Arizona?

I was talking to someone who normally spends winters in Key West Florida. He's already checked out camping places in Arizona. Like me, he wonders if the Keys will be open for tourists in a few months. If bridges, power, and the water supply are taken out, it could be some time before the area opens to tourists. Right now it's all speculation. However, he's smarter than me to have a backup winter plan in place.

I remember after the last batch of hurricanes came through Florida. There was damage, but it was limited to certain areas. Although the state was hit by a number of storms, none swallowed the whole state.

Even so, there were a lot of homeless people. Some were living in FEMA trailers. Many were living in tents located in unofficial camps. I remember one homeless camp behind a scrap yard that was huge.

Some of the official campgrounds had a lot of working people who had lost their homes. A few had jobs that they were going to every day. I remember school buses stopping at the campground to pick up kids. It was definitely a different vibe than the normal happy go lucky vacation campers.

I'm emotionally torn right now. If the state does open for business, they could really use tourist dollars. However, if resources are tight, I don't want to take away from the residents. It's not fun to party among shell shocked survivors.

So I'm In a wait and see mode right now. While Arizona is a popular place with snowbirds, it's too far from the ocean for my tastes. Maybe instead of buying last minute sailboat items I'll be buying extra insulation to get through another winter. Time will tell.

I've come to think of Florida as my second home and know a lot of good people down there. May they stay safe.

-Sixbears