Roving Reports by Doug P: March 2020

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

2020-1 A New Begining, Tucson, Quartsite AZ

2020-1

2020 my 16th year on the road
join me on this new journey

A new adventure is about to begin

well it is almost time to begin our summer travels which will start near the end of March of 2020.

but before we start our adventures together I need to fill you in on my winter stay in Tucson Arizona at Desert Trails RV park and all the happenings that have occurred throughout the winter.

as usual with a certain age one visits their doctors and I was no exception starting with a general physician slight changes to my cholesterol and blood pressure medications.

next were multiple trips to my glaucoma specialist for initial exams pressure readings setup for a third laser eye procedure on my left eye. good results so far indicating I may not have the need for further surgeries on my eyes or at least a year or more. and on my final visit of the season I received the awesome news that my eye pressures are 12 and 13. it couldn't be better.

the last doctor I visited was of course my dermatologist with the usual attending to a few spots that were dually frozen and taken care of.

those items out of the way, I have been free to enjoy my stay with fellow RV campers dear friends I have acquired throughout the years. spending much time at Desert trails preparing for the weekly RV Travel Club which I have led for a number of years. it is a ton of work but very enjoyable. I have been experimenting with a couple of different formats for the presentations and have discovered that folks really enjoy when I add personal stories along with the various places we visit along the way.

A NEW BEGINNING and a Different mode of travel

what led to the second phase of my travels

Zippy, my new mode of transportation
Summer travels here we come

as my regular readers may realize I have been traveling in various fifth wheels being towed by a three-quarter ton truck for the past 15 years. as I begin my 16th year, at the age of 70, I have decided it would be more enjoyable to continue my travels less encumbered by a larger RV and truck. to that end I've been doing my research on small Class C RVs and B+ Rvs.

with lots of research online for RVs that would fit the bill as well as visiting numerous RV dealerships looking at used Class C RVs. Without going through the details, it was a long and drawn out affair.

talk about a sign
my new camper came
with my name already on it!

One day, my friends Kathy and Randy came along to look at the unit I thought would be the one. As we arrived in Appachie Junction, that 1st unit, a Solara model was in horrid shape. We decided to go to lunch and along the way we saw two others similar units on differant RV lots. After a fine and filling lunch, we checked both out and of course it was the third Solara that was perfect. To the point that a name tag with the previous owners was on the side of the camper, Missy and Doug. We all looked at it as a sign, having my name already on it. Missy could easily be removed (grin)....

It's a 2013 model, with one large slide

lots of storage

the passenger seat swivels around, lots of floor space

the table slides down and forms a day bed, nice

very comfy corner bed and bathroom

the new controls next to the microwave are
for the solar panels and lithium Ion batteries

my 1st night camping on BLM (free camping) site

QUARTSITE AZ

distance traveled: 256 miles

It's been a month and I've had my first venture out with the new Class C camper I've nicknamed Zippy, as I think I'll be zipping along all those back-roads and byways.

Every adventure takes preparation to do it right and this one is no exception. A water pump needs to be replaced in a few days (it's on order). On my way to Quartsite I had to go back to the dealer in Apache Junction to get him to sign the back of the title before I can get my Florida tags. Stop and go traffic through Phoenix finally brought me to Quartsite later in the day, where I've just had one solar panel, two lithium Ion batteries and controllers installed.

One solar panel installed along with two lithium Ion batteries
equivalent to 4 deep cycle batteries, and a controller
It's all I could afford at this time

This was important to me as I wanted to have enough overnight power to run the furnace in cold weather. I can tell you from last nights experience, the batteries held up well enabling me to have the furnace come on multiple times throughout the night and barely putting a dent in the battery storage.

I'll be returning to Desert Trails in a couple of days as I need to check out the systems on board and ensure everything is working fine. I'll then begin to close up the 5th wheel camper and truck and leaving it in the desert for the summer and my return next fall.

poppies, it's springtime in the desert

trip to Tubac iwth friends

Tom and Chris, wonderful day touring Tubac AZ

Add caption

a celebration of friends at Ironwood picnic area
and open house for the new Class C camper

thanks to everyone who were able to join us

Tucson Az

evening setting in over Desert Trails Rv park
Tucson AZ

Favorite Camping Resource Books

Camping on a Shoestring, 3rd Eastern Edition by Don Wright (Great list of free and cheap campgrounds eastcoast, lists many city and county park/campgrounds)
Camping with the Corps of Engineers by S.L. Hinkle (a complete guide to campgrounds owned and operated by the US Army Corps)
Coleman, National Forest Campground & Recreation Directory (A detailed list of all the campgrounds in National Forests)
Don Wright's Guide to Free Campgrounds, Western Edition (Great list of free and cheap campgrounds, lists many city and county park/campgrounds)
GOOGLE SEARCH (Don't forget to use the Internet to search: use (city name, campgound, camping for your search)
Military Travel Guide USA (Lists all the Military campgrounds for DoD and retired military)
Passport America book (lists all the half price campgrounds)
RV Camping in State Parks, D.J Davins (A listing of all state parks)

Camping Club Info:

CAMPING CLUBS:

Joining the various camping clubs can be a great help. Each makes their own mark on camping and building communities within the camping world.

Many of the camping clubs I've listed are 1/2 off clubs. By joining, you get 1/2 off the camping rate for one night, a week and some are unlimited stays at their campgrounds.

Also, most everyone who plans on camping for part of the year or is thinking about full-timing get either the Motor Home or Trailer Life magazine. Both offer tons of helpful hints and trips to take throughout the year. Good Sam’s has Highways magazine which you get free with your membership.

I joined a number of clubs and magazines the first couple of years before I became a full timer, just to get an idea of what the community was like out there. After a couple of years, I’ve kept my favorites and dropped the rest. Listed in no particular order.

TIP: Always call ahead and inform them you are a member of a particular CLUB. Sometimes campgrounds drop out or change their policy. It's always good to call ahead and confirm they are still members in the club you've joined.

Escapees: It’s one of the best communities of Rv’ers you’ll ever find. With great support groups and individual clubs with just about every interest and hobby a person could think of. They own a number of campgrounds that you can get really great rates for camping and they provide a 10-15% discount at other campgrounds throughout the country.

http://escapees.com/index2.asp Membership: $60.00 + $10 enrollment fee.

Good Sam’s Is good, but personally I haven’t had much need for them, and their 10% off campground fees has not been much of an incentive. They do have lots of Rally’s and caravans if you have the inclination and are willing to pay for the trips. The trips can be very pricey.

https://www.goodsamclub.com/Membership: $29.95

Passport America: My favorite club!!!!!!!!

It’s a 50% off camping club that gets you 50% off the campgrounds that have signed up with Passport America, (1,800+ campgrounds) good online web site and book for browsing campsites.

If you join, please let them know your were recommended by:

D Palosaari C-271417

http://www.passport-America.com/main/default.asp

Membership: $44.00

Happy Campers: Another 50% off camping club and mirrors Passport America with perhaps a few different campgrounds than what Passport has. Their camp book is small and doesn't have good maps for directions.

http://www.camphalfprice.com/Membership: $49.95

Camping Club USA: recently merged with Passport America

Recreation USA:

I found this club on the Internet and it advertises that all of it’s campgrounds go for $10.00 a night. They also have a half/off section as well. I have been a member for two years, and though I've stayed at a couple of campgrounds on their list, many are no longer available or haven't heard of Rec. USA and I end up not being able to use the camping club discount. Always call ahead on this one to confirm that they are still participating. I've met the owners of the club and they are nice, it's just that they don't seem to keep up with the campgrounds who are supposed to be participating.

http://www.campingandcampgrounds.com/member_updates.html Membership: $44.00 per year.

Brief History

I grew up in the Copper Country's Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I started working from age 13 at the Copperama during the summer as a dishwasher. I remember being so small that I had to stand on two wooden pepsi crates to put the dishes in the dishwasher. After highschool, I attended Suomi College (a Finish oriented college) renamed to Finlandia University a couple years ago.

I had a chance when I was around 20 to travel to Florida with a co-worker from the Copperama (after our usual layoff in the fall) and upon arriving in Fla, I sent a letter home the second day and said, "I'm Staying". My Mom wrote back and said, "Stay, it's the best decision you made in your life.... and when you get settled, we'll come visit".

It worked out well, having moved from one peninsula in the U.P. to Florida, another peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. I love water.

Mom gave very little advice, but reminded me that no one would ever be able to take care of me after I left home, that I could not come back home after I left (except for a weeks vacation), and that I should never ask for a loan, because they didn't have the money.

What she did give me though, was some advice. And that was to look at the years my Dad struggled with making a living. Getting layed off from his construction work every winter until he finally got a job with the State of Mich. at MTU as a maintenance worker. Life was good after that.

So when I got to Florida, I got the hint and after a short period of working at 7-11 and a couple other small jobs, I started to apply for any Gov. job. City, County, State and Federal.

I finally got a job with the Navy starting out as a GS-2 temporary part time not to exceed 90 days putting cans of beans on the shelves at the commissary. My foot was in the door and a career that eventually spanned 31 years ending up as a Logistics Manager.

my desire to travel was realized after years of camping and enjoying the great outdoors. I got started camping just to save money and it became a lifelong source of joy.

Hint to those just starting out in the working world: Every job has it's fringe benefits, some are written down, some aren't. Learn what they are and take advantage of them.

Example: If I got on committees that required travel, I could travel at the Goverments expense. Plus, I could extend my stay after the work as vacation. The Gov. paid my way out and back for my job and for my vacation!

Dreams do come true. Stay focused and keep working on them and one day, yours will come true too.

Roving Reports by Doug P