[CalandLinda]

Because I’m retired from the USN (31 years) we qualify for military RV Parking wherever available. Some often wonder why we don’t post about parking out west. The area is saturated with military RV Parks and we use them. They are less expensive and when located within the confines of the base, security is provided 24/7. Many offer long term “snow bird” parking with ample overflow sites to park in while waiting for a FHU site.

One year we decided to spend three months at the naval recreational area in San Diego, CA. (They now allow civilians to park there with approved MWR passes). It was a rainy year and in excess. Mud slides were reported in the surrounding mountains and we left. We had called the Naval Air Facility at El Centro and got into an overflow site with FHU – 30 AMPS, we took it.

NAF El Centro is the winter home for the Blue Angel’s Navy flight demonstration team. They got there almost the same time as us. We got air shows 5 days a week starting at 0800 each day. Before they got there the RV population equaled the base population. We could eat at the chow hall 5 days a week without reservations.

Our overflow site was in an old parking lot that backed-up to an active ball field. A short walk across the street was the chow hall, bowling alley and golf driving range. A RV maintenance center was at the west end of the parking lot.

We were going to stay 2 months but the rain found us once again. Without an adequate water drainage system the parking lots filled with water. The base had to hire huge tanker trucks that had the ability to vacuum the excess water and dump it in the nearby aqueduct. We went to Yuma and found a vacancy at a seniors (55+) RV Park and parked there for the rest of our winter stay in the west. It did rain at Yuma, but not heavy. The rain awakened the dormant flowers and the surrounding desert areas became beautifully covered with all kinds of desert flower colors.