South Padre Island

30 04 2022

Sunset over Laguna Madre, South Padre Island

It’s April 30th and we’ve just crossed the Queen Isabella Causeway on our way back to Harlingen from South Padre Island.  We’ve been on SPI for 30 days, and have thoroughly enjoyed exploring familiar as well as some new island hangouts.  For 2 weeks during our stay, family from Washington state joined us on the island for fishing, relaxing and more good times.  We visited Boca Chica to check out the progress at SpaceX, explored some of Brownsville & Port Isabel, cruised the Brownsville Ship Channel and enjoyed our time on the island.

Lunch Atop a Skyscraper, Sergio Furnari at Space X Boca Chica, TX

Space X Starbase Launch pad, Boca Chica, TX

As in years past, we stayed at Isla Blanca Park, this time occupying end sites C282 and C321,  These end sites provide a bit more space,  privacy and good views of the Brownsville ship channel as well as the SpaceX manufacturing and launch facility across in Boca Chica.

Boardwalk, Isla Blanca Park, South Padre Island, TX

Isla Blanca Park, South Padre Island, TX

The Cameron County Amphitheatre and Event Center is literally across the street from our sites.  On April 9th, Clint Black was to perform, so we were anxious to enjoy an evening concert right in the RV park.  However, the weather had other plans.  By mid-afternoon winds were gusting over 30 MPH. And, by showtime, gusts were topping out around 40MPH.  As expected, the concert was cancelled due to these winds and never rescheduled during our stay.

Clint Black at Cameron County Event Center

A highlight of the trip was a Port of Brownsville tour on Breakaway cruises.  We last sailed with Breakaway in 2015 on this same tour which includes cruising the 13 miles from the outer jetties through the deep water ship channel to the port.  The Brownsville port serves as the southern most gulf port establishing it as a lead carrier for products bound for both US and Mexican destinations.  They also have a huge shipbreaking operation and large shrimp fleet.

Port of Brownsville, first ever LNG fueled container ship.

Also during our stay on the island, Sea Turtle Inc. hosted a public release of patient turtles.  Among the Atlantic Green sea turtles released were Sublime, Tumble, Blessed, Mushroom, Ciabatta, and Cowgirl.

Sea Turtle Inc. patient release

And as usual we explored various restaurants and bars on the island.  Old favorites included Painted Marlin, Longboard Bar & Grill, Meatballs Café, South Padre Island Brewing Company, Mahi Nicks, Pelican Station, Tequila Sunset and several others.  New this year was the wonderful breakfast or brunch spot, Yummies Bistro, a new find of Cobbleheads Bar & Grill in Brownsville and Josephine’s Kitchen, another delicious breakfast restaurant on the island.

Meatball Cafe, South Padre Island, TX

We’ll be at Tropic Winds in Harlingen for a few days before starting our trip north.  From Harlingen we’ll be visiting a favorite park, Goliad State Park in Goliad, TX.  More from Goliad…

 


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Across New Mexico and Texas

30 03 2022

Benson, AZ to South Padre Island, TX

From Kartchner Caverns in Benson, AZ we’re headed to Las Cruces, NM and one of our favorite KOA campground.  We’ve stayed here several times, and always enjoy the breweries and eateries around the Las Cruces area.  (Las Cruces KOA Reviews)

After 2 nights in Las Cruces we’ll spend 1 night at the Fort Stockton RV Park (Ft. Stockton RV Reviews) before moving to By the River Campground in Kerrville.  We’ve visited Kerrville many times, and have always enjoyed our stays at By the River.  With the ongoing drought, the campground appears to be weeks behind “normal”, with still brown grass and bare trees.

By the River RV, Kerrville, TX

We’ll spend 5 night here enjoying the company of friends from Montrose, CO.   Of course our “regular” hangouts will be visited, the Wild Ass Hay Barn and Mamacita’s Mexican Restaurant (not as good as past visits) and couple of new finds, the Pint & Plow Brewing Company in Kerrville and the Fredericksburg Brewing Company in Fredericksburg.

Fredericksburg Brewery

From Kerrville, we’ll spend one night on the shores of Choke Canyon Reservoir before moving to Harlingen and onto South Padre Island.  More from SPI!

Choke Canyon Campground


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Farewell to Apache Junction

21 03 2022

After a month in Apache Junction, we’re back on the road again.  Our time in AJ was filled with friends, good food and plenty of fun.  We started out by attending Lost Dutchman Days, the annual Bratwurst & Beer Party on Wednesday the 23rd and the Rodeo on Saturday the 26th.  A great time was had by all!

Lost Dutchman Days, Apache Junction, AZ

On the following Sunday we traveled to Casa Grande to meet-up with friends from Colorado and enjoyed an excellent dinner at Eva’s Fine Mexican Food.  On Wednesday we enjoyed a late lunch at the Culinary Dropout in the Gilbert Heritage District followed by lunch on Thursday at the Handlebar Grill in Apache Junction.

Our next weekend in AJ started on Friday afternoon with good friends from Scottsdale visiting the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit.  Afterwards we were treated to an amazing dinner at AZ88 – thanks for buying B&S, we had a great time!  On Saturday we met with friends to tour several of the RV parks and resorts around the AJ area followed by a late lunch at Los Gringos Locos, a favorite Mexican restaurant.

We moved from Sunrise RV Resort to Lost Dutchman State Park on Sunday the 6th.

Lost Dutchman State Park

Lost Dutchman State Park. site #95

That week, after a meeting with a good friend & colleague in Gilbert, we checked out Uncle Bear’s Brewery and Taproom for some excellent brews and tasty food truck selections.  We especially enjoyed the Original Uncle Bear’s Craft Burger – yum!  Friday brought a highlight of the trip, dinner at Quiessence. Located on the Farm at South Mountain, this dinner with friends was phenomenal, we’d highly recommend the experience!  SEE SAMPLE MENU On Saturday we had a great time and excellent dinner at the home of close friends in Cave Creek.  Then on Sunday we relaxed with friends at their home in Apache Junction.

The next week, with a good friend who arrived from Colorado, we enjoyed St. Patty’s celebrations at Postino and watched a beautiful sunset from the rooftop of Sotol Modern Cocktail Kitchen, both in the Gilbert Heritage District.  On Friday we enjoyed lunch at Tarididdles in Apache Junction before a relaxing evening at the State Park.  On Saturday, we attended a Colorado Rockies game at Salt River Fields, home of the Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Kartchner Caverns, Benson, AZ

Kartchner Caverns, Benson, AZ

On Sunday we packed up and traveled south through Tucson to Kartchner Cavern State Park, and enjoyed an informative cavern tour upon our arrival.  After a quick overnight we’re back on the road, headed to one of our favorite KOA’s at Las Cruces, NM.  From there we’ll be at By the River RV Park in Kerrville.  More from Kerrville…


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Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

8 03 2022

We’re back, for the 4th time, at one of our favorites, Organ Pipe Cactus, NM located in southern Arizona about 5 miles from the Mexican border.  And, we’re once again parked at site #63 with friends in site #77.  Other than a shared water (unthreaded) faucet next to our site, the only other amenities at this campground are a dump station with two potable water fills.  We’ve arrived empty, so our first order of business is to fill our 66 gallons of fresh water.  On recreation.gov, our site is listed as “max 35 foot RV” – where there’s plenty of room for our 35’ RV and the pickup.  The site is also in the generator section, meaning we can run our generator for 2, 2 hours periods per day, between 8-10AM and 4-6PM.  Sites 113-208 never permit generator use.

“Out the Back Window”, site #63, Organ Pipe Cactus

Last year we focused on a few hikes in the park, today with access to friends jeep we explore the 21 mile Ajo Mountain Drive.  Along the way are great views of Arch Canyon, a 90 foot wide arch near the top of a jagged cliff nearly 600 feet above the trail.  Upon close examination a second arch can be spotted just above the main arch making this a unique and rare example of a double arch.

Double Arch at Sunset, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

On Saturday we’re off to Puerto Peñasco, also known as Rocky Point.  What was once a small fishing village on the Sea of Cortez has morphed into tourist shops, bars, restaurants and even a few high rise condos.  There are also a handful of RV parks, the nicest of which is the Reef RV Resort next to Wrecked on the Reef bar and grill.  After touring these parks in 2020, we’re rethinking our decision to stay on the US side of the border.  Perhaps a long weekend at the Reef would be great fun!  We’ll see what happens next year.

Malecon, Puerto Penasco

Reef RV Resort, Puerto Penasco

From Organ Pipe Cactus we’re headed to the East Valley, Sunrise RV in Apache Junction.  We stayed at Sunrise last year, and will be here only 2 weeks this year.  Then we’re moving to Lost Dutchman State Park for the reminder of our 2 weeks in the Phoenix area.  More from Lost Dutchman…


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Cocopah Bend RV and Golf Resort – Yuma, AZ

12 02 2022

Cocopah Bend RV & Golf Resort

After a rather rushed departure from Winterhaven, we’ve moved about 8 miles southwest to the outskirts of Yuma.  We’re on Native American land, a large RV resort intertwined with a beautiful 18 hole golf course.  The “Bend” in the resort name referrers to the last sharp curve that the Colorado River makes before entering Mexico and flowing towards the Sea of Cortez.  Here the bend borders California and Arizona, and just a few blocks south, Mexico and Arizona.

Colorado River in Arizona, California and Mexico

The staff here at Cocopah were very accommodating to find us space, much less side by side spaces.  We’re parked in site #555, along with friends in #554.  Thanks to everyone at the resort that assisted during our evacuation!  This is a huge place, with over 800 RV sites surrounded by an 18 hole golf course.  Many of the sites are side by side with fairways and greens, and several complaints of golf balls breaking roof vents and windows can be found on various forums. Any site number higher than 502 should be safe from flying objects.  All sites are back-in, and all except one outside row back to your neighbors.  Since the patios are offset, you aren’t looking directly into their back window.  However, sewer ports are all the way to the rear, and offset to the incorrect side of the site, causing many to back beyond the center line which gives a bit tighter feel (extended awnings almost touched our neighbors).  Electrical and water hookups are on common pedestals between the two back-in spots.  The free WiFi ran along at around 1Mb, however upgraded service is available on a paid basis.

Cocopah Bend RV & Golf Resort

Cocopah Bend RV & Golf Resorta

Other facilities such as the laundry room (use a value loaded card), pool, a huge dog park, a restaurant, pro shop and craft areas are clean and well maintained. And, while you’re less than 1 mile from I-8 and a busy rail line, this park is much quieter than Sans End.

Broken Yolk Cafe Bloody Marys!

On Saturday, after an excellent breakfast at the Broken Yolk Café, we toured the Yuma Territorial Prison Park. This park, in an impressive setting overlooking the Colorado River, was once occupied by characters of the old west convicted of everything from polygamy to murder starting in 1876. During our visit, the old prison grounds were being cleaned and polished and set-up for what was apparently a very large wedding and reception.  What an ideal venue!

Yuma Territorial Prison

Yuma Territorial Prison

 

We enjoyed Yuma, and especially Cocopah Resort, and would probably return here on another visit to Yuma.  From here we’re off to 4 nights of dry camping at Organ Pipe Cactus, a favorite Federal campground in southern Arizona.  More from Organ Pipe…


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Evacuated!

10 02 2022

Winterhaven Fire

On Wednesday we had scheduled a cleaning/exam appointment at Simple Dental, across the border in Los Algodones. Mexico.  As we’re leaving for our appointments around noon, we notice thick heavy smoke boiling up just to the north of the RV park.  Worried that the fire might spread, we quickly tucked our laptops in the truck, handed the RV keys to friends that we’re traveling with and departed for the Mexican border.

About 1 hour later, just as I’m getting settled into the dental hygienist’s chair, my phone rings.  Our friends have been notified by the fire marshal that they are providing voluntary evacuation notices to the RV park, and that the smelly, eye burning, thick black smoke is likely to be present all night.  After a quick conversation with them, we decide to move to whatever accommodations they can find.  Within a few minutes, we are confirmed at the Cocopah Bend RV & Golf Resort, about 8 miles away.

After our dental appointments, we arrive back to the pedestrian border crossing to find the lines even longer than they were on Saturday.  With the prospect of waiting nearly 3 hours, we were quite appreciative of a dental office shuttle van that offered to drive us across the border for $5 each.  Filling the van with 4 other Americans, he had us back to the US parking lot in about 10 minutes.

“The Wall” in Los Algodones, Mexico

After an anxious exercise of packing things up, by around 4pm we were on the road to our new home.  More from Cocopah as we explore our new location!


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Sans End RV Park, Winterhaven, CA

5 02 2022

Sans End RV Park, Winterhaven, CA

In search of the warmest spot in the western US, we’ve arrived in Yuma to temperatures forecast into the high 70’s this week and high 80’s next week.  We’re actually on the California side of the Colorado River, which defines the boundary between Arizona and California at Winterhaven. Technically Winterhaven is in the Pacific time zone and Yuma, 4 miles away is in the Mountain time zone. Confusion ensues when our phones seem to randomly set Pacific or Mountain times.

We’re parked in site 143 along with friends in 144 at Sans End RV Park.  We were booked at Sans End last year and opted to cancel due to Covid concerns.  Owners/Managers here were awesome, allowing us to cancel penalty free and then make a new reservation for 2022.

Sans End RV Park, Winterhaven, CA

Sans End RV Park, Pool

This is an older park, and being located between I-8 on the south and a very high traffic rail line to the north, suffers from some noise.  Sites are simple gravel, with good 30/50 Amp connections, water and sewer port. In our opinion, some of the best sites are 130-142 which are back-in and tree covered.  Specifically site #134 provides a great view across a grassy area of the park.  Sites 114-129 aren’t optimal, requiring door to door configurations because of shared utilities.  Lower numbered sites 1-12 share a lot of privacy backed up to open, grassy areas.  And sites 17-32 are nice back-ins, but would suffer the most traffic noise from I-8.  PARK MAP

Sans End RV Park, site 111

Sans End RV Park, site 104

Sans End RV Park, site 134

Sans End RV Park, site 21

 


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Shady Lane RV, Quartzsite, AZ

30 01 2022

Quartzsite “Big Tent” & RV Show

Welcome to Quartzsite, the little Arizona desert town that’s been taken over by RV’ers! This 4000 person town straddles I-10, about half way between Phoenix and Palm Springs. Surrounded by BLM land, the winter population grows to nearly 1 million as boon dockers arrive from all over North America for the annual shows. Originally a Gem and Rock show, this huge marketplace has morphed into one of the biggest RV shows held in the US. In the “big tent”, nearly 200 vendors sell everything from solar packages, to jewelry, 5th wheel hitches to portable hot tubs. Surrounding the big tent are more traditional stalls of antiques, metal art, carnival food and other “cool junk”. In fact, one of the best bars in Quartzsite is located on the show grounds, Beer Belly’s Adult Day Care.

Quartzsite Rock, Gem and RV Show, January, 2022

Suppliers like Grand Design and Keystone bring in hundreds of units that are open to the crowds to wander through, and of course for sale with “show pricing”!  Also, a unique custom 5th wheel, a $250,000 “Ultimate Montana” is on display.  Complete with two outdoor keg taps, a pizza oven and wine cooler it’s a true party pad.  Inside there’s a ultrasonic water vapor fireplace, custom furniture and even a rainfall shower!

The Flipping Nomad Ultimate Montana

The Flipping Nomad Ultimate Montana

We’re parked at Shady Lane RV Park, just north of the I-10/95 intersection. We’ll be for 4 nights checking out the town, BLM campgrounds around town and of course the huge RV show.

Shady Lane RV, Quartzsite, AZ

Shady Lane RV, Quartzsite, AZ

Shady Lane RV, Quartzsite, AZ

We also explored a few of the other RV parks around town.  We think the Quartzsite Village, at 155 Joshua Ave would be a better option – huge sites and less traffic noise.

From Quartzite, we’re headed to Yuma…more from there.

Quartzsite Village RV, 155 Joshua Ave


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The Islander RV Resort, Lake Havasu City

25 01 2022

Greetings from the home of London Bridge and beautiful beaches of Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

London Bridge, Lake Havasu City, AZ

We’re parked in site #160 alongside friends in site #161.  These are basic pull-through gravel sites with water, 30/50A power and a sewer port. These 50’x36’ sites offer plenty of room for the patio slab and picnic table on the door side.  Coaches have a bit of an advantage in these sites, with great views across Lake Havasu to the Chemehuevi Mountain Range in southeastern California.  These pull-through sites start at $63/night.  Premium lake view sites start from $74/night and the ultimate, Lake View Motor Home sites start at $118/night.

Islander Resort, Lake Havasu City, Lake View Motor Home Sites

The Islander claims “unsurpassed amenities”, and they do offer a lot, especially if you are a boater including landing beaches for small boats and pontoons, a private boat ramp, private dock and a fish cleaning station.  They also have a beautiful pool/hot tub, pickleball courts, cornhole boards, bocce ball, shuffleboard, a small putting green, an extensive library, and two laundry facilities.

Islander Resort, Lake Havasu City, Boat Ramp

Islander Resort, Lake Havasu City, Pool

Much to our disappointment, the resort offers no WiFi service.  While they claim to have a 2-hour “free” Public WiFi, I could find no where in the park that provided access to this network.  However, both T-Mobile and Version hot spots worked well from our site.  And, the nearby Boathouse Grill is a winner for snacks, cocktails or beers and full dinner selections.

There are two other RV parks “on the island”, Sam’s Beachcomber, and Crazy Horse Campground.  Both of these parks are older, less modern, and most sites are on sand versus the Islanders gravel with cement pads.  We weren’t convinced either of these other parks are a better value, and have already reserved time at The Islander for 2023!

Crazy Horse Campground, Lake Havasu City, AZ

Crazy Horse Campground, Lake Havasu City, AZ

Sam’s Beachcomber, Lake Havasu City, AZ

Sam’s Beachcomber, Lake Havasu City, AZ

On Friday afternoon, we explored the Bunker Bar, an off-road, solar powered bar, grill, game & music venue just north of Lake Havasu City.  With a chilly breeze, the crowd was light, but the food and entertainment was enjoyable.

The Bunker Bar, Lake Havasu City, AZ

The Bunker Bar, Lake Havasu City, AZ


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Grand Canyon Railway RV Park, Williams, AZ

18 01 2022

After some very chilly nights on the road, we’ve finally arrived in Arizona.  However, just 40 miles west of Flagstaff at nearly 7000′, the temps are still almost as cold as Durango and Monument Valley.

We’re parked at the Grand Canyon Railway Company, a railroad, hotel and RV park in central Williams.  The park, of about 125 sites is very well laid out, roomy, with all asphalt driveways and pads.  Utilities are convenient and include “DirecTV cable TV” outlets.  The 480p, stretched image broadcasts out of Phoenix are interesting to say the least.

Grand Canyon Railway RV Park

Grand Canyon Railway RV Park, BBQ Gazebo

Situated between I-40 and the Grand Canyon train rail line, we expected this park to be very noisy.  However, with minimal tourist trains running, and our electric heater providing background noise, we found the park to be fairly quiet.  We’d stay here again.

Conveniently located across the street from the RV Park is Grand Canyon Brewing & Distillery.  The brewery offers about a dozen brews, about 8 specialty spirts and 4 “ready to drink” canned cocktails.  In addition, they offer tasty food items such as brewery wings, soups, salads and burgers and sandwiches.  MENU

After 3 nights in Williams, we’ll head to Lake Havasu City, and hopefully warmer temps.  More from Havasu!


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