Prescott has been crossed off the list of places to settle down. It's cold here. Any shopping requires a car. Too much traffic.
37 degrees this morning when I got up. There was snow on the distant hills. The forecast predicted a high of 50. The weather predictors were close. My thermometer read 52 degrees shortly after one. No shorts today. Strike one.
The eight/ten mile long retail corridor along Hwy 69 requires a car to get to my favorite stops -- Costco, Trader Joes and Starbucks. Strike two.
With two and three lanes of traffic congestion on Hwy 69, it is slow going most times up and down the hills. Strike three.
Comparing this experience to the three month stay in east Tucson last winter, I will take Tucson. Everything was within two miles and I could walk to a Sprouts or Fry's grocery store.
The one positive about the stay in Prescott was a visit with Allan. He and I met ten years ago when we were members of the Wandering Individuals Network. Allan has dual residency with a single wide in a Prescott Valley RV park for summers and a small trailer that he parks near Parker on the Colorado River for the winter months.
As Allan showed me his home, I began to consider alternatives to the apartment or condo.
It's not a perfect world. That ideal sticks and bricks place has yet to be found. Prescott would be a good place for summers, but it has been eliminated for a permanent settling place.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
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Thanks for the info. Your search is becoming more and more important to me as each month passes. My heat of summer location is pretty well set to be in Grandson, Alabama. But the cold weather time is wide open.
ReplyDeleteWith only grand pets, there is nothing drawing me to either San Diego or Denver. Without grand kids, there are lots of possibilities for that settling location.
DeleteI'm afraid to purchase anything because in a couple of years I'll want to sell and move somewhere else. That's been my history and I'd guess that won't change. I'm really a Gypsy.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking when I want to stop traveling, my best bet might be to live six months in a nice RV park in northern AZ and then move to a nice RV park for the next six months in southern AZ. That way I'd be in the best weather for spring/summer and fall/winter, be able to move twice a year, take advantage of the reduced RV rent for long term stays, and be in the state nearest my kids, but not in CA where it's so expensive. It's fun thinking about it, but I'm not ready yet. :)
Agreed. San Diego would be nice, but too expensive. Tucson is at the top of the list for the winter months. Might also be the place for permanent living. These arthritic hands do like warmth.
DeleteI'm looking for a walkable community, also. Somewhere that I can keep my RV or even use it as my home. And then throw in the perfect weather and its not an easy chore to find this.
ReplyDeleteWalkable and nearby public transit system would be a great urban site for settling. Denver area light rail is one possibility. San Diego trolleys and trains is another possibility. Unfortunately, I can't afford San Diego for very long. I would run out of money.
DeleteWe are all seeking the holy grail of year-round perfect weather, right sized community, and convenience. After having now travelled to all of the states, about the only place where you might find something close is CA. Unfortunately, CA has so many other problems in my book that it just isn't viable. It may be that a perfect spot up north for the summer and a perfect spot down south for the winter is the only "perfect weather" option. At least then you're only travelling twice a year if the travel gets to be too much to deal with on a regular basis.
DeletePS - Hey Lloyd. Now that I see you're planning to swing through Quartzsite this winter I guess we can forget about that threat of mailing a bucketfull of pennies to you. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's difficult to find what we're calling "the final resting place." We've ruled out anything east of Santa Fe, the North West, and California. Currently we're in Tucson for November through March. October, April and May are difficult months. Too hot in the desert, too cold elsewhere. I don't see us settling until we get too rickety to move.
ReplyDelete