Up n coming snowbird

[NDBirdman]

Looking for some suggestions for this years snow-birding.  Will be our first time running away from the frigid ND minus temps.  We are going south from ND, no place fancy, no large cities, no cities would be best.  We don't want to hit the snowbird hot spots, don't want to fight the crowds, kinda figure those places will all be filled so not worth fighting for a spot.  NO FL, I'm just not a fan of it, more of a desert type fan but open to all areas (no FL...lol).  We will not be able to leave our snb until Jan time-frame, probably be gone from Jan through Feb/Mar, this fall/winter is going to be filled with getting social security and retirement accounts paying out, ie finances figured out or we would take off before the first snow flake falls... LOL.  Would like to stay where night time temps are 45-50, daytime under 70ish.  Depending on how it goes, maybe head back towards NM, miss living there!  We can bounce from one FAM camp to another, would probably enjoy that.  Dispersed camping is also something we enjoy, but without the crowds, don't like crowds.  Don't want to touch saltwater this trip so not that far down.  An area we can play tourist, keep ourselves busy somewhat within half to one day drive (overnight in a motel occasionally is fine).  This trip will kinda be vacation/tourist agenda as wife is retiring in a couple weeks and we want to relax yet do sight-seeing.  Thinking about it, I don't think I would enjoy sitting in one place more than 2-3 weeks at a time.  We both get bored easily.  Not into resort type campgrounds, but one with a craft center and regular card/board game nights would be good.  Pets must be accepted, we have an old Britney and will have at-least one cat.  The following winter will will probably spend winter around Seattle but not in this camper.

Our RV is in great shape but getting old (looks like it is fairly new), has been a fun RV for weekend getaways with 1-2 week trips here and there.  On windy days you can feel a breeze inside so definitely no cold areas.  If we like this trip, we are going to purchase a new RV, more than likely a Momentum 351M.  (MUST have room for my brewing equipment... LOL)  That is not set in stone, we are also toying with going Class A with toad.  If all goes well, will probably be in it atleast 6 months a year, maybe longer.

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[Lou Schneider]

If you're looking for boondocking spots, throw an extra battery or two in your trailer and head for western Arizona along the Colorado River.  The Quartzsite crowds really thin out after the Big Tent closes in late January and there are lots of places where you can go off by yourself until the crowds leave.   The quietest night I ever experienced was in the Midland LTVA north of Blythe, CA while the crowds surged in Quartzsite.

Edited September 12, 2019 by Lou Schneider

[2gypsies]

The BLM areas in southern AZ and Southern CA would work for you.  You can move between the areas as often as you like.  I'd suggest the Yuma/Quartzsite/Blyth areas of AZ or the Borrego Springs, CA areas.  Both would offer things to do in the area.  Here are some sites that may help you.  Purchase the Benchmark Atlas for Arizona and CA which gives good detailed information on the roads in the areas and also gives the public lands clearly marked.  There are also YouTubes if you Google "boondocking ..... and the area".  Some photos you see will be of Quartzsite at the main gathering time of mid-end of January.  After that the crowds thin out amazingly.  You can always find a quiet space in the desert!  We tried New Mexico in the months of Jan/Feb and found it to be too cold for us.  There are also many RV parks in the Yuma area if you need hoookups once in a while.

https://www.rv-camping.org/blmcampgrounds/

https://quartzsitetourism.com/explore-quartzsite/

https://www.campendium.com/rockhouse       (Borrego Springs, CA)

https://wheelingit.us/2016/03/13/boondocking-site-review-plomosa-road-quartzsite-az/

http://publiclands.org/?

https://www.blm.gov/arizona

 

[Twotoes]

I agree with the Yuma, Quartzsite AZ area but you may also look at the Escapees RV Park in Demming NM, Dreamcatcher RV Park. It’s just off I-10, not crowded. Has full hookup for about $22 a night. All pull thrus. They also have a monthly rate. There is a clubhouse but not much activities. An occasional potluck and ice cream socials etc. Silver City NM is nearby to the north. Columbus NM is about a 30 minute drive to the south and is right on the border of MEX. There is also a State Park in Columbus. Also the Escapees Co-Op in Benson AZ just south of Tucson is a great place. There are also Escapees parks in Casa Grande, Congress and Yuma too. Yuma does get a little hot near April but so does Quartzite. 

[sandsys]

Friends who don't like neighbors have found the BLM near Blythe, CA, to be a good place to go. There's a decent grocery store in Blythe. The post office in Blythe provides excellent service and you can park a motorhome on the side street while you go inside. I'm not sure you'd find much to do around there but it can be a great place to go for a break.

Linda

[NDBirdman]

I agree, NM can be a little cold in the winter.  I worked on the flight line at Holloman for many years, it can get freaking cold! (for NM, but now, after 25 yrs in ND, I might consider that hot... LOL)  Also worked the flight line at Luke for many years.  While not quite as cold, it could get windy/wet.  The only thing I worry about now, being close to the border, is the drug traffic along with the crazies it brings.  Is it really safe there?

I really did not want to go any farther than NM and TX turns me off also.  How is it in northern/central Louisiana, Mississippi or Alabama area?  What about maybe, Okihoma?  Georgia, Souf Carolina?  When I last went to Indiana, there was a couple, actually many couples wintering just south of Indianapolis.  I don't want to be that cold though, I grew up close to indy and can tell you some bad stories (about the weather too... LOL)  If I made it to Aridzona, what about Tuscon?  I've only spent a few weeks there during the summer.

[sandsys]

The Plantation, SKP park in Alabama, may be good for you. Weather tends to be good. There's a clubhouse if you want to be social but it's a bit of a walk from the visitor campsites so you don't hear any noise from it if you stay home. It's near the Gulf and Mobile for day trips. Big Daddy's restaurant, west of the park, is worth a visit. There's a Lambert's, home of throwed rolls, that's another fun visit. The people at the local post office were not friendly when we were there but you can probably have mail sent to other local post offices if you plan to be there for long. The park has recycling which we appreciated since we tend to drink a lot of canned soda pop. The urgent care center treated me well when I went there. We went back to that park several times.

Linda

[NDBirdman]

21 minutes ago, sandsys said:

The Plantation, SKP park in Alabama, may be good for you.  The urgent care center treated me well when I went there.

Thanks, I'll check that one out!  Glad you mentioned urgent care center.  Where ever we go I need to be able to get to one fast if needed.  While I do love being out away from other people, it's not often we can.  My wife has heart problems so I need to be able to get to one within reason or an ambulance fairly fast.  Thanks for reminding me, sometimes I get excited in planning but need a quick reminder my wife's health is more important.

[2gypsies]

There is absolutely no issue staying close to the border..... no worse and probably much better than any city.  Those border towns that  boondockers go to - Yuma, Quartzsite, Borrego Springs, have millions of RVers staying there both boondocking and in RV parks.  They willingly walk across the border from Yuma to Algodones to shop, buy legal meds and have dental work done.  You park your car and easily walk across and normally will be walking with a large group as many go there each day.  The streets will be full of Americans.

[NDBirdman]

Going on those recommendations 2, is there a great hospital close to them that could handle heart emergencies?  Or other serious conditions?  Since it concerns my wife, I want to call and them be there in 3 seconds.  Yea, I know but you get how I feel. 

You said" Yuma, Quartzsite, Borrego Springs, have millions of RVers staying there both boondocking and in RV parks", that actually sounds like a seriously over crowded area.  I don't mind being around a few but that many.... I would be one very grumpy, unhappy, pissed off old phart.  There is no way I could ever be around that many ppl.  I've lived in AZ and NM, never saw the camper boom like is now going on.  I used to love it there but if those 2 states have been over run with millions of campers, it is starting to sound like I don't want to go back there.  That statement to me anywayz, makes it sound like AZ/NM has turned into a large trailer park.  We used to go out on dirt bikes and horses and never see anyone.

Maybe I'm just getting old.... I plan on spending some time in Seattle and yes, that population of ppl really drives me nuts to the point I start feeling ill.  I wish the heck my daughter and family would move some where else.

So far, The Plantation, SKP park in Alabama is really sounding like it's worth a shot.  Please don't tell me there are millions of campers there too!

[sandsys]

Parker, AZ, has a small hospital but I'm not sure how the would do with heart problems. I know people who have been there with appendicitis and pneumonia that came out OK. There's lots of boondocking in that area, too.

Linda

[cactus]

23 minutes ago, sandsys said:

Parker, AZ, has a small hospital but I'm not sure how the would do with heart problems. I know people who have been there with appendicitis and pneumonia that came out OK. There's lots of boondocking in that area, too.

Linda

With major trauma they would helo you to Phoenix

Yes they do a great job but are limited. And some times the wait is long unless emergency.

[Kirk W]

Before you write off TX, remember that this is a very big state and there are many RV parks that are a long distance from where most snowbirds stay. I was quite surprised to find that there are numerous nice RV parks scattered about east TX that do a good winter business. An example is the Stay a While RV Park located near Murchison is a good example. Another to consider might be Rolling Oaks RV Park that is located just south of Canton, or perhaps the Lake Athens Marina & RV park located just outside of Athens. Both Canto & Athens have good hospitals and all 3 are near Tyler, which is a major medical center for east TX, with 2 teaching hospitals. This area is mostly forested and is located about 2 hours travel from Dallas, Houston, or Shreveport.

[FL-JOE]

Sounds to me like Texas would be the perfect spot for you to start with.  There are tons of different parts you could investigate and many are never crowded.  It would generally have the temps you are seeking.

You are correct and should stay out of Florida.  We wait in line for days to get fuel.  In order to eat at any restaurant you have to get there at 5am and stand in line to get a table by 6pm, and even then you are sharing a table with 4 other couples you don't even know!  It is the most horrible state to snowbird in, be smart and stay away no matter what!

[Twotoes]

If you want to be away from crowds of people but near a hospital you may have a problem because most hospitals are near population centers. Quartzsite does get crowded in the month of Jan but if you get 10 miles north or south there are few crowds and other months are not crowded. Yuma also gets crowded Jan, Feb, March but not too bad and again if you get to to edges of town there are no crowds. The Escapees Co-Op in Benson, Saguaro, is very nice and in my opinion one of the best Co-Ops in the system. I have stayed there many times. Benson is about 45 minutes south of Tucson and no crowds. The Escapees Park in AL, Rainbow Plantation, is my second favorite park. I will be there at the end of Oct for a week. The Escapees park in Deming, Dreamcatcher, is at a low elevation and does not get as cold as those areas at higher elevation. You won’t see any problems with the border because you are 30 miles north. 

[NDBirdman]

1 hour ago, FL-JOE said:

Sounds to me like Texas would be the perfect spot for you to start with.  There are tons of different parts you could investigate and many are never crowded.  It would generally have the temps you are seeking.

You are correct and should stay out of Florida.  We wait in line for days to get fuel.  In order to eat at any restaurant you have to get there at 5am and stand in line to get a table by 6pm, and even then you are sharing a table with 4 other couples you don't even know!  It is the most horrible state to snowbird in, be smart and stay away no matter what!

LOL, I don't think it is that bad.  I may stay a winter there someday but the reason I really don't want to go there is the fact over the years I have spent a lot of time there.  I have family there and even have offers of land to use with FHUs close to Ft Pierce for free.  I don't articulate well so I understand the confusion(?) on my statement.  I have even lived, many years back, in Jacksonville.  I know some day we will camp there but not now.  But we do in fact HATE the high humidity of FL but that is mostly summer time.  There are several FAM camps there, I want to stay on the east FL coast at Manatee Cove and west panhandle FL at Racoon Creek, both look like a great place to spend time.  While I can do nothing about the crowds there, I will have to bite my tongue and avoid the times of day crowds are at their peak.

[NDBirdman]

2 hours ago, Kirk W said:

Before you write off TX, remember that this is a very big state and there are many RV parks that are a long distance from where most snowbirds stay. I was quite surprised to find that there are numerous nice RV parks scattered about east TX that do a good winter business. An example is the Stay a While RV Park located near Murchison is a good example. Another to consider might be Rolling Oaks RV Park that is located just south of Canton, or perhaps the Lake Athens Marina & RV park located just outside of Athens. Both Canto & Athens have good hospitals and all 3 are near Tyler, which is a major medical center for east TX, with 2 teaching hospitals. This area is mostly forested and is located about 2 hours travel from Dallas, Houston, or Shreveport.

I will check those places out, thanks for the suggestions.  They might work, my hatred for TX goes a long ways back, a texan wanna be hunter almost cost me my life once.  Since that day, the thought of a texan has turned my stomach green.  Yea, I know, every state/area has idiots but my run-in was from TX.  That was 40 yrs ago, I guess I should get over it someday... LOL

The reason I prefer low populated areas is how I handle ppl.  I get extremely anxious driving crowded roads or crowds of ppl to the point of panic attacks.  The older I get, the worse I get.  It is what it is and the reason I prefer to boondock.  If not for my wife, I would find a place to live/camp with no one around for hundreds of miles. 

[Kirk W]

18 minutes ago, NDBirdman said:

I have even lived, many years back, in Jacksonville. 

So you know east TX quite well & I get it now. We were home based about 20 miles west of Tyler until recently and have done a lot of exploring that area. I had to take Pam to the Athens hospital for what we thought was a heart attack (turned out not the case) and we were very impressed by it. 

Rainbow Plantation is very popular with most Escapees who spend time there and many consider it to be the premier SKP park. They probably have the most active resident group there of any of the Rainbow parks(those owned by Escapees). They are not far from the gulf but are not right on it. We have stayed at Dream Catcher(Demming, NM) several times and for a week a couple of them. That does make a pretty good base for some exploring that area and if you enjoy smaller, local museums, Demming has a very nice one that you can see in a few hours time. 

Let us know what you decide to do. 

[NDBirdman]

2 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

 We have stayed at Dream Catcher(Demming, NM) several times and for a week a couple of them. That does make a pretty good base for some exploring that area and if you enjoy smaller, local museums, Demming has a very nice one that you can see in a few hours time.

I have looked at their online site, looks interesting.  We lived in Alamogordo, NM for 6 years, was very active tent camping and explored the southern half of the state quite extensively.  That's why we would like to go back there and spend some time someday, we both miss the area.  For a vastly wide open state, your right, there is a lot of do/explore there.  We will go back there someday!  We spent a lot of time camping the forest around Cloudcroft, have a lot of good memories with my family there.  We camped out of a 4x4 truck, went places most ppl did not dare or did not know about.  We saw parts of NM most ppl did not know existed, talk about good times!  My brother was also stationed there for a while, we had some good times camping, having run-ins with bears... LOL another long story.  We would go to El-Paso alot, made many a trip into Juarez going to the *market*, many a Christmas/Birthday gift came from there.

[rpsinc]

Just my perspective based on some of the same work I am doing in a similar path to you, NDBirdman.  Enjoy the journey.  

I have read many reviews and comments on people that have gone the RV route and did way too much and got burned out.  Too busy trying to see and do more than what is reasonable.  I am taking all that advise in as a basis for what we will do when we get to that point.  Dont be in a hurry.  Enjoy the journey.  RV people are some of the nicest I have ever met and since they often dont have pressing appointments to get to, they are not stressed but do give you space.  

I, for one, am looking forward to that change of pace/life.

[NDBirdman]

I hear ya!  While til now most our camping has been as a tourist, out hunting/fishing, or visiting families out of state for a week or so at a time, I understand we are going to have to slow down.  I am pretty much there, my wife on the other hand is go-go-go.  Difference between us is I have been retired for 10 years, she retires in a couple weeks.  She thinks she is going to have to find a part time job for something to do so I'm going to have to keep her occupied for a while, letting her slow down at her own pace like I did.  This up-coming winter trip will be more of a vacation/sight-seeing thing, kinda as a reward for her hitting retirement.  Next winter hopefully she will be... calmed down.  I can sit on our porch for days at a time, sip some beer/hard-cider and be very content.  I have to get her there... LOL  Have tried for years to get her to retire but she had it in her head she HAD to hit 66 before she would, well, that's coming real quick!

[Kirk W]

17 hours ago, NDBirdman said:

She thinks she is going to have to find a part time job for something to do so I'm going to have to keep her occupied for a while, letting her slow down at her own pace like I did. 

You may want to consider some RV volunteer positions. Many of them are also very private and yet not too distant from medical facilities that you could need. An example that I think of was our time at Black Bayou Natl. Wildlife Refuge located just a few miles from Monroe, LA. While some locations are far from any city, we have been to several that we close in as well.

[NDBirdman]

She is thinking about doing an online teaching gig.  That, or as a supervisor online, she's checking on that.  Her career field requires newbies be supervised by someone with her license for 3 years I believe, (every state is different) she is thinking about that.  She needs to do some digging on the legality of that as each state requires that state's license.  In ND it's an LICSW and fairly hard to get so she wants to do something along those lines to pass on her knowledge.  We will see which direction she goes but she does want something in her career path (mental health and family counseling).  She could even do a Red Cross gig, we will see.  What you suggested might be a great gig for me to keep me busy some.  My wife I don't think is really ready or wanting to retire but with some health issues, age, etc, she is getting where a full time job is hard.  I'm hoping she can let herself slow down after retirement, this coming couple of months of snow-birding will I think be a big test to see what/where she will go/do.  Where ever we go, campground or dispersed camping, we will have to have internet access at least good enough for online live video I think to keep her happy.  Our journey me thinks is going to be..... a mental exercise for her..... LOL

Thanks for the suggestions Kirk and everyone else! 

 

[Ray,IN]

I have never camped in them, but I've read good things about NM state parks. Most are at high elevations, which may rule them out. You will be within 40 miles of  a hospital, as 70% of NM population lives within 40 miles of a state park.

[Kirk W]

14 hours ago, NDBirdman said:

Thanks for the suggestions Kirk and everyone else! 

Are you changing from NDBirdman to SnowBirdman once you make the move?   ☺️