Arizona (Phoenix and Sedona) with Family and Friends (195-198)

Our next stop was in Palm Springs for a few days, then on to the National Indoor RV Center location near Phoenix.

NIRVC applied a ceramic coating to the Big Blue Box two years ago in Las Vegas, and we return each year to the Phoenix location for a “boost”, and they do a great job. Still looks like new and so shiny!

In the past, they have also helped us improve safety by adding RettroBands to the front wheels and Thia Proteng fire suppression to areas inside the RV. No one is perfect, but all in all, they are a great organization that tries hard to get it right. That may be because their owner, Brett Davis, is not only a great businessman, but also a motorhome enthusiast who even participates on the iRV2.com forums.

I also appreciate that they let you stay onsite with 50amp electric while they work on your motorhome.

Our next stop was Mesa to visit my parents. We also arrange with Newmar’s NewServe to do annual maintenance on the “house” part of the motorhome. I really appreciate Damien, the technician, for his knowledge of Newmar motorhomes, and his thoroughness and attention to detail.

But our time in Mesa revolves around family, and it was awesome to visit with everyone, including….

…Mom’s “youngest” brother Larry.

…all the “cousins” in the area,

And some more distant relatives visiting from out of state.

The City of Mesa displayed this banner downtown to honor dad and other local veterans and presented it to mom in a ceremony. Even though Dad is now in a memory care facility, he still remembers a lot about his days in the Navy.

He also enjoyed reading about our RV trips, which I had put into a book. He’s the one I got the RVing bug from, though in his day there were no cell phones, internet, or GPS. I’m really not sure how they did it!

We also took a day trip to the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix,

And took in some Spring Baseball!

I can’t believe I ate the whole thing!

We always see Road Runners while in AZ. This one was quite friendly, looking for a handout. Wile E. Coyote was no where to be found.

Arizona has the best sunsets, putting on a light show like this nightly.

After Mesa, we met some friends and family a few hours away in Camp Verde, a high desert area near Sedona.

Here’s the Three Amigos and their RV’s!

We had a couple days of good weather before it turned cold and rainy. Luckily we visited Sedona on a good day and hiked around Bell Rock.

Beautiful as ever!

We went back later in the week, and it snowed on the mountains.

With the clouds in the background, we were able to get a great photo of the famous Snoopy Rock. Can you see it?

We found Verde Ranch RV Resort to be a great base camp for our group and its location makes for easy day trips to Sedona, Cottonwood, Jerome, and Dead Horse State Park.

Before we were ready, it was time to drive home.

It was a great trip, but soon it was all over but the laundry!

Al & Deb