Road Trip to Palm Springs, Yuma, Mesa, and Phoenix, Arizona

In Search of the Perfect RV - Golf Resort

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

My mom and dad loved their RVs (motor homes, trailers, and fifth wheels).  Following in my parents tire tracks, Russ and I bought a fifth wheel last April, hooked it up to Dad's old truck, and have already traveled back and forth across the North American Continent.  For our Christmas gift to one another this year, we took golf lessons in December and January.  In February we decided to combine our love of travel and golf, and head south in the fifth wheel to find the perfect RV - Golf Resort.

We headed south on 99 spending our first night in Turlock with Russ's niece Dana, husband Paul, and their son William.  We spent an extra day in Turlock walking through the blooming almond orchards

and celebrating William's birthday with family.  It was fun being with all of them.

Left to Right - Russ, Don, Paul, Bonnie, Dana, Diane, William

Happy Birthday William

It took us a few more days driving through the Central Valley to arrive at

Desert Hot Springs and the Sands RV and Golf Resort where we stayed for two weeks.

View from our RV Site

With the exception of the rip roaring winds, that rattled the trailer and  greatly exaggerated our unintentional hooks and slices, we loved the resort. 4 or 5 star depending on the day, and we would come back. The facilities were lovely, and we were within 5 minutes from another golf course at Hidden Springs,

Hidden Springs

 15 minutes of downtown Palm Springs and access to many other golf courses.    We even had the opportunity to attend the Follies, the final season with Russ's Brother Don and Sister-in-law Diane, and their friends,

and take a peak up Marilyn Monroe's dress.  Later in the week, we golfed with Don and Diane's long time friends, Kirk and Nancy at the Seven Lakes Golf Course.

Turns out we have lots of friends in the Palm Springs Area, former colleagues, and Colfax friends.  We played golf  twice with John and Lisa Demorest, visited with Katie Sandberg and son Parker

and Irv Howard from the California League of Schools, and parents of our children's Colfax School friends,  Joanne Metzger, and  Pat and Paul Kodet.

Russ, Roz (photoshopped in) Joanne Metzger, John Demorest, Pat and Paul Kodet, Lisa Demorest

Pat worked with me as an art docent/teacher when I taught fifth grade.  We attended Pat's watercolor demonstration at the Bermuda Dunes Art Show,

and I took two of her  photoshop classes where I learned to superimpose myself into pictures.   I photoshopped my self into the group picture above and the one below when I felt left out of Ellen's selfie at the Academy Awards.  Lots of fun.  Thanks, Pat!

Paul is a model train volunteer at  the Living Desert.  They have a wonderful model display, and we enjoyed a personalized tour of the park with Paul and Pat.

Salton Sea and Sky

 Our time in Palm Desert area went all too quickly and it was time to  move on.  We drove south to Arizona past the Salton Sea.












Our next stop was the Westwind RV and Golf Resort in Yuma, Arizona.  3-4 star depending on how close to the freeway your site is situated and how avid a golfer one is.  We attended a wonderful concert by Susie McIntire in the large ballroom.  The resort has many ongoing activities, bar, restaurant, etc.  We would pass through here again.

Yard art out of beer cans

This too is a nice resort.  Only negatives here were the proximity to freeway noise and the golf course was a tad on the small side for us.

While in Yuma we visited the mid-1800 Yuma territorial prison.  It was a spectacularly beautiful sky day.

Interesting place to visit, but wouldn't want to stay here!

Guard Tower

golfed at the Cocopah Golf and RV Resort near the California-Yuma-Mexico Big BendArea.  We loved the golf here, the facilities were lovely, but we thought the RV sites were ugly….gravel, no trees, or landscaping.  We would rate this a 5 if it weren't for the RV sites…big turn off for us, but deserves a 4+ star for the golf and facilities  We like a bit more site ambiance.

We took one excursion into Los Algodones, Mexico while we were in Yuma.  The Native American Tribe operate a huge parking lot on the Arizona side of the boarder.  Thousands of cars filled with Canadians and Americans park here and cross the boarder by foot every day to get prescription and over the counter medicines, glasses, dentures, implants, massage, spa, etc.

 It's quite amazing to see people on crutches, wheel chairs, and walkers crossing the boarder to get products and services at a low cost, or as the sign above says, "almost free".   There are over 300 dentists in Los Algodones.  Russ and I enjoyed doing some shopping and people watching here.

For lunch we stopped in a Mexican plaza and had a great lunch and cold beers.  We enjoyed living in Mexico for five months before our Pacific crossing, and it felt great to be back. Being close to a boarder town has some great benefits.  I'm sure even the man who had a bloody handkerchief up to his mouth re-entering Arizona was happy to have had all of his teeth pulled so cheaply….really?  Hopefully, he bought some big bottles of tequila to drink while he waits for his dentures.  YIPES!

Our next stop was Palm Creek RV and Golf Resort in Casa Grande, Arizona.

Absolutely beautiful.  This one topped every other park we had stayed in.  The golf course was green, well kept, and challenging to say the least.  We lost a lot of balls in the meandering creek on the back nine holes.  Not sure this is a plus, but definitely a challenge.

The facilities were top notch, and there were more activities than one could conceivably be involved with including tennis courts, lawn bowling, horseshoes, shuffle board, pickle ball.  I took a line dancing class and attended the Mac Users group, and photography club while we were there.

The swimming pool, spas, exercise room were lovely.  All of the facilities were very professional from wood shop, stained glass, pottery, quilting and sewing (an entire building), water color, painting.  Russ was happy to see an active Lion's club and model yacht and airplane club.  The sites are not big or beautiful, but there are palm trees at every site with concrete patios.

We are definitely coming back here and have made reservations for next January-April.  For now this our favorite and definitely deserves a 5 star rating.  Our only concern would be the build out of surrounding area with park model homes that may eventually affect the impact on facility use…i.e. difficulty with tee times, etc., but for now we are looking forward to going back.

While in Casa Grande, we visited the structure that is now a National Monument.

Built throughout the period of 800-1350 A.D. by the early Sonoran people, abandoned in the 1400's and rediscovered by a Spanish Padre in the 1700's and named the Great House "Casa Grande", this four story adobe structure was the center piece of a community of over 2,000 people.

When the early indigenous people came to the area, they carved out canal system with crude pointed sticks that irrigated their farming community and brought water to the villages.  Building this system was time consuming and took many years to build, but it allowed their civilization to grow and flourish, until they abandoned the community.

The primary theory for abandonment is a large storm that flooded the area destroying the crude canals that had taken centuries to build and which the population was dependent upon to sustain their lives in the harsh desert environment.

After ten days in Casa Grande, we drove to Mesa, Arizona and the View Point RV and Golf Resort. Stopping along the way to enjoy desert flowers in bloom.

Again, this was a great place to visit.  It is a smaller, older facility.  The golf course was fun to play but very difficult for itinerant travelers hoping to book next-day tee times.  The ballroom was huge and the View Point concert band was practicing.  Of all of the places we visited, those who are musically inclined and enjoy playing music would be very impressed with this aspect of the park.  The clientele here seemed much older, but perhaps that was because our fifth wheel site was in the middle of the park models where the older residents live.  This park we would also rate as a 4 star.

While in Mesa, we visited our friends Herb and Betty formerly of S/V Sula and Gene and Gloria currently sailing S/V Pincoya, both fellow Puddle Jumpers of 2010.  It was fun catching up with them and playing a few hands of Baja Rummy.  Gene and Gloria were visiting Herb and Betty who have a lovely motor coach and have had a work kampership at the Good Life RV Park in Mesa.

Gene, Gloria, Russ, Roz, Betty, Herb

Herb and Betty had recommended a visit to the Musical Instrument Museum while we were in the Phoenix area.  We spent entire day here.  I usually last about two hours in a museum before I have had enough. but this was different.

We listened to fine music all day in front of a variety of musical instrument displays and video playback of musicologists and well known artists playing the instruments from different cultures, countries, and eras.  We too would highly recommend this as a place to visit.  It was simply fabulous.

We had planned on staying another week in Mesa before heading to Las Vegas.  Ed and Cornelia from S/V Acapella were coming in on Sunday the 30th and we were once again going to join up with Betty and Herb to visit and play cards.  We booked tickets for Thursday, March 27 to visit Talesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's home in Scottsdale.









But as many of you know, my father unexpectedly fell ill on Saturday and was terminally diagnosed with kidney failure on Sunday.  We packed up and drove for three days to come home, arriving just 24 hours before he passed away on March 28.  We were ever so thankful to spend some time with Dad before he left us.  Though our travels ended abruptly and sadly, our trip was wonderful.

Thanks Dad for imparting among other things laughter, the joy of camping and traveling, and wonderful stories that carried me over the rainbow.

Home from Arizona to be with Dad - April 7, 1927 - March 28, 2014

Thanksgiving 2013 - Dad, Roz, and Archie

Saturday, March 22, 2014

My Dad Archie, went to the hospital with what we thought was a urinary tract infection. Several tests and many hours later we have an unwelcome result.  The diagnosis is terminal.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Dad has left the hospital and been admitted to hospice care with what we now know is kidney failure, and sepsis, most likely caused by a discovered large growth in his pelvic area, and spots on his kidneys and liver, presumed to be cancerous.  He has opted to do nothing painful, invasive, or requiring general anesthesia. Palliative, hospice care is his choice.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Dad is released from hospital late in the afternoon and goes home for his final days.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Russ and I were vacationing in Arizona with our fifth wheel when Archie called us on Saturday, got a diagnosis on Sunday, pondered our options on Monday, and ultimately enrolled Dad in hospice late Monday.

 Tuesday morning, we packed up and hit the road home.   It took us three days to reach Dad's place in Elk Grove.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

The hospital bed is in the middle of the living room, an all too familiar site.  Less than two years ago, Mom was in the same spot.  Dad has been sleeping since we got here, waking only for a few minutes to acknowledge the arrival of each of us (Russ, Me, Archie, and Abby), and to drink a few sips of water before drifting back to sleep.

His part-time caregiver is here almost 24/7 with  assistance from Hospice. Thursday night, family is here and the caregiver is taking a break.  We'll just take each day as it comes.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Dad slept through the night awakening a few times to request water.  He slept most of the day occasionally requesting water or increased oxygen, never complaining, saying please and thank you for any little thing we could do for him.  He became a little more alert shortly after five in the late afternoon and requested to to get up and sit in his chair.  Before he could transfer to the chair, his breathing slowed and stopped.  He was gone.  We are stunned and unprepared that this whole process happened so quickly.  Up until last Saturday, anytime we called him and asked how he was, he always replied, "Fantastic."  Rest in Peace Dad.  We will miss you and your wonderful sense of fun and humor, but will carry these fond memories with us forever.

Saving the Best for Last

Our last day in New Orleans just couldn't have been better.  Not only was the temperature bearable, the sky was absolutely clear.  We were suitably jovial filled with gumbo, jambalya, catfish, and mint juleps.












We drove down town and parked the car close to the French Quarter and the Old Mint building.

We spent a leisurely day strolling up and down the narrow streets of the French quarter on a gorgeous sunny Saturday.

We enjoyed the French Market,

aroma of coffee, cinnamon rolls, pralines, and cajun cooking mixed with the smell of stale beer, cigarette and stogies wafting from the jazz clubs.

The architecture of the FQ dressed for Mardis Gras,

horse carriages lining the street,

artists displaying their media were just waiting to be photographed.  Musicians and buskers

lined the streets as crowds grew thicker throughout the day and the sun dropped.

































During the day we took advantage of two free concerts presented by the National Jazz Park.  Our first concert was a piano and vocalist/poet duet,

and the second was the New Orleans Marine Big Band.

 After the last concert, we made our way to the parking lot and warmed up in our car.  Russ read , and I took a little nap, before we made our way to Royal Street where we ate dinner at Mona Lisa's then enjoyed the first parade of the Mardis Gras season from the Krewe Du Vieux

and Krewe Du Lusion.  KDV is the oldest of parades where the floats are small and pulled through the streets with everyone walking.  These parades are satirical, irreverent, and considered pretty raunchy.  Everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time.

Let the good times roll.  Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler

And then in a blink, we turned into pumpkins, and it was time to return home to California.  Now home safe and sound.

All is well with the Worrall Travel R's