Settled nerves

Parked at North Ranch

No matter how long we travel, I always seem to approach hitting the road with some apprehension. Our 10 year old motorhome, now over 130,000 miles, is starting to show its age, as I am. We've never had much trouble finding help when things break, but it's not like living in a community that's familiar to you; you know who can help, where things are, and how to get around. Yet, after 3 years, I've found that stopping for a visit in an Escapees park, as we are now, provides a level of familiarity similar to being in our own neighborhood (whatever that is).

We're at North Ranch, one of the Rainbow Parks in Congress, Arizona. We'd heard about North Ranch from other Escapees in our travels. The word was, they were trying to be the friendliest park in the Escapee system, and they rang the bell to let everybody know you had arrived. I also expected to see some of our DOVE friends here, Scott and Karen Bonis, Red Cross instructors who we've spent many hours with in class. High expectations, but not accurate ones. They do have a bell, but I have not heard it in the week we've been here. Perhaps that tradition was lost in the interest of quiet. And Consuelo reminded me that Scott and Karen spend their winters in Belize, so they're not here, either.

Nonetheless, there is a calendar of things going on every day, some of which interest us. Consuelo has taken a craft class, met some ladies with those interests. I've been to computer discussion group, and Photoshop Elements class, learning some, contributing some. We both enjoyed the ice cream social, though perhaps we should not have. And we're signed up to participate in cooking for the craft fair on Saturday, and Thanksgiving dinner.

Besides the events, the people are always friendly and helpful here. When we struggled to get our awning up on arrival, Joe, parked in the site behind us, came over to work his magic with our dilemma. Everybody waves at us when we walk, and we feel welcome here, even if we don't know too many people.

I think our first Escapee park experience, at Sumter Oaks in Bushnell, Florida, was equally fulfilling, and we've come to expect it in all the Rainbow parks we've visited. It's kind of our home away from home.

And it makes me comfortable, my nerves settle, and I can begin looking around to see what there is to see, without worrying about breakdowns, where to stop, or the cost of fuel.