RV Lot Shopping

Well, it's time to go see if we can find an RV lot to buy!  We had toured Happy Trails RV Resort in Surprise, AZ, back in 2005 and thought then that this was a place we could enjoy living in.  In fact, we toyed with the idea of buying a lot way back then even though we didn't yet even own an RV.  Hmmmm...think they might have objected to us pitching our tent there??  Now, after paying a fair amount of money to rent in AZ, agreeing that AZ is where we most want to spend our winters, and not finding anyplace in Tucson that sells RV lots, we thought immediately of Happy Trails.

So, on Saturday, March 15th at 9:00 a.m., we headed north, arriving at Happy Trails at 3:45 p.m.  No, it didn't take us quite that much time to drive up there, we stopped at Redburn Tire to add a little more air to the new tires and also stopped for lunch. 

We got settled in our rental lot and quickly started taking lots of walks and bike rides to find the perfect lot for us!  Bill, our realtor, worked closely with us and we soon ruled out any lots backing up to busy roads (too noisy), any near the pickleball courts (too noisy) or any golf course lots (too expensive and too noisy with golf balls landing everywhere!).  We also wanted to have the motorhome windshield facing east or north rather than west or south.

Meanwhile, we had several repair items to get taken care of including a leak in the bay door under the kitchen sink and some leaks under the engine.  The water leak got taken care of by a couple of trips from a mobile RV service and the engine leaks finally got fixed after three trips over to Cummins Rocky Mountain, once for diagnosis, once when two of the three parts came in, and one last time when the third part came in.  One would think that they could have called us before the second trip to reschedule and do all three parts at one time...  Too much common sense can be dangerous, I guess.

We did take some recreational time, too.  On Sunday, March 23rd we headed up to Lake Pleasant Regional Park and did a little exploring.  Here are a few photos...

Lake Pleasant marina

I've fallen in love with cactus blooms!

More gorgeous blooms...

We even discovered a pirate ship!

Arizona wildlife...

Also, on Sunday, March 30th, we headed over at the ball fields in Sun City Grand to watch Sam & MaryAnn's softball teams cancer fundraiser tourney.  What a hoot!

Waving in the "ringer" pitcher for the women's team

That's a lot to swing an arm around!

Adoration complete - time to play ball:)

John, Sam & MaryAnn in the "pink"!

As of today, Monday, March 31, 2014, we are the official owners of an RV lot at Happy Trails in Surprise AZ.  Yippee!!  We found a lot we liked with full cement, full awning and a story and a half shed with a laundry sink, washer & dryer hook-ups and hot water heater.  And, best of all - we got a good enough deal on it that we can have a bathroom put in the shed:)

So, we extended our rental by a couple of weeks and engaged a contractor to remodel the bathroom during the summer.  We made regular trips to Home Depot and had quite a time picking out everything from shower unit to fixtures and faucets.  We also selected a window to have installed upstairs and new outdoor wall lights.  We've never had a house built so this was a fun experience - at least for me!  And, an added bonus: Sam called and said they were getting new washer & dryer, did we want their old set?  You bet!

Well, everything is ordered and Darwin, the contractor, will pick the rest of the stuff up as it comes in, so we're good to go.

Going to LOVE this shower!

Love seeing the spring cactus blooms while on our many walk-abouts!  And, occasionally we venture over to the subdivision next door where Sam and MaryAnn live.

Argentine Giant Cactus

Sam & MaryAnn's Rosie in her special carriage!

And, this is Buster taking a break

Beautiful blooming Palo Verde tree

Hummingbird in nest by Sam & MaryAnn's front door

Tuesday, April 15th - Spring is here and so are our good friends, Curt & Diane.  They've flown down here and will ride back to Washington with us in the RV - fun trip ahead!

One of many Happy Hours at Happy Trails!