Sunday ; Sunny and hot. Joanne cooked a "smoky barbecued chicken" dish in the Sun Oven today.
This morning while Joanne finished moving stuff from the fifth wheel trailer to the truck camper I finished preparing the fifth wheel trailer to be moved to the storage yard. At
1 PM a neighbour came over with his one ton diesel dually equipped with a fifth wheel hitch and towed our trailer to the storage yard. Thank you Bob and Fran.
We had lunch in the truck camper then rushed off for some last minute flea market shopping at Arizona Market Place. We still had one item left on our flea market shopping list, a 5 foot by 7 foot patio mat for our deck back home. We found what we were looking for at the flea market, and since it's so late in the season, it was marked down 50%, from $45 to $22.50. I offered the vendor twenty bucks, and he reluctantly accepted my offer. This was a patio mat that would cost about $75 in Penticton, BC.
We returned to Kofa Ko-op and spent some time in the storage yard preparing the trailer for its upcoming 7½ month stay in the storage yard, temperatures ranging from about 90 degrees ( now ) to about 115 degrees or more in the summer. It's the first time we are leaving Harvey down here for the summer, and we are rookies at "summerizing" a trailer to withstand storage in the brutal heat. Sure hope we did things right !
We moved into the truck camper on our lot. I back flushed Elsie's waste holding tanks for the first time. They were surprisingly clean. I hooked Elsie up to electricity for the first time. Everything worked fine, including the fridge automatically switching itself from propane to 120 volt AC electricity ... as opposed to 12 volt DC electricity which requires a button to be pushed to manually switch it over. I connected the camper to our lot's cable TV outlet and used the TV on cable for the first time.
We went to the regular Sunday evening ice cream social where we socialized with a newly arrived couple from our home town of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Afterwards we had supper, then I ... < sigh > ... ran out of printer paper trying to do some last minute printing before we leave, since we're not going to be travelling with a printer.
I had to borrow some printer paper from our friend Carol Mae. Good thing she and Larry stay up late, as do Joanne and I.
Monday ; Happy 100th Birthday to Yuma, Arizona
Sunny and hot, temperature 93 degrees F. / 34 degrees C. WHEW ... time to start heading north ! HA HA HA !
Today we continued and completed our departure preparations. This is the end of our third season as lot owners here at Kofa Ko-op, and the third time we have had to install the Arizona room's solid vinyl snap-on walls at the end of the season. Don't let anybody tell you vinyl doesn't shrink ! ! !
This morning we loaded up our recycling and took it in to a local recycling center, then went to Sally Beauty and Wal-Mart for a few items. I refilled Lanoire with diesel. Joanne decided we should have milk shakes from Wienerschnitzel next door to the fuel station where I was refilling. No argument here !
I had a long phone conversation with my sister. We trimmed Bo's and Sully's claws. We used the truck camper's air conditioner for the first time. It worked well. We went to the swimming pool to cool off. HMPH ... I should have used the swimming pool more often this winter. Bo and I went for a long, leisurely walk around the dog park with an old friend, Bob and his dog Maisie, who have just recently arrived here. I took some photos of the lovely flowers blooming in my cactus gardens. I barbecued steak and baked potatoes for supper. HMPH ... I should have barbecued more often this winter. Appetizer was a honkin' huge artichoke. Think I'll buy more on the way out of town tomorrow !
I actually succeeded in teaching Bo how to eat an artichoke the same way we do. Peel a petal off the cooked artichoke, dip the meaty pulp end in seasoned mayonnaise, stick it between your teeth, bite down gently, draw the petal out using your teeth to scrape the tasty, meaty pulp off the petal. MMMMM ! ! ! He needs help with most of those steps, but he gets the "bite down gently" part, I pull the petal out of his mouth. and he ends up with the tasty meaty pulp part left in his mouth. HA HA HA HA HA ! You can teach an old dog new tricks !
Tuesday ; Yuma, Arizona to Laughlin, Nevada
Sunny and hot ! When we left Yuma before noon it was already 92 degrees.
Mid-afternoon in Parker, Arizona it was 97 degrees.
This morning we finished up our departure preparations, paid our bill at Kofa Ko-op and headed out, saying goodbye to Harvey the fifth wheel trailer ... for the first time in ten years ! Just a few miles south of Yuma on Hwy. 95 we stopped at From The Farm to buy two more large artichokes ... and for lunch, our final date shakes of this winter season. Bo loooooves having date shakes. You know ... for a redneck Terrier from Alabama, he sure has eclectic tastes ; date shakes, artichokes, tamales, Saskatoon berries, ... dead desert rats. HA HA HA !
Between Yuma and Quartzsite Lanoire's odometer rolled over 250,000 kilometres. Well done, what a good truck ! As she passed the 250,000 km. mark I pulled off the road into the desert and took a picture. Maybe I'll send it to the salesman who sold us the truck eight years ago in Belleville, Ontario.
We stopped at Safeway in Parker to buy a few grocery items. Just past Lake Havasu City I was feeling very tired so we pulled off the road into the desert for a snack and a brief nap. HEY ... Bighorn Sheep on the side of that mountain !
As we drove through Bullhead City we stopped to refill with diesel at Circle K, then crossed the bridge over the Colorado River into Laughlin, Nevada. We went to The Tropicana to have "bottomless pasta bowl" dinner ( again ! ) at the Passagio Restaurant. While at the salad bar I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the lady beside me looked a lot like our neighbour Kolly back home at Riverside RV Park. HEY ... there's Paul, Kolly's husband. HEY ... Paul and Kolly ! ! !
Small world ! We had dinner and visited with Paul and Kolly. We paid for their dinner as appreciation for them hauling our fifth wheel hitch head home with them in the bed of their truck. By the time we finished dinner and visiting it was 9 PM. We drove over to the Riverside Casino and boondocked overnight in their parking lot.
Wednesday ; Laughlin to Las Vegas, Nevada
Partially cloudy and very warm. We departed the parking lot of Riverside Casino in Laughlin this morning and headed west on Hwy. 168. until we reached Nevada Hwy. 95 heading north through Searchlight to Las Vegas, arriving in Las Vegas around noon.
First we found our way to The Strip. Tough to drive through Las Vegas with the big truck and camper, but a lot easier than when we used to do it with the big truck and fifth wheel trailer behind. We were looking for ... and found ... a large, free parking lot behind Bally's, near Caesar's Palace, to consider it for use when we go to Caesar's Palace tomorrow night to see Elton John. We decided it would be better to just leave the truck and camper in the RV park we were heading to, and take public transportation to Caesar's Palace.
We left The Strip area and found our way ... in very heavy traffic ... to Main Street Station, a large casino hotel near Freemont Street ... the "original" Las Vegas "Strip". Main Street Station has a reasonably priced RV park. We've stayed there before. We checked in, hooked up, and had lunch. First time we've had Elsie the truck camper hooked up to full services. First time we've used the "city water inlet" function. As with everything else on Elsie, it worked fine. I think we have now used / tested all of Elsie's "systems".
I napped briefly then did a short obedience session with Bo. Good dog, Bo, well done ! We walked over to Main Street Station and explored throughout the large, lovely old building. It was originally the Las Vegas train station ... many, many, many years ago. We followed a pedestrian overpass across the street into the next casino hotel, the Californian. We explored in there for awhile, then went outside again and walked the three long blocks over to Freemont Street. We slowly explored the length of Freemont Street ... five or six long city blocks or so ... and back, then walked home along Main Street.
Joanne wanted to attend the hourly after dark "Freemont Street Experience". Freemont Street "Strip" is covered by a five or six block long "ceiling" shaped like a half pipe. The half pipe ceiling is some sort of video display equipment. Hourly after dark it becomes a sound and light show. So ... at 9:15 PM we left the camper and walked over to Freemont Street again. It's quite different after dark. It's very ... < ahem > ... alive ! With a series of free stages. And buskers of every imaginable sort. And some not so imaginable ! Including mostly naked showgirls who look to be about sixteen years old.
I suppose they're older than that, but not by much ! < blink blink > Nice ass ! Every inch of it ! Some of the “showgirls” were wearing only body paint. < blink blink >
We walked from one end of Freemont Street to the other, and back again ... as we had done in the afternoon. We stopped at 10 PM to stand in one spot and stare up at the sound and light show on the ceiling ; the Freemont Street Experience. We stood for awhile at one of the free stages and watched a performance by “Elvis”. He was pretty darn good ! There was also a lot of pathetic beggars. And plenty of drunks, stoners, and dope heads. And pickpockets. I watched one “working” ... it was interesting.
Yes, yes ... overall, it was quite an interesting, although slightly sad and depraved peek at humanity. To paraphrase Dorothy ... Gee, BoBo ... I guess we’re not at Kofa Ko-op anymore. HA HA HA !
Thursday ; Sunny and hot.
WOW ! Did I mention ... WOW ! ! ! That was ... without a doubt ... the most astounding live performance we have ever attended. AND ... < whispering > ... I don't even like Elton John ! I had heard that nobody ... and I mean nobody ... can produce a stage performance like The Collosseum at Caesar's Palace. And now I believe that !
The Elton John Million Dollar Piano Show was my primary birthday gift to Joanne on her sixtieth birthday at the end of January. Happy Birthday, my love.
We got a lazy start to the day. Had sex in the truck camper for the first time. Wait a minute ... did I just type that out loud ? ! ? HEY ... what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas ! HA HA HA ! After lunch we walked back over to Freemont Street a.k.a. "Downtown" where we caught an SDX ( Strip to Downtown Express ) bus to The Strip. We got off the bus at The Bellagio.
I promised Joanne many years ago that if we ever win the lottery the first thing I will do is book a room at The Bellagio for a few days. She loooooves The Bellagio ! We walked through The Bellagio's astounding front lobby and wandered through the casino to The Conservatory, a large solarium filled with botanical gardens. Very amazing floral displays, changed every three months to correspond to the seasons.
DAMN ! ! ! I forgot my camera ! And our little opera glasses / binoculars for the Elton John Million Dollar Piano Show.
After The Conservatory we walked through The Bellagio and outdoors to see ... < insert drum roll here > ... The Bellagio's Dancing Fountains Show in the "lake" out front on Las Vegas Boulevard. I never tire of watching those dancing fountains choreographed to music. While waiting for the hourly dancing fountain show to start we watched a juggling busker. Limited repertoire, but skilled. I tossed a buck in his "hat".
After the fountains we walked across the street over to Caesar's Palace. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Caesar's Palace, such a huge hotel and casino that it's like a small city unto itself. We found our way to The Colloseum so we would know where it was when it was time to head to the show, then wandered around The Shops At The Forum looking at very expensive and upscale retail stores, and browsing for a place to have supper.
Caesar's Palace, The Bellagio, and indeed the entire Las Vegas Strip are very upscale, compared to the blue collar. somewhat "low brow" atmosphere of Freemont Street / Downtown. I wonder, though ... how many different shows is it possible for Cirque de Soleil to have ? And how many restaurants can bear the Gordon Ramsay name ?
We chose to have supper at The Cheesecake Factory. Poor service, good food, reasonable prices ... by Vegas standards. Restaurants on The Strip are outrageously expensive. Forty to seventy-five bucks for entrees, twelve bucks more for the side dishes. Twelve bucks for a serving of brussel sprouts ? ! ?
We left The Cheesecake Factory at 7 PM and were in our seats in The Colloseum with time to spare for the 7:30 PM show. What an outstanding venue The Colloseum at Caesar's Palace is ! And the show ! ! ! Two solid hours of Elton John playing ... well ... all his hits. He's had a lot over the years ! More than can be played in a two hour show. < pouting > He didn't play "Daniel".
After the show we walked back to The Cheesecake Factory and shared a ten dollar slice of cake. Holy shit ! Worth every penny ! We walked back through Caesar's Palace, then an enclosed shopping mall back over to The Bellagio, then went outside to watch the dancing fountains again, this time in the dark when the dancing fountains are not only choreographed to music, but also lights. < blink blink >
We crossed Las Vegas Boulevard over to The Paris where we caught an SDX bus back to Freemont Street / Downtown. Las Vegas public transit buses are pretty ...
< ahem > ... "lively" places after dark. Standing on the bus in the aisle beside where Joanne and I were seated were two twenty-one year old men from Saskatchewan, first time in Vegas, watching the shenanigans on the bus, looking like a couple of deer in the headlights. I leaned over and said to them ... "Ain't nothing like this in S'toon, eh ?" HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !
It was well after midnight when we got home !
Friday ; Las Vegas to Pahrump, Nevada
Sunny and hot. This morning we prepared for departure and left the Main Street Station Hotel & Casino RV Park. We found our way to Interstate 15 and then Hwy. 160 heading west "over the hump to Pahrump". Before leaving the suburbs of Las Vegas we stopped at an Albertsons to replenish groceries.
At Pahrump we found our way to Pair-A-Dice SKP RV Park. We checked in and got parked in their boondocking area, and had a late lunch. I napped briefly with Sully, Joanne took Bo for a walk to the RV park's dog run area, then we went to the clubhouse so that I could check e-mail, and do some other computer work with my laptop plugged into the clubhouse's electricity.
We had supper ... and a slightly boring evening. Initially our plan was to stay here for two or three nights, but ... now I think we'll be moving on tomorrow.
Saturday ; Pahrmp, Nevada to Death Valley National Park, California
Sunny and hot. When we stopped for the night, at dusk, in Death Valley National Park, it was 92 degrees ... and it's not even mid-April yet !
I was sick with a cold today. I was starting to feel it at bedtime last night, and by the middle of the night I was suffering with a sore throat, and sinus headache. Oh, well ...
if you're going to have a cold, it might as well be in the sunny desert in hot weather,
n'est-ce pas ?
Last night at bedtime there was a spilled chocolate milk ... < ahem > ... "incident" ...
< pointing finger at Joanne >. That necessitated doing laundry this morning at
Pair-A-Dice SKP RV Park. So ... with the need to do laundry, and me feeling ill,
we were undecided about whether to leave or stay.
By the time laundry was done, it was lunch time. We had lunch then drove into Pahrump to run some errands. We stopped at a casino's fuel bar to refill a propane tank, but the propane refill station did not have the correct refill nozzle adaptor for an old, horizontal, truck camper propane tank < sigh >. Of course, we didn't discover that until I had removed the tank from its compartment on the side of the camper, not that easy to do. We drove around Pahrump, searching for a propane supply business like AmeriGas or Superior Propane. We covered a lot of miles following bad directions to AmeriGas, before getting good directions to AmeriGas. We finally found our way to AmeriGas and ... < sigh > ... they were closed.
We refilled with diesel then went to Wal-Mart for a few items. I decided to once again check if Wal-Mart's optician shop had vinyl ( not silicone ) eyeglass nosepieces. I had already checked at many Wal-Mart optician shops as well as many private optician shops. Well ... lo and behold ... the Pahrump Wal-Mart optician shop had vinyl nosepieces. Hallelujah ! I bought four pair ! Two pairs for the two pairs of glasses I got this winter in Los Algodones, and two more for the next two pairs of glasses I get, probably in about five years.
By the time we were finished at Wal-Mart it was 4:30 PM. I had enough cold medication inside of me that I was feeling better. The sun was shining. The temperature was hot. The open road was calling. Death Valley is only a couple of hours from Pahrump !
Away we went !
First stop in Death Valley National Park was Dantes View, a difficult thirteen mile climb up to an elevation of 5475 feet ASL, to look down on Badwater Basin in Death Valley, at an elevation of 282 feet below sea level, the lowest elevation in the United States. The last part of the ascent to Dantes View the road grade is 15% ! That's a pretty steep road, and it was all tight switchbacks. Pretty challenging for a large truck and camper, but ... Lanoire's a great truck !
We took some photos. From that vantage point, Death Valley, from the Amargosa Mountains on the east, where we were standing, to the Panamint Mountains on the west, doesn't look that wide across. However, when I fixed my mind on the perspective of flying an airplane at an altitude of 6000 feet above ground, I could see that Death Valley was probably twenty miles wide.
We drove down from Dante's View then over to Zabriskie Point, another viewpoint, although at a much lower altitude. The view from Zabriskie Point is supposed to be best around sunset, and our timing was right. We drove away from Zabriskie Point about
7 PM and we were expecting it to be dark within fifteen minutes or so. Just enough time to drive the three mile long, one way loop, gravel road through Twenty Mule Team Canyon.
And as we had hoped, we found an isolated spot to pull off the narrow gravel road ... and sneakily boondock overnight. That's probably a felony in a U.S. National Park !
Late at night, just before going to sleep, we went for a romantic ( near full moon ) moonlit walk in the canyon. Well ... I thought it was romantic. Joanne thought it was spooky. HA HA HA !
DSK
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