Estero Llano Grande State Park and Exit Plan Update…

There are several state parks down in the southern tip of Texas and we like to visit these as much as possible. We always purchase the annual Texas State Parks Pass because it allows us to in free and also has some free camping perks. All of the State Parks in Texas are unique in that they are home to species of flora and fauna found nowhere else in the entire USA.

One park with nice trails is the Estero Llano Grande State Park which is part of the World Birding Center. We like this park because we  can enjoy a hike while also birding.

Upon arriving at the park visitors walk right up to the visitor center adjacent to a small wetland pond. Every time we have ever visited this park this pond is covered in ducks, mostly Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and this visit was no exception.

We stopped to check out all the waterfowl even spying a couple of Shoveler ducks, one of Sharon’s favorites. Also, while watching the ducks we noticed that they were becoming a bit nervous so I scoured the sky and discovered the reason why… A Peregrine Falcon was soaring high above which alarmed the waterfowl below.

We spent the afternoon hiking and birding at the park and reflected on how we have always enjoyed exploring different parts of our beautiful country. It is opportunities such as this that we know we will greatly miss once we are no longer on the road. Hopefully we will find a place conducive to our love of the outdoors which will fend off the boredom we fear in our next non mobile lifestyle.

And to provide an update on our progress of figuring out what the next chapter of our lives holds for us… alas, not much new has happened on that front. We still don’t know what we will do or where we will end up but we have eliminated a few more states and now only have 17 on our list. We are now focusing on towns in each of the seventeen states so I would assume things will not happen much faster.

We do our research independent of one another so it will be interesting to see what each of us found once we compare notes. Thankfully we have plenty of time for this decision as there is nothing “forcing” us to decide immediately such as health or finances. As long as that remains the case we will simply plug along and continue researching then perhaps begin visiting towns on our lists to see if any place feels like home. For now home is still wherever we are parked which currently is in South Texas….

NOTE: We are currently in South Padre Island TX until March 1st…

Thoughts About Our Phoenix Stay and What’s Next…

When we decided to modify our beginning of the year plans due to the impending birth of our daughter’s baby girl in North Carolina, it gave us time to pause and reflect. While I sat for a few months alone with the RV in Rockport Texas and Sharon was in North Carolina helping our daughter with the new baby, I had some time to begin seriously thinking about what’s next for us after we stop RV’ing.

We know we won’t be RV’ing fulltime forever so we need to iron out what the next chapter of our lives will look like. Thoughts about this process led to us deciding to cut short our planned stays in the pacific northwest this past summer and instead focus on the southwest.

We decided to take advantage of Cal-Am’s fall special where we could stay at several of their parks for an inexpensive price. We did this to answer a few questions we had about Arizona. One was could we live in Arizona during the cusp seasons of early fall ad late spring? Another was could we settle down in cities such as Phoenix or Tucson? And lastly, would we like to live in a Cal-Am Park? Or as the top photo suggested… Does X mark our spot?

We booked a month in September at Sun Life RV Resort in Mesa AZ. This would be the first of three Cal-Am parks we would visit. What we learned while staying there was we really like Sun Life and what Cal-Am offers it’s residents. Our next month in Mesa Regal was equally enjoyable.

The difference between the two parks is mostly size. Sun Life is a much smaller version of Mesa Regal. Both offer way above average facilities and both are fun places to stay (during season) and are conveniently near just about anything one would need or want.

What is it about our stay we didn’t like? Well there were two huge negatives to us. First was there is no way we want to live in an area where the daytime temperatures rise well past 110 degrees Fahrenheit! Overnight lows during this time (September) seldom dropped below 90 F. We found this to be way too hot for active people like us!

The other big negative to the Cal-Am parks is that they are very expensive in their monthly fees. It is $8500 or more annually for site rent/HOA fees. Monthly charges for sewer/electric/trash are quite high as well. We understand they have great amenities but we could experience the same amenities in apartment complexes at a much less fee.

Have we completely eliminated living in Arizona? No, not yet… but we have decided if we do so it would have to be seasonal… We are now in Tucson staying at our third Cal-Am park and wonder what we will think after this stay is over…

NOTE: We are currently in Tucson AZ until December…….

Why are we going to Phoenix in September!!!

We really enjoyed our stay in the Prescott AZ area but we decided to do something we may regret. The plan is to move on down to Phoenix during the heat wave they have been experiencing. We spent three nights at the Phoenix Metro RV Park using Passport America and then moved over to Sun Life RV Resort in Mesa for a month.

The Phoenix Metro RV Park was pretty empty but the sites were fairly nice but small like most are in the Phoenix area. There was a nice pool and hot tub and we had a scenic view from our RV of a small desert mountain.

With temperatures in the 110’s we spent some time at the pool to cool down and Sharon spent some time in their small, but adequate, fitness room. We didn’t do a whole lot while at this park but we did check out three breweries, one each night we were there. Our favorite was Front Pourch!

One thing we were happy to do was to meet up with former RV friends and now residents of nearby Sun City. We met for brunch at a place they chose, JD Campbells, and I had a fabulous green chili omelette while Sharon enjoyed a traditional breakfast plate.. We first met Bobbie and Jim at Betty’s RV park and have stopped in to see them a few times since. It is always fun to catch up with friends we made while on the road. These two are always great to be around!

When the temperatures dropped one day we took advantage and found a little disc golf course to play. It was still plenty hot but it was nice to be outdoors for a fun round of disc golf.

So you may be wondering why we are in Phoenix during the heat of summer. Well now that we have been here a month we are wondering why we chose to do that as well. But there was a reason…

We have been on the road a long, long time and know that the end of our fulltime travels is closing in on us. As a result we are starting to explore areas of interest to us as places we might stay for a longer period of time after our travels in the RV are over. Working on an exit strategy is something we simply cannot put off any longer.

Both of us have always liked Arizona so we took advantage of a Cal-Am promotion which allows us to stay in three parks we think we would like for only $995. That allows us to stay in any Cal-Am park on the list of the offer from September 1 to December 31st. We came down here in September to experience the 110+ heat to see if we could tolerate it.

Short answer is – We can’t. We are outdoor people and 110+ means little of that beloved activity occurs. However, it is all part of the grand experiment of looking for future homes… We understand it will be a process.

NOTE:  We are currently in Mesa, Arizona until November 1st…

Exploring The Villages in Florida…

Moving northward we were heading toward the Villages, a well known retirement community in north central Florida. We will be there for three nights and we plan to visit two RV’ing couples we met on the road who now have homes in the Villages. One lives there fulltime while the other couple are snowbirds from Illinois.

We pulled into Three Flags RV Resort in Wildwood Florida near The Villages and set up camp. We walked over  to visit our friend Jill (who had penned a blog called Two Tools and a Dream when she was RV’ing) and her new partner Roy. They had just purchased a Class B which they were trying out for the first time at Three Flags in a site near us. They invited us over to their home the next day to spend the night to give us the “insiders” view of The Villages. Awesome!

For those that don’t know The Villages is a master-planned age-restricted community which currently spans nearly 25 miles with over 115,000 people living there. The Villages is one of the most well-known and fastest-growing retirement communities. The Villages offers numerous forms of recreation with the majority of the costs paid  via the monthly amenities fee of around $175.00.

The Villages operates 50 golf courses with the majority (38) of them being 9-hole courses only. They also have numerous recreation centers offering pools along with bocce, horseshoe, and shuffleboard courts, billiards,  meeting rooms  tennis and pickleball courts as well as theatrical and musical productions. The Villages operates 11 parks, dog parks, and fitness trails. It also offers over 2700 social clubs for residents of the area. They even have a softball complex and a Polo field.

The Villages brings in big name entertainment such as Willie Nelson and the Beach Boys. They even have nightly bands playing in each of their three town squares seven nights a week, 365 days a year. This place actually has its own TV station, newspaper, radio station and Town Centers.

Jill and Roy showed us all around taking us on a golf cart tour as well. Amazingly there are  tunnels for the golf carts to go under busy roadways. That evening Jill and Roy treated us to dinner and then we checked out the rock and roll band playing in the town square where there was a big crowd enjoying dancing and libations. How great it was to experience the Villages with Jill and Roy as our guides.

Our last day we used the passes Jill got for us to take our own self guided tour. First we took a stroll at the Sharon Rose Wiechens Preserve in The Villages.  This is a nice short boardwalk hike which offers a nice relaxing stroll with lots of bird activity in and along the water. Afterward we stopped in for a short visit to say hi to our friends the Parhams who just moved into The Villages this winter. Sadly Steve was out of town but we still had a great chat with Diane who gave us a tour of her new 3 bedroom villa with a glassed-in lanai.  She said she and Steve were loving it there.

Our last evening we checked out another square for the nightly entertainment and happy hour. Sharon could easily see herself living in this place and while I admit it is  pretty incredible it still isn’t for me. Lacking mountains and/or a beach nearby are pretty much deal breakers to me, but who knows what our future will be on the road of retirement…

NOTE: We are at Eastbank Corp of Engineer park on the Georgia/Florida border and moving west to Robertsdale Alabama for one or two nights depending upon the weather…

SaddleBrooke Homes and Stormy Desert…

As we wrap up our stay here at Justin D Diamond RV Park I would like to describe this little park in the desert. When we first arrived we felt a little deceived since there really wasn’t a fitness room and the pickleball courts, errr court, was not up to standard. Had we known we might not have visited this park and that would have been sad since this is a great little park in the Sonaran desert and it doesn’t need any amenities.

 

The reason amenities are unnecessary is that the park is adjacent to a fabulous trail system located right behind the park! The Big Mountain Park and the western part of the Sonoran Desert National Park are so close enough to bike to. Once we ventured out on the trails we wondered why the park bothers to advertise amenities to lure us to the excellent little park? The advertising instead should focus on its location, location, location…We enjoyed those trails everyday during our stay.

When we weren't hiking or biking in our backyard we were out and about investigating retirement communities in the Tucson area. . We took a trip up to Oracle to see a Robson community called Saddlebrook Ranch and a trip southeast to see a Del Webb Community near Vail, Arizona. Some have asked if we are ready to settle down and the answer is no… not yet. But we may not be west for another year or two so we wanted to get a feel for what the area has to offer retirees.

 

Not to mention as we drove to and from these places we saw some of the great scenery around Tucson including the Sangre De Cristo Mountains and the majestic Mount Lemmon. We have learned from these visits that anything over 1500 square  feet is a freaking big house! It’s amazing after living in about 400 square feet how little space we realize now we really need. The other thing we realized is location is important! Arizona is a beautiful state and one we will strongly consider residing in when we are finally ready to hang up the keys…

Our only regret during our short Tucson stay was that we had hoped to visit a few other people but our last day was filled with chores and a frustratingly long visit to Costco trying to have a prescription filled. We were at least able to use our Groupon we purchased at Sentinel Peak Brewery our last evening and the beers, especially their Porter, were quite good.

That last day we got back to the park later than we wanted but were still hoping to get in a little socializing.  Sadly the scheduled activity (bonfire and pot luck) was cancelled so we missed an opportunity to see some friends staying in the park. I did stroll out to see if an astronomer with his really big telescope was out as advertised and amazingly he was. So my last night at the RV Park I had a nice star gazing activity and even learned a little… always a good thing!

Where we travel to next is weather dependent and we will be boondocking nearby at the Casino Del Sol for a few days as we are still waiting for the cold night time weather to leave. I don't think we are the only ones anxious for warmer temperatures...

Another Retirement Option and a Hike in the Superstition Mountains…

After looking at a couple of retirement communities I felt we should take a look at something I felt might be a more likely option in our short term future. Although I know we will eventually end back in a sticks and bricks house I really don’t see us stopping RV’ing anytime soon. What I see s a transitional phase where we would acquire a small home as a base, keep an RV and travel seasonally.  With this in mind we went to visit Gold Canyon, Arizona to Superstition Views, a Cal-Am resort.

What appealed to me here were the casita models similar to ones we looked at when we were staying in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas at Bentson Palms. We drove over to the Cal-Am resort and checked in with the sales office. They had three basic models with varying floor plans available to look at. The smallest was 12 feet wide, the middle, another one 14 feet wide and the largest one was 16 feet wide resulting in casitas ranging form the low 600 square feet to just under 900 square feet of living space.

The smallest place we saw at Robson Ranch was over 1,200 square feet so we were curious what we would think about these smaller casitas. Along the tour we felt the smallest one was just a bit too small despite having a floor plan that made it appear much larger inside. We could live in a unit this  small but really liked the other two larger casita better than the smallest one.

We happily discovered this trip that we had very similar likes and dislikes about our future living arrangements. We do have some differences but nothing too earth shattering. The biggest difference we have is that I see no need for a second bedroom whereas Sharon would like one. I figure that since these casitas allow for an RV pad alongside the casitas, this would provide us guest accommodations when needed.  Sharon also preferred the plan with a laundry room rather than a closet for stackable washer/dryers. She seemed very happy with the plentiful resort amenities although they were on a smaller scale than those at Robson Ranch.

The least expensive were the smallest units starting right at $90,000 and the largest one was just over $100,000 so there would be no reason in my opinion to settle for the smallest one. We would need an additional $10,000  for the full hookup RV pad.  We would also upgrade the basic flooring and kitchen options to our tastes and add the optional deck.After a quick tally we found it would be pretty easy to move into a place at this resort for $150,000 or so. Now the downside would be the "lifestyle fee" (they don’t call it an HOA) as they are pricey at just over $500 per month with the likelihood of increasing about $24 per month at each anniversary until year five.However when considering all you get and the fact that you have no real estate taxes it really isn’t all that bad. If a buyer purchases an already built casita, this lifestyle fee is waived for two years whereas a custom built casita has a one year waive of the fee.

The biggest wow factor for us in this area out were the stunning views to be had by spending the additional money for the outside staircase for access to the roof as a patio deck. With the views of the Superstition Mountains I could see us spending a lot of time on that patio for sure…

  

After our complimentary lunch and tour we noticed  while driving back a small pull out along the road that appeared to be a parking lot for a trail. We stopped and sure enough found a nice series of trails that traversed some small hills with those same fabulous views of the Superstition Mountains. There was a lot of color on the trail as many flowers were blooming giving a beautiful contrast to the saguaros and other cacti as well as the beautiful reddish brown hue of the rocks. We did a short loop of less than two miles and wished we had found this trail system earlier..

We have come to the end of our stay here in Mesa and will leave today for Casa Grande. Yes it is only about 50 miles but that is the way I prefer to travel when we can. I am looking forward to Spring and resuming our life on the road again!