July 27 - Let's talk about RV parks. Reality vs Expectations

OK.   It's true.  I had a dreamy expectation of what RVing were going to be like.  The reality is a bit different.

Our first RV Park was in Phoenix after we purchased this rig.  Eagle View RV Park.  I remember I was underwhelmed when we got there.  It was basically a parking lot.  Each parking space was about 15 foot wide with very little buffer space between.  There were no trees for shade.  It did have some great amenities that I know now are rare.  They had a pool and a gym, nice laundry, great shower facilities and good wifi and cell service.   They picked up trash at your site every morning.  The park was very close to Fountain Hills, a very nice community with all the essential shops.  But, it was really really hot in Phoenix in June and after spending a month there we were happy to move on.

We moved to Moon Crater RV Park next.  It is the middle of the desert and the middle of nowhere so I was not surprised that it was also a parking lot.  Gravel sites, side by side.  No amenities to speak of, no pool, no gym, no trash pick-up.  We weren't going to be there long.  Cell service and wifi were adequate.

Monument Valley RV Park was our next stop.  Finally a park that was pretty!  The red rocks of Monument Valley were in sight from my perch at the front of the bus and I enjoyed the view every morning.  The sites were way to close again, our firepit area was literally two feet away from the septic of the RV next to us.  We did not spend any time at the firepit. :)   They had a pool for guest use, but none of the other amenities.  No cell service because we were on Navajo Nation land.  They were trying to encourage trees to grow but there was minimal shade as yet.  The dusty red silky soil of Monument Valley stayed with us for days after we left. 

From Monument Valley we moved into Colorado and chose Lightner RV Park to stay a week at.  While the sites were really really close together, this park finally lived up to my expectations.   We were nose in to a nice wooded area with a small creek running by within 10 feet!  These were large trees on both sides and the campground was very nice to walk around in.  It had the feel of a park not a parking lot.   Yay.  We loved our stay there.  We loved our neighbors while there, Chuck and Tammy, and we loved Durango.  Day trips were great.

We left Durango and headed east.  We stayed one night in South Fork, just to break the trip up into two days of driving.   South Fork was a big park but was definitly a parking lot.  Zero cuteness factor.  Thats ok, it was just for a night.  We arrived  at Grape Creek RV on a Thursday and stayed until Tuesday (4 nights).  The managers were really nice.  The lots were beautiful and green with nice trees.  We were dissappointed again that the wi-fi was non-existant.   John has made good use of his wi-fi hotspot until now but ATT service was iffy here too.

Next stop was Buena Vista.  Geez.  I loved the town of Buena Vista but I am beginning to doubt our ability to find nice RV parks, or maybe they don't exist.  This RV park , Arrowhead Point RV , was a parking lot.  We only stayed two nights.  Cell and Wi-fi were good but I again was not impressed by the close sites, no trees, the only "park" like feel to this park was "parking lot".  I'd have stayed in a real parking lot to be able to spend that time with Lee, Robbie and Jennifer but I really had hoped for a cute site that we could have had a fire at and enjoyed some camping like feel.  Oh well.

Gunnison Lakeside RV sounded amazing and the videos online looked pretty nice.  We had a good site (again very close to our neighbors) but the long view was gorgeous.  The big sad part of this place was that it had zero cell service, zero wi-fi service (although they say they do have it) and while we were there the cable was out too due to a collapsed sewage line and the backhoe cut the cable.  It was so frustrating.  John and I are BOTH wi-fi dependant and not having any wi-fi really sucks.  We decided at this point that we must verify cell and wi-fi functionality when making reservations.  We may not learn fast, but we are learning.

So, here we are in Oletha at the UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER RV Park.  So far, its my new favorite.  The spaces are wide and there is about 20 feet between rigs.  Thre are some trees that give shade to most spots (ours a little) and the amenities are good.  It has excellent satellite service for all RVrs.  We are on our first day here and the wi-fi is out but they assure us its just temporary and we will have service within a day or so.  ATT cell service is awesome - 5 bars.   I also really like the people we have met so far.  Very nice.  They had a happy hour gathering last night, a corn cook-out today, and bingo and art classes planned during the week.  Cool , I have a social side to satisfy. :) The one really bad thing here is that it is a 50 and older park.  That would not be a problem normally for us, and actually would be a plus as some of these parks are overrun with young wild kids having fun while the parents relax ... but it puts a damper on some plans I had for my niece to come visit.  I am going to talk to management on Monday to see if over night guests are permitted.  We shall see.

That said... no park has yet lived up to my dream.   We have yet to have a fire pit.  We have yet to set around a campfire and tell campfire stories... lol.  I'll keep you posted as we go on the search for my dream site.  Ahhh nostalgia.