Friday, November 22, 2013

Gearing up for winter camphosting in Arizona

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We left Williams last Thursday and headed south out of the mountains toward Phoenix . . . just in time, too . . . they’re getting a winter storm up there this weekend!

There were a couple of steep grades on I-17 south of Flagstaff, but we just took it slow and had no trouble at all.  After a quick stop at a rest area for lunch,

Lunch Break

we continued on to Lake Pleasant Regional Park, about 30 miles NW of Phoenix.  We checked in with the Park Supervisor, and were directed to site #2 in the Roadrunner Campground.

We got setup under our protective structure – everything fits!

Camphost_Site #2

We’re out in the desert, as evidenced by the variety of cacti that surround us,     DSC_0023

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but we’ve got a great view of the lake and the mountains that surround it – beautiful!

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There are two campgrounds in this park – Roadrunner which has 75 sites, all developed (electric & water), and Desert Tortoise which has 75 sites also, some developed and some primitive.  There are 4 host sites in Roadrunner, and 2 in Desert Tortoise.

Tom will be one of the hosts, and the boys and I will help out when we have time off from work & school.  We’ll be here through the end of March.     DSC_0017

 

On Friday morning we met with the Maintenance Supervisor, and then we headed down to downtown Phoenix to get finger-printed for our background checks.  Since we’re from out of state, the checks could take up to 2 weeks, and we can’t start working until they are complete.  So for now, we’re just hanging out and getting to know the area!

On Tuesday, the 4 of us, along with 3 other new hosts, went to the required safety training – we learned about defensive driving, hazmat, blood borne pathogens, fire extinguishers and suspicious packages.

It was a long day, but at least it’s all done!

Phoenix was having warmer-than-normal weather before we got here, with temps in the 90s still, but it’s cooled down to a nice comfortable 80 degree range since we’ve been here, and staying around 60 at night, with low humidity . . . we’re loving this!  We’ve even been sleeping with a window open, which is great!

We haven’t been down to the lake yet – the “locals” say it’s cold, but our fellow camphosts from Oregon assure us that it’s “all relative”!

Nicolas has been taking advantage of the warm weather to get the car and truck all cleaned up,

Washed & waxed -- looks pretty good!

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but it’s supposed to rain all day tomorrow, so they’ll probably get dirty again!  Poor Nick!

The campground is pretty quiet during the week, but fills up on the weekends, and we’re supposed to be packed next week for Thanksgiving – we’re looking forward to seeing lots of people around!

We’ll have plenty of time for exploring the area, so we’re working on our list of things to see and do . . . recommendations are welcome!  We’ll also have plenty of time to relax and enjoy the beautiful desert sunsets!

Cloudless sunset

7 comments:

  1. Oh my... the view of the lake and the sunset are spectacular. Such a different environment from last winter on the Florida coast. Looking forward to your adventures here!!!

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  2. Be sure to visit the old town of Jerome while you are there.

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  3. Love Lake Pleasant. There are wild burro's there so be careful driving at night. We will be visiting Max's sister and mother over Thanksgiving in north Phoenix. We may stop by sometime during the following week to say hi.

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  4. Yes the boys will get their wish for a colder winter this year. Love the scenery. Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  5. oh..the host training. I assume it was the same woman and you wanted to stab your eyes out with an ice pick by the time it was over...

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  6. We are headed to Black Canyon City December 11-April 10. I'm working at a hospital in Sun City. See you guys down there!

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  7. Tom, really good talking with you - what about a month ago in Livonia - and can see on the blog why you don't miss us much. MI is frrreeezzing already. If you're lucky maybe Mi State will be playing your way for New Year's, for your sons.

    Happy Thanksgiving, Marci and Tom and sons. Tom S.

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