We have enjoyed our stay here in Vista California at the Vista Elks Lodge. The people at this lodge are friendly and although they have welcomed us they didn’t really “adopt us” as we thought they might. Part of the reason to stay here was to make a decision as to whether or not we wanted to join the Elks as members. We like what the Elks represent and who they are but have decided not to join the organization as RV’ers since we don’t think it is a wise investment right now.
Part of the allure of becoming Elks was to have the availability of the RV parking spots behind the Elks lodges. These sites aren’t free but are usually between 10 and 18 dollars. Our average cost per site is less than 25 per night now. If we factor in the annual dues to join an Elks lodge it would take us 40 nights of camping at an Elks lodge just to break even with our current costs for overnight stays. The social aspect of the lodge is appealing but we probably wouldn’t take advantage of that as much as we would if we weren’t RV’ing. As a result we will reconsider joining the Elks when we opt out of fulltiming in our RV at a later date.
Besides visiting Oceanside Beach (our favorite destination from here) another place we visited that we thought we should mention 
to those who happen to visit this area was the Valley View Casino Indian Casino. We have mentioned before that we aren’t big gamblers but if you join their players club as a new member you get a free dinner buffet. You may be thinking that casino dinner buffets should be free anyhow as bad as so many of them are but I am here to tell you that this is better than any buffet we ever had, even on a cruise ship!
Why? They served Maine Lobster, Snow Crab Legs, Boiled Shrimp, Raw Oysters and even served Mexican, Italian, sushi and Oriental offerings.And to top it off their dessert selection and quality was absolutely fabulous… crème brule, cakes, pies, cupcakes, cannolis, bananas foster, mousse, chocolate covered strawberries and even a healthy offering of fresh raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. Normally 32-36 bucks for this dinner and probably well worth that price too… but for free it was a no-brainer!
We have a plan for our water leak as Tiffin has suggested we work with La Mesa 
RV in San Diego. We we have an appointment on the 19th at 10:00 am to have them look it over so hopefully we won’t have to make a trip to Red Bay anytime too soon. We made a six night reservation at Santa Fe Park in San Diego, a Passport America Park, although it was still a bit pricey. Then we will stay for one month in San Diego at Mission Bay RV Resort starting on the 15th of September. If the repair isn’t urgent we hope to spend most of the winter months in the southwest or Texas…
Such a deal on the buffet. I'd join the casino club for that!! And the shells are great - not easy to find unbroken sand dollars.
ReplyDeleteI would come there just for the Snow Crab Legs~!
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Karen and Steve
(Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com
On many blogs the writers lead you believe that you can park for free at the Elks Lodges if you are a member. I often wondered what the true cost was. Thanks for the info. I was given several free one year club memberships to various RV clubs when I purchased my RV. I have not renewed any of those. The only memberships I have now are Passport America and Escapees. Last year, I purchased the Texas State Parks Pass because I spend a lot of nights in the Texas State Parks.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you have a water plan. Hope it works out well. Beautiful water and shell pictures. Keep em' comin'!
ReplyDeleteHello, nice post. We also did not renew our Elks membership for the same reason. Be well and safe travels, Ann and Jerry
ReplyDeleteWe are gamblers either but do take advantage of the many casinos in our travels, for the free overnight stop and perks that you receive with a new players card, always good for night out.
ReplyDeleteWe aren't gamblers really but we do use RV parks at casinos because they often are more economical.
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