South Rims Wine & BeerGarage

514 East Route 66

Williams, AZ 86046

928-635-5902

7/23/2016

This place was not here on our last visit and what makes it an extremely delightful adventure is that it is located on the far end of the town of Williams out of the hustle and bustle area.

It opened a few years ago when the owners found this old gas and service station up for auction and thought it would be a perfect place to display the recently restored jet black 1967 Pontiac GTO and learned all they could about the beer and wine business and created South Rims Wine and Beer Garage.

One of their top business practices is to hire staff and servers that are knowledgeable and personable and it showed with our server, Miranda. She was a perfectly marvelous server who gave us the right amount of conversation and checking on us without being overbearing. We learned she is a student paying for her extravagant tastes in her life and plans to travel as we do someday.

When we wine taste we do not like to fill up on food so we chose the “Charcuterie and Cheese Tray” which is a gourmet tray featuring an assortment of three Italian meats accompanied by a selection of three specialty cheeses, garnished with olives, peppadew sweet peppers, and served with fresh baguette slices. We had so many favorites but if we had to pick one it would be the peppadew sweet peppers with their firmness and they were pickled with flavorful spices. The baguette was warm, soft and crunchy with a touch of olive oil throughout which was marvelous.

As for our wine tastings, they call them flights which is 2 ounces of 4 different wines so since it was so much wine we chose to just do one flight to share.

Our first choice was the Riesling 2014 – Summer Rain, Su Vino Winery, AZ – A cool Riesling accentuated by the mouthwatering crunch of ripe tart green apple that was fresh, light, smooth, crispy, probably the best Riesling we have ever drank. This one we would absolutely purchase.

Then we tasted the Riesling 2013 – Truth or Consequences, WA – The aromas show an intense hint of lime, peach and fresh apricot which was really dry with a potent lime finish that overpowered any of the other fruits. We would not purchase this one.

Then onto the Cagnina Di Romagna 2012 – Adesso, Italy – Sweet and tense berry flavors, that had a light, dry aroma but then a wow effect that was shocking how sweet but a clear tasting red it is. We would absolutely purchase this one in the future.

Our last taste was the Old Vine Zinfandel 2011 – Klinker Brick, CA – Aromas of black raspberry & other dark fruits, mint, and spice, flavors of vanilla & caramel that started sweet then went dry fast and then stayed dry but it was better than the Zin’s we tasted in Lodi but would not purchase this one either.

Our wonderful server brought us a taste of the White Merlot – Kokopelli Winery, Tempe, AZ – Bright pale crimson color. Bold strawberry sorbet and honey aromas with a tangy light-to-medium body and a pure crisp finish that showed us we should not be afraid of Merlots anymore, at least not the White Merlot’s that we would definitely purchase this one.

We highly recommend this place to anyone who wants a comforting time while hanging out in Williams, Arizona. Whether you are a wine or beer drinker, you will not be disappointed.

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Canyon Motel & RV Park

1900 E Rodeo Road, Route 66

Williams, AZ 86046

928-635-9371

7/18-7/23/2016

We paid $22.25 per night using our Passport America 50% discount for a limit of 5 nights for a flat back in site on gravel with 50/30 electric, water, sewer, cable and very slow WiFi.

This place is so quant and also rents out Railcar and Caboose Suites, as well as RV Sites.

They are very accommodating and friendly in the office area, the only issue we had was since we were still on our trek across the desert we tried to get checked into our site around 9am and they were full the night before so asked us to come back around 11am, so we went to town and had breakfast at Jessica’s Family Restaurant. You can check out our separate review of the restaurant.

Since it is Monsoon season in this area we had thundering storms coming over the mountains every afternoon which for us was wonderful. These storms do not scare us as much as they do in the east so we looked forward to them. The weather was cool, in the 80’s in the day and 50’s at night…loved it and so happy we were out of the heat.

Our biggest issue here was and is not the fault of the resort but instead of the stupid people who refuse to obey the Pet Rules which are clearly written on the brochure. We found dog poo on our site several times during our 5 day stay even though it is clearly written that owners should take their dogs out to the forest and not allow them to go in the park. We also encountered several dogs off leash and owners allowing it to happen and just spurting out some lame excuse. We love animals but we are really starting to dislike many owners due to so many of them blatantly disobeying rules that are made so that everyone can enjoy their stay. It has been really hard for us to enjoy our patio due to how many times this continues to happen.

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Jessica’s Family Restaurant

525 Historic Route 66

Williams, AZ 86046

928-635-4590

7/18/2016

When you first step into the restaurant, it has an old fashion feeling about it and almost feels as if you are in Greece with all the different signs around.

Since it was early morning while we waited to check into our site we opted to have some breakfast.

We both had omelettes...One was Jessica's Omelette which included Gyros meat, onions & tomato...the other was the Greek Omelette which also included Gyros meat, onions & tomato but also added feta cheese which definitely made it the best of the two. The hash browns were crunchy and just a tad greasier than we like them but they were still good.

There are plenty of choices in this small town and even though the service was fantastic, the food was just okay and we will try other restaurants in the area for future meals.

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Kingman KOA Journey

3820 N Roosevelt Street

Kingman, AZ 86409

928-757-4397

7/17/16

This is a Journey KOA which means it is “A Place to Unwind” located conveniently near highways and has long sites and easy check in and that is exactly what we experienced. During our trek across the desert we were traveling in the wee hours of the morning before it got too hot which had us getting to our locations at 9am which at times was causing an issue with some of the campgrounds. Not this one, we were welcomed with opened arms, great staff.

We paid $47.58 using our KOA membership for a pull through, long and wide site on gravel with a slab, picnic table, 50/30 electric, water, sewer, WiFi, and cable.

The grounds were well manicured and the pool was sparkling using an aerator to keep it cool. It was refreshing and we enjoyed it tremendously.

 Even though it was pricey which may keep us away in the future, you just can’t beat great customer service and perfect amenities. If it wasn’t for the price we would highly recommend this place and we would most definitely return but we will check out others in the area the next time passing through for a cheaper rate.

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Orange Grove RV Park

1452 S. Edison Road

Bakersfield, CA 93307

661-366-4662

7/15/2016

We had been staying at another RV Park in the area every time we passed through Bakersfield which is quite frequently and even though there is nothing wrong with the other park we wanted to expand our horizons and check this place out and we are so glad we did.

We paid $38 using our Good Sam 10% discount for a pull through, level, gravel site with 50/30 electric, water, sewer, free WiFi that worked well and included cable.

Since the weather was scorching and we were planning to enjoy the pool all day and into the night we requested a site right by the pool, couldn’t get any closer.

During their prime season this place is probably packed and would probably need reservations but this was mid-July and there were plenty of available sites.

Customer service was exceptional every time we dealt with the office on our one day stay and we will definitely make this a stop when we pass through again and we highly recommend it to everyone.

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Kit Fox RV Park
14750 Rogers Road

Patterson, CA 95363

209-892-2638

11/6/2011, 3/18-3/21/2016, 7/12-7/14/2016

2016 Update - We paid $21 per night using our Passport America 50% membership which is only valid Sunday through Thursday and this time we had a site in the back which was an end site with nobody else around and it was fabulous...who would have known this site even existed but we will now always want this site in this area since it felt so roomy. LAUNDRY WAS A NIGHTMARE...ONLY 3 WASHERS AND 2 DRYERS AND ONE OF THE DRYERS DID NOT HEAT and we had 4 loads. Luckily it is located in the office area where the air was on since temps were into the hundreds that day and we had great conversation with people coming into the office. We will never plan for laundry to be completed while at this park again.

2016 Update - We paid $35.26 per night using our Passport America 50% membership which is only valid Sunday through Thursday and we stayed Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Still in good shape but probably because the park was full this time, we noticed how close the sites are to one another.

2011 Update - We paid $19.51, using our Camp Club USA...they still accept Passport America, Good Sam and AAA discount cards. It's still a very convenient stopover and is just showing a bit of wear but is still well maintained.


We paid $18.56 using our Camp Club USA discount card. They also accept Passport America, Good Sam and AAA discount clubs.


Located near the freeway, but far enough away so there really isn’t much noise to contend with. Within walking distance there are many different types of restaurants, mostly fast food but several that are not. The sites have FHU and are flat and easy to back into or pull through if you want to pay extra for that convenience. The entire park is clean and very well maintained. They offer free WiFi and very limited cable. The managers are on site and were even kind enough to come out on Christmas Eve night and pump propane for us since we were completely out and it was a cold night.


The office area offers all the amenities, showers, laundry facility, entertainment area, computer area, book exchange and area information.

Vineyard RV Park

Vineyard RV Park

4985 Midway Road

Vacaville, CA 95688

866-447-8797

6/29-7/12/16

We stayed here in 2011 and took photos but never reviewed it and we didn’t even remember it until we drove into the park this time.

It’s a bit rustic and there are many full timers but they seem to keep the entire property well maintained.

We were on a flat gravel pull through site which also accommodated not only our rig but the 15’ UHaul we had for the weeks we were there. Even though the sites were long, they were close together but we were hardly there so it worked for us.

The staff was pleasant and checked us in quickly without any issues and each time we dealt with anyone they were accommodating.

For no additional charges they offer WiFi which was quick and dependable. They also have free basic cable but we used our DirecTV for our channels.

One thing we were surprised about was we wanted to order pizza one night and found out most of the places around did not deliver to this area since it was several miles from the closest towns around, so if you are in the mood for pizza you will have to pick it up on your way to the park. We did find one place but the service was awful and the food was not all that great. You can read about it in a separate review we wrote on our blog.

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Mountain Mike's Pizza

1971 Alamo Drive

Vacaville, CA 95687

707-448-4007

With this being the only pizza place nearby that would deliver to us while we were at the Vineyard RV Park we hoped it would be good...but we were wrong. 

It took almost 2 hours to be delivered and we called at 11am when they opened so to be the first order. When it finally arrived it was cold, the taste was okay, but not worth the price we paid. We would not recommend and we will not be ordering from them again even if they are the only place in town.

Flag City RV Resort

Flag City RV Resort

6120 W Banner Road

Lodi, CA 95242

209-339-8300

3/14-3/18/2016, 5/26-5/31/2016, 6/21-6/29/2016

JUNE 2016 UPDATE – Whatever you do, DO NOT ask to be moved to another site especially when you deal with, as we were told by the manager, the young mother of two that has been working for them for over 5 years. He then claimed that she treats people the way she is being treated…wrong…she has an attitude that is not right for customer service. On our LAST visit and it will be our last time visiting this place, we were put in a site that had electrical issues that burnt up our 50/30-amp plug. It was scorching hot and we knew it would take a few hours to get it fixed so I went to the office after Jerry talking with her several times claiming we could not be moved. When I walked in, she was on her cell phone and when I asked if she might be able to help us, she let out this growling sigh and curtly put her phone down. I then smiled and asked her if she could move us for the rest of our 8 day stay and she was so rude and even though we noticed that there were many sites available our entire stay she claimed they were full and it would be impossible to move us. I then very calmly told her that I had been in her shoes many times before and even though it may be difficult, it could be done. She replied very abruptly that she WOULD not do it then she dismissed me by saying she was done with the conversation and for me to get out. I took a few more deep breaths and asked her to tell the manager and/or assistant manager that I needed to speak with them and I left. Three days passed and no word from anyone so I sent a letter via email and dropped off a copy at the desk since our few times we have been in the office for ice and things she continues to be rude with us and we needed to bring it to management’s attention…WRONG again!

A few hours after emailing the letter and after being told that the manager was on a two-week vacation all of the sudden he was available and showed up at our door waving the letter we sent. He abruptly and in a very direct tone informed us that his vacation was disrupted by our letter and he had not had a vacation in the 5 years all the time working hard improving the place and making the owner millions of dollars. He went on to inform us that he was military and that his crew was in charge and that he would not change our site either, stating that he was booked. Again, we watched our entire stay and the site we requested stayed open and many others stayed open our entire visit. We knew immediately that we would not get anywhere because every time we tried to speak he interrupted us. When I showed my frustration with this, he immediately told us he did not need our business and that we could leave and he would refund us our balance. We told him that was not our intention and he almost insisted we leave but Jerry and I smiled and said that we would leave on our scheduled day and thank you for coming by and we came back inside. OMG…what a strange man he was and not once did he even try to listen to us, instead he continued to give us reasons and excuses why he would not allow us to move to any other site, which turned out to all be just a bunch of made up misrepresentations. We will not be returning to this establishment unless we hear that it is under new management. 

We paid $54 for the first two nights using our Passport America 50% discount membership and since we stayed three more nights we paid $108 using the special stay two nights and get the third free. We had electric, water, sewer on a concrete pad with a patio and picnic table (which was old and unsafe) with free DirecTV Satellite (with hardly any clear channels) and WiFi (if you are even able to get on). Our site was level and had enough room between the sites to where we did not feel smothered.

The laundry room does not use quarters, you have to buy a card and put money on it to do your laundry but the balance will be returned when you return the card.

The area was kept very clean and well maintained.

On all of our visits we were checked in by the assistant manager who was friendly and after a few extra key strokes was able to give us a good price. We wish she could have been the only one we ever dealt with in this park, oh and a special kudo out to the maintenance guy who fixed our electric issue the best he could but we still had power issues the entire time we were there. When the air conditioner was on we could not use our microwave, printer, ice machine and any fans that we always use at any other resort for our entire visit and the temps were well into the hundreds most days. Thank goodness the nights and early mornings were in the 60’s and we planned our other usages during those times the a/c was off. Not the best situation but we tried to look for other accommodations but in this area it was hard to find so we just worked with what we had for the time we had reserved, even though management refused to make it any easier for us.

When in the area do plan to stop by and check out the wineries...we did and we wrote a separate review of the winery.

Rolling Hills Casino RV Park

Rolling Hills Casino RV Park

2655 Everett Freeman Way

Corning, CA 96021

888-331-6400

6/14-6/17, 6/18-6/21/2016

We love staying at Casino’s…why you ask? Because they usually have nice sites for a very reasonable price and this place was no different, especially here in California where prices are high.

We paid $28 per night for a long, flat, gravel site with water, electric and sewer. They do not offer WiFi.

The laundry and restrooms were located in the registration area where many truckers pay to shower there too. We did laundry but as usual we use our own facilities for all of our needs.

During our stay it was cool which made it great to sleep with our windows opened and even though we are really near to the Interstate it was quiet. That is why we chose to situate ourselves in the back of the park instead of near the front where not only away from the Interstate noise but also the place where the semi’s park.

They offer a shuttle from your site to the casino and on Tuesday and Thursdays they had a 50% off for anyone over 50 which we took advantage of and enjoyed dinner for both at a cost of $16.95 and lunch is only $11.95 for both of us.

We would highly recommend this place and whenever we pass through again we will stay here.

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.