. I attribute that to the elevation. We are at less than 1,000 feet compared to the over 4,000 feet in Tombstone. It was quite pleasant last night after the sun went down.

Any wreck on the interstate will cause an enormous headache. The radio said the wreck was at I10 and Jackrabbit Trail. Not knowing where JRT was, I had no way of knowing how much longer we were going to poke along at 15 MPH. Turns out JRT is abaout 1/2 mile past our exit. People here drive like crap. They zip in and out trying to gain 1 or 2 more car lengths, even though it's clear that it's bumper to bumper for a while. I saw 2 cars try to change into the same open space, narrowly missing hitting broadside into each other. Someone else was road raging, blowing their horn for an extended amount of time. I guess they thought that tactic would part the traffic and they could just drive on right through.

I'm a bigger fan of a city the size of Las Cruces, NM (210,000) instead of a larger city like Phoenix(1.6 million people).

But it's early so we will have to see how this stop goes.
 

Monello

Smarter than the average bear
PREMO Member
Tonight we grilled out. The evening temperature is conducive to eating out. Across the street is a putting green, the mid section bath house and several dumpsters. While we were eating, several people came over to use the dumpster. We would ask them how long they are in the campground and how they like it here. Well if you don't ask, you will never know.

1 gal, who was about in her mid 60s but claimed to be 39 years old, has been here a year and a half. It was a severe case of TMI. She shared with us a lot of things that I prefer NOT to know. Needless to say, I hope all involved are practicing safe sex.

Then a guy originally from Argentina stopped by. We chatted for a while. His wife is from Miami. It was interesting to get his take on life in America. He was quick to point out he was a US citizen and had a US passport. His parents were originally from Hungary. Back in the day the US was more restrictive but South America was more welcoming to people from Hunagry when it came to immigrating.

Then I wrapped up the evening by doing a putting challenge with a guy who is originally from Missouri. He's here for work. He's also an MMA fighter with a record of 2-0. I should set him up with a match with Misfit.

Now I'm watching the NASCAR race. I have a stake in who wins via the SOMD NASCAR challenge. My pick for winner is currently running 183h, so I'm hoping for a miracle. 72 laps to go, so anything could happen. This is my 2nd season picking NASCAR winners. It's a lot of fun. But the best part is you don't have to know anything about the sport. So far I'm the leader for the 2019 season. How long I'll be in the lead will probably be 7 days, but you never know. I've waited year and halfto be in a position to talk crap to the other NASCAR pickers. So I will enjoy my increased status because it will probably end here in a few hours. See me getting in touch with my inner red neck!

Go Kyle Busch.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
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We're leery about going into Phoenix just because the memory of that I-10 traffic coming in still has us somewhat traumatized. I'm sure it's fine and we'd have no problems, we're just being babies, so probably this week we'll roll in and see what's what. This RV park really does have great amenities, it's just the humans that suck. But I've become an expert at keeping my distance while still appearing friendly.

I'm thinking this is where we'll finally learn to play pickleball. Many places we go to have a court - it's like tennis for old people - but we've never given it a shot. So maybe Tuesday I'll run to Target or Dick's and pick up some equipment. Monello and I used to play tennis before we set out on adventure but golf has been our leisure activity of choice and we don't even get out and do that often enough. But Phoenix doesn't have a bunch of exploring areas like most places we go to, so it's an ideal time to take up a new hobby.

And excellent news! I appear to have left my allergies in Tombstone. :thewave: I can breathe through my nose again and my eyes aren't itchy and miserable anymore.

We'll venture out sometime this week and see what's what in the big city.
 

vraiblonde

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We did go to Target this morning and got pickleball paddles and balls, then we spent an enjoyable hour or so learning how to use them. It's like a pingpong/tennis hybrid. You get a decent workout but not gonna kill yourself. I'd much rather do this than go to the gym, so yay!

🏓
 
Once again we have no cable,...
You may have considered something like this before, but thought maybe you'd find something of interest here. This is from the guy that I get most of my solar power info from. He's been using remote internet access from his RV for years and uploads/download YouTube vids, maintains a website, etc.... Fast enough to stream TV with no problem.

 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
You may have considered something like this before, but thought maybe you'd find something of interest here. This is from the guy that I get most of my solar power info from. He's been using remote internet access from his RV for years and uploads/download YouTube vids, maintains a website, etc.... Fast enough to stream TV with no problem.


If that works as advertised, every RVer in the country needs that. Thanks! Will look into it...
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
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Tonight for dinner Monello grilled what they call a Tomahawk Steak, but what it really is is a one bone prime rib steak with the long rib bone left on so it looks like a, you know, tomahawk. I rubbed it with espresso steak seasoning and dry aged it in the fridge for 24 hours. Then he seared it on the grill and gave it a lower temp for about a half hour. It was divine.

He also steamed some broccoli and grilled an ear of corn for me.

To our beloved military men and women who didn't make it home, here's to you with my deepest gratitude. :cheers:
 

jazz lady

~*~ Rara Avis ~*~
PREMO Member
We're leery about going into Phoenix just because the memory of that I-10 traffic coming in still has us somewhat traumatized.
I-10 and I-17 are the suxor of the traffic universe. My dad lived in Tempe (Southeast Phoenix) and it was a nightmare to get from point A to point B without being killed, either in the city or on the interstates.

You will love Sedona, though. Very beautiful area with lots to see and do. Good luck getting there on I-17 as 90 mph is going slow. :lol:
 

vraiblonde

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Think if John McCain were a city - take a second to get that picture in your head. That's Phoenix.

Usually when we are gearing up for a city/area, I check the tourism websites and start making a list of things we want to see and events going on while we're there. Phoenix = zip. They have major sporting and concert events going on, but no little festivals or interesting areas. The most exciting thing I've done in the last week is find a shampoo/conditioner at Sally's that's repairing my sun damaged hair (it's from their ION collection, btw).

Supposedly Old Town Scottsdale is cool, so we'll go there in the next week or so. And there are two parks with great views, etc. Downtown area appears to be nondescript with not a lot to recommend it for visitors.

I do like the little suburb of Goodyear, though, and am glad I put us here. We have pretty much everything we need an easy couple miles away, and we do like the RV park (except for the bitchy humans that run it).

The area is pretty, but not breathtaking. You could live and work here easily, but there's no reason why you'd put it on your visit/vacation list.

They appear to have a lot of crime, though, and crazy people. Either that or that's just what their local news people choose to focus on. And that would explain why this RV park is locked down and secured like a big dog. It's also been in the high 90s, low 100s and our A/C is working overtime to keep us comfortable, but that's to be expected.
 

vraiblonde

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Today we went to the farmers market in downtown Phoenix - really cool! Lots of jewelry and high end crafts, a few produce stands, ethnic food (I had a Tunisian grilled wrap for breakfast), and a bunch of other stuff.

Then we went to Old Town Scottsdale, which is several blocks of quaint shops featuring Native American crafted jewelry and home goods, clothing, and gift items. I found a great pair of shoes and Monello got the cowboy hat he's been looking for (he looks like Richard Petty in it). Then we went to the Rusty Spur Saloon for a drinkie, then on to the real find: Roman's Oasis.

Roman's is a shitkicker bar/restaurant/off-track betting parlor in Goodyear. It's enormous and they have bands and what have you regularly. If we lived here, this is where we'd hang out.

And that's probably the end of our exploring because there's really not that much to see. People live and work here, but they don't seem to have a lot of community things going on the way other cities do. But that's okay because it's been in the high 90s low 100s all week and that pool will fill our need for recreation nicely.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
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I feel kind of bad that we haven't posted any pics, but honestly there isn't much to see. Phoenix is a city and looks like any other city in the US. There's not a lot of history or draw for tourism.

Phoenix in the summer...yeah, that wasn't one of my better ideas. Then we're on to Lake Havasu and Las Vegas for July and Aug. :faint: It's supposed to hit 107 today and stay in that vicinity all week. Our A/C is struggling to keep us at 90* inside, and when you walk outside it's like a blast furnace. I'm wearing sunscreen at the pool so I don't burn to a crisp. The heat is fatiguing and we play pickleball by 9am or we don't play because by noon you're just asking for it if you do any outside recreation.

But this is why I like to stay for awhile at the places we go to: to get a feel for how it is to actually live there and not just see it like a tourist. Phoenix is on the "absolutely not" list, and yet roughly 4 million people do live in the metro area and get along just fine. Phoenix, the city itself, is the 5th most populous city in the US at 1.6 million.

Arizona is a highly diverse state, climate-wise. You have Bisbee in the southeast, which is moderate year round, then Phoenix repping the desert big time with heat and sun, then you have Grand Canyon area to the north, with milder summer temps and July lows that require a jacket. No part of this state gets rain to speak of and it shows - dry, dusty, and their most prevalent flora is cacti.

But those cacti are SUPER cool, like you see in little kid drawings and movies, and they're freaking enormous. Specifically, they are Saguaro cactus and can grow to 40 ft. tall. In Las Cruces the cacti were lower to the ground and looked like what you think of as ornamental cacti; Saguaro are the tall ones with arms.

137824
 

Monello

Smarter than the average bear
PREMO Member
We went RV browsing at a show held at the State Farm Field, where the NFL Arizona Cardinals play their home games. The base of the playing field is cement with metal runners that hold the sections of the field in place. I think I liked it better when NFL games were played on grass fields. But I understand that those fields blew out a lot of knees over the years. They included Pat Tillman in their ring of honor.

RV sales people are interesting critters. Many of them don't own or use RVs. Would you buy a car from a guy that only road a bicycle? I'm more of a bottom line guy. Tell me what's it going to cost me. They all seem to be focused on your monthly loan amount. I guess $650 a month sounds a lot better than telling a customer $125,000. They also seem to be good in working in their own personal opinions as fact. 1 guy told me I wouldn't be able to find anyone to finance a used 2007. I bet that's BS. But the 2007 is a lot cheaper than what he was steering us to. We told him our price range and he consistently showed us things $25K over that. I can't blame him though.

The reason we were looking is because I'm thinking of replacing the Aurora. It's 14 model years old. I've had it for 12 years. I'd like to get a used diesel class A RV. Maybe 1 day soon. In addition to the diesel engine, getting 1 or 2 more slideouts. Vrai fell hard for a 2019 Thor. It was discounted almost 50%. It seems that the in door ice maker overflowed at some point. So there is a stain in the flooring. I think it may have seeped into some of the walls also.

So in the mean time we'll keep on looking. I'm sure we will find the perfect replacement shortly.
 

RoseRed

American Beauty
PREMO Member
A friend of mine was shopping at the same expo this weekend. Have you gone to Jerome yet? Or is it not in the plan?
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
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My ideal RV is IDed by what it doesn't have, such as:

bunk room
bath and half (I don't even understand why this is a thing)
washer and dryer
and other unnecessary space wasters

We also don't need an outdoor kitchen or an outside TV /entertainment system. Nor do we need TV in the bedroom. We really don't need a shower since we prefer to humid up the bath house at the RV park. We use our current shower to store cleaning and laundry supplies.

Storage space is important to me because I'm a big fan of putting stuff away instead of leaving it lay around cluttering up the small living space.

Automatic levelers and push-button awning - want that.

Rather than a king bed, I'd like a queen with space on either side to properly make the bed every morning. That's the only thing about this motorhome that annoys me on a regular basis. Monello hates the carpet because it's gross, but I don't mind that so much. The rumply bed, however... :burning:

That Thor was pretty much perfect and priced right, but that water damage gave me pause. Plus we're leaving in a week and don't want to be rushed into a decision.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
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A friend of mine was shopping at the same expo this weekend. Have you gone to Jerome yet? Or is it not in the plan?

We'll go to Jerome when we're at Grand Canyon. We're staying in Williams and there are a ton of cool towns in the vicinity.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
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Old people croaking.

Sad but true. Lots of excellent RVs to be had cheap, also, from the Biff and Muffies who thought "camping" sounded like fun because they read about it somewhere. The people next to us in Gatlinburg, I have no doubt their brand new Phaeton now belongs to someone else.
 
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