Discover how and why residents share their time between Iowa and warmer climates. 

 

By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times

An online search of the word “snowbird” offers two definitions. One is the nickname for the Dark-eyed Junco, because many spend their winters in cold climates rather than migrating south. 

The other definition is seasonal travelers, usually retirees, who migrate south to warmer climates in the winter. While Lake Panorama is home to both types of snowbirds, this story focuses on the latter.   

 

Frank and Sandi Teale

Frank and Sandi Teale have lived in Guthrie County their entire lives. They built their current home on Lake Panorama just south of Boulder Beach in 1985. He grew up in Panora; she grew up in Yale.

“We graduated together in the first graduating class of Panora-Linden before it became Panorama,” Frank says. “As a kid, my parents had a house not far from what is now the ninth fairway at Lake Panorama National. I used to ride my pony in the timber before the lake was built.”

Frank retired in 2005 as an agent for Principal Financial Group. 

“Sandi was my secretary, and she said she was ready to retire. I wasn’t. She said I could either retire or train a new secretary. I decided to retire,” he says.

Both Frank and Sandi enjoy traveling and camping, so that was their retirement plan. Their first trip as official snowbirds was in January 2005. 

“We purchased a used motorhome in the fall of 2004 and took off for Mexico in January,” Frank says. “That first year we only ventured about 300 miles to San Carlos. We liked Mexico but thought we should give Florida a try to see which we liked better. We chose Mexico.” 

In 2007, the couple went back to San Carlos for the winter, then Alaska the following summer. 

“We spent from Memorial Day to Labor Day on that trip,” Frank says. “That winter, we decided to venture on from San Carlos to Mazatlan, which is a two-and-a-half-day drive south of the border. We have continued to winter there ever since.” 

The Teales stayed in the same RV park in Mazatlan all those years, until last year. 

“We’ve made some really great friends there,” Frank says. “Some of those friends have given up RVing and moved into rental condos about two blocks from the RV park. We did the same thing last year. We drove the RV to Arizona, stored it, and drove the Jeep we pull behind the RV the rest of the way. We’ll drive the Jeep again this year when we head to Mazatlan.”

This winter’s visit to Mazatlan will be shorter than in previous years. 

“Last spring, we purchased a condo in Mesa, Arizona, and will only go to Mazatlan for January and February,” Frank says. “Medicare is only good for 60 days out of the country. Even though healthcare in Mexico is very good, we think it might be wise to be a little closer. Our daughter, Kimberly, lives in Phoenix, as do three grandsons, so it’s good to be near them.” 

The Teales’ daughter, Michelle, lives in Georgia, and their son, Brad, is in West Des Moines.

“Since retirement we have RV’d from Key West to Anchorage and Maine to Mazatlan, hitting all states except California,” Frank says. “We love traveling and seeing new and different things. We like history, nature, art, architecture and the freedom to see it all. Some of our favorites are the mountains, the old West, Mexico Colonial villages, Utah, Boston, Charleston and Savannah.” 

While most of the Teales’ travels have been in an RV in the U.S., they also have traveled to England, Italy, Germany and Ireland.

“We’ve slowed down a little, but usually we are gone from Iowa seven to nine months. There is lots of prep work that has to be done in order to be gone that long,” Frank says. “The biggest issue is moving in and out of the RV to and from the house. There is always something that needs fixing, but I enjoy that part of the adventure, too.”

The Teales have owned three motorhomes since they retired. Their current RV is a 40-foot Tiffin Phaeton. It has four slide-outs and all the comforts of home, including washer and dryer, dishwasher, and a residential refrigerator. It has one bedroom, plus a couch that makes into a bed.

“We have 136,000 miles on this RV we bought new in 2009,” Teale says. “We are thinking we might sell it and spend more time at Lake Panorama, which also is a favorite, and in Mesa.” 

For now, they are in Arizona and looking forward to their upcoming time in Mazatlan. 

“We’ve seen many beautiful towns in Mexico and enjoy it immensely,” Frank says. “In 20 years, we have never felt uncomfortable or threatened. It’s a beautiful country with wonderful people. I just wish I spoke better Spanish.” 

Bruce and Marion Bailey 

Bruce and Marion Bailey have lived at Lake Panorama for more than 25 years. In 2000, they moved into the home they built on Burchfield Cove. In 2018, they sold that home and moved to a condo at Promontory Point. 

The couple has been married 62 years. She was raised in Elk Horn, and he is from Atlantic. They met at the skating rink in Atlantic. They started their married life in Pocahontas where Bruce worked with the local REC. Eighteen years later, they moved to Glidden when Bruce was named CEO of the REC there. He retired in 2009.  

The Baileys tried some winter trips to various locations, but none felt like a place they wanted to stay for an extended time. It wasn’t until Lake Panorama residents Steve and Norma Baumhover suggested they try Texas that they found their snowbird destination. 

That first visit was in 2012. Since then, they have spent each January and February in a high-rise condo on South Padre Island. 

“We enjoy waking up each day to see the sunrise over the ocean, then watching the sunset over the Laguna Madre at the end of the day,” Marion says. “In between sunrise and sunset, there’s plenty to see and do.” 

The Baileys fill their days with island activities. 

“We can sit on our deck and see dolphins in the water below,” Marion says. “We like to walk the beach and pick up seashells. Sitting in the sun by the pool never gets old.”

The couple likes eating out, and has several favorite restaurants they frequent. 

“You can find any type of food you want,” Marion says. “Of course, there is plenty of fresh seafood but also ribs, pizza, steaks, sandwiches, food trucks and more.”  

An annual kite festival and a winter flea market at the South Padre Island Convention Center are two activities the Baileys enjoy. A new activity is watching rocket launches from the SpaceX facility a few miles south. 

“You can drive right by the facility and get closer to the launch site,” Marion says. “We prefer to avoid the traffic and sit on our outdoor balcony to watch the rocket launches.”  

The island is 34 miles long and one-half mile wide at its widest point. Only the southernmost five miles of the island are developed, but it is possible to drive to the north part of the island. 

“You have to be careful,” Bruce says. “Depending on the wind, you might be able to drive north in good conditions. Then when you turn around, you can find sand blowing across the road. You don’t want the sand to drift across the road and close it.” 

A bridge more than two miles long connects South Padre Island to the small town of Port Isabel. The Baileys say Brownsville, a larger town less than 30 miles away, also offers shopping and entertainment opportunities. 

“While there are lots of things to see and do in other towns, you don’t have to leave the island if you don’t want to,” Marion says. “Everything we need is available right there, including groceries, churches, medical care, pharmacies and more.”  

The first year, the Baileys stayed for two months at South Padre Island. They played the South Padre Island Golf Club, an 18-hole course on the mainland. 

“We joined the Windy Whackers group,” Marion says. “There were 14 couples, and we played at that course plus others in the area. We got to meet a lot of people and really enjoyed that.” 

Bruce has continued to play the local course, while hip pain forced Marion to put her clubs into storage for a few years. She now has two new hips, and says she may try golf again this year.  

Over the years, the couple has rented a unit in one of two condo developments. They will spend January and February 2026 on the 29^th floor of Sapphire. The development is on the beach and offers a long list of amenities, including two pools, a salon and a barber shop, exercise room, game room and great views in all directions. 

The Baileys start their snowbird journey shortly after Christmas. 

“It usually takes us four days and three nights,” Marion says. “It’s relaxing to take our time, and we’re not as tired once we get there.” 

Before they leave their Lake Panorama condo, they shut off water in the basement and drain the lines. They clear out perishables in the fridge, and arrange to have their mail forwarded to them.

The couple has made many good friends during their trips to South Padre Island. 

“We have friends from Montana, Michigan, Wyoming, Minnesota, Colorado, Canada and Iowa,” Marion says. “We always look forward to getting back to the island to see our friends.” 

They also look forward to time with three other Lake Panorama couples. Steve and Norma Baumhover, Dan and Vicki Lowe, and Darwin and Janet Luing all have rental units in the same building as them this season. 

The Baileys have three adult children, seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. All live in Iowa, so when they’re home, they spend a lot of time following sporting activities and hosting family gatherings. While they cherish all that family time, they also appreciate their snowbird time. 

“It’s nice to be away from home for a while,” Marion says. “It’s relaxing, and it seems we don’t have a care in the world. We plan to continue our time on Padre Island for as long as our health makes it possible.” 

Scott and Cheryl Temple 

Scott and Cheryl Temple purchased their first Lake Panorama home in 1993 on the east side, along the main channel, just a few months before the major flooding that occurred that year. 

“We were both working full-time, and I was expecting our second child,” Cheryl says. “It was tough juggling work and kids. We only stayed in that house for two years, then spent two summers visiting our good friends at the lake almost every weekend they invited us.”

The Temples decided they should buy again and moved into a cozy cedar home on Horseshoe Cove where they stayed for 14 years.

“We loved that cabin until we simply outgrew it. Our sons joined the Lake Panorama ski team, and we would go up for practice and make a long weekend of it,” Cheryl says. “Next, we purchased a home just four doors away and closer to the main channel. It has more space and the lake house feel we love. We’ve been there 17 years.”

Cheryl worked for Pioneer Hi-Bred in Johnston in the human resources department until their second son was born. Scott worked in the ready-mix concrete business and land development. 

“We began going to Florida, particularly Naples and Bonita Springs, with our sons for vacations and did that for many years,” Cheryl says. “In 2017, right before Hurricane Irma, we purchased a condo in North Naples. For the first few years, I was able to spend more time there than Scott. He’s still in the land development business, but he’s slowed down some and is now making more time to enjoy it.”

Before making their condo purchase, the family vacationed in several different locations in Florida and the Bahamas. 

“We had friends that had a condo in the same complex we ended up purchasing in,” Cheryl says. “There are lots of other Iowans there. We have direct access to the ocean. Being in a condominium means less work and more fun.”

The family usually spends around four months in Florida, beginning in November, then again January through March. To prepare their lake home for the winter season, they bring in lawn furniture, shut off the water, and use a Nest Thermostat to monitor the temperatures in the home. They have a security company that also monitors water and temperature sensors in their absence.

Visits from family and friends are frequent during the four months the Temples are in Florida. 

“We have lots of family and friends visit us, including our sons and their spouses and our grandchildren,” Cheryl says. “I have six sisters who all live in the Des Moines area, and my annual sisters’ trip in November is always something to look forward to. Some of them come back down throughout the winter, and my mother also has come in the past. There are lots of memories made when we have visitors.” 

Scott and Cheryl have made friends with people from Ohio, Michigan and New Jersey who live in their complex. 

“It’s always fun to come back and see them along with our Iowa friends who are down there, too,” Cheryl says. 

The Temples say their favorite thing about their time as snowbirds in Florida is being able to stay active outdoors in the winter. 

“We bike, kayak, boat, fish, walk the beach, entertain family, friends and our grandchildren,” Cheryl says. “We play bocce on a team that is really fun. Scott’s favorites are fishing, reading by the pool, boating, biking and bocce.”

Cheryl Temple says the best part of life at both Lake Panorama and in their Florida home is meeting nice people along the way.

“We have made so many wonderful friends at the lake, and now we are meeting new people in Florida and making more memories,” she says. “We feel truly blessed. We just hope we stay healthy enough to continue to spend some of our winter months in Florida.”