This is a true RV resort. Many RV parks use that descriptor, but few really qualify. The sites are large (up to 80' long, 24' wide pads), paved, with patios and grassy areas between. You aren't right on top of your neighbor. Some back in sites, many long pul-throughs. There are multiple pools and hot tub throughout the resort. Pickleball courts. Two off-leash dog parks (the nice lady that checked us in said, "Sorry, we don't have a cat park."
I can't speak for other cats, but Murphy doesn't really want to play with other cats, except his cousin Tango. But, I digress.
Very nice restroom and showers (private). An over 21 section that has its own pool and hot tub. A putting green. Playground equipment and basketball courts on the family side. No fires allowed (Yay!). Cable TV at some sites, but good over the air TV on antenna. Wifi.
It reminds me a bit of Hart Ranch, except it isn't a membership park. Similar amenities and large sites, though.
Some photos...
They did ask what year our RV is when I called to reserve a site (2024). Many RV parks have a "no RVs more than 10 years old" rule. Most will make exceptions if you submit a current photo - there are many motorcoaches older than 10 years that look nicer than a lot of brand new RVs.
While walking around, we saw one other Class B here. A few B+ (or very small Class C), but mostly larger 5th wheels and Class A motorhomes. No minimum size here (some "resorts" have a minimum length of 25 or even 30'). We have plenty of room on the site we're on. ;-)
After being in "rustic sites" in the National Park, we really appreciate no dirt, no pine needles, level sites, and no bears. Not being snooty - many people like the "great outdoors" feel of State and National Parks - we're not particularly into "camping." Our RoadTrek can handle rustic or fancy - good to have options.
"This comes at a price, right?" Sure - nicer grounds, bigger sites, paved pads, more amenities, and privately owned vs government. You would expect to pay more for all that. Here's some perspective though: a site in this upscale RV resort is less expensive than a night in Colter Bay RV Park (that we just left). Options... would you rather stay in a 5 star hotel or a rustic cabin? Fortunately, with an RV, you bring some of the amenities with you. :-)
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"How's Murphy doing?" Thanks for asking. Murphy is not the traveler that Rufus, Izzy, and Molly were. Yet. With each day this trip, he has settled into the routine of no routine. Last night was his best night since we left home: he slept through the night with no middle of the night gymnastics or vocalizations (the boy can be very "talky."
Today, we unhooked electric and water and drove a short distance to Chick's Cafe for a late lunch. With the roof a/c going, Murph stayed in the van. The RoadTrek being nimble, we parked at the curb in front of the restaurant on a very busy main road. Chick's is an old school cafe: we both had chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, greenbeans, soup, and a scone (more like a giant roll)... it was a lot of food. What I would call "grandma food." Tasty.
From there, to Wally World to pick up a few things, including some Command items for hanging things in the bathroom. To make that compact space even more handy. Topped off fuel, and we'll be ready to roll in the morning. Holding tanks are dumped, fresh water is at 2/3; all we have to do is unhook, and we're off.
Murphy did get some outdoor time this afternoon, but didn't go far. I'll hit the hot tub again this evening - that has been nice. Last night, I visited with some folks who were on their way to the Tetons and Yellowstone - they had questions, I had answers.
I do like this RV resort - nice to treat ourselves to something like this once in a while. And to have another "chill day."
There are forest fires along the way on either of the two options for heading back to Phoenix. We'll keep an eye on that and make decisions on the fly for best routing and timing.
8 comments:
Hi Jim,
I enjoy reading your posts Fun and informative.
Have a question for you. Maybe you can answer it once you get a few trips in the roadtrek under your belt.
My wife and I plan to retire early 2027 and have been searching for rv’s. We think we want smaller for the maneuverability and to fit into some parks. Been eyeing the tiffin rw. Or even the new xrw. But watching you with the roadtrek is giving me pause.
I like the availability of being able to go off grid a night or two.
There is only the two of us. No pets yet. What is your take on your aspect bs your roadtrek?
Your valued opinion is greatly appreciated. Safe travels
Bob and Nancy/cbrats
Hi Bob & Nancy. I will give you some thoughts (free opinion). I consider the Wayfarer and similar (like the Winnebago View) to be B+ size, although the industry considers them small Class Cs. I think they are great! In fact, I encouraged Joan to look at that size as a downsize from our Aspect. The advantage of the Wayfarer/View/etc is storage and elbow room. A single slide out adds to the liveability, not to mention the "box" on the chassis gives more interior space. The advantage of a true Class B (built within a van chassis/body) is that you fit anywhere. It may not seem like that much of a difference (Wayfarer @ 25'8" vs the RoadTrek @ 20'11" and a narrower body) - where it really comes into play is fitting into a "standard" parking space. The RoadTrek (and other brands built on the Promaster) will fit within most parking spaces. That extra 5' of the Wayfarer means you won't. That doesn't mean you can't take them almost anywhere; rather, you will be parking out a ways when you want to shop or go to a restaurant. In "C-Dory talk," the RoadTrek is a high tech C-Dory 22, the Wayfarer is a C-Dory 25. You get more width, more length, more liveability, but you give up the convenience of a smaller size.
I wrote a LOT more, but there is a limit from blogger on comments. Drop me a note, here or on C-Brats with contact info and I'll send you the rest of what I wrote. Good luck with the decisions.
Here's more of the comments I wrote:
If this is going to be your first RV, I would suggest going with the Wayfarer (or View, which I prefer): you are living more "regular" in that size RV and you have more storage. Don't downplay the storage aspect - we have had quite a few RVs over the years (including a Class B on a widebody from 2002 to 2008); diesel pusher Class A motorcoaches, gas Class As, a true four season 5th wheel, a toy hauler, the Aspect (which Winnebago classifies as a Class C), and now another Class B. We travel more "compact" with the RoadTrek.
In the Wayfarer, you get a small bathroom with a separate shower. Most of the Class B vans utilize a wet-bath (like in the C-Dory 25 or TomCat). You will get exterior storage in the Wayfarer, not something you'll get in a Class B without adding a storage box to the back.
And the big kicker: it takes more man-hours to build *within* a van body. It is less expensive for a manufacturer to set "a box" on a cutaway chassis, where they can build it on an assembly like. You get more bang for your buck on a cutaway chassis, like the Wayfarer (or View) vs a van.
And more:
Why would anyone want a true Class B? Size and convenience. Our RoadTrek drives like a big RV. Because you are taller and wider on a similar size chassis, there will a bit more "wallow" on the B+/C. I can park the RoadTrek in my driveway; anything bigger would block the sidewalk (and raise the ire of the HOA, of which I happen to be the president). Today, while staying in a very nice RV resort, we unplugged and went to lunch - I parked on the busy street in front of the restaurant. From there, we went to Walmart; parked in a normal parking site (push a button to pull in the mirrors, just in case a big pickup parks next to us). There were other RVs parked out at the far end of the parking lot. We frequently use our RoadTrek at home to go to Costco, Sam's, and out to lunch - we can put frozen food right in the fridge. It is a second daily driver for us. It doesn't stand out - other than to people who are interested in "vanlife." ;-)
We went for the RoadTrek vs other vans based on the amenities, mostly the lithium battery system, solar panels on the roof, under the hood "generator" (actually a 280 amp aux alternator), and the 3000w inverter. We can run any of our amenities (a/c, induction cooktop, microwave, coffee maker, etc) without plugging in. RoadTrek was the first to use lithium batteries in the RV market and they continue to be a leader in that technology. Other van makers have similar options these days.
I will just toss out one more opinion: Tiffen has always been a quality RV/motorhome manufacturer. They sold to Thor a few years ago - Thor has been more about building to a price point - it would not be my choice in a manufacturer (think: C-Dory vs a similar size Bayliner). Do a search on Wayfarer issues. That said, we have owned 3 Winnebagos over the years and have been very satisfied with the build... thus, my reason for leaning towards a View over a Wayfarer. When we were shopping for the Aspect, we test drove a View - it had the same Winnebago build, but less storage and towing capacity than the Aspect - both things that were important for the use we had planned. The Aspect was a downsize for us, but it was a good fit. I was less fond of the older Ford V-10 Triton, but it was a hauling beast. We frequently double towed with it, with no issues. When it came time for this next downsizing, Joan was adamant that she was done towing - we were ready for this next step. We looked at a View, a Leisure Travel and other similar options... and felt we'd need some kind of small tow vehicle because of that nearly 26' size. No need for a tow vehicle with the RoadTrek (or other true Class B). It came down to the Promaster vs the Ford Transit vs the Mercedes. The Ford and the Mercedes can tow more, the Promaster is a wider body (more interior room, vs the longer Ford and Mercedes). Promaster had upped their game with the 2023 model, giving a 9 speed transmission and all the safety features. I thought I might want something on the Mercedes van, until I looked at the difference in maintenance costs. Nine months into the RoadTrek, we are happy with the choice. We did a LOT of research, looked at different models and had narrowed it down to the RoadTrek Chase 50 or the Coachman Nova - both have a good build and the lithium options. It could have gone either way. It may sound minor, but we both preferred the interior on the Chase 50 (RoadTrek's 50th anniversary model) and the macerator black and gray tank dump vs handling moving a traditional sewer hose to two different tanks on the Nova. All these vans are going to have their sewer dump fairly low on the chassis - the macerator on the RoadTrek can move the waste uphill if necessary.
Whew, that was a lot. Let me know if you want to visit further. Good to hear from you!
Jim
OK, by cutting into pieces, I got it all here - hope that helps.
Jim
I appreciate your response and agree with your points. I have been following the view and wayfarer blogs—-I do have some concerns with the Thor purchase and subsequent decline in build quality. The view 24d has been on my radar as well.
We went to the big rv show in Tampa last January to see some of the models in person. There appears to be no perfect option——choices. We thought we knew what we wanted until we didn’t.
Thank you for your response
Bob and Nancy Klugh
Bklugh@cox.net
We have been RVing for 35+ years now - none of the RVs we bought were a snap decision. Each (well, except the toy hauler) has been the right RV at the time. The saying among RV enthusiasts: buy your 3rd motorhome first. It is easy to get caught up in all the choices and options, but really important to have a good idea how you will use it. The Tampa RV SuperShow can be overwhelming - so much to see and do all at once. While visiting local dealers can be helpful, I found that a walk through an RV park can be like walking the docks when you're looking for a boat... people like to talk about how they came to their choice (and if they don't, you'll know that right away).
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