Snowbird in reverse?

I'm in the process of arranging a "reverse snowbird" lifestyle which will include my two favorite hobbies, skiing and salt water fishing. I will live in Salt Lake City during the winter for what is arguably the "best skiing in the world" and go then to Florida for the great saltwater fishing in the summer. I retired fifteen years ago and after "reformatting" myself, I am finally in a position to make this happen!
 
One of my soon to be retired crew members is already naming his RV 'chasing 72'. They will be where ever the average daytime temps will be 72, a month at a time. Sounds like a pretty 'cool' plan!
 
We did the snowbird thing for four years. Six months (May-October) in Denver, six months (November through April) in North Scottsdale. It seemed to us that all we were doing was packing up and changing locations. We decided a couple of years ago to sell the Denver house and move full time to North Scottsdale.

This is our second summer in the desert and while it does get god awful hot you do acclimate to it. I'm pretty good up to 105. Anything over that and it is a bit uncomfortable. You adjust your schedule accordingly. The other thing we notice is that it is not just the heat but the fact that it is hot every stinking day!

Last year we had to stay in town as we were having a house totally gutted and remodeled. This year we have taken several four and five day breaks in June and will do so also in July. This helps alleviate the grind of 100+ degrees every day. The west coast is an easy six hour drive, Durango Co about the same and Flagstaff a couple hours up I-17.

August is the month that we really need to get out of here. Not only is it hot but it also tends to be a bit more humid with the monsoon season. This year we have rented a condo in Park City Utah for the month. Other August locales for future years include Oregon coast, Newport Ca, Cape Cod, Carmel/Monterey, Michigan Upper Peninsula, San Juan Islands in Wa, etc, etc. For 15 years we had a vacation home in the Colorado mountains. While we loved the place it seemed like we had to go there for every vacation to justify ownership. Sold that place back in 2007 when someone knocked on the door and offered us more than I thought it was worth. Took the proceeds and bought the first home in Az when the market tanked a few years later. I don't think I'll ever do the second home thing again. It is just too easy to rent on HomeAway/VBRO and there are just too many other places we would like to stay for a month or so.

September we will play by ear based on what the weatherman says but we will most likely take a few of the four or five day drive trips. After September the heat is not really an issue.

The money we save by not having the home in Colorado more than pays for our jaunts during the summer. I'm sure this isn't for everyone but I have found that the older I get the more I like the heat and the less I like the cold!
 
@RockyMtn. I hear you. We have friends in North Scottsdale that do the same thing. They really need to get out of the heat. I agree August is the worst. You should try Northern Idaho. Those big lakes give an added dimension of boating. We find it is fun to move around but don't like living out of a suitcase.
 
Danmar said:
@RockyMtn. I hear you. We have friends in North Scottsdale that do the same thing. They really need to get out of the heat. I agree August is the worst. You should try Northern Idaho. Those big lakes give an added dimension of boating. We find it is fun to move around but don't like living out of a suitcase.
Click to expand...

Concur.
Coeur d'Alene is a fantastic city, and could easily be a base for summertime.
 
braumeister said:
Concur.
Coeur d'Alene is a fantastic city, and could easily be a base for summertime.
Click to expand...

Agree. Our friends have a place near Sandpoint on the other big lake, Pend Oreille. Both lakes are huge and offer great boating. Fly into Spokane and 1 1/2 drive from there. If I was an American, that would be my summer place.
 
Last edited:
Danmar said:
@RockyMtn. I hear you. We have friends in North Scottsdale that do the same thing. They really need to get out of the heat. I agree August is the worst. You should try Northern Idaho. Those big lakes give an added dimension of boating. We find it is fun to move around but don't like living out of a suitcase.
Click to expand...

Been to Northern Idaho when I was in college. Spent time at Coeur d'Alene and Hayden Lake. Both very nice! Have some friends who summer at Lake Okanagan in BC. They rave about it.
 
I'll be in CDA for a week this summer. Can't wait.
 
Danmar said:
Certainly agree that Arizona is better in the winter. In fact I would say it's great for about 8 months a year. The summers are brutal though. A week or two ago they hit 118F. Been there once or twice when it was 115F. Not fun. The pool was 93 degrees without the heater. I don't mind if up to 90-95F above that no thanks. Of course it is, as they always say, a dry heat. North Scottsdale is usually a couple degrees cooler than Paradise Valley but I doubt they would notice.
Click to expand...


At least Scottsdale/Paradise Valley are less crowded this time of year.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum
 
After more than 40 years living in Phoenix, I have been telling newcomers when they ask me if one can get used to the heat "No, it's tougher every year". Maybe global warming is real.

That's why I got a 2nd home at 7,000' in the AZ high country. Nice, cool, and no mosquitoes, insects. And it's only a 2.5-hour drive between the homes.

I am not moving out of state, and will stay NW-Bound in name only.
 
Danmar said:
Certainly agree that Arizona is better in the winter. In fact I would say it's great for about 8 months a year. The summers are brutal though. A week or two ago they hit 118F. Been there once or twice when it was 115F. Not fun. The pool was 93 degrees without the heater. I don't mind if up to 90-95F above that no thanks. Of course it is, as they always say, a dry heat. North Scottsdale is usually a couple degrees cooler than Paradise Valley but I doubt they would notice.
Click to expand...
Note that what part of AZ makes a difference. Flagstaff has a normal of 82 or so this time of year and a low of about 50 because it is above 7500 feet in elevation. Williams has about the sames highs and lows. You could reverse snowbird in AZ living in the lowlands in the winter and the highlands in the summer. That does make it simpler because you remain in one state.
 
braumeister said:
Even the UP gets pretty hot in midsummer.
Click to expand...

I live in the U.P. We typically don't get many days above the mid-80s in most summers, and a lot of the time we are in the 70s, even in June/July/August. I'm not a fan of real warm weather either, so for me it's nice here during the summer months (and fall can be nice too). Now, winter is a different story......we head to the Gulf Coast during the coldest part of winter, since I retired. I can take some cold, but the winters here are just too long.
 
meierlde said:
Note that what part of AZ makes a difference. Flagstaff has a normal of 82 or so this time of year and a low of about 50 because it is above 7500 feet in elevation. Williams has about the sames highs and lows. You could reverse snowbird in AZ living in the lowlands in the winter and the highlands in the summer. That does make it simpler because you remain in one state.
Click to expand...
We were in the Grand Canyon first week of April after a freak late snowstorm. A foot of snow and 35 degrees. Phoenix was 85.
 
Danmar said:
Beautiful in the Kawarthas this morning, but heading up to low 30's this PM. Hard to beat Ontario cottage country in the summer.
Click to expand...
I have one son with a cottage near Apsley and the other on West Lake in Prince Edward County. Both are fantastic right now.

Paris is cloudy and cool. Highs of just 70 with sunny periods. Great weather for soccer and cycling though.
 
meierlde said:
Note that what part of AZ makes a difference. Flagstaff has a normal of 82 or so this time of year and a low of about 50 because it is above 7500 feet in elevation. Williams has about the sames highs and lows. You could reverse snowbird in AZ living in the lowlands in the winter and the highlands in the summer. That does make it simpler because you remain in one state.
Click to expand...

Agree, that would be a reasonable plan, especially if you were still working.
 
The town of Flagstaff is more like 7,000 ft in elevation. My high-country home is on the Mongollon Rim, closer to the NM border. It is at the same elevation as Flagstaff, but is not as cold in the winter.

When I was still working part-time, I occasionally came up for the weekend, then left early for work on Monday morning. I would be back in town for work at 9 AM.
 
NW-Bound said:
After more than 40 years living in Phoenix, I have been telling newcomers when they ask me if one can get used to the heat "No, it's tougher every year". Maybe global warming is real.

That's why I got a 2nd home at 7,000' in the AZ high country. Nice, cool, and no mosquitoes, insects. And it's only a 2.5-hour drive between the homes.

I am not moving out of state, and will stay NW-Bound in name only.
Click to expand...

For some reason I thought you lived in the Pacific North West.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

N
Reverse Mortgage
Replies
9
Views
455
old medic
O
M
54 wannabe Snowbird
Replies
18
Views
2K
MarcJoli
M
D
Quicken File Management when Snowbirding
Replies
15
Views
397
audreyh1
audreyh1
S
Where to move - Stuart/Jupiter Florida?
Replies
12
Views
2K
Koolau
Koolau
T
Retired 10 years today!
Replies
18
Views
1K
Koolau
Koolau

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom