RV Snowbirding 101
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
The Great Escape 1
Choosing A Snowbird RV
1. Rigs and Toads 4
2. Automotive and Structural Considerations 13
3. The Livability Factor 19
4. Making the Deal 25
Before You Go
5. Taking Care of Business 31
6. Getting Ready to Roll 41
On The Road
7. Gentlemen, Start Your Engines 49
8. Getting There Is Half The Fun–Or Not 56
9. I-5 Basics 63
10. Prairie Escape Routes 70
11. Eastern Flight Paths 77
Off The Road
12. Nesting Sites and One Night Stands 86
13. Membership Has Its Privileges 94
14. The Main Players 101
Life in The Slow Lane
15. The American Way 111
16. More Challenges Than Survivor 121
17. The RV Snowbird Community 130
18. Do It All or Nothing At All 139
Sunbelt America
19. Southern California–for Hot Springs, Casinos, and Slab City 148
20. Arizona–for Cacti, Quartzsite, and Th e Colorado River 158
21. Southern Texas–for Birding, Dancing, and Affordability 169
22. Florida—for Water, Theme Parks, and Big Ol’ Gators 179
Other Sun Spots
23. Mexico–for Budget, Beaches, and Bad Roads 192
24. New Zealand–for Trekking, Sheep, and Driving
on the Left 205
25. Vancouver Island—for Scenery, Savings, and
Possible Showers 215
Catching the Spirit 221
RV Talk 228
Check It Out—Books and Websites 232
Index 237
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
For ten years Marsha, Paul, and Simba cruised the snowbird circuit from Los Angeles to Key West, in three different motorhomes, towing a Saturn, with numerous campground memberships—two years as full-timers, when their family considered them “homeless”. In addition to the U.S. snowbird hotspots, they RVed in Mexico, Alaska, and New Zealand, and lived in Canada’s winter tropics—Parksville, B.C. This book is a compilation of fifteen years experiencing, observing, reading, and Googling. It discusses the ideal snowbird "rig", preparations, destinations, routes, parks, clubs, campground memberships, lifestyles, and challenges. It is the quintessential budget guide for the Great Escape to Where the Sun Spends the Winter.
About the Author
Marsha grew up in a tenting family and later holidayed with her husband and sons in a camperized school bus. In 1995 she and Paul took early retirements, (over)loaded their new Bounder, and with Simba, their lhasa-poo, headed west and later south. After many RV miles and adventures, in 2005 Paul passed away. Marsha sold their Itasca, but continued camping with family, subscribing to RV magazines, attending RV shows, and eventually returned to her snowbird writings. She lives in Surrey, B.C. and often visits her park model in Birch Bay, Washington, usually surrounded by summertime snowbirds. Recently she has been thinking a class B motorhome isn’t really much bigger than her Dodge Caravan. . .