The Resort on Ellsworth - Mesa, AZ

The Resort has 792 sites, and 157 are still occupied by people in trailers and motor coaches. On the day we visited in March 2015 there were still 14 sites not booked for the 2015/16 season. For various reasons, mostly to due with personal preference on which way you face, and how big the patio slab is, the list was quickly narrowed to three or four possibilities. Prices are very reasonable. A five month stay is about $2,500 with just electricity extra. Water, sewer, trash removal, and cable TV are included.

When you're in an RV, laundry facilities are critical. The Resort meets this criteria in spades. There were plenty of machines, and they all appeared to be in working order. Score one for The Resort.

The various activity areas were still humming along, including the wood shop. People were friendly, and it looks like there is plenty to do.

Tennis courts were basically vacated on our visit, Pickleball was anything but. The Resort has four courts so far. Pickleball is big.

Don't forget to check for a fitness centre. Not all resorts take this seriously enough, and if daily fitness is part of your routine, you won't be happy without one. This the the fitness facility at The Resort. Plenty of everything, and all in good repair.

Silveridge RV Resort - Southern Ave., Mesa, AZ

There is a new game here in the SW, and it's called locking down your RV site for next season before you leave town in the spring. I visited Silveridge on Southern Avenue in Mesa yesterday to see what they had to offer. This is an above average park with plenty of amenities. The season (October 31 - March 31) for an RV site is about $3,000, which includes water, sewer, trash and cable TV.

There are just under 700 sites at Silveridge, and the list I was given for RVs currently lists just over 100 sites available for motor homes and trailers. Of that, only seven were currently available for the winter season starting in the fall of 2015. Remember, this is March, so you get the idea. RVers know, given the demand and dwindling supply, reservations are essential. The list of RV sites in most of these better parks get shorter each year as year-round park models replace seasonal RV sites. Good for the parks, not so good for RVers.

Silveridge doesn't have a lot of surplus real estate, but even they have had to find space for Pickleball courts (you see them in the distance). Pickleball is the rage at the moment, and parks are responding with many courts as they have space for. There are currently four at Silveridge, and they are new. You won't find a high-end RV park without a nice pool, and Silveridge's pool and patio area in one of the nicest I've seen.

Fall Weather in Mesa

Desert Landscape Along Hwy 60

Now that we are in Mesa, blog posts will slowdown eventually, but there are still some photos to share, and there are other updates worth posting - besides, we don't want you thinking all we do here is party.

Speaking of parties, today there is a Halloween Dance. Life at VDO is never dull.

A common question is how's the weather? So, we should have something on the blog about weather.

Fall weather (meaning anytime before the end of November), is normally like summer weather at home in Ontario. Days are normally hot, evenings warm, and nights cool - but not cold. The temperature at 6 am today is 60 degrees. This will be a day in the 80s. Just like yesterday, and the day before that. Skies are clear, no rain is forecast. Arizona is in a drought, and has been for a number of years. Rain is a good thing, but it is rare.

What's different about fall weather - you can sit out comfortably in the evenings.

Late in the year, and early winter, days are warm, nights are cool, and sometimes cold. You can sit out after dinner if you have a heater. We have a gas fire pit, and we wouldn't be outside after dark in the winter if we didn't. Daytime heat evaporates quickly after the sun goes down during the winter months.

Closing in on Mesa - Day Six

So far on this trip we've made just two major turns. Today, we'll make our final turns onto Hwy 25, south to Hwy 60, which will take us to Mesa. Here's the route.

Hard to believe we've come this far (over 2,300 miles) without a GPS. Turn one was Hwy 401 onto I-81. We stayed on that until Knoxville, TN. Right turn at Knoxville onto I-40, and here we are in Albuquerque, NM.

For now, breakfast at Camp Hampton kitchen, and then off we go. More later.