2022-23 RV Snowbird Trip - December Update - Full Time RVers in the USA Southwest Desert

[@EnergiaAthletics]

Great pics, Kofa looks really nice, thanks Ray!

[@cathymisze3163]

My husband and I are staying in Gila Bend till mid January. We then will head to city life RV resorts in California for about 3 weeks. Enjoy seeing your travels here in the desert.

[@eprohoda]

bojour! thank you. fantastic ,😎

[@johnnoland2576]

Sounds like a great trip, sure glad to hear Anne is doing a lot better.

[@jasff69]

Ray..... Really appreciate these types of videos. Thank you. Lots of good information.

[@robertburgess6100]

Thanks for the update Ray.

[@dennissprague5172]

Beautiful pics,,,,

[@LoveYourRV]

Thank you

[@Yukonjackman1]

We love saddle mountain go there quite a bit its like 65 miles away from us. And yes sometimes the flying bees are around lol we have good screens on the trailer and us , also burro creek is nice i posted a video last year on it . I'm yukonjackman traveling

[@bobhobart3613]

Looking good guys! And great slide show at the end. Thanks and be safe. Oh, and have a great New Years!!😎

[@jeffbeifuss8385]

Merry Christmas and Happiest of New Years to you both! Thanks again for the content. Have a great 2023.

[@LoveYourRV]

Thanks and you're welcome. Cheers! to a terrific 2023!

[@marciatesch3951]

We really love your shared information. Keep it coming!!!!

[@JamesBrown-ux9ds]

Agreed - just perfect!

[@BobKeefe]

Organ Pipe Cactus N.M. is one of our favorite campgrounds. Wide, paved, well-landscaped sites with lots of hiking trails and all the gigantic Saguaros and Organ Pipe cactus 😊

[@garryhammond3117]

Thanks Ray! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and Anne. - Cheers! The WX looks so much better there than here in Ottawa! 😎

[@somedayistodayrv]

Great video and places to see and camp at. Some of it reminds me of the Great Basin areas in Nevada. Thanks for all the info and enjoy. Take care and travel safe, Dave.

[@LoveYourRV]

You bet! My Pleasure. Cheers, Ray

[@rickbeyer6633]

Went to Organ Pipe last year for a week. Amazingly beautiful with fun hikes and a few driving loops that were beautiful and informative. We camped at the state park - wish we could feel more comfortable away from any neighbors. We head south in just under a month. WooHoo!

[@desertdog2282]

Nice !!!

[@jameshodgins1937]

Nice slideshow Ray.

[@G_RAThbun]

Vicky and I were just talking about going down to Ajo, we've been there sightseeing but we've never stayed there Yuma is getting to be so big and so crowded that we may give that a shot next year unfortunately it doesn't look like we're going to make it down there this year. Saving our money to Head East this summer and check out things that way. And looks like she's having a great time hope she's feeling great also.

[@LoveYourRV]

Anne is feeling much better than the last few years that's for sure. She can hike a bit now and recovery is much faster. Looks like she is on the mend. :)

[@BobKeefe]

Happy New Year to you both! 🎉🎉🎉

[@JoelWelter]

Well, we sold our Cougar and moved down here to Buckeye, AZ. There's a nice little dry camping area with about 6 or 8 spots for camping just a couple miles north of the I-10 in Skyline Regional park. The campsites don't look busy, though there are a lot of people out for day hikes on the many trails there. Just a thought. No flies, at least! You go east past Tonapah until you get to the edge of Buckeye and take the Watson exit then turn left and go about two miles to the park entrance. The park is free, but you have to pay for camping. I don't remember what it cost, but it's not much. Cheers!

[@LoveYourRV]

Sounds cool, thanks for the tip!

[@pauljohnston7700]

Great stuff Ray. The PBS show I work on( In the Americas with David Yetman) filmed an episode on the Salton Sea. My favorite part was Bombay City. Very interesting. You guys should stop by sunny Tucson. I can steer you to some neat boondocking spots. Safe travels. Cheers.

[@LoveYourRV]

We drove over one day and Anne took photos if all the new art stuff they have on Bombay Beach, pretty cool!

[@pauljohnston7700]

@@LoveYourRV I met some very interesting folks there

[@jesseplz]

Hello I was trying to find just the RV trip update vids but could not find the vid previous to this one. I only see product reviews, please help.

[@LoveYourRV]

It is the first link listed in the video description :) www.loveyourrv.com/?s=snowbird

[@kittykat999a]

I’m so surprised to see the Lifepo batteries have gone down to $299 American! Woooo!

[@LoveYourRV]

Yes, getting to be quite affordable. I've recently reviewed the Amperetime and Chins brands. Both have pretty decent lithium cells as far as I could tell. The money is saved on poorer construction methods and cheaper BMS boards plus a lesser warranty than the top brands. But may be worth it versus lead acid considering the lithium performance. Cheers, Ray

[@tenkaraintheiowadriftless]

Nice update and great pics! How are the pack rats this year? I’m guessing the typical mitigation techniques are adequate. Thanks!

[@LoveYourRV]

So far I haven't noticed any problems where I'm camped. Don't see any nests close by and I have lights under and above the truck engine and, hood up and park it away from the bushes. Cheers! Ray

[@richardross3172]

Beautiful pics and no snow!!! Do you guys think there will be a super bloom this spring? Thanks

[@LoveYourRV]

Hard to tell, there has to be the right amount of rains and spread out in the right way for the seeds. Seems like California is getting quite a bit of rain largely but still a fair amount of time till spring hits.

[@unclelala4216]

Pretty country! Big blue is looking good, how she behaving, how many miles on her now, are you still liking the OEM hitch ?...I'm really trying to keep it under a hundred questions.😇

[@LoveYourRV]

Love it. Here was the last update video from Sept 2022 60,000 KM (37,282 Miles) www.loveyourrv.com/our-2018-ram-3500-6-7l-diesel-pickup-60000-km-37282-miles-update/ Just went over 40,000 miles and running great and OEM hitch is good, no complaints :)

[@timalmich1964]

happy belated anniversary. got a question for you ray. the dolor panels that you have on the ground do they plug into the port on your cougar? I have one of those but not sure how to use it. great video by the way.

[@LoveYourRV]

Years ago I made a DIY port for a ground panel www.loveyourrv.com/building-portable-solar-panel/ so can use that to hook into my main battery solar charging system. But I'm also carrying a EcoFlow Delta Max power station so currently using the 400W ground panel to recharge that. Its job is to power my Starlink dish. So ground panels have there own charger and can just be attached to a battery, others need a solar charger. Not sure what you have.

[@timalmich1964]

I just have the solar ready port that it came with from the factory. Can i just plug panels into that or do i need some sort of adaptor? Or would it be easier to just hook panels to my battery?

[@LoveYourRV]

Sorry I don't know. My Cougar came out quite a few years before manufactures started adding solar ports to trailers so I don't know how they have hooked them up internally or if they have an OEM solar charger included. My guess is its just a port with some wire and needs a charger.

[@kellyn7280]

Ray what lights are you using under the hood of your truck to keep away the pak rats. I had a "Rid a Rat" but gave it to someone and haven't replaced it yet.

[@LoveYourRV]

I put a string of clear LED Christmas outdoor lights above the engine with the hood up and plug it into the camper inverter. On the ground, I have a couple of cheap LED rope lights with little solar panels that recharge them. Also, make sure to park the truck in a clear area away from bushes. Rodents don't like to be in the open generally. I have left a layer of dust on the engine and each day check for footprints. :) Before we set up camp I scouted the nearby area for any nests and didn't find any. Cheers, Ray

[@kellyn7280]

Thx, I like the dust idea. If we spot the yellow flag when we are down there, we'll stop in and say hello. Safe travels.

[@herb7877]

Wow I am a bit surprised that Dave upped his dump church so much. He’s always been such a fair guy. He always asks me after I’m done and paying; “is that fair.” I’ve never said no because it’s always been very reasonable. Last year I think he was $15 or less. Water is free down the road at the Pilot. Pilot does have a reverse osmosis for a charge though as well. Dave is a very interesting guy that we usually spend a couple of hours talking to. The County has been on him to shut it all down or spend a ton of $$$$ for environmental processing tanks. He’s been fighting it for the last few years w/o success so far.

[@LoveYourRV]

Down in Ajo now. Belly Acres RV charged me 10 bucks today for dumping and 60-gallon water fill and free garage disposal. Pretty good deal. :)

[@101taiga]

$25 to dump?! Wow, someone’s really taking advantage. Glad you found a (much) cheaper option!

[@LoveYourRV]

The guy told me the town is really being a pain about the sewer dump on the property. He says he has to have a 500-gallon tank and get it pumped out. Not many options without driving a fair distance. Down in Ajo now, Belly Acres RV park charges $7 dump and 5 water fill, so that's not bad.

[@herb7877]

Dave is a very interesting guy and usually more than fair. He’s been getting a lot pressure from the County or City if he is going to continue to allow dumping. Very expensive cure. He’s been more than fair to us in the past.

[@donnadieckmann9822]

I was wondering can you get water at Pilot in Gila Bend or only dump We we’re there in 2020 and stopped at Holts just before they closed and sold to Pilot

[@LoveYourRV]

There is a water spigot beside the dump, but it looks to be for hose and tank rinsing as it's so close. It was painted blue, so I asked inside if it was potable and was told they don't advertise it as potable. So it would be up to you. I decided it was likely on the same lines as the washrooms and restaurants inside and they used to have potable water fill before when the RV park was there. So I sanitized the spigot and filled my tank through my 3-stage water filter system. We also have a UV purifier on board for drinking.

[@donnadieckmann9822]

@@LoveYourRV Thank you - we hope to be in that area at the end of January.