Wintering in SoCa

[travelinbob]

We are thinking about wintering in Southern California from mid December until March but concerned about the virus. California has been on a decline but this spike across the nation has me worried.

We spent 4 winters there in the past right before buying our home in 2019.  Spent last winter here in NM and it wasn't bad but still not shorts and Tshirt weather. I know most things and events will still be either on hold or cancelled so it's a big decision to make. Any thoughts on this ?

Edited October 23, 2020 by travelinbob

[Barbaraok]

Where in So Cal?   

Our park in Arizona will have a lot of empty RV sites since no Canadians coming down.  BUT those will not be put up until their reservations are cancelled.  So it will be a wait and see.

[Twotoes]

4 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

Where in So Cal?   

Our park in Arizona will have a lot of empty RV sites since no Canadians coming down.  BUT those will not be put up until their reservations are cancelled.  So it will be a wait and see.

What park in AZ are you in?

[hemsteadc]

I'll be there, but darn careful with masks and distancing.  In Quartzsite now suffering with this stubborn heat.

Edited October 23, 2020 by hemsteadc

[rynosback]

27 minutes ago, hemsteadc said:

I'll be there, but darn careful with masks and distancing.  In Quartzsite now suffering with this stubborn heat.

I will take some of your heat here in Santa Fe, NM.
 

 

[Barbaraok]

2 hours ago, Twotoes said:

What park in AZ are you in?

Val Vista Villages in Mesa.

[Barbaraok]

1 hour ago, hemsteadc said:

I'll be there, but darn careful with masks and distancing.  In Quartzsite now suffering with this stubborn heat.

It is cool now.  The 119° this summer, now that was HOT🔥🔥🔥🔥

[2gypsies]

8 hours ago, travelinbob said:

We are thinking about wintering in Southern California from mid December until March but concerned about the virus. California has been on a decline but this spike across the nation has me worried.

 

I don't know where you live but if in the north, do you want to spend winter there?

You can be safe vacationing in a RV in a warmer state and being able to be outside.  What would you do in your home town to keep you safer that you couldn't do in your RV.  You'll still be going to grocery stores, etc.  At least in warmer climate you can get out and walk, hike, sitesee rather than sitting indoors.

[Jinx & Wayne]

12 hours ago, travelinbob said:

We are thinking about wintering in Southern California from mid December until March but concerned about the virus. California has been on a decline but this spike across the nation has me worried.

You said it in a nutshell.  It is spiking across the nation.  I'm of the opinion that most places will be equally bad.  I think the primary question is whether the place I am going is likely to allow me to be comfortable while maintaining the necessary safety precautions.  By safety precautions I mean distancing from others, masks, hand washing and avoiding being indoors for more than a few minutes where others are or have been present.  If SoCal allows for that, why not?  One caution - is it an area where natural disasters are likely?  Fires and hurricanes can put you in jeopardy if you have to go to a shelter.  We left Florida for Maine in July for that reason.  It looks like SoFL may get its first significant storm this week.  We are heading back slowly.

I would look for areas that have grocery shopping either by pickup or delivery.  In many places there is no reason to go into a grocery store.  Delivery is more expensive than pickup, but has the flexibility to chat online with the shopper regarding substitutions and the like.  About the cheapest grocery pickup is Walmart.  Either way you shop online ahead of time and pay by card.  No contact with anyone is involved other than parking outside and identifying yourself to the employee who brings out the groceries.  I have them put it in the back of my pickup, but a car trunk works too.  For others stores we only patronize those with curbside pickup.

Areas that have outdoor activities that you can enjoy while maintaining safety procedures can go a long way toward maintaining your sanity.  For us walking, biking and golf top the list.  For golf we found a course that does not require us to go inside to check in.  We mask in areas close to others, but do not mask on the golf course or when hiking or biking in open areas.  At Acadia NP this summer we stuck to the carriage paths and avoided narrow trails because the park was very busy and the folks there had mixed ideas about safety.

The highest risk activity we have is laundry.  We try to pick mid-week times when it seems campground laundries are used the least.  We try to be the first ones that morning.  We swoop in and load the machines, and set our watches.  When they are done we go back and load the dryers - set watches.  Swoop in and stuff it into the baskets.  Then back to the rig to fold it.  It may be a little more wrinkled, but we keep our total indoor time down to under fifteen minutes.  Both of us do this chore; that cuts the exposure time in half.  We are not waiting by the machines, regardless of what the signs say.

For us campground activities are at the bottom of the list this year.  No bingo, poker, dinners or the like.  No clubhouses or doubles pickleball (outdoors but too much proximity and hard breathing, at least for doubles.) Maybe next year.

Travel safely. Let us know what you decide.

[Barbaraok]

You just described our life here in the Mesa area.  Only other place we go are physicians offices because Dave had quad bypass with complications last spring.   Both Fry’s (Kroger) and Safeway don’t charge for pickup during the pandemic.   Also grocery stores here open at 6:00 am so I go to Sprouts for a couple it items every other month at that time.   Go to Post Office on weekends early in the morning and use kiosks.  Even Costco has delivery and in Mesa does curbside pickup now.  

[Kirk W]

22 hours ago, travelinbob said:

We are thinking about wintering in Southern California from mid December until March but concerned about the virus.

While the more remote or rural one is located the less covid seems to be present, one concern not mentioned in the suggested considerations is medical facilities, just in case you should contract covid. Small hospitals may not have the ability to care for covid or would be overwhelmed very quickly. 

[travelinbob]

Thanks to everyone who commented.  Weather here near Albuquerque is getting cold, starting Monday low will be 20 degrees and it doesn't get much better for a week. This is sort of the Dec-Jan  weather that we were hoping to escape.

I am still undecided about going to Palm Springs, actually half hour south of there for a few months but I suppose life there would be somewhat like life here so why not. Its a shame that this winter will not have the activities that we have grown to love there but we have to stay SAFE. That is the priority.

 

[hemsteadc]

16 hours ago, Jinx & Wayne said:

 Both of us do this chore; that cuts the exposure time in half.  We are not waiting by the machines, regardless of what the signs say.

Same here.  I would never sit by a wash machine for a half hour. And I rarely use a dryer as a few hours in the sun can do that  job.

[LindaH]

We're heading south for the winter in a little less than 2 weeks.  We boondock on LTVA land, so social distancing is not a problem.  For groceries, we'll do what we do at home -- order online for curbside pickup.  For laundry, we'll probably use the laundromat's wash and fold service.  If we want to "eat out," we'll order pickup.  All of this will keep us in minimal contact with others.

[2gypsies]

6 hours ago, travelinbob said:

Its a shame that this winter will not have the activities that we have grown to love there but we have to stay SAFE. That is the priority.

 

You may be surprised that possibly the park could come up with some clever ideas for fun things to do while distancing.  You can also hike, bike, walk, rent a Jeep/ATV and do some 4-wheeling along with branching out in all directions on the small roads and explore.  Do you do geocaching?  If not, this would be a good time to begin.  Look up the site and pick out some near you; take a GPS and have a ball.  We absolutely love this activity as it takes you to places you'd never think of going.

[Ray,IN]

59 minutes ago, LindaH said:

We're heading south for the winter in a little less than 2 weeks.  We boondock on LTVA land, so social distancing is not a problem.  For groceries, we'll do what we do at home -- order online for curbside pickup.  For laundry, we'll probably use the laundromat's wash and fold service.  If we want to "eat out," we'll order pickup.  All of this will keep us in minimal contact with others.

That is of course assuming the person hired to fold clothes is virus-free and not coughing all over your clothes.

Edited October 24, 2020 by Ray,IN