It all begins with an idea

Where it all began.

The first structure that started our idea of a destination staycation, ADV campsite, romantic glamping and more….

It all begins with an idea.

We wanted to have somewhere where we could eventually retire. Close enough to the city, but far enough to be away from it all. It took a few months , but we finally settled on a slice of paradise we could call our own. It was a really great deal, but it would require a lot of work. The previous owner was a mess, but we agreed he could leave it. Let the cleanup begin.

Four Got Junk loads and 5 plus trailer loads of trash later, we find ourselves with a cleaner property.

The property which we named “Rancho Tres Perros” after our three dogs, Lucy, Mina and Akasha, was looking better each day. Being 5 acres the front half was basically tree-less but, the back half was full of mesquite trees. That’s when the dreaming of what to do with the land.

A home, a plant nursery, animals…….

But then we thought back to our old business of teaching people how to work on their own motorcycles and how we would have travelers stop by. They had to work on their bikes but also needed a place to stay in the mean time. So the idea of a camping spot for travelers began. And Mesquite Haven was born.

It happened around this time that we had to move mom out of her house and in with us. We had to pack up her house and everything on her property. With that came The Barn. She used it as an art studio making stained glass and used it as a storage for all her Christmas decorations and gardening supplies. We moved it cleaned it out and started the process of painting and building out the inside.

The Barn: from an old art studio from Tennessee to a community hub.

Next was getting the bunkhouses. Everyone deserves to sleep out of the elements at lease once in a while on their adventures. We had an idea of making them themed, since we had antiques from moms house. So one of them is western themed The Eastwood and one is moto themed The Cannonball. Paint on the inside, flooring, solar, charging station, beds and decorations.

We were well on our way, but it was still missing things.

Our next thought was a glamping tent.

All the other glamp grounds had the same safari tent. Boring. We searched and searched until we found the octagon tent. We bought it and brought it to the property to set up. OMG it looked so small when you stood next to it. But, then we realized it was like the Tardis or Hermione’s’ “Undetectable Extension Charm Bag”. You go inside and the space is huge. It was amazing.

So we decided where we wanted the tent to live. Made the platform, cleaned the area, made wind breaks, and set out to decorate the inside. Again, thanks to mom we had everything we needed and the perfect name. She had a huge Tombstone rose on her property that she loved but could not take with her. So we named it after that. All the furniture was hers, the bed, the dresser, the chair, the comforters, the carpets and the lamp. We brought her there once it was all set up. She loved it.

The Tombstone Rose: A little slice of vintage heaven in the Sonoran Desert.

Lastly, was places for people to stay if they just wanted to stay in their tent. So we chose three areas we thought had a great trees and a little privacy. We chose names on what animals we saw near by. Hence The Bunny Trail, The Gecko and The Quail. Clean up began. We used railroad ties to make the raised beds. Filled with fill dirt and topped with DG. Trimmed the trees, and put DG down for the parking spots. A few finishing touches and voila, primative sites.

We still worked on cleanup and always new ideas of making the place even better. But, for now we are ready, ready for the first paying visitors to enjoy, relax and fall in love with Mesquite Haven, like we have.