October 22-31, 2019 — This last week of October finds us continuing to settle into our winter home at Fiesta Grande RV Resort in Casa Grande, Arizona where we are functioning as seasonal camp hosts. Our learning curve here in the desert is twofold as we not only have to learn our hosting duties but also to acclimate to the resort life.
Living the resort life might sound very easy to get accustomed to but for us it is a process. We have spent most of the last 3.5 years boondocking in our motorhome and have only stayed at one private campground and a handful of state and national park campgrounds during that time.
We can count on one hand the number of times we have had full hook-ups since starting our RV life. We are accustomed to using water sparingly and, at times, conserving on electrical use if we didn’t generate enough solar power during the day. With full hook-ups we have free reign to do as we please but we still find ourselves fretting over the faucets running too long or leaving the occasional light on.
Having nearby neighbors is another new facet for us. Not only do we have others close by but since we are camp hosts, our site is right at the hub of activity near the office at the resort. Knowing where our site would be was probably the biggest obstacle in our agreeing to this hosting position.
Thankfully we took the plunge and decided to live the resort life this winter as camp hosts. So far we are really enjoying all aspects of the resort. Living amongst others has had more ups than downs and is working out well. The real test will be on how we handle our first full week of being on duty as hosts.
Follow along below for a pictorial of our week at Fiesta Grande RV Resort.
Even as the sun sets in Arizona Amazon Prime is still out doing deliveries. It amazes us how we can sit in our recliners, tap our phones/tablets a few times and mere hours later packages show up at the RV. It’s almost too easy.
Not gourmet fare by any means but having nice enough weather to cook and consume a pizza outside in late October makes it seem much more grand. We are loving our time in Arizona.
There is a never-ending offering of activities to participate in at our resort. Joining a pool league is on our future to-do list but we need to get some practice time in first to work out the rust.
While we’re parked here at the resort for a few months we thought we’d tackle a few RV upgrades that have been on the list. We started with a “simple” project in adding an additional outlet near the outside door. What should have been a twenty minute job turned into a several hour one as it involved tearing apart the entire kitchen and making at least one (or more!) trips to Home Depot. The additional time and parts weren’t because of an issue necessarily but more of a while we’re at it let’s change/add a few more items. Just like in a regular house, there is always something to fix/upgrade/maintain in an RV.
One of our “jobs” as camp hosts at the resort is handing out tickets for door prizes at a weekly park wide coffee/donuts/announcements function. It’s a fun task that really can’t be classified as “work” and it allows us a great opportunity to interact with the resort residents.
We love seeing the creativity of the residents of the resort. Here is a sampling of the fun entries in the pumpkin carving contest. So cool!
We’re settling in nicely at the resort and are feeling much more involved everyday. There’s still work to be done on our site to make it set up like we want. Adding an awning sunscreen made a huge difference in outside comfort and also in keeping our RV cooler during the afternoon heat. Window screens are in the process of being made and hopefully will be finished in the next few weeks.
Our hosting position is one week on and two weeks off. We’re still in the training process but able to function fairly independently as hosts. So far we’re enjoying the position and even though it is technically “work” it doesn’t feel like any job we’ve ever had before. We’re especially enjoying meeting all the great residents at the resort.
What a great week! We are loving our time at the resort and so far the hosting has been a positive experience. Stay tuned for next week to see if we survived our first full “host on duty” session and whether we still feel as positive about the experience. See you then!