Category Archives: RV

Spotlight on Goodyear, AZ

The Estella Star Tower, Goodyear AZ

Located less than a 20-minute drive outside of bustling Phoenix, Goodyear, Arizona offers a great suburban lifestyle. It is a wonderful place to live if you are looking for a quieter lifestyle but enjoy the occasional visit to the city.

As one might guess from the name of the city, Goodyear owes its origins to the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. In 1917, land in Arizona was purchased by the Goodyear Company to farm cotton, an essential ingredient in airplane tires at the time. From its early origins as a cotton farm, Goodyear grew over the years, and a substantial amount of housing was built during World War II. In 1985, Goodyear, AZ was officially declared a city.

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Van Life: A Minimalistic Journey

Van Life and RV Storage

A new movement of leaving behind normal life and possessions and living out of a van that has been converted into a living space, has become widely popular. A simple search of “Van Life” on Google will bring up pictures of people in a converted van parked in a picturesque location. These pictures are enough to make most wish to leave their busy life and search out a simplistic, more nomadic way of living. Some people choose this lifestyle of rent and mortgage free living in order to save up to purchase a house, but others choose it for the ability to travel and see the world in a very convenient manner.

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Spotlight on Apache Junction

Apache Junction Self Storage SignApache Junction, Arizona is located at the base of the Superstition Mountains about 35 miles east of Phoenix. Incorporated in 1978 it has a current population of approximately 40,000 people.

Like many parts of Arizona, Apache Junction is rich in Western heritage. In fact, just a few miles away is the historic Goldfield Ghost Town. Adding to its western heritage is a history of film-making with many movies of the Western genre having been filmed in the area.  Movies with stars such as Audie Murphy, Elvis Presley,  Jason Robards, and John Wayne were shot nearby. Continue reading

Choosing the Right Size Storage Unit

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If you are considering renting a storage unit, it can be hard to figure out just how big a space you will need. For instance, I know that  I seem to have a problem estimating space requirements for my all my stuff – which may explain why my car won’t fit in my garage anymore. If you have the same spatial reasoning issues I do, you could probably use a guide to storage unit sizes. (Remember that in a storage unit, you usually store large items like beds and couches on end to take advantage of vertical space and use a smaller footprint.)

Here are the typical sizes available, and a description of what they can hold:

  • 5 x 5 (25 sq. ft.) holds the contents of one small room, or is a great option for storage of sports equipment or seasonal decorations.
  • 5 x 10 (50 sq. ft) holds the contents of two small rooms, or one larger room (can handle a queen sized bed)
  • 10 x 10 (100 sq. ft.) holds the contents of three rooms (a living room and two bedrooms, for instance)
  • 10 x 15 (150 sq. ft.) holds the contents of four rooms (will accommodate larger items, like pianos and dining tables)
  • 10 x 20 (200 sq. ft.) holds the contents of five rooms, including items such as appliances
  • 10 x 25 (250 sq. ft.) holds the contents of an entire 3 bedroom house

Dollar Self Storage has units from 25 sq. ft. to 1,000 sq. ft, so you only pay for the size you need. And if you need to store some really big items, like RVs and boats, Dollar has five locations that offer affordable, clean, and secure RV and boat storage.

The Snowbird Lifestyle

open-roadAhh, you lucky snowbirds, it’s Fall again.  Flee the snow, seek the sun. It seems like such an ideal lifestyle, I think almost everyone gets the bug to try it — winter in the warm, southern part of the country then return home after the spring thaw, wherever home may be – Canada, Minnesota, Oregon (I think they call you folks rainbirds). Some people enjoy the snowbird lifestyle by actually owning or renting homes in two different locations. Then there are those adventurous souls who live in their RVs half the year, either returning to the same park and spending the winter with new (old) friends and favorite activities, or tapping into their inner gypsy and exploring new destinations all over the Sun Belt. Continue reading