Snowbird RV Adventure: Pima Fairgrounds to Lazydays to Gilbert Ray

Days 20-24

Tucson Lazy Days registration, meeting rooms and restaurant.

December 4-5: Here we are again, back at the Tucson Lazydays KOA. Good thing we really like this popular RV resort. 

We confirmed our camp reservation at Gilbert Ray would be honoured with a late arrival. Then we waited for Ryan from Country Wide RV Services to meet us at our site. 

Ryan quickly determined the heater's problem, a limit switch that prevents propane from burning too hot. The faulty switch prevented our propane from turning on. He made a temporary fix (that didn't last) and ordered a new part to install when we are back at Lazydays later in December. In the meantime, our electric heater will keep us warm.

Mountain view from Gilbert Ray site #A-55.

December 6-8: Since our reservation at Gilbert Ray Campground had already begun, we didn't have to wait for afternoon check-in. We broke "camp" and went to McDonald's for a special breakfast treat. Wayne parked in the pickup stall and ordered online, an advantage of a small 25' RV.

Tucson Mountain Park is a Pima County facility. It's only 12 miles west of Tucson and 16 miles from Lazydays, but feels a lot more remote and peaceful.

I made reservations six months ago so I got the most private spot, #A-55. We had an unobstructed view of the mountains and surrounding desert.

 

The most common plants near our campsite were saguaro cactus, beavertail cactus, creosote bushes and cholla cactus. Blue skies and white clouds made the view picture perfect.

The cholla next to our campsite was the chain fruit/jumping variety. The closeup at the top shows the hanging green fruits. At the bottom are dried spiny segments on the ground ready to "jump" and cling to your clothes or skin.

I have history with this plant. In 1973, the paved highway down Baja Californa opened and I camped along the Sea of Cortez. During an evening beach fire, I needed to pee. I stepped away to take care of business and felt something brush against me. I kicked my foot and felt a sharp pain. When I got back to the fire I could see a cholla segment piercing my flesh pinning the sandal strap down. Removing the spiny segment and freeing my shoe was painful. Since then, I'm very careful around these highly mobile plants.

Our Gilbert Ray campsite also had great Arizona sunset views. We enjoyed the park so much we made reservations to return for five days in February.

Wayne and I develop a plan for our Snowbird RV Adventures a year in advance. That way we can get the best sites at the places we want to visit. We research new destinations using resources such as Campendium, Facebook's Where'd You Stay RV and AllStays. We like to return to favourite spots, but always enjoy adding new destinations to explore. I mark the start date for reservations for each destination on my pocket calendar and iPhone Reminders list so I don't forget. Do you make reservations in advance? -- Margy