Snowbird RV Adventure Part 2: Snowy Bellingham to Lazydays and Ft. Huachuca

Days 1-10

December 19-January 1: We returned to Bellingham to spend the holidays with our good friend. While there, two things made us change our plans. A snowstorm followed by freezing temperatures kept us condo-bound. The other was surging Omicron cases. RV travel is an enjoyable way to self-isolate.

Wayne modified our airlines and rental car reservations from the 23rd to the 2nd. I reserved RV parks and campgrounds for the three extra weeks. In a few hours we were ready to go.

January 2: We were worried about flight cancellations with the holiday rush and Covid staffing issues. We were lucky our direct Allegiant flight from Bellingham to Mesa was only delayed. With a late arrival, we spent the night at the nearby Holiday Inn. We don't have a toad (a towed vehicle) for our RV so we kept the rental car for five days. It's more economical than an extra car to store with our RV.

Tucson Lazydays KOA RV Resort

January 3-6: If you follow my blog you've read about Lazydays before. We discovered this destination back in 2020 at the end of Part 2 of our 2019-2020 Snowbird RV Adventure. In February 2020, we left our RV here planning to return in April to finish the third part of our trip. That didn't happen due to Covid and it took until November to return.

Sunseekers sunseeking at Tucson Lazydays KOA Resort

Since then, we've kept our rig here when we aren't traveling around the southwest. It's much easier than driving back and forth from Washington State each time. We also like Lazydays because of their resort atmosphere and friendly staff.

Ft. Huachuca Apache Flats RV Resort

January 7-11: After a relaxing for a week at Lazydays we drove 70 miles south of Tucson to Ft. Huachuca Army Base near Sierra Vista. We discovered Apache Flats RV Resort last November. Wayne's retired Air Force status allows us to use military campgrounds, and they are always the best. The only down side is an early reveille bugle call each morning.

The park is only about half full. With a reservation, we got a pull-through end spot with extra space and privacy.

Site #10 in Apache Flats at Ft. Huachuca.

Like many places, Covid restrictions have places like museums and libraries closed. We'll be back in April so we'll have another chance to learn more about the history of Ft. Huachuca. We did enjoy the sun and daytime warmth for reading and desert walks. Nights got pretty cold, but our propane heater kept us toasty.

A stormy Arizona sunset on our last night.

Wayne and I hope you will follow along on Part 2 of our 2021-22 Snowbird RV Adventure. While many of our  stops will be familiar favourites, we have a few new ones to add to the mix. -- Wayne and Margy

Over the years we've stayed at a number of military campgrounds in western states. All of them have been excellent places to stay in an RV. Services always include water, power and sewer in most of the sites. Each park has it's 0wn special qualities like: Cliffside RV Park on Whidbey Island Naval Air Station (to the right), camping in the forest at Holiday Park FamCamp at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and now Apache Flats.

Snowbird RV Adventure: Tucson to Ft. Huachuca to Rockhound State Park

Days 9-13

Apache Flats
Ft. Huachuca
Army Base

April 4-7: Do you have favourite places to visit? We do traveling by RV in Arizona. We usually return to a favourite spot at least once a travel season. Great parks like Apache Flats at Ft. Huachuca Army Base near Sierra Vista is one of ours. So much so, we were here in December, January and now in Part 3.

It's an easy hour and fifteen minute drive from the Tucson Lazydays KOA using I-10 and Highway 90. Highways help keep us from holding up traffic.

We requested an end site to use our telescope for night sky viewing. Read more about that in the previous post.

You can read more about Apache Flats from previous visits by clicking here.

Rockhound State Park
New Mexico

April 8: Our trip plans next led us across the New Mexico border. Unlike our easy drive to Ft. Huachuca, our drive to Rockhound State Park near Deming was much longer. The first part through the Arizona foothills on I-10 was pretty. Passing through Texas Canyon we saw massive tilting rocks of quartz monzonite.  Volcanically formed below the earth's surface, they uplifted and weathered into fanciful formations.

Tilting and precarious rocks in Texas Canyon, AZ.

After a two and a half hour drive we stopped at Lordsburg, New Mexico, for gas at a Pilot truck stop and lunched on Arby's roast beef sandwiches. Our next stop, Rockhound State Park, was only another hour and a half drive away.

The white dot is our RV's private site at the base of the mountain.

 

Rockhound is a unique destination. There are 29 campsites, 23 with power and water, nestled at the base of the Little Florida Mountains near Deming. Like the name says, the area is know for rockhounding specimens such as thunder eggs, geodes, perlite, rhyolite, quartz and jasper. Even more unique, you are allowed to collect and keep samples.

Each level site came with a picnic table, ramada cover, fire ring, water, power and ample space. A dump station is available for campers' use.

We were able to have the first campfire of our trip. We enjoyed its warmth and stayed outdoors to watch the stars come out, but the bright moon kept the Milky Way in hiding. What a wonderful way to end a long day of driving.

When you travel, how many hours do you prefer to spend on the road. Our ideal is two hours, but sometimes that isn't possible between destinations. -- Margy

I'm sharing with Through My Lens by Mersad.

Also stop by Sharon's Souvenirs for some travel trips and suggestions, a Wednesday linkup for My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand and Tuesdays with a Twist at Stone Cottage Adventures.

Snowbird RV Adventure: Patagonia Lake to Fort Huachuca

Days 21-23

December 4-6: We left Patagonia Lake State Park and headed north, then east, then south again to U.S. Army Fort Huachuca. We originally wanted to spend three nights at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, but they don't take reservations. Searching for an alternative, we discovered Apache Flats RV Resort at Fort Huachuca near Sierra Vista.

Wayne is retired military so we can stay at RV parks on bases. They are always a good choice for location, quality and reasonable cost.

It was only 55 miles away so we were there in about an hour. We'd hoped to have lunch at The Steak Out restaurant in Sonoita, but they changed their hours. Maybe another trip!

First we went to the Commissary to stock up on food for the next week of travel. Then we walked over to the Exchange for a few items.

We were assigned #25 of the 56 sites. They are nice sized with full hookups and mesquite trees for shade. We didn't use the restrooms or showers, but did use the laundry.

The park is surrounded by desert. It's quiet except for a distant bugle playing reveille at 6:00 a.m.

There are walking trails from the park. We especially enjoyed the Heritage Park trail with plant identification signs. There were other signs of importance and we made sure not to stray off the designated trails!

We missed the summer blooms that come with the monsoon season, but there were still lots of beautiful desert plants to enjoy. We've been good about walking for exercise each evening before dinner.

Fort Huachuca has a long history. It was set up as a cavalry camp in 1877 to protect settlers and travelers. In 1882 it was made a permanent Army fort to protect the border region. From 1913 to 1933, the 10th Cavalry of African-American "Buffalo Soldiers" became the garrison regiment.

After World War II the base was briefly closed, but reopened in 1950 as a national defense asset. Today the focus is on technology, communications and intelligence.

A warm November evening at Fort Huachuca.

Now that we know about Apache Flats RV Resort at Fort Huachuca we will be returning. If you are active duty or retired military or Department of Defense you can make a reservation at this popular destination up to 90 days in advance. -- Wayne and Margy

Are you eligible to stay in RV parks and Family Camps on military bases? If so, what are some of your favourite ones? 

Our list includes Whidbey Island's Cliffside RV Park, Joint Base Lewis-McChord's Holiday Park FamCamp, and Port Hueneme's Fairways RV Resort. Now we will add Fort Huachuca's Apache Flat's RV Resort to that illustrious list.
-- Margy

Snowbird RV Adventure: Fort Huachuca to Butterfield RV Resort in Benson

Days 11-15

January 12: We left Apache Flats RV Resort right at 11:00 checkout. On the way out, we went to the base's commissary to purchase groceries for the following week. During the Omicron surge, weekly shopping is our most vulnerable activity. The base has a mandatory mask rule which makes us feel more secure.

The 34 mile drive north to Butterfield RV Resort in Benson was quick using Highway 90. Just north of Whetstone there's a border inspection station, but fortunately it wasn't backed up.

Google maps on my iPad is how we get around and monitor traffic. It's a lot easier than the old way using paper maps and gas station directions.

I made a reservation at Butterfield in late December and still got a prime pull-through full hook-up spot.

Site #67 at Butterfield RV Resort with pine trees for shade.

January 13-16: The Butterfield RV Resort is one block off Benson's main street. The park has a mix of patrons. Some sites are primarily used by short-term RVers like us, others are seasonal (winter) long-term RVers, and at the rear of the resort there are park model homes for a few full-time residents and vacation homes for others.

Typical resort amenities include: daily activities, store, laundry, dog parks, clubhouse, swimming pool, spa, fitness center and pickleball court. Catering to many long-term residents they also have a wood shop, golf putting and driving areas, a ham radio shack, and most interesting to us, an observatory with a 20" Mead telescope.

We had an informative evening with Observatory Tom who led us through the night sky. During the winter season, nightly sessions are offered for a limited number of participants.

The observatory with a rotating dome and 20" Mead telescope.

We don't have a toad (towed vehicle), so walking is how we get around. Being close to town, we could walk to restaurants and stores. For now, we only picked up dinner from Magaly's Mexican Restaurant, and breakfast from Wendy's to eat at the RV. We'll return when it's Covid safer to enjoy the many cafes Benson has to offer. Safeway, ACE Hardware and Walmart are also within walking distance for resupply needs.

What are some the amenities you look for in a campground or RV park? -- Margy

A big part of RVing is sitting outdoors in fresh air and sunshine. We've traded our simple folding camp chairs for larger cloth padded chairs. We want to keep them safe and dry when not in use in camp.

When set up, our bed slideout serves as a roof over our collapsed chairs. For windy conditions, strong twine holds them in place. In rain, a large trash bag covers them for moisture control. This way we have dry seats ready for relaxing and reading the following day.

Snowbird RV Adventure: Night Sky Watch at Lazydays and Ft. Huachuca

My last post included a teaser about getting a telescope to use on our RV travels. Here's the rest of the story.

Tucson has two telescope stores, Starizona and Stellar Vision. Wednesday morning we went to nearby Stellar Vision.

When we drove up to the industrial building with a garage door and metal bars we didn't know what to expect. Inside we found an astronomer's paradise.

There were telescopes of every type and size, so many it was impossible to count.

A few of the telescopes available at Stellar Vision.

At the back of the store we found the owner, Frank Lopez. He was busy refurbishing a smaller telescope. Wayne described what he was looking for, a new 6" Celestron. Wayne knew it would be difficult. Telescopes are in high demand and short supply due to Covid. People are interested in activities they can do at home and there's a shortage in the supply chain.

Wayne reviewing a refurbish 5" Celestron Nexstar.

Frank was working on a used 5" Celestron Nexstar. He explained what he inspected and repaired, if needed, before placing a used telescope on the floor for sale. After Frank's explanation we were comfortable looking at something used.

Wayne setting up his telescope to safely view sunspots with a filter.

There was another 5" Celestron Nexstar on the floor ready for sale. It had computerized celestial tracking, a tripod, spotting scope, star diagonal, low power eyepiece, power supply and padded carry case. You could tell the previous owner took good care of his scope and even kept the manual.

Wayne observing deep sky objects at Ft. Huachuca.

Wayne added a solar filter to look at the sunspots (there are a lot of big ones right now). He also got a high power eyepiece. We tried to do some night sky viewing at Lazydays, but the city lights made it difficult.

At Apache Flats RV Resort in Ft. Huachuca we set up our scope and had better luck. There were more lights than we expected and the moon was getting bright, but for two nights we had fun learning how to use our new scope and seeing favourite night sky objects.

Do you like to watch the night sky? Do you use anything for magnification? Do you like taking night sky pictures? If so, what kind of camera do you use? -- Margy