Northward RV Snowbird Migration Begins In Earnest

I was out walking the dog around the RV campground this evening. The sun settling behind the chocolate colored hills emitting a pleasant glow as dusk settled on the park. The birds quited their talk and folks were out visiting with each other in the cool of the day. Down here near Yuma, Arizona it's been in the 80s and 90s and we've had to resort to using our air conditioners in the afternoons. The warmer days make for very pleasant mornings and evenings. We're enjoying sleeping with our bedroom windows open as a gentle breeze ambles through. For many, this is the call to begin following the warm temperature "sweet spot" as it slowly moves northward. The parks down here are beginning to thin out as evidenced by the many empty RV spaces. Spring migration has officially begun. Canadians are especially anxious to return home because they can only be out of Canada a few months each year otherwise they lose their health care coverage. As these snowbirds prepare to leave they have goodbye parties and it's not unusual to see a group of coffee drinkers gathering in the morning to see off RV friends with whom they've spent the winter. Camaraderie is tremendous as always in the RV community. So, as I'm walking the dog I meet Jim from Idaho who just pulled in this afternoon. He's just passing through, but his wife offers me a cold drink. RVers, as a whole, are kind, considerate and just plain nice folks. When I returned to our motorhome our Canadian neighbor, Wayne, brought some hot dogs he just picked up in Mexico. The Mexican border is walking distance from our RV park and Wayne has been buying these hot dogs for several years from the same vendor. He usually comes back across the border with an armload of these for fellow RVers. My wife (who is munching on the half that is missing in the photo) says they are the best hot dogs she's ever tasted and I must agree. Somebody needs to sign this guy up for a Mexican hot dog franchise....Wow! With this kind of hospitality and kindness rampant in the RV community it's no wonder people flock back to these campgrounds each winter. It's not unusual for life long friendship bonds to develop in these RV parks. You will be hard pressed to find a more loving and caring community of people than those who call themselves RVers. So now you understand if you see someone wiping an eye as they say "goodby" to their snowbird buddies. The flight back north has officially begun. Reporting from the southwest - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing