I heard through another forum that they thought there were less snowbirds before as the parks they saw used to be packed in FL and TX. I'm wondering if others are seeing less. I also wonder if that isn't contributing to the best prices I have seen on used units in my lifetime. I know that Tucson in the 90's was just overwhelmed with snowbirds in the winter months as we were permanent residents there. With pensions pretty much disappearing, the face of the lifestyle may change. Seeing younger people all the time interested in the lifestyle. The RV becomes the new age covered wagon?
Lucky Mike said
11:15 AM Dec 21, 2013
They just cant afford it.......High parks....high fuel........they have all become Boondockers @ Wallmart!!!!!
Clay L said
11:56 AM Dec 21, 2013
One thing for sure, most the RV parks all around and in Quartzsite AZ and the surrounding BLM land have a lot fewer RVs this year than in the past.
The BLM land between 95 and the ridge on Plomosa Road is usually somewhat populated with boondockers by this time, but last week I counted 25 RVs total and there were only a couple in the area next to 95 which normally fills up first.
So far we only have about 6 here in the park in Bouse where we spend the winter. Usually all three rows are pretty full by now (about 75 spaces).
Mikeco said
12:20 PM Dec 21, 2013
I sort of hope that is the case in four more years when we are ready. I aim to buy a lot in Florida and one in Michigan. True snowbirds. I wouldn't object to getting a great deal or two.
igotjam said
12:27 PM Dec 21, 2013
Not sure where you guys are but its busy in CA. On our 7th year fulltiming and we seldom go to the same places, but I really can't say its getting less busy. Seems to me there are more snowbirds every year, but like I said, we don't go to the same place every year so I really can't give a good comparison.
Bill and Linda said
02:17 PM Dec 21, 2013
Could be wrong, but it really isn’t “snowbird season” quite yet in Florida.They all come down right after Christmas or New Years. (Like us)Traveling I-95 down to Florida for a great number of years, we used to live there, that seems to be the norm.Saw the same thing at the parks where many snowbirds nested for the winter and the one we’ve been at for like “ever.”
Check again come January 6th or so.
That said, Mike is correct to a large extent.The economy is not as good as the “official” numbers pretend it is for many, IMO.
Bill
Camper Chronicles said
05:02 PM Dec 21, 2013
I know many people who have bought a permanent place in one of those over 50 retirement villages. Maybe that has taken the place of traveling back and forth. I know my neighbors across the street did that and love it.
VanMar said
06:48 PM Dec 21, 2013
A blurb I read on the internet made it sound like the rv parks in Fernly, Coffeyville, and Campbellsville were bulging at the seams. Yet another reason for the early January snowbird migration.
Colorado_Kid said
10:40 PM Dec 21, 2013
I don't know what is going on down south but I am seeing more RVs on I-70 here in Colorado than I usually see this time of year.
NWescapee said
10:57 PM Dec 21, 2013
We've seen LOTS of RV's on I-10 as we've explored the Tucson area, right now we're in a state park and the weekend before Christmas almost all the sites are full. We're headed to Quartzsite on Monday, hoping for a peaceful Christmas out in the boondocks!!
I can't compare to previous years, but today as we were on I-10 for 5 miles I counted 46 rigs headed the other direction in that very short time, amazing to me as this is our first winter as full timers. We spent the day at the Sonora Desert Museum and there were a lot of rigs parked in the RV parking area, despite the fact that this is probably one of the coldest days we've had in AZ thus far with a pretty consistent wind. Not a great day for an outdoor museum, but sure beat spending the day in a local mall shopping for stuff no one really needs.
Hdrider said
05:10 AM Dec 22, 2013
Here in the Tampa area all we hear is how they have tons of reservations for right after Christmas. They seem to be gearing up and no talk of a slower season this year.
baysailor said
07:45 AM Dec 22, 2013
Were headed to the Tampa area after Christmas, When we where looking for a campground most where full or only had one or two sites left. This will be our first winter away from New England, I'll miss the snow and cold winds.
Technomadia said
12:50 PM Dec 22, 2013
Arrived to our winter spot in Cedar Key, FL (about 2 hrs north of Tampa) two days ago, and the office reports that they are the fullest they've ever been this winter. And we have a mix of retirees maximizing life on their well earned pensions and us younger 'new age covered wagon' folks still working to build up our retirement funds wintering here. Love the power of age diversity and wisdom shared.
- Cherie
SnowGypsy said
01:13 PM Dec 22, 2013
VanMar wrote:
A blurb I read on the internet made it sound like the rv parks in Fernly, Coffeyville, and Campbellsville were bulging at the seams. Yet another reason for the early January snowbird migration.
Amazon country. Probably fluffing their nest with some dollars before heading south. Maybe more snowbirds/full-timers are working delaying their arrival in some destinations. In AZ, we always saw the first of them coming in around mid-October but in SE AL, they came later and it seemed that approaching weather systems played heavily in some of their decisions.
The Bear II said
09:54 AM Dec 23, 2013
Could it be a change in generations ? We were born in the early 50's, my family camped a lot but my DW's family travelled and stayed in motels. I introduced her to camping and we bought our first RV within two years of being married and have had an RV ever since. None of our friends have RVs. Some would camp in tents but they all seemed to get too busy with their kids activities during the weekends to justify buying an RV.
During the gas crunch very few people were buying RVs.
So I'm wondering if we have reached a generational point where the 60's and 70's generations didn't go the RV route so as they retire RV's are not their choice but rather stay home, use hotels or vacation rentals.
tibbar said
10:34 AM Dec 23, 2013
We are planning to leave for Quartzite in early January. It will be the first time there for us. We bought a generator and boondocked on the Texas coast 3 times earlier this year with 10 days being the longest stay. With it being an 1100+ mile drive to Quartzite we plan to stay a while. I am excited and also nervous about the trip.
Lucky Mike said
11:12 AM Dec 23, 2013
Caroline..(Tibbar)
If this is your first Quartsite trip it is an experience all in its own!!!.........well worth the learning curve and so much to see and do..........now the 1100 miles in between doesnt sound like so much fun but there is alot of friends at the other end!!!
tibbar said
02:26 PM Dec 23, 2013
I am hoping there are a lot of people where ever we end up parking. We will be bringing our 2001 30 foot bumper pull towed by our 2001 F-150 supercrew. We have a few doubts about the hills we will climb but we travel light so should make it OK. If not, well, plan B is back to the beach in Texas and then the Rio Grand Valley.
Terry and Jo said
07:54 PM Dec 23, 2013
Caroline,
Check out the weights on your truck. When we first bought a previous 26' travel trailer, we found out that our F150 wasn't heavy enough to safely handle that size of trailer. Now, ours might have been heavier than your travel trailer. It could be an eye-opener if you had to traverse any mountain passes.
Terry
Sushidog said
09:09 PM Dec 23, 2013
I'm planning on snowbirding in a fairly light-weight travel trailer. We haven't bought it yet as we are still 5 years away from retirement, but plan on a model in the 11k GVW max. range (in the 7-8k dry weight range). We recently purchased an F-250 6.4l diesel as our FT TV. I think this will be a good compromise for MPG and durability vs towing capacity in our range. We're both 1956 boomers (I'm a Leo too.) so plan on FTing at 62 yrs young, if we're both still amongst the living then. We're considering several models from the Gulfstream 299SWB on the bottom end to the Denali 287re at the top weight/price range, (favoring king bed, dual slide TT's with at least 3,000lb CCC) with quite a few inbetween, depending upon what we can find that are only lightly used for a couple years. We are not interested in the typical, heavy, 4 season, "FT" units. We plan on moving at most monthly (perhaps seasonally as we age) to take advantage of lower RV park rates and conserve fuel to meet our frugal budgetary requirements. Comments/suggestions?
Chip
MarkS said
01:11 AM Dec 24, 2013
The only real hill I know of on I-10 between Houston and Quartzite is at the NM/AZ border and it is reasonably gentle. There are a couple of minor climbs in TX.
Sushidog said
06:52 AM Dec 24, 2013
The climb up to the Chisos Basin in Big Bend NP is pretty steep, as is the road by Big Bend SP past Lajitas going to Presidio. I also remember a relatively steep grade going up to the Guadalupe Mountains - the highest peak in TX. Other than that, TX ain't too bad for RVers.
Chip
SnowGypsy said
07:09 AM Dec 24, 2013
I think MarkS is talking about the TX Canyon. We have been through there 6 times and while it is neat, I did not enjoy it. I have always wondered what one does if they realize they can't make the hills though since it can be a long stretch before there is a turn around point. In the mountains of TN, in an old Class C many years ago, I think I prayed the whole time we would make it. We did make it going slowly and luckily wasn't overloaded and had the vehicle checked over by a mechanic before the trip. One really needs to research some of the these places thoroughly and the info is on the web. Sitting there playing "The Little Engine That Could"? Well, sometimes the little engine can't.
Maybe FL is popular because it is flat? I like flat.
Sushidog said
02:43 PM Dec 24, 2013
I'm familiar with TX canyon on I-10 in AZ. I seem to remember that it's steeper downhill (going west) than uphill (going east), if that makes any sense, so I guess it depends on what direction you're headed, too. I used to live in Waynesville, NC so I've driven/towed all over the Smokies/Bue Ridge, so I know what you mean. I've also towed my Aliner on the "hellbender" and "tail of the dragon" both popular motorcycle roads with hundreds of tight turns - not recommended for big trucks or long trailers!
Chip
manycats said
02:58 PM Dec 24, 2013
The only two times I remember our F250 diesel dually dogging down was in Flagstaff, AZ and in a campground in Stanley, ID where the park owner had to hook us to a tractor to pull us to our site. The fact that we were towing a 34' Yellowstone fiver (probably the heaviest unit ever built) may have had something to do with it, you think??
Hina said
02:38 PM Dec 25, 2013
I get what Snow Gypsy is saying; been in Pahrump, a classic snow bird destination, and lots of empty spaces. I think much of the classic "snow bird generation" are retiring the wheels for sticks and bricks (spoken with a few who bought houses in Pahrump). Some of the younger folks contemplating an RV can not imagine having a job that pays well enough, for long enough to buy a house, and see RVs as a housing alternative, with the option of "living for free" so they can possibly save a little money, maybe to pay off student loans, or save for a house, or maybe migrate to where they think the jobs might be.
Dog Folks said
01:38 PM Dec 26, 2013
SnowGypsy wrote:
Maybe FL is popular because it is flat? I like flat.
Hey watch it there. We have hills on the interstate called "overpasses." Not to many corners though. LOL
WestWardHo said
11:21 AM Dec 28, 2013
This is our third Christmas at this California park. Prior years the campground was 1/2 to 2/3 full. Yesterday not a single open site And it's been almost full the whole month.
Might have something to do with news reports that we've been the warmest spot in the nation this week. 😉
Sherry
-- Edited by WestWardHo on Saturday 28th of December 2013 11:22:40 AM
I heard through another forum that they thought there were less snowbirds before as the parks they saw used to be packed in FL and TX. I'm wondering if others are seeing less. I also wonder if that isn't contributing to the best prices I have seen on used units in my lifetime. I know that Tucson in the 90's was just overwhelmed with snowbirds in the winter months as we were permanent residents there. With pensions pretty much disappearing, the face of the lifestyle may change. Seeing younger people all the time interested in the lifestyle. The RV becomes the new age covered wagon?
They just cant afford it.......High parks....high fuel........they have all become Boondockers @ Wallmart!!!!!
The BLM land between 95 and the ridge on Plomosa Road is usually somewhat populated with boondockers by this time, but last week I counted 25 RVs total and there were only a couple in the area next to 95 which normally fills up first.
So far we only have about 6 here in the park in Bouse where we spend the winter. Usually all three rows are pretty full by now (about 75 spaces).
Could be wrong, but it really isn’t “snowbird season” quite yet in Florida. They all come down right after Christmas or New Years. (Like us) Traveling I-95 down to Florida for a great number of years, we used to live there, that seems to be the norm. Saw the same thing at the parks where many snowbirds nested for the winter and the one we’ve been at for like “ever.”
Check again come January 6th or so.
That said, Mike is correct to a large extent. The economy is not as good as the “official” numbers pretend it is for many, IMO.
Bill
A blurb I read on the internet made it sound like the rv parks in Fernly, Coffeyville, and Campbellsville were bulging at the seams. Yet another reason for the early January snowbird migration.
I don't know what is going on down south but I am seeing more RVs on I-70 here in Colorado than I usually see this time of year.
I can't compare to previous years, but today as we were on I-10 for 5 miles I counted 46 rigs headed the other direction in that very short time, amazing to me as this is our first winter as full timers. We spent the day at the Sonora Desert Museum and there were a lot of rigs parked in the RV parking area, despite the fact that this is probably one of the coldest days we've had in AZ thus far with a pretty consistent wind. Not a great day for an outdoor museum, but sure beat spending the day in a local mall shopping for stuff no one really needs.
- Cherie
Amazon country. Probably fluffing their nest with some dollars before heading south. Maybe more snowbirds/full-timers are working delaying their arrival in some destinations. In AZ, we always saw the first of them coming in around mid-October but in SE AL, they came later and it seemed that approaching weather systems played heavily in some of their decisions.
During the gas crunch very few people were buying RVs.
So I'm wondering if we have reached a generational point where the 60's and 70's generations didn't go the RV route so as they retire RV's are not their choice but rather stay home, use hotels or vacation rentals.
If this is your first Quartsite trip it is an experience all in its own!!!.........well worth the learning curve and so much to see and do..........now the 1100 miles in between doesnt sound like so much fun but there is alot of friends at the other end!!!
Caroline,
Check out the weights on your truck. When we first bought a previous 26' travel trailer, we found out that our F150 wasn't heavy enough to safely handle that size of trailer. Now, ours might have been heavier than your travel trailer. It could be an eye-opener if you had to traverse any mountain passes.
Terry
Chip
Chip
Maybe FL is popular because it is flat? I like flat.
Chip
Hey watch it there. We have hills on the interstate called "overpasses." Not to many corners though.
LOL
This is our third Christmas at this California park. Prior years the campground was 1/2 to 2/3 full. Yesterday not a single open site And it's been almost full the whole month.
Might have something to do with news reports that we've been the warmest spot in the nation this week. 😉
Sherry
-- Edited by WestWardHo on Saturday 28th of December 2013 11:22:40 AM