Yuma, AZ is the most RV friendly town in America

This is our third winter in Yuma. From the first time we came here, we knew this was a very RV friendly town. There are numerous mobile RV technicians, RV wash and wax businesses, holding tank flush out folks, and many others.  There are three or four large RV dealerships with service shops including LaMesa. There are also many RV consignment lots with everything from pop-ups to older Prevost buses for sale. Several propane dealers have lots large enough for the largest RV to turn around.

Of course there is WalMart. There are three of them here, all with RV departments. Then there is the ultimate "Guy" store, Harbor Freight. Lots of tools there, and much else to offer the RV do-it-yourself er.

In January, the huge Quartzite RV show is open and we are only about eighty miles away on a very scenic highway.

There are over seventy RV parks in and around Yuma. Five miles from downtown Yuma  is Algodones, Mexico where you can get deeply discounted drugs, eyeglasses, dental work, and even a hearing aid clinic. Back in Yuma are two large flea markets and a smaller inside market where you can find almost everything you might need to support the RV lifestyle and much, much more. And if that's not enough, there are four casinos in the area.

Among all these, I have picked out some of my personal favorite RV centric businesses. Coincidentally, they are all within five miles of one another and are either on or just off 32nd street which becomes the South Frontage Road.

I made this list by driving from our lot in the foothills west on the South Frontage Road towards downtown. First, up is Wally's World. This looks like a small place from the parking lot, but inside is huge! They have just about everything you will find in a Camping World store but cheaper. There are bins and bins of hardware of the common sizes an RVer would use. These folks also have a large store in the Arizona Marketplace flea market. The owners of Wally's World also operate Novus Auto Glass where you can have your RV or tow car's windshield repaired or replaced.

Next up the road is RV Decor. This is a nationally advertised RV refurbishment business. They have a large showroom with examples of flooring, furniture, lighting, and many other items they can add to your rig. They are building a fifty foot paint booth to augment their collision business. This summer, they will be opening a custom sofa factory in one of their bays. The magic happens out back in the service bays where they can totally change your rig's interior and exterior. This business primarily caters to folks with mid to high end motor homes. This is top drawer work and you will pay accordingly. The website is http://www.rvdecor.com

The South Frontage Road has turned into Thirty Second Street when we come to Sewmasters of Yuma. These folks' specialty is custom sun shades for windshields and side windows of motor homes, but they offer so much more. We had them make a new set of window shades for us which fit perfectly and look great.

Moving slightly east, we cross over to the south side of Thirty Second Street and enter the Arizona Marketplace. This is a very nice flea market. All the stalls and walkways are covered by metal roofing and the floor is concrete. There are several hundred businesses here and room for several hundred more. Many of these businesses have RV stuff, but there is much, much, more. Clothing, furniture, hot-tubs, fresh vegetables, and so much more is available here. The website is  http://arizonamkt.com/

Among all the places here are two more of my favorite RV businesses. First up is the RV Water Filter Store. I have been buying filter canisters, filter media and custom water hoses from them for over six years. They also can make up a custom water filter system for your rig. Their specialty is whole coach reverse osmosis (RO) systems. They also can provide all the little bits and parts you need to build your own like I did. The web address is http://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com

A few aisles away in Row E Space 35 is Great RV Products. These folks carry the Truck System Technologies (TST) line of Tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) that I have been using for almost five years. They also have an extensive selection of Wilson Electronics cellular amplifiers and antennas. You can satisfy your electronic gadget fix here. The website is http://www.greatproducts.com

I left the Arizona Marketplace and headed east on the South Frontage Road a short distance to the RV Connection and Satellite Electronics, Inc. This has been my go-to place for RV parts and other stuff since we started coming here. The Satellite Electronics part of the business is at one end. These people know satellite TV. Period. If you have a question, they can answer it. They stock a large assortment of systems from Dish and DirecTV as well as antenna components from Winegard. In the parts store is a huge collection of almost everything you could need in a well laid out store. Their website is http://www.rvconnectionparts.com

Next we continue east on the South Frontage Road to the Southwest Exchange Home and RV Superstore. Even Kathy likes this place as they have kitchen stuff, rugs and carpets, and other household items. The main event is the huge selection of RV items to rival a Camping World. On the side of the store near the door is the Pooch Parlor professional grooming and self service dog wash. The website is http://www.southwestexchangeyuma.com

We continue east on the South Frontage Road to Fortuna Road. We turn right into a strip shopping center where we find Al's RV Service and Supply. This store is operated by RV service technicians. The large store filled with RV stuff is complimented by a service center where they will come to your rig. Good prices here. The website is http://www.alsrv.com

On the east side of Fortuna Road is another small strip shopping center just south of Fry's grocery store. Here we find Zepp's Water Treatment Systems, LLC. Their business is water softeners and reverse osmosis water filters for both homes and RVs.

This is certainly not an exclusive listing of RV parts places in Yuma, but they are my personal favorites as I have done business with them and have been well pleased with both products and service..

Boondocking at the Imperial Dam LTVA

 

We decided to go out to the Imperial Dam long term boondooking area. This is the view on our way.

This is a patch of something being grown and the beautiful view of the mountain range.

 Watering the plants.

The mountains close up with the sun almost up.

 Castle Dome rock

 Castle Dome on the left and the rest of the range.

 We have found the turn off of route 95 north of Yuma, AZ

 Entrance to the Proving Grounds and the road to the Imperial Dam.

 What a fantastic view.

 US Army proving grounds.

 Here's our sign.

View from the hill side at the sites by the lake.

 Dumping station sign and directions.

 Class C using the dumping station and water fill up.

 Need to have a place to dump your trash?

 Rates, not to bad a price.

 Camp Host site and bathrooms, no showers but toilets.

 This is the picnic area, there are no tables on the plateau.

 These folks have thought of everything, even a Library spelled Liberry.

 They are ready for the season, solar, covered chairs and satellite dish.

 Another example of solar in use.

 The ocotillo plans are in bloom and the different size of solar panels.

 People park where ever there is space and in the direction they desire.

 The open area that is available for camping.

 Some have solar and some do not, but look at the view.

 Friendly burros visit regularly.

 Another view of the lake side camping. It was a very windy day and there were white caps on the lake.

 Camping on the ridge overlooking the lake. What a beautiful site.

 Emergency services are available and they take care of each other out here.

 Almost everything you could need is close by.

 Even church services.

The area is noted for the date farms and this is what they look like. One of the things that is a must have here is a date shake. I think it must be an acquired taste.

Goals for summer Camping

February is already 1/2 gone the the winter is in full flight, but it is time to start setting goals for the summer camping season. Every year we like to sit down and set  some goals for where we want to go and what do we want to see. Also, how did we do last year on the goals we set? So, this week I want to talk about goals. Do you set them? Do you meet them?
Here's what we do. Usually the first of the year Jan or Feb. I bring up the Goal Setting conference of the Huggins group and set of date for the two of us to sit down and go over last years goals and set the ones for this year. The questions we discuss are:
Did we reach our goals from last year? If not why.
What did we enjoying doing most last year?
What are the top 3 goals we want to do this year?
What are the top 3 places we want to see?
What are the things we want to change in our rig.
What rally's would we like to attend.
As we discuss these goals, we review the goals we set for ourselves when we started out. We had a ten year plan in effect. One was to see all the National Parks. Have we done that? No, not yet, but every year we try to add at least one or two parks to our travel plans. I think this is one of the greatest gifts we have here in the US.
This year we were going to go up the west coast,but our son is getting married in Fl in June so we had to change our plans and choose somewhere else to go. We decided to go along I-40 and see the sights there. We will start at the Grand Canyon  and head east to Albuquerque NM, then to OK, Little Rock AR and then to a Fleetwood Motor Home Association (FMA) rally in Dequoin IL, and finally to Fl for the wedding. This will only take us to the end of June. So, there is still plenty to see lot of other places. So, this week I will contact the Dept of Tourism for the states and the Chamber of Commerce for the major cities to get more information about the areas .
So what are your plans this year? Where will you go and what will you see? Set time aside and start dreaming. It is amazing what they will send you at no cost to you. There is always lots of brochures of places you knew about and plenty you have no idea they were there.
You can find the address on the internet or at the back of most US maps.
Happy Camping

Meeting old and new friends

We have had a busy week visiting with friends. We had lunch with Pat and Nancy Patterson, and what fun that was. Pat brought a list of all the things that we had recommended and what he had bought. It was fun to listen to someone who actually took our advice but also we felt the responsibility of that. I know that the things we recommend work for us, and we are really glad to have them. We hope they work for you too. Pat and Nancy are into geocaching. They have found over 12,000 caches. What a hobby; it sounds like great fun. As we sat at the table they showed us several caches within walking distance of the restaurant. This coming weekend there will be a geocaching Mega Gathering and people will be there to teach us how to do it. Sounds like fun. I think we will give it a try. 
We also met up with Brad and Teresa Dighton from Rapid City SD. We met them when we were workcamping at Hart Ranch and it was fun to catch up on all the happenings there. It is a wonderful resort close to Mount Rushmore, annd we think it is one of the most beautiful parks in the country. If you are headed to SD check it out. It is a membership park but they have a 2 night 3 day stay for $40.00 to introduce you to Hart Ranch.
On Sat we met up with Ann McKinnell and Ray Burr. These two are really living the dream. She is a  photographer and he is a blogger. They are fairly young for full time RV'er, but they are have a fantastic time taking photo's and Ann has written several books about taking the perfect photo's and she also recommends and evaluates the kind of camera to use. She does offer several online classes too, to help you become a better photographer.
Then on Wednesday. we met up with Nick and Terry Russel of The Gypsy Journal.  They are such great fun to be with. We had dinner at Applebee's and then went to their rig to interview them for the podcast. Unfortunately I kept getting the giggles and by the time we finally got started John didn't hit the  record button on the recorder. Oh well, it will just give us a chance to interview them again, maybe this week, but spending time with Nick and Terry is just fun and they are so encouraging, he always gives us some tidbits of advice and he is just full of information. 
You know, we think this is one of the best parts of RVing, meeting up with old friends and listeners. Everyone of you has a story to tell, and we just love to hear them. So, if we are anywhere near where you are, or somewhere we could meet in between, lets get together and talk over some food.

Happy Camping