RGV or AZ this Winter?

We spent one winter in RGV - ate dirt for weeks on end. And there is no culture to speak of, so off our list of places to go for winter. Florida, expensive and natives hate tourists and treat you accordingly, plus BUGS. So no go. SoCal is too expensive, so that leaves Arizona. And we found everything we want in the Phoenix area.

Barb

BarbaraOK wrote:
We spent one winter in RGV - ate dirt for weeks on end. And there is no culture to speak of, so off our list of places to go for winter. Florida, expensive and natives hate tourists and treat you accordingly, plus BUGS. So no go. SoCal is too expensive, so that leaves Arizona. And we found everything we want in the Phoenix area.

Barb

You must have been to a different RGV.

TomG2 wrote:

2gypsies wrote:
Just curious...if you don't golf or shop or eat at restaurants, what do you do in the RGV?

Quite a few dances down here. Some fishing, and lots of bird watching.

Just about every area in Arizona has dancing, fishing and awesome birding. Our canyons have many rare birds showing up.

pawatt wrote:

BarbaraOK wrote:
We spent one winter in RGV - ate dirt for weeks on end. And there is no culture to speak of, so off our list of places to go for winter. Florida, expensive and natives hate tourists and treat you accordingly, plus BUGS. So no go. SoCal is too expensive, so that leaves Arizona. And we found everything we want in the Phoenix area.

Barb

You must have been to a different RGV.

How many performing arts centers in RGV? Anything comparable to Heard Museum, Musical Instruments Museum, Barrett-Jackson show, Arts district in Scottsdale, Phoenix Symphony, hundreds of very good restaurants, PGA golf tournaments, vineyards, olive groves, Tombstone, and on, and on, and on......?

Roy&Lynne wrote:
I think that both have lots to offer. Some of the RGV is very poor and crime rate is really high, they recently had half their cops jailed but saying that, there are some really nice areas also. What about the Alamogordo or Las Cruses area in New Mexico. Both are considered best kept secret areas for snowbirds.

55 degrees average high in January is too cool for me.

joebedford wrote:
I know everybody is different but we found that in Yuma, if you don't golf or shop or eat at restaurants, there's nothing to do. Windy like Texas, but more dusty. Again, like RGV, motorcycle riding a zero.

I would not say that motorcycle riding in Yuma is zero. A few years ago I worked down in Yuma (MCAS) and stayed there during the week--returning on weekends back to Lake Havasu CIty. It was fall and winter and half the time I rode my bike down. Some days were cold but dressed right it was not bad. Yes, there can be wind--but it is a dry wind ;). There were also days that were beautiful for riding.

There are decent rides around/from Yuma, but generally going to be a few hours or so. When in Yuma I occasionally rode to Los Algodones, Mexico to eat or to meet friends (parking on the US side--which is nice). Went to Mexicali once, and that isn't all that far. And of course you have Quartzite if you want to ride up to check out the activity during the RV season.




Mike

I may have missed it, but it appears that only the RGV folks have mentioned price in their comments. Is that because the Arizona fans don't worry about money or they assume it is equal to the RGV? We have a general low cost of living along with low rental rates. Decent parks run around $1,000 for three months and $8 haircuts are commonplace. Half that of Florida and I love the Sunshine State.

joebedford wrote:
I know everybody is different but we found that in Yuma, if you don't golf or shop or eat at restaurants, there's nothing to do. Windy like Texas, but more dusty. Again, like RGV, motorcycle riding a zero.

Motorcycle riding is alive and well in Yuma AZ. The resort where we live has a lot of bikes of all sizes, prices, and makes. I have organized and lead a group ride twice a month.

When I said "motorcycle riding is a zero", I didn't mean it didn't exist. Even in RGV there are groups of riders who go out multiple times a week - to lunch, breakfast, bars, etc. I'm very much a "it's the journey not the destination" kind of guy.

joebedford wrote:
When I said "motorcycle riding is a zero", I didn't mean it didn't exist. Even in RGV there are groups of riders who go out multiple times a week - to lunch, breakfast, bars, etc. I'm very much a "it's the journey not the destination" kind of guy.

There are plenty of rides from Yuma that are not small rides. What you are describing, the in-town rides, are more like socializing than riding (not a bad thing).

But within 3 hours from Yuma you have a wealth of places to ride. You can go to Lake Havasu to the north, Wikieup to the northeast, Phoenix to the east, and San Diego to the west, All within 3 hours. That is not counting Mexico, if you feel so inclined.



Mike