Week 817-821 - On the Road Again 2022 - 05-08-2022

On the Road Again 2022

As of April 5th, we began our 17th year of full time travel. We like to write each week, but we want it to be interesting. We have spent the last seven months at Tucson's Far Horizon RV Resort and Palm Creek Resort in Casa Grande. We play pickleball everyday and spend time at the resort or in town.

That leaves little new to write about. Our last "adventure" travelogue was our car trip home two months ago. But, now we are on the RV Road Again. It's not like we didn't do anything for two months, so we'll catch you up today.

Pickleball Tournaments

We play 2+ hours of pickleball daily and also played in two tournaments. We play at the level 4.0 in the 70-74 age bracket. Ellen played with Jean at Robson Ranch and earned the Gold. At the Palm Creek Members Tournament she played with Joyce and got the Silver.

Hot Air Balloon Watching

The balloons are launched often just outside Palm Creek. They add beauty to an already amazing resort.

Mattson Construction

Pete and Ellen have re-launched Mattson Construction! As we have traveled we have been involved in many construction projects. It was natural to continue at Palm Creek. We helped Dennis and Jean convert a carpeted deck to synthetic wood.

We replaced the frame for an outside door for Linda and Jack (not shown). In the house below we relocated the refrigerator, installed a dishwasher, converted to LED kitchen lights and built a wine rack to enclose the DW. More projects will be coming up next year.

Neighborhood Parties

This block party was on our street. At the beginning Ellen was too shy to join in. Then Jean came over and they blended right in. Last Pete saw was Ellen dancing on the tables. Melissa (more later) joined Ellen and Gail for 10-microphone karaoke.

Visits with RV Friends

Clint and Jackie are great friends that we met playing a pickleball tournament. For years we visited every year, parking our motorhome at their house in Rancho Mirage, California. We also visited them in Stanwood, Washington. Now they live in a beautiful community in Scottsdale, Arizona. After a two year Covid hiatus, we got a chance to visit their new home. Always a joy to see how lovingly they ofter their hospitality.

Great friends: Jim/LaRae and Dennis/Jean. Photo from the deck of their golf course park model in Palm Creek. We've known D/J since 2015 when we played PB in Hemet, California. Jim and LaRae have been close friends since just last October. We met in Tucson where we spent 3 months at Far Horizon Resort. We encouraged J/L to visit us at Palm Creek. They came and quickly snatched up another golf course park model. Wow! Now we can all join 2,000 others at Palm Creek next year!

Visits from Family

We have visited hundreds of friends and family on the road. It is rare to have family visit us. But that changed this spring. Chad and Emily brought their gang of seven and spent several days with us.

This is Picacho Peak where there are lots of hiking trails.

Right next door is Rooster Cogburn's Ostrich Ranch. For a reasonable fee you get to feed the donkeys, parakeets, goat, ostriches, bunnies, deer, Lorilee, ducks, turtles and stingrays. Fun for all ages.

Emily left and Melissa came. The sisters just missed by one day. Mario and Melissa came to enjoy the pickleball, hot spas, fine dining (by them), karaoke, cards and dancing. How great to share our resort with the kids and grandkids. Donnalee seemed to enjoy seeing them.

Our New Winter Home

Most RV travelers see all of America in a couple years and then settle into a couple of favorite places. We have always spent the winters in the Southwest. This year we have decided to commit to a 3-year rental on this lot. So now you know where we'll be from fall to spring.

This summer we will travel the western states. Pete's sister Donnalee purchased a motorhome three years ago. Her plan was to travel with us. Then came Covid. Now, finally, we get to take a trip with her. With outrageous fuel prices we are focused on the lowest cost stays: Passport-America (PA), Elks and Harvest Hosts (HH). To learn more, see Finding RV Parks.

Road Trip with Donnalee, On the Road Again 2022

First stop, High Chaparral RV near Eloy, Arizona. Nice park, PA $20.

Onto our first Harvest Host this year. Bison Golf Club in Show Low, Arizona offered a free stay. We headed north as the landscape transformed from desert cactus to canyons, rivers and forest.

We parked under the trees at Buffalo Bills Tavern adjacent to the golf course. Free stay!

We wanted to get pictures of the golf course, but it was a 1/2 mile walk. Cutter, our young and friendly golf concierge, gave us a cart for a tour. Nice folks here in Show Low.

Not wanting to drive the next day, we moved 2.6 miles to the Show Low Elks Lodge. Well, golly, guess who was there? Phil and Ruby, good friends from Far Horizons RV, a 195 miles away. Yes, it is a small world. We spent a wonderful evening catching up with them. Elks $20.

The final day of the week one got us to the Elks in Gallup, New Mexico. The winds of 30+ mph made for an adventuresome trip. We and Donnalee both handled the wind like pros. The Elks is $10 per night.

As we enjoy God's beauty, we should be bringing some fun travelogues. Stay tuned!

With love, Pete, Ellen and Mandy

Photos from Mar-May2022