Week 397-398 - ORI, The Ultimate Motor Coach Resort - 03-30-2014

Outdoor Resort Indio - The Ultimate Motor Coach Resort

Wouldn't you love to live in Canada's Butchart Gardens? Well, you can't! It's a flower garden, not an RV resort.

But you can live in ORI - Outdoor Resort Indio. From the moment you enter the office and rental center, you are surrounded by lovely flowers, grass, trees and beautiful landscaping.

After checking in for your stay, the staff will escort you into the resort. You first see the Club House, the center of activity.

All lots at ORI are purchased by the lot owners, but you can rent and you can still find lot resales. Only Class A motorhomes with a minimum length of 34 foot are permitted. Incorporated in 1992, the original lots were empty concrete pads with utilities, surrounded by grass and separated by hedges. As you will see most every lot had been enhanced, most frequently with outdoor kitchens and living space. 1) Ellen relaxes in our 3-day rental lot No. 198, a golf lot. Utilities include 50 amp power, water, sewer and cable TV. The daily rental is $110.00 (as of 3-2014). Seems like a lot doesn't it? But compare this to a hotel of the quality of ORI and you will see that it is a great deal. Beautiful grounds, your own bed, your own patio and more free activities than you find at any hotel. 2) Most lots are on the 18-hole par 3 golf course. Some lots are on the perimeter of the resort and the rental fees are a little less.

Let's head over to the Club House and see what there is to do. First you can stare at the beauty. But after you acclimate to this, you'll probably be ready to get involved.

The breezeway brings you through the Club House. On your right is the Ball Room and on the left is a private Owners Lounge.

The Ball Room is well suited for the many events that take place at ORI. It is equipped with dining room seating, a stage, dance floor and fireplace. In the corner are all the facilities you need for your meals and refreshments.

The Owner's Lounge is not for us but we did happen to get a peek. While everyone at the resort is nice including the renters, it does give the owners a relaxed living room setting to enjoy their time with each other.

Passing through the Club House you see the the largest of the five pools and four spas.

Before you get started for the day you can head over to the Cafe' for breakfast.

Outdoor seating is available under the eaves or the umbrella. Meals range from $4 to $11 (as of 3-2014).

While you are having your meal you can watch the water aerobics while your wife works out!

There are plenty of sports here. Two tennis courts ...

a putting practice green, beautifully manicured croquet lawn, 18 holes of par 3 golf and ...

Pickleball! This year ORI transformed its PB courts from four to six fully fenced courts with a nicely shaded observation area. There is plenty of PB play all day long with mens, womens, shootouts and open play. Ah, the wonderful of sound of pickleball bringing joy to so many!

Suppose you don't play golf or tennis or croquet or pickleball or work out or swim! Really? That's okay, just talk to Pam, the Activities Director. ORI is loaded with others things to do.

Head over the Activities Office on the East side of the Club House and sign up. Today there were signups for the Mexican Fiesta, Ice Cream Social, Transwest Spring Party, Computer Fix-it and Golf Club of La Quinta. Every year there are New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day events. These may include dinner, dancing, music and the appropriate celebratory hoopla! Check around and you will find even more events organized by lot owners, such as Jeep Trip, Motorcycle Rides and Topless Events (ahem, we're talking about convertible cars here!).

With 41 special events for January to March, we can't list them all here. A sample from these three months includes Burgers on the Patio, Blood Drive, Learn to Play Poker, Renter's Wine and Cheese, Johnny Cash Tribute band and dance, Golf, Pickleball and Tennis Tournaments, Art Show and dozens more. The repeating daily/weekly events takes five pages to list just one month: Golf lessons, Tennis lessons, water aerobics, line dancing, Bocce ball, Zumba, Movie Night, Bridge, Quilting, Free Donuts, Bingo . . . anyway, you get the idea. If you are bored here, you had better check your pulse (and there is probably a course for that too!).

Okay, time to relax. Let's scout out the whole resort. Wow, is it beautiful.! Every golf hole has water features: ponds, streams and waterfalls. While we do not play golf, it makes you want to, just to be out there enjoying the beauty.

This bridge is between holes 12 and 13. Like the rest of the resort it is jam packed with flowers, water, rocks, palm trees and shrubs; nice!

As we cruised by the motorhomes, who did we find but Sam and Virginia? We met them last August at the Modesto, CA Elks Lodge. Like so many, their patio view is of the golf course.

Get lost and before you know it, you looking at the back end of your own lot, gorgeous from any angle.

Most full time motorhome travelers live that way because they follow the nice weather. And that allows them to stay outside their rigs and enjoy nature as God created it. At the end of an action-packed day of activities, folks gather together for refreshment and meals. So we head over to Gordon and Karen's, our close RV friends. Their lot is situated on the golf course. Like many others they have a nice outdoor kitchen used to prepare the food for the evening festivities.

Karen and Ellen are joined by our other Palm-Springs-area close friend Jackie. Gordon takes pictures of us taking pictures of him!

Back at our "house" we climbed on the roof to get a good view of the golf course at our back, and homes on our street side.

Night falls and the day is coming to an end. But the scenery is still great. With accent lighting and lighted palm trees, walking in the evening is a pleasure.

Outdoor Resort Indio is home to hundreds of motorhome owners. Many arrive in November and might be gone for Christmas only to return for the remainder of the season. For most that means to the end of March, but others might stay until it gets a little too warm.

Regardless of whether you visit during the day or night, stay for a week or the season, ORI is a wonderful place to call "Home". Get your motorhome, come on over and enjoy a little piece of the garden.

Love, Pete, Ellen, Mandy and Sam (for a little while longer).

Next week we'll show a sampling of lots for purchase at ORI; save your money! For information about this fabulous resort, link to http://orindio.com/

Hey, don't forget us!

Photos from Mar 2014