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[AZPopper]

Hi Deborah --
 
Just curious if you ended up going to Houston Mesa and if you did what you thought of the campground?
 
Hope you had a great labor day weekend!

Hi Cyndi,
 
Yes, we did go. I managed to find a vehicle to buy on Thursday evening, just in time to tow the camper on Friday! We could've used my SO's pickup to tow, but this way I didn't have to feel guilty about going and not car shopping. I got another Grand Cherokee, a red '04 Limited in mint condition and I love it.
 
I really like Houston-Mesa. I just finished posting about it under the Campground Reviews section of the forum, so you can check it out there. Basically it was even nicer than I had hoped. They have huge sites and they're very private and quiet. Even with it being pretty much full and a holiday weekend, we noticed that there wasn't much in the way of noise from screaming kids, loud parties, etc.
 
I hope you got to do something at least a little fun over the weekend. I thought about you and was sorry you missed camping up there. The weather was great, high's in the upper 80's to 90 or so, with night temps about 59 or 60. Perfect sleeping weather -- just a couple of blankets and didn't need the heater.
 
This was our first trip of dry camping and it went pretty well. We did run low on fresh water, but just refilled with a 5-gal. water bottle. The cassette pottie was great! We used it exclusively for 3 days and it still wasn't full when we got home yesterday. I was impressed! :#
 
My son, his wife, and my 7-mo-old grandson drove up for the day Sunday morning. We drove around to see some of the sights since they hadn't been up there before, and cooked steaks and toasted marshmallows before they drove back Sunday night. We checked out some of the campgrounds on 260, including Canyon Point (which I think you said you've stayed in?), and made notes for future trips.
 
I guess the most notable event of the weekend was when I got stung on the hand by a stinging caterpillar. I didn't even know such a thing existed! They were all over the campground, really cute fuzzy green things. Or so I thought! I reached over to pick up a chair bag that was laying outside the camper and one was inside a fold. I brushed against it and 2 of my fingers immediately felt like they were on fire. :yikes:  It took a while for the pain to subside, and my lips actually started to get numb while we were driving around, but it finally did get better. Today it looks like I have poison ivy on those fingers and they itch like crazy. Moral of the story: Watch out for cute fuzzy caterpillars!
 
I hope you get up to Houston-Mesa sometime soon! You'll have to let me know if you enjoy it as much as I did.

[azmondays]

It sounds great - I can hardly wait to try it!  Hopefully someday soon, before it gets to cold!!

[Barizona]

orah

Yes, I got mine from Little Dealer. I had been talking to and bugging one of their salesmen, Cordell, since last year when I moved out to AZ. Went out to the dealership, then also saw him at a couple of shows, etc., so when I was ready to buy something, I figured I owed him the business. LOL! Hopefully you won't have a problem getting your privacy curtain. They've been pretty good to deal with so far. The service guy that initially set up and checked out my camper found a *tiny* chip on my stove, and had already ordered a replacement for it before I picked the camper up. It was backordered and I've been out of town a lot, so I haven't had a chance to go get it yet.
 
Did you get a/c on yours? If so, how has it done for you? I've only used mine once, and it didn't seem to cool the camper down like I thought it should. I posted about it in the General forum and have some possible answers (bunk-end covers and voltage fluctuations), but would be interested to know if you're happy with your a/c if you have it.
 
Also, have you camped at Houston-Mesa before? Both times we've taken the camper out we've stayed at Payson Campground & RV Resort (I think that's the name) since it wasn't too far from home, and found Houston-Mesa while driving around town. It looks really nice. We're going to be in the Elk Loop I think? (the RV loop anyway) There were only about 5 reservable spots left when I made the reservations last week.

Deborah, we bought our Coleman Tacoma at Little Dealer also. Not a bad place to do business. We are on the west side of Phoenix. Hope our campers cross paths some time. Lots of places to go and a few to stay away from. The fun is in the hunt and knowing where to go. Welcome from Bill and Shirley

[AZPopper]

orah
 
Deborah, we bought our Coleman Tacoma at Little Dealer also. Not a bad place to do business. We are on the west side of Phoenix. Hope our campers cross paths some time. Lots of places to go and a few to stay away from. The fun is in the hunt and knowing where to go. Welcome from Bill and Shirley

Hi and thanks for the welcome. So you're over on the far side, huh? LOL! I just moved here from VA last year, so am still exploring places. Are there any camping places that you would not recommend? You are right, there are so many places to go around here, and it would be good to hear first-hand experiences. It would be great to meet up with you guys someday.

[forestwalker]

Just wanted to say,"Hi".We are looking forward to joining you Arizona campers in a few months,when we retire.We have plans to move to our house in Show Low around March,or April.Have camped at Fool Hollow State Park-liked it-but it is only a mile from our retirement house,and we would love to hear about other parks,mountain or desert.Soo much to see and explore.Can't wait.If any of you see us camped in our Chalet,please drop by-We would love to meet you !

                                                          Steve &  Mary

[AZPopper]

Just wanted to say,"Hi".We are looking forward to joining you Arizona campers in a few months,when we retire.We have plans to move to our house in Show Low around March,or April.Have camped at Fool Hollow State Park-liked it-but it is only a mile from our retirement house,and we would love to hear about other parks,mountain or desert.Soo much to see and explore.Can't wait.If any of you see us camped in our Chalet,please drop by-We would love to meet you !
 
Steve & Mary

Hello!
 
Show Low is a beautiful area. Fool Hollow State Park is a campground I'd like to try, but they don't take reservations so probably won't chance it. I like to have reservations and know I have a site when I drive that far. Houston-Mesa campground that I was just posting about is really nice and not too far from where you'll be. There are some pretty areas in CA that I'd like to explore, too, when I can take a bit longer.
 
Ditto on the dropping in! There ought to be some way to recognize folks from the forum at campgrounds. Maybe there is and I don't know about it? :confused: