Life on the road has been one of the most amazing things we had done during the last four years. We visited much of the United States and parts of Canada. Traveling by motorhome has allowed us to immerse ourselves into each area without feeling the time constraints of being on vacation. Between the headaches of air travel, hotels, cruise ships, and now COVID-19, living on the road was what we needed.
Escondido is about 30 miles north of San Diego and one of San Diego counties oldest cities. Being about 15 miles inland from the ocean, its climate is a little bit warmer than the coast, but still considered a Mediterranian climate.
DeAnza Springs Resort is in eastern San Diego county. At an elevation of 2,600 feet it’s considered high desert with warm days and cool nights. DeAnza is on 500 acres adjacent to the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park offering endless miles of remote hiking trails. It was a perfect getaway from the COVID-19 madness.
Ajo is one of the closest communities in Arizona near Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument where we were able to get an RV park reservation. In Spanish, Ajo is the word for garlic. However, the Tohono O’odham Indians have a similar sounding word o’oho which, is their word for paint. The Tohono O’odham people obtained their red paint pigments from the Ajo area. From Tucson it was about a 2.5 hour drive.
Saguaro National Park has been a favorite for many years. Late April to early May is usually a great time to visit because the snow birds have left, the cactus are blooming, and the temperatures are reasonable, except for this year. Typically, the average highs are in the low 80s. Currently, it’s been around 100 everyday, yikes. At least the early mornings have been in the 60s, great for hiking.
Willcox, Arizona is partially known for its wineries. The area produces 74% of the wine grapes in Arizona. We had wine tasted here in the past and were pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, because of the stay at home orders, the wineries were closed and not considered essential. The governor must not be a wine aficionado.
