Sunday March 5th 2017

It was a warm, cloudy and very windy day in Arizona. In this area the winds were sustained in the 20s with gusts into the high 30s. In the north western part of the state the gusts were near 60 with the sustained winds in the 40s. High winds in the broad flat valleys with nothing to break them up are a real problem here.

I saw the impact of the wind first hand today. With nothing planned, I set out to explore the country to the east of my campsite. As I was driving into the wind I saw a dust storm out in front of me. Luckily it was not in my path of travel, but it pointed out to me that being out on the roads without a specific destination in mind was not the best idea. I returned to camp and the TV for the remainder of the day.

One of the things I did today was walk around the campground. In the previous few days I’d only walked through parts of the park. Today I went up and down most of the roads. This campground is full of snowbirds from all over the continent. Most of my immediate neighbors are from Canada. I’ve haven’t seen any rigs from the Canadian maritime provinces but from Quebec west they are all represented. British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan are heavily represented.

The northeast United States are represented by Vermont and New Hampshire. I haven’t spotted anyone from New York, but the rest of the States across to Washington are all represented. This also seems to be a draw for Alaskans seeking to avoid winter in the north. I’ve counted at least 4 rigs from the northern most state. The southeast seems to be poorly represented. Other than me and one other RV, also probably a full timer from Florida, I haven’t spotted anyone south of Tennessee on the east coast.

License plates are the easiest way to identify the origin of the people in the campground, but it isn’t the only way. Some people have signs with their names and point of origin. These used to be far more common than they are today. I think people are concerned with privacy. Other people fly flags. There are many US and Canadian Flags along with State and Provence flags flying from flag poles and other flag flying contraptions. Some of these flags can be a challenge to identify.

Flag being flown by my neighbor from British Columbia.

The motorhome behind me from British Columbia is flying a flag that takes some thought to figure out. It is an American flag with a Canadian Maple leaf superimposed on the field of stripes. This is probably an attempt to pay respect to both nations, but it could be taken more politically. I didn’t ask. The guy seems like a nice fellow.