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| Coming into Verde Valley, Arizona |
We left California on the 15th, after a little more than a week at Palm Springs RV Park.
Our first stop was Quartzsite, Arizona. There was no official Alfa Roadrunner rally this year, but some of our fellow members stopped by the club's desert site anyway to connect and get in some personal time with one another. We hung out for three days before saying goodbye and heading east.
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| Sunset in the Quartzsite AZ desert |
Currently we're in the Verde Valley Thousand Trails RV Park in Cottonwood, Arizona. We really like this park because of its centrality to many of the scenic towns and locations in the Sedona area. The sites are fairly roomy and easy to get in and out of with a big RV, but... (seems like there's always a "but!")... but to get a 50 amp site, you have to reserve it ahead and pay a $5/day premium. We did, even though we probably don't really need 50 amps in the winter. The pool is open, but they've turned off the heater for the season and neither Mark nor I are polar bears. Thousand Trails is following all the Covid rules, and Spa occupancy is reduced to four persons at a time. We haven't checked it out yet, but might on the next mostly nice day.
Yesterday we popped over to the nearby Alcantara Vineyard for a wine tasting. It's a very nice vineyard/winery, and they do have good wine (except nothing sweet enough for Mark). Like most wineries, their prices are a bit steep for our budget-- ranging from $30 to $46 a bottle. I can't imagine that they can sell their products in local markets and wine shops for those prices, but what do I know?
Mark has a niece who lives here in Cottonwood now-- Becky Grahn and her husband, Ty. We'll be visiting with them once or twice while we're here. That will help break up the boredom. Our last visit to Cottonwood was in the fall. Winter is not quite the same. It rained the day before yesterday--all day--and beginning tomorrow, there is rain in the forecast for most of the week. Of course the desert needs its rain. And, frankly, I enjoy the rainy days as long as there aren't too many of them in a row. But realistically, it's not much fun to go sight-seeing in the rain, so we probably won't do too much of it while we're here this time. Last year we had a chance to tour the area a bit, and we'll no doubt be back again to resume our sight-seeing activities in better weather.
There's not too much else to talk about at the moment. I'm thankful for the mostly peaceful political transition, as I'm sure you all are too. We had some concerns about traveling in a volatile political environment, but none of our fears came to pass, thank God.
Until next time, prayers and best wishes to you all for good health and safe travels!
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| Our site at Palm Springs. I love all the palm trees, but they do make it challenging to park a 40-foot RV. |
