Arizona RV Trip – NIRVC and Mesa (174-175)

Each Spring we like to visit Arizona and Southern California. We have a lot of family in Arizona, and it’s a great time of the year to visit. This year was colder and rainier than usual, but still better than most of the country.

Our trip took us down the coast and then east to the Phoenix National Indoor RV Center (NIRVC) and Mesa to visit family, then to the Palm Springs area and Temecula to camp with family and friends, then back up the coast to the Rincon Parkway in Ventura and finally Paso Robles. Needless to say, we had a great time.

This year, instead of driving down I-5 and over the Grapevine, we took 101 instead. It’s a much nicer drive, especially where it meets the ocean. At Ventura, we started going east towards Arizona. We enjoyed the drive and may make this our preferred route.

In Arizona, we stopped at NIRVC for a couple days so they could install Rettrobands on our front wheels, and also to refresh the ceramic coating they applied the year before.

All NIRVC locations are enormous! Here’s just a portion of their indoor showroom. Storage is in a different building across the street!

We also appreciate that they have space onsite (with electric) for you to stay while they are working on your motorhome. It was a nice, peaceful place to stay, especially in the evenings.

Here’s a photo of the Rettroband. It is a run flat system that helps you maintain control in a blowout. As we age, it’s good to know we have this added safety measure, though we hope to never have to test it!

Here they are finishing the ceramic boost in their facility. It sure did shine up nice!

While we were in the area, we enjoyed visiting Cave Creek and the Spur Cross Trail. The trail is beautiful, crossing a stream and winding through the landscape.

The Hohokum Indians lived here for centuries. You can still see a grinding stone they used along the trail.

Who says the desert isn’t green! In mid-March it was full of color and life.

We really enjoyed this saguaro cactus. It takes at least 20 years before it produces its first branch. This one must be very old, but it seems to have completely lost its sense of direction, with arms pointing everywhere. 🙂

Just south of the Spur Cross Trail is the Jewel of the Creek Preserve. We decided to save that hike for next time, but I look forward to walking the trails and visiting the historic gold mine.

Before leaving the area, we also enjoyed a bike ride along the New River Trail in Peoria. There is a whole network of trails in the area, so we’ll try a different section next time.

Our next stop was in Mesa for a couple weeks to visit family. There are no traditional RV Parks in Mesa, so we stay at a 55+ community that has room for us. We have enjoyed the Sun Life Community the last couple years. It’s a very active community with something happening all the time. We like to enjoy the sunsets from here while sipping a cold drink. Arizona has beautiful sunsets!

We really enjoyed catching up with family and eating out way more than was healthy.

We took in some Spring Baseball at Hohokum Field where the A’s play. You can see the pitch in the photo.

It started out great, but in the third inning, rain clouds came in and before long the field was covered in plastic and the game was canceled due to weather.

I was definitely NOT a happy camper, but such is life. That rain seemed to follow us the rest of the trip.

The next day, however, life was great again, as we drove to Fountain Hills for a walk around the lake. The fountain shoots water 560 feet in the air! It’s a real spectacle.

The walk gave us an appetite so we had lunch at Euro Pizza. Delicious!

Then we had to walk off the pizza with a hike in the hills above the lake. We were rewarded with this beautiful view of Red Mountain.

Two weeks can really fly by when you are having fun, but it was time to leave Arizona to meet some friends and family in Palm Springs!

Al & Deb