It’s a Wrap for the Spring Road Trip

1 06 2026

After a very long hiatus from blogging, it’s time to get it caught up!  Sorry about the delay…

After AJ we moved to Rincon Country West RV Resort in Tucson.  This is the 3rd year we’ve stayed at Rincon West.  We have friends that spend the winter in the park and this along with the proximity to the miles of bike trails in Tucson really make it ideal.  Officially the Chuck Huckelberry Loop trail (known as The Loop) is a 138 paved car-free trail around the greater Tucson area.  The portion of the loop near Rincon is along the mostly dry Santa Cruz river which flows intermittently through central Tucson.  But, not just biking, Tucson is a favorite for the foodie scene – we always find new, interesting restaurants to explore.  And, it’s close to Mexico, with the border town of Nogales just about an hour south where we spent an afternoon.  This year, Tucson recorded record high temperatures for March, so outdoor activities were somewhat curtained as temps pushed into the upper 90’s and even low 100’s for much of our our visit.

Epic Rides at Stone And 6th Street in Tucson AZ

100 years of Tucson Rodeo Mural

Unlike past spring trips, we’re headed home from Tucson instead of South Padre Island.  We’ve decided that the salt air of South Padre is just too destructive to the RV and, this year the park that we normally stay in is closed for refurbishment.  On our trip back north our first stop is Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area near Show Low, AZ.  This is a very nice park!  Located in the tall pines around Fool Hollow Lake, the full-hookup sites are large and very spread out.  We also enjoyed the town of Show Low – we’ll be back!

Fools Hollow Lake Recreation Area

The famous poker game – “Show Low”

After Fools Hollow, we spent a quick overnight at USA RV in Gallup New Mexico.  This is a very basic park, we’ve been here before and it works well for an overnight. Situated next to I-40, a busy rail line and the metropolitan airport, it can be a bit noisy.  From Gallup, we’re back to Colorado, with a 2 night stop at Outdoorsy Bayfield.  We enjoyed a dinner out with a friend from Bayfield and a lunch in Durango with another friend from Mancos.  From Bayfield it’s a relatedly short drive back across Wolf Creek Pass across the San Luis Valley, over La Veta pass and home.

We were at home for 4 days before starting our road trip (sans RV) to South Padre Island. Our accommodation on the island is a nice 3 bedroom condo on the Gulf beach – very pleasant.  On the way south we spent a night in Amarillo, San Angelo and San Antonio where we met family for 2 days of fun on the riverwalk.  On the way back from South Padre we spend a night in Kerrville, one night at the Gage Hotel in Marathon and then a quick overnight in Roswell before returning home.   Our next trip is in early June when we’ll meet other Montana RV owners at a rally in Colorado Springs.  More from there…


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Campground USA, Apache Junction, AZ

10 03 2026

We’re back in Apache Junction, at the base of the beautiful Superstition Mountains at Campground USA.  This is one of the newest parks in AJ with nice big sites, a beautiful pool/hot tub area and a very nice clubhouse.  We were last here a few years ago and ended up with a park credit after cancelling our reservation last year.  This year we’re in a premium spot, a private back-in along the north wall of the park.  Apache Junction is a great “home base” for excursions into the desert to the east, or the Gilbert entertainment district, or even downtown Phoenix and many of the east side ballparks.

Campground USA, Apache Junction, AZ

On Wednesday we met friends at Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix.  We started our evening at Gertrude’s by Tarbell’s, from PBS television host and James Beard-nominated chef Mark Tarbell.  Focused on ingredients directly from growers in Arizona, Gertrudes offers a wonderful menu including southwest favorites of elevated tacos, pastas, green chili pork, ribs, seafood, and other tasty options. After a delicious dinner, we wandered through the presentation of Framerate:Desert Pulse.  This multi-sensory art exhibit is scattered throughout the 135 acres of the garden and is appreciated best after dark.  Huge screens show time lapse scenes of various Arizona desert ecosystems such as cactus reacting to rain and dry and hot conditions, expansion of a housing development at the edge of the desert and the night sky over Phoenix.  This was a great evening!

ScanLAB Projects, FRAMERATE: Desert Pulse, artist installation rendering, Desert Botanical Garden, 2025. Courtesy the artists.

Desert Botanical Gardens, Phoenix, AZ

Desert Botanical Gardens, Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix metro area

On Saturday we joined friends on an ATV ride into the desert north of Apache Junction.  We viewed the Phoenix area from high atop a peak near Snail Rock and drove out towards Bulldog Canyon – a fun afternoon, thanks D&J!    On Monday we returned to Salt River Fields for an additional spring baseball game with the Diamondback and Seattle Mariners.  After only 11 nights in AJ, we’re headed to Tucson.  More from there…


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Eagle View RV, Ft. McDowell, AZ

20 02 2026

We’ve arrived in the valley of the sun and are parked at one of our new favorite parks, Eagle View near Fountain Hills, AZ.  We spent time here last year and had initially booked another month this year.  With schedule changes, we’ll end up only spending 11 nights here in Fountain Hills. But, somehow we managed one of the premium sites,  back-ins along the Verde River.  These sites are very nice, wide and deep with full hookups.  The river is off-limits here, but there is plenty of room to roam throughout the park and along the bike trails in Fountain Hills.

Eagle View RV Resort, Fountain HIlls, AZ

On Friday we attended our first spring baseball game of 2026, the season opener between the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks.  The Rockies and D-backs share Salt River Fields at Talking Stick; a beautiful facility located within the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community in the NE corner of the Phoenix metro area.  The park is about 30 minutes from Fountain Hills just inside the 101 loop.

Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, Scottsdale, AZ

After a short bike ride into Fountain Hills on Saturday, we enjoyed an early dinner at El Encanto de la Fuente, for very tasty Mexican food on their nice outdoor patio.  El Encanto first opened in Cave Creek and has been recognized many times as best valley Mexican food, most romantic, top outdoor eatery and other awards.  Our dinners were delicious, the service was great and the patio was beautiful – we’ll be back.

El Encanto de la Fuente, Fountain Hills, AZ

This weekend is the annual Spring Fountain Festival of Fine Arts & Crafts in Fountain Hills. After biking into town, we enjoyed wandering through the booths that lined the entire length of the Avenue of the Fountains and Saguaro Blvd.  This is an impressive art show of over 500 artists and thousands of beautiful art pieces.  During our visit we checked out the menu at Alexanders Greek Kitchen.  On Tuesday we joined friends for delicious Greek food, on Alexanders very comfortable outdoor patio overlooking the famous fountain.  Delicious, another one for our recommendation list!

Spring Fountain Festival of Fine Arts & Crafts, Fountain Hills, AZ

Before departing Fountain Hills, we also visited Saguaro Lake Marina.  Even though the grill was closed, we enjoyed a cold beer from the upper deck of the gift shop.  We also visited the We-Ko-Pa casino for a tasty beverage or two.  From Fountain Hills, we’re headed to Apache Junction, more from AJ…


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Thousand Trails , Cottonwood, AZ

11 02 2026

We’re on our way to Cottonwood, AZ, just south of Sedona and north of Camp Verde.  But, along they way, we’re going to spend 2 nights in Williams, AZ.  We were last at Grand Canyon Railway RV Park here in 2022.  This is a very nice park, but both train and highway noise it can get loud.  And, in early February, high temps were in the 50’s and 60’s with lows in the 20’s keeping us indoors for much of the time.  We did revisit the Grand Canyon Brewing & Distillery but were less impressed with their offering than during our last visit.  We know prices have gone up, but their Charcuterie Board went from $25 to $32.  And, personal pizzas went from $18 to $23.  It’s certainly not the value it was 4 years ago!

From Williams, we’re headed to the Camp Verde area.  We’ve always stayed at Verde Ranch, a beautiful park right at the intersection of I-17 and highway 260.  This time we opted for Thousand Trails Verde Valley in Cottonwood, about 9 miles north of Verde Ranch.  This is a very unique park with about 350 sites along the bluffs overlooking the river and several loops of sites right along the river.  And, just as unique, when you arrive, you’re given a sheet of available sites and told to go pick one.  While this offers ultimate flexibility, it’s kind of a challenge to maneuver the RV through a bunch of unfamiliar sites.  It’d be much nicer if they offered a golf cart to go select your site with!

Thousand Trails, Verde Valley, Cottonwood, AZ

The river-side loops A, B, C, and H offer both pull-through and back-in sites.  However, most of the back-in sites are considered premium and not available for our reservation.  Most pull-through sites are oriented in a back-to-back configuration, where you and your neighbor share the utility space.   These can produce tight spaces once slides are extended.  And it means that you share a patio area with another neighbor.  In the end, we opted for site A-15, at the far loop along the river.  Power options are also unique here – standard reservations are for 30A service.  So, even while your pedestal has both 30 and 50 amp service, you are prohibited from using the 50A without paying additional surcharges.  Bluff sites, in loops I, J K and M are all Premium and Deluxe sites, offering some of the most spacious sites, all 50A and many offering great views out over the river valley.  TT Verde Valley feels like two separate parks, one with small, rather cramped spaces with minimal services and another with huge spaces, views and full services.    In the end, we opted for Site A-15, at the far end of the park along the river.  We shared our patio area with nice neighbors and never had a back-to-back neighbor during our stay.

Thousand Trails, Verde Valley, Cottonwood, AZ

Thousand Trails, Verde Valley, Cottonwood, AZ

On Saturday we’re headed to the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff.  Opting to take the “scenic” route, we visit Sedona and on through Oak Creek Canyon.  This is a beautiful drive, but allow plenty of time.  It took nearly an hour to transit the short 1 or 2 miles through Sedona.  At the Oak Creek Vista, you can clearly see the edge of the Mogollon Rim stretching out below.  The total elevation change from Cottonwood to Flagstaff is nearly 4000 feet!  Established in 1894, the Lowell Observatory is among the oldest in the nation and credited with the discovery of Pluto in 1930.  This is a fantastic facility, with exhibits and presentations for the entire family.  At dusk, we joined about 40 others on the rooftop of the building for a laser pointer tour of constellations in the night sky.  It was chilly that evening, about 30 degrees – but the recliners are heated, making for much more pleasant experience.  We’d recommend this observatory to anyone that wants to understand more about our solar system and the planets and stars of the Milky Way.

Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona, AZ

While in Cottonwood, we explored a few new restaurants including a wonderful Indian restaurant, Babu Tikka Masala.  On Sunday we had brunch at Brewha, a unique Social Eatery and Market in Cornville.  Following Cottonwood, we’ll move to two parks in the Phoenix area, Eagle View RV Resort, a favorite in Fountain Hills and Campground USA in Apache Junction.  More from there…


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Lake Mead RV Village, Boulder City, NV

5 02 2026

After only a week in Havasu, we’re headed to Nevada, to the Lake Mead RV Village near Boulder City.  This is an older park, with plenty of permanent structures, but the reservable RV sites are the best – backing up to what was once the “beach” at Lake Mead.  With a 165 foot bathtub ring around the lake, the water is a long way from the campsites, but the view is still great!  These sites are huge – initially built to accommodate park models, each site has a large concrete slab with dual hookups to accommodate either a trailer or a motor coach.  At a weekly rate of about $60/night, this is a pretty good value.

“Out the Back Window”, Lake Mead RV Village, Boulder City, NV

There’s a lot to do from this location, with the Hoover Dam about 5 miles away, Boulder City about 10 miles and Las Vegas only 30 miles.  Just as in Havasu, there’s a bike trail very near the RV park – the River Mountains Loop.  This 34 mile trail circles around the area west of Lake Mead, with connections to Boulder City, Henderson and Lake Las Vegas, as well as the interesting Historic Railroad Hiking Trail.  This former railroad was built to haul workers and supplies from Boulder City to the construction site for what was then Boulder Dam.  The 7.5 mile (round trip) gravel trail picks up from the Lake Mead visitors center and travels through 5 tunnels before arriving near Hoover Dam.

Historic Railroad Hiking Trail, Boulder City, NV

Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, NV

The Sphere, Las Vegas
On Wednesday we’ve secure tickets to Wizard of Oz at the famous Sphere.  Upon entry, it feels a lot like a normal stadium with lots of escalators ascending to concourse levels above.  Each concourse has plenty of food, drinks, and souvenir outlets. Seating is organized by level, the 200’s, 300’s and 400’s.  200 level pricing runs from about $250 to $350 per seat while 400 level pricing is between $100 and $200.

Passing through the portals, sensory perceptions are altered.  No longer are you standing on level floor with a flat ceiling above.  Instead, steep stairs run up and down in front of you.  Overhead the curved ceiling looks like an art deco band shell.  Once seated, you see a very small stage at the bottom of the auditorium with what appears to be classic stacks of loudspeakers hanging from the ceiling.  However, this stage, the speakers, and walls are just projections used to orient the audience for what is about to come.  As soon as the movie starts, the small screen on the stage expands outward until the trees, clouds and even buildings completely engulf the audience.  Along with great sound and visuals, immersive technology lets you feel the wind and catch blowing leaves during the tornado, experience the room quake as the Wizard speaks and be hit by an apple from the enchanted forest.  Overall, this is an amazing facility!

The Sphere, Las Vegas, NV

Wizard of Oz, The Sphere, Las Vegas, NV

Hoover Dam Tour
After biking over to Hoover Dam on our first day at Lake Mead, we decided we wanted to see more of this enormous structure and purchased tickets for the full Guided Dam Tour.  These tours include a self-guided tour of the Visitors Center, a guided tour of the Nevada power plant with access to the original elevators and inspection tunnels.  From a viewing platform high above the 8 generators, the Bureau of Reclamation guide explained the operation of the power plant including the installation of new turbines designed for low water pressure.  These new turbines are necessary since the level of Lake Mead has dropped over 150 feet since the original designs were completed.  We also walked along the narrow inspection tunnels containing block numbers for crack documentation and earthquake monitors.  On one side of these tunnels is the lake, nearly 300 feet above, and on the other side is the remaining river channel nearly 300 feet below.  The view out one of the ventilation tunnels was amazing!

Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, NV

Hoover Dam, Nevada Power Plant

Hoover Dam, Ventilation Tunnel

Hoover Dam, Inspection Tunnels

Lake Mead, NV

Along with our Sphere experience and dam tour, we explored a few restaurants in the area.  After the show at the Sphere, we enjoyed great Mexican fare at Juan’s Flaming Fajitas & Cantina in Henderson.  Great service, fun atmosphere, excellent food – we’ll be back!  We also enjoyed the “vibe” of Boulder City and checked out two restaurants. The Dillinger, set in the historic Bank of Nevada building, takes its design from the infamous bank robber John Dillinger.  This casual diner serves up great American food in a comfortable environment with perfect service.  Just down the block, we also checked out Hanger 502.  This military, search & rescue themed restaurant offers great sandwiches, burgers and appetizers.  Try the 3 meatballs appetizer – hand made, huge, and so, so good!

After our stay in Nevada, we’re moving back to Arizona with stops in Williams and Cottonwood.  More from Arizona!


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The Islander, Lake Havasu City, AZ

1 02 2026

Good Morning from the shores of Lake Havasu and The Islander Resort. Of the 3 parks located “on the island”, the Islander is our favorite.  Sites are nicely spaced pull throughs, a few with lake views and all with full hookups. Exploring via bike (or e-bike in our case) is easy, with the island loop hike/bike path making a complete loop around the island in 3.5 miles.  This path allows you to cross London Bridge to join the Lake Havasu City trail.  Extending about 4 miles both north and south of the bridge, this paved trail follows highway 95 and provides some challenging hills and great views of the lake.

The Islander, Lake Havasu City

We also enjoy the many restaurants in Havasu, – this year returning to favorites of the Boathouse Grill (adjacent to the resort) and Pirates Den in Parker.  Our new “find” this year was Cha Bones, a wonderful steakhouse and tapas restaurant in Havasu. The service was great, the meals excellent – we need to return next time for their happy hour of half priced tapas!

Cha Bones, Lake Havasu City

On Saturday we enjoyed wandering through the Winterfest market with over 200 craft booths set-up along McCulloch Boulevard.  We’re headed to Nevada next, more from the shores of Lake Mead!


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Del Pueblo RV, Yuma, AZ

25 01 2026

We’ve arrived back to Yuma – a favorite stop along our spring road trip.  Many wonder “why Yuma?”, but we enjoy it here.  It’s usually a bit warmer than other parts of Arizona, and for the most part a lot cheaper.  And, we find the farming and agricultural aspect of Yuma fascinating!

We’re parked at Del Pueblo RV Park located in southern Yuma, just southeast of the airport and surrounded by fields of leafy greens and citrus orchards.  This is our first visit to Del Pueblo.  With about 400 sites, it appears that about half of the sites are occupied by park models, leaving plenty of spaces for RV’s.  The park is well laid out, and sites are nicely sized with a cement patio between the RV space and the truck parking. The electric connection, shared with the site behind, is a long reach!  And, the water isn’t shared but also located on the back of the site required nearly all of our 65’ of hose.  Water apparently is an issue in this park – evidently too far out for city water, we’re warned of drinking the well water by the parking host and the site neighbor.

Del Pueblo RV, Yuma, AZ

Del Pueblo RV, Yuma, AZ

Sports amenities are all around, with 6 pickleball courts, multiple shuffleboards & bag toss courts.  Also, a beauty shop, craft workshop, volleyball and billiards room.  There’s a main pool and hot tub area as well as a remote area with a smaller pool, cardroom, and laundry room.  The onsite restaurant serves breakfast and lunch.  The office staff is friendly; the grounds are well maintained and there are plenty of activities for the residents.  On the downside, there are two issues that are common across reviews of this park, the sewer plant and road noise. The on-site sewer treatment plant is right in the middle of the park.  Prevailing winds appear to be from the North which caused no odor issues in our site #236.  However other sites could experience the issue.  And the road noise!  For being so far out in the country, the main road, South Avenue 3E has an incredible amount of heavy traffic.  It starts around 5AM and runs until about 5PM.  From our site situated to the rear of the park, it’s not conversation stopping, but certainly could be annoying in the front sites.  We think best sites here would be in the 40s or 50’s along the side or back wall or in the back-in row 414-424.  Would we return to Del Pueblo?  Possibly.  We didn’t like being so far out of town, and missed access to the miles of bike trails that are in Yuma.  But, Del Pueblo is a nice park and a great value (at $200/week)  Another option might now be available in town – a KOA franchise had taken over the former Riverfront RV Park, where we first stayed in 2016!  Maybe a KOA visit next time!

Del Pueblo RV, Yuma, AZ

Riverfront KOA, Yuma, AZ

While in Yuma there are always two must-do’s – a trip over the border to Los Algodones and a stop at Imperial Date Garden.  Medjool dates are still $22/11lbs and delicious as ever. Arriving at the border just west of Yuma, it’s easy and inexpensive ($10) to park in a secure lot on the US side and walk into town. Reported as closed by Google, we’re happy to find our favorite restaurant, Mi Casa es Su Casa is open and operating as normal.  We think their food is some of the best in town, along with a couple cold margaritas, we enjoyed our late lunch.  After shopping for some metal art, we were back to the border around 4pm and surprised to see absolutely no line.  Reentry to the US can sometimes take hours as the line winds for blocks along the wall – so this was a rare treat.  Lesson learned, go on Saturday (or Sunday) and linger late enough to let the line die down.

Mi Casa es Su Casa, Los Algodones, MX

 

 

From Yuma we’re off to Lake Havasu.  More from there…


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Headed to Quartzsite – 2026

15 01 2026

Happy New Year – here’s to a wonderful 2026!

Early January felt very little like winter in southern Colorado, with high temperatures in the 60’s and overnight lows in the 30’s and 40’s.  However, as our departure date approaches on January 10th, it appears that winter will indeed visit with highs forecast in the 20’s and even teens.  So, on January 8th, we hitched up and headed south – and hopefully out of the cold and snow that’s incoming.

Our first night is in Rio Rancho, just north of Albuquerque at the Stagecoach RV – a favorite along this route. It’s still chilly overnight but at least stays above freezing.  With this cold front spread all across the northern tier of New Mexico, we opt to continue south along I-25 versus west on I-40.  Our next night is in another favorite park, the Las Cruces KOA.  We enjoyed two nights here, visiting with a good friend and exploring downtown Las Cruces where we enjoyed delicious pizza at Zeffiro’s Pizzeria.  Offering very unique pizzas, we sampled both their Green Chili Chicken Enchilada and the Potato Rosemary.  We’ll be back!

KOA Las Cruces, NM

Zeffiro’s Pizzeria Downtown, Las Cruces, NM

Our next stop is a quick overnight at the KOA in Benson, AZ.  This is a first time visit for us, but seems better than others we’ve stayed at.  It’s further off the highway, and provides plenty of room in their big sites.  From Benson it’s a short drive to Mesa, Arizona where we join friends at the Encore Mesa Spirit.  As is typical of many of the Encore parks in Arizona – a mix of RV sites and permanent park models.  Mesa Spirt is older, and some of the sites are small.  But, also as typical, the calendar is full of activities and entertainment for residents. Mesa is a great place for resupplying various items, propane, groceries and moving from using the onboard water tank to a fully filtered, soften system now that there is no longer a freezing concern.

KOA, Benson, AZ

Encore Mesa Spirt, Mesa, AZ

Encore Mesa Spirt, Mesa, AZ

2026 Circling of the Montana, Quartzsite, AZ

From Mesa, it’s about 3 hours directly west to Quartzite, AZ.  As in years past, we’re here to meet other Montana Owners, just in time for the opening of the “Big Tent”.  This is the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show, one of the biggest RV shows in the world, bringing up to a million visitors to the Arizona desert annually.  The BLM lands around Quartzsite are loaded with RVs this year, and the weather is the best we’ve every experienced.  Comfortable 70’s during day and crisp 50’s overnight.

From Quartzite we’re off to Yuma, and another new park, Del Pueblo RV Resort in south Yuma. More from there…


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