Sun City, AZ – a beautiful bargain

I’ve been a resident of Sun City for over a year, and I highly recommend it as a place to thrive as snowbird or year-round resident. Yes, it’s a hot hot summer, but within 90 minutes or 2 hours are Arizona cities such as Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Flagstaff that are 20 to 40 degrees cooler. The Grand Canyon is a mere 3 hour drive.

Sun City has 7 community centers, each with pools, hot tubs, fitness centers, meeting rooms, and restaurants.

Two centers have libraries and bowling lanes, racquetball and billiards. Many have outdoor game fields such as bocce ball and miniature golf, and gyms that host dancing parties, free movies and fitness classes.

There’s a park with waterfall, gazebo, lake and pedal boats, a Sun Dial outdoor concert arena, a baseball field, and two 18-hole golf courses.

More than 200 clubs give residents a chance to get to know each other and pursue their favorite pastimes, from Zumba to politics.

You can buy a house or condo. I own a condo. My HOA is responsible for the landscaping, the roof, air conditioning maintenance, trash and sewer.

Sun City is safe. Security is a prime concern, and the Sun City Sheriff’s Posse – a group of volunteers – work with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s office – to watch over the empty homes of snowbirds and make wellness checks on the elderly.

Sun City is an inexpensive retirement place. When I moved from Phoenix my car insurance immediately decreased $15 a month. Because there are no schools property taxes are incredibly low.  I pay $276 a year – yes, a YEAR!

To move in, you pay a one-time $3,000 fee. Annually there is a $476 fee for use of the facilities and free access to concerts, movies and other events. Should a friend or two or three come for a visit they can take part at no charge if with you, or you can buy a 2-week $20 pass for them to go without you.

Sun City is a fun, economic, beautiful place in which you can feel safe to walk at any hour of any day or night. You would love it here!

Sisters On the Fly: Female Road Warriors

Traveling with the group known as Sisters on the Fly is definitely on my retirement Wish List. These female road warriors, ages 20-something to 80-something, travel all over the U.S. by truck, travel trailer and camper caravan. They fly fish (hence the name), they ride horseback, they take part in cattle drives. They even attend Cowgirl College. Every once in awhile they let the menfolk join them, but not often. Most of the travels are in the Western U.S.

If you don’t mind roughing it, and you love the open road, this group just might be for you. Of course, you’ll need either a camper or a truck and travel trailer. Check out their site – there’s often one or two gently-used and well-decorated trailers for sale. Besides enjoying the great outdoors, you could make some lifelong friends. And, there’s safety in numbers. How many of us don’t venture to places we’re dying to see because we can’t find anyone to go with us, and we’re nervous for our own safety?

By the way, Sisters On the Fly was actually started by two sisters – Becky and Maurrie, from Montana.

All you wanderlust-filled women out there, do check out this great group!

Sierra Ancha wilderness the view east

Tempe, AZ  artist  / blogger Ellen Pierce offers some great views of beautiful Arizona. This particular trail is part of the Sierra Anche Wilderness in the Tonto National Forest. It’s a tough 5 mile trail that reaches into the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. Its lowest point is about is 4000 feet and the trail climbs nearly another strenuous 3000 feet. It’s not for the meek or untrained hiker for sure.  The nearest town is Young, AZ, population 561. This tiny Gila-County village, surrounded by mountains, is 130 miles northeast of Phoenix and 60 miles southeast of Payson. To get there from Phoenix you’d take 10E to 60, and then along the Apache Trail by way of Globe. This is a slow and winding but beautifully scenic trip.

Directions (courtesy of Outdoor.com):  From Young to Billy Lawrence Trailhead:
Drive south on State Highway 288, turn east onto Forest Road 410 (Reynolds Creek) and travel 2.5 miles to the junction of FR 410 and Forest Road 235 (Cienga Springs Road). Follow this road for 0.5 mile, then east 2.5 miles to the Billy Lawrence Trailhead. A high clearance vehicle is recommended for this road.From Young to Lucky Strike Trailhead: Travel south on State Highway 288, take Forest Road 203 (Cherry Creek Road) 26.6 miles to the trailhead.

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Along the Lucky Strike trail we get great vistas and dramatic landscape to treat our eyes

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FREE Round of Golf from me to you

Sun City Country Club

I’m offering a free round of golf at the Sun City Country Club in Sun City AZ, to the next Arizonan or visitor to the Phoenix / Sun City area, who “meets” with me by phone or in person about LegalShield’s identity theft protection and restoration, and low-cost legal help, via this blog. LegalShield is a 40 year old company with a sterling reputation. For less than $26 a month your LegalShield lawyer will draw up your will, your living will, your healthcare power of attorney, give her or his professional opinion on an unlimited number of contracts, make calls and write letters on your behalf, and help with all sorts of issues. These include traffic citations, debt collection, real estate or rental disputes such as eviction notice, IRS audit, and many more. Watch this short video for all that’s available to you.

LegalShield powerhouse-partner Kroll will protect your identity, and restore it in case the worst happens. Unlike your bank or credit union, this isn’t just about financial protection. Thieves can steal your identity to use your medical coverage or your driver’s license.  They might be a felon or just have a history of  job terminations and need employment. You could end up maxed out of medical care coverage when you need it most, not able to get or keep a job, or even be arrested for a vehicular crime you did not commit or unpaid traffic tickets you never acquired. If you think no one will take your identity because your credit is poor, think again. If you’re breathing – even when you’re a minor child – your identity is at risk.

Read the noted Identity Theft Adviser blog, for more on The Six Known Faces of Identity Theft.  

I’ve heard the horror stories –

Bicycle guide job in the Grand Canyon

Great temp job for bicyclists who love the Arizona outdoors. Check it out!

Recreation Law

Bright Angel Bicycles LLC, (a guide owned business) is looking for help in our guiding dept. We have developed the first bicycle rental and tour services located at the South Rim and operate several tours per day. The tours operate seasonally March –November weather permitting. The tours run in two directions, the most popular is the Hermit Rd tour followed by the new edition to the park trail system Yaki Point tour!

The Hermit Rd tour starts with a shuttle ride from the Mather Point Visitors Center (M.P.V.C) to Hopi Pt., from there it is 5.5 miles and 90% downhill to Hermits Rest. Total time is 3 hours including shuttle ride. Tours depart at 10am and 3pm.

The Yaki Tour starts at the MPVC and rides along the newly constructed greenway trail to (you guessed it) Yaki Pt.! The ride has a 150 ft. elevation gain on the way to…

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Meet Meetup

If you’ve never visited Meetup.com, you’ve missed the opportunity to meet like-minded people in your local community for fun, companionship, networking, business training, sports, or perhaps even romance. The site allows you to search by locale and by interest, and to set up alerts for new groups whose hobbies or interests you share.

Over 50 Singles of Central Phoenix

In Phoenix alone there are 1,065 different Meetup groups. Within a 10 mile radius 61 hiking groups meet regularly. Of these the 126 metro-area dance groups vary from ballroom to country, disco and hustle to swing. There’s even a Swingin’ Out Gay and Lesbian Swing Dancing Meetup Group. Entrepreneur groups include the Phoenix Young Enrepreneurs Incubator, Real Estate Investing and Marketing Entrepreneurs, The Mom-e Club in nearby Gilbert, and the Phoenix Affiliate Marketing Group. There’s a group for Senior Healthcare Professionals and even one specifically designed for NASCAR fans. Groups for those of us in the 50+ age bracket abound. Snowbird Connection was founded by a Michigan resident who resides here half the year, to meet others who do the same. The Family Caregiver and Support Group of Tempe welcomes anyone caring for family members, while Solo Seniors of the East Valley plans group events for boomer and senior singles.