RVing in AZ 2008

    In October 2008 we went to Arizona for our first ever RV vacation.  The closest we had come was camping alongside Pat's parent's RV in Texas but we had no responsibility for the RV.  We rented an RV from Cruise America in Tucson and joined John and Ann Howard for a few days of birding and hiking.  John and Ann are experienced RVers, so we were counting on them to show us the ropes.  Also they tow a "dinghy" so we had transportation away from the RV.  They selected an RV park near Huacuca City that gave us easy access to most of SE AZ, including Bisbee, Kartchner Caverns, Ramsey Canyon and the San Pedro Riparian area.  We made day trips to each of those (San Pedro River twice) and a day trip to Naco, Mexico.  All evenings were spent at the park with Ann and Pat alternating planning and cooking dinner.  Since John and Ann's RV was larger and better equipped we did all our dining and socializing there.

BTW, Kartchner Caverns is the most interesting and dramatic cave system I have ever seen, and I was raised in the Wyandotte, Squire Boone, etc. cave area of southern Indiana.  http://azstateparks.com/Parks/KACA/index.html

Here we are outside our moving billboard.


Pat is beautiful even without makeup.


So was this lizard.


Butterflies at the Sonoran Dessert Museum.


View from the Sonoran Dessert Museum


Petroglyphs on Signal Hill near the Sonoran Dessert Museum


Lunch in Tubac, an artist colony south of Tucson with dozens of galleries.


This sharp shinned hawk posed patiently for us at Patagonia Lake State Park.


The acorn woodpeckers were active in Ramsey Canyon, a Nature Conservancy property.


John and Ann outside their Class A motor home with pullouts.  Since retiring they spend several months a year
living in the RV so a larger, more comfortable unit makes sense.

Our conclusion is that we might rent again to be with friends or family, or to access an area like the 4 Corners or Big Bend
where motels are scarce, but we are not going to make the plunge and buy an RV.  Renting an RV costs about as much as a
moderate motel room. so a motel and a rental car makes more sense to us.  For a humorous look at RVing rent the Robin Williams movie "RV".

A sunset back in Tucson.  We added two days at each end of the RV trip to spend some time in Tucson, see the
Sonoran Dessert Museum again, do some shopping and get some restaurant meals. 

This page was created by pjmoyer and sbottorff.
The last update to the page was on December 20, 2008.