Neighborhoods

You know we just got back from a nearly month-long trip, most of it by (ugh!) motel. Let me tell you a few things!

No, if you are already an RVer, you already know these things, and if you aren't an RVer, you don't want to know. But here I go anyway.

There are real values to going by motel:

(1) You get to carry everything in from your car when you arrive, and then carry it out when you leave. This way, you are reminded of all the stuff you brought that you really didn't need to bring.

(2) You get to meet the nice people at the front desk who will charge you exorbitant fees, plus about 12% room tax as well as regular sales tax.

(3)  There may be a swimming pool somewhere nearby that all the 3- to 8-year olds will already have peed in.

(4) It's possible there will be a "free" continental breakfast consisting of canned orange juice, stale pastries, cold cereal and a tiny cup of yogurt.

What could go wrong?

If you are an RVer, you already know that you will sleeping in a bed where who knows who has done who knows what the night before. The blankets will have a strange odor. You will need to eat most of your meals out-- foods loaded with calories, cholesterol and sugar. Oh yes, there is in-room coffee, two tiny cups of it each morning.

What's really neat is the "neighborhood" you'll be staying in. How do you like these neighborhoods we recently visited?

This one in Simi Valley, CA, wasn't too bad.


Then there's this one in Tonopah, NV.


And this one in Caron City, NV.


This one's nice -- it's an outdoor neighborhood in Kingman, AZ.



But what's with all these neighborhoods? They seem sterile. And can you see yourself, meeting your neighbor who just arrived, and inviting him over to sit under your awning and discuss the realities of hydraulic levelers? Would you suggest you go out to the Golden Corral for a dinner, then come back to sit around the campfire and solve the world's problems? Discuss which toilet chemical works best?

I don't think so. In your RV neighborhood, you sleep in your own bed, cook in your own kitchen, relieve yourself while sitting on your own toilet seat. If your neighbors are noisy, maybe they'll leave tomorrow, or you can drive away today!

Check out some of these neighborhoods we have been to in 8 years of RVing.

Rusty's Ranch in Rodeo, NM


Ponderosa Thousand Trails, near Lotus, CA


Pheasant Ridge, Wilsonville, OR


Snowflower NACO, on I-80 across the Sierra Nevada


Thousand Trails, Ponderosa, near Lotus, CA.


Sequoia National Park, CA


Rancheria, between Mount Lassen and McCloud, CA


Thousand Trails, Morgan Hill, CA


Thousand Trails, Palm Springs, CA


Hidden Valley Ranch, north of Deming, NM.


Manzano's, Silver City, NM.


SKP Chapter 21 Rally, Bowie, AZ


Randlett City Park, Anadarko, OK (FHU, no charge!)


Pettit Bay, Corps of Engineers, near Claremore, OK


Rush-No-More, near Sturgis, SD


El Mirador, San Carlos, Mexico


Eagle Canyon Hideaway, near Ogallala, NE.


Lidtke Park, Lime Springs, Iowa


Saguaro SKP Co-op, Benson, AZ


Rincon West, Tucson, AZ


Rusty's RV Resort, Rodeo, NM


So, what do you think? Motel neighborhood? RV neighborhood? You know our pick for the rest of ... Our Life on Wheels!