Winter Travels 2019--Part 11: On to Tucson

Jan. 30 & 31: Our time in Tucson was going to be a bit tricky because 1)we had to plan around my infusion (Simponi Aria for Psoriatic Arthritis) and 2)a one week limit on a stay at our campground-of-choice, Gilbert Ray, on the west side of the Tucson Mountains, where they take no reservations. Marv had made a reservation at a private RV Park called Justin’s Diamond J a few miles from Gilbert Ray for these two nights but we couldn’t stay a third there unless we dry camped at the edge of the Park, which was adjacent to the highway. At first they wanted us to set-up right next to the office/laundromat in the parking area. When we demurred, they agreed they could put us in a site for $5 more a night, but we’d have to wait an hour or so for it to be vacated. We agreed to that and parked in the dry camp area to make a lunch. After we ate, we walked over to the site and found that it was empty so we could move in. The RV Park has no bathhouse or rest rooms, expecting everyone to be self-contained. We do have a shower that I don’t think it will get through my thick hair, but we showered before leaving Patagonia so knew we’d be okay. Our site was nice because, although all the sites are narrow, ours backed up to a wide wash so we had a lovely view and a large “back yard”. People on each side of us were very friendly and welcoming, as was a man named Ralph who dropped by to welcome us and invite us for the Potluck and entertainment that was being held that night. After we got set-up, we drove to the supermarket to buy more lettuce, so we could take a big salad with goat cheese and berries, which we found on sale at the market. We walked to the potluck with chairs and our salad and found people going through the (outdoor) line. The management furnished hamburgers and condiments and residents did the rest. We sat at a table with a couple that looked to be about 40 who retired this year and were full-time RVers; They accomplished this by living very frugally, saving every penny, and never having kids. They continue to live frugally, and in fact, were in the dry camp area of the park, which is half price. They were very interesting to talk to but left right after they finished eating. We moved closer to the big bonfire and stayed on to listen to the trio that was the night’s entertainment. After a while we decided to get laundry done and walked back to get our clothes. When we returned the trio was still going strong and they continued nearly the whole time it took us to do our laundry! They weren’t great but they sure had a big repertoire!

The RV Park has a lot of trails winding through the Sonoran desert and so Thursday we took a long hike on the trails. We drove the short way to Tucson Mountain Park, the huge Pima County park which is adjacent to the Saguaro National Park, and which contains Gilbert Ray Campground, where we had stayed twice before. After talking to the person in the office there we made our plan for getting a spot. Back at the RV park, we got as much done as possible for an early getaway Friday to try and get a spot at Gilbert Ray for a week.