SOUTHWESTERN STYLE

When you first enter Arizona (at Yuma) from California, the prices drop. Gas is a dollar cheaper. Housing costs leap downwards. A basket of goodies from the supermarket is noticably less than the California counterpart. I can see why seniors cluster here for their winter months.

Yuma itself is not large. And to be honest, on all our travels south to Mexico, we have only stayed here overnight once and that was when we were driving the van. So we made the resolution this time to stop for 2 nights and really have a "look-see".  

It is quite amazing. Stretching out for miles on the eastern end of town are acres and acres of RV Resorts. These have a very different look about them from the usual camp grounds we are used to. These are catering to the long term northern retired cohort. Some residents are permanent. Some are just stopovers like us. These resorts are pretty much duplicates of each other, offering rows upon rows of park models with small shaded areas for sitting out and keeping a pooch. The middle section is usually gravelled and divided into pull through sites for the short term visitor. And in the back is the huge community centre, swimming pool,  bocce court etc. And they all are much the same in layout and size. They do vary in attractiveness, and in the ratio of full to part-time residence.

Out further along highway 8 appear private RV lots, much larger than the spaces allowed in RV Resorts. These are privately owned, not rented, and they generally have a short brick wall around them, and hookups for RVs and maybe a palm tree or two. Some people build casitas on them and sometimes full sized homes. These lots appear to have been developed 20 or more years ago and the landscaping is somewhat haphazard.

I would say that most of these above facilities are well used by the northern escapee from the cold and wet. Again, most of the license plates were from the western states and provinces. I would estimate that western Canadians are at least equal to if not outnumbering the Americans in Yuma.

As we were out taking our cruise through Yuma, we wandered into a new development called El Rancho Encantado laid out to take in the glorious views of the Gila Mountains. These lots are individually owned and pay no fees. The zoning is very generous here towards part-time residents and RV residents. Many of the lots are set up with connections for two RVs and a casita is allowed. On other lots, only one RV connection is provided and a single house is allowed. There is no requirement for building anything and some of the lots had one or two large motor homes on them. What stands out is the southwestern theme for all the housing and landscaping. Very strict control is maintained for this southwestern look. I was strongly attracted to the landscape design as well as the southwestern architecture. Surprisingly, the lots here were only fractonally more expensive than the less attractive ones in older

neighbourhoods.

Below is a bare lot, ready for development. It has services suited for 2 RVs. This makes

it attractive for 2 couples to share. Also, some people rent out the other half of the

lot.

This lot has a small SW style casita, two RVs  and appropriate landscaping.

Outside the development, but with a view of the Gila Mountains.

SW style house and landscaping. The upright plant in the middle is an Ocotillo which

is a favourite of mine.

Another lot with interesting landscape features.

Even though we really enjoyed Palm Springs and Yuma, there are some negative

aspects to spending a winter here for me. My main objection is the weather. The

average high for December and January for both places hovers around 70F and the

desert lows are brisk at 40-45F. This does not provide enough heat for me! Add to that

the damage the extreme dryness does to my skin, I feel like a lizzard after just a few days in

the desert. I don't appear to be a desert person, I acknowledge my heart is set on the warm humidity

of the ocean beaches.

My other objection is cultural. I do not get the same punch from the SW vibe as I do

as soon as I cross the border into Mexico which beckons me with its riotous

colours, wild music, wonderful food, and hospitality. 

So we did a review, and we gave this area positive marks, but not enough to temp us away

from our Huatabampito destination.

Today we are off to our campsite just outside Tucson. We are getting anxious to leave all 

this for Mexico. So who knows how much longer we will be staying in southern Arizona??

Stay tuned!!