Week 751-752 - Tour 2021 Begins - 01-10-2021

Tour 2021 Begins

Our 16th year of traveling begins and we are doing what we love the most, visiting friends and family. We started from Yuma, Arizona and stopped in Surprise, Casa Grande, Green Valley and Tucson.

Pueblo El Mirage in Surprise is a full service resort. It has pools, spas, pickleball, tennis, horseshoes, bocce ball, shuffleboard, softball, fitness center, lawn bowling, craft rooms, lots of activities and an 18-hole golf course. You can bring your RV, purchase park models or stick-built homes.

Our Atascadero neighbors of 13 years, Ben and Sid, started their RV travels in 2006 as we did. We have met them around the nation including Niagara Falls, Elkhart Indiana, Mount Olympus Washington, Vancouver Island Canada, Albuquerque Balloon Festival, Avila Beach, Yuma, Surprise Arizona and more. We have not seen them for 5 years! We had a nice visit catching up on travel, pickleball, four-wheeling and of course, medical issues. "The Golden Years: If it still works, it hurts!"

High Chaparral RV Park is just south of Casa Grande, Arizona. This park is a mini version of a destination resort. It has level gravel sites, small pool and spa and showers. Their sport arena has 2 pickleball courts, horse shoes, shuffleboard, corn hole toss and pavilion. A decent park with reasonable fees.

We stopped to visit our RV friends Dennis and Jean. We first met them at Golden Village Palms RV in Hemet, California and mentored them in pickleball. We have stayed at their beautiful home on the water on the Olympic Peninsula. We spent the day with them at Palm Creek Golf and RV resort. They mentored Pete in pickleball and we taught them how to play the card game Oh Hell. Great folks and we hope to see them again this summer in Washington.

We first visited Tucson's Voyager RV Resort in December 2010 for a pickleball tournament. This year's visit is our 6th. This resort is a destination resort with 16 pickleball courts, 9-hole golf course, lots of pools and spas, tons of activities and a restaurant and store. You can bring your RV, buy a park model or a complete home.

We came here to visit Pete's sister Donnalee and friend Don. Pete has known Donnalee since she was 3, when she brought new-born Pete home and thought he was her baby. As it turns out, Pete belonged to their mother. Darn! Take a look, now she's Pete's baby sister.

We are off to a good start on our "visiting tour". Visiting folks in your RV is the best. You have your own space and there is no packing and forgetting things. You can go to bed when you want. You don't wake up wondering if it is okay to get our of your room. You know what you can eat for breakfast. And after 3 days you leave as "visitors are like fish. after 3 days they begin to smell". Benjamin Franklin

With love, Pete, Ellen and Mandy

Photos from Jan 2021