April 17 to 23, 2016

Sunday ; Sunny and warm.

Spent much of today "moving" from truck camper to house and other "return home" chores. Visited with friends and neighbours. Found out many of Bo's friends have died. Rest in peace ; Dudley, Spencer, Jimmy, and Meggy.

Riverside RV Park Resort is still as lovely as it always has been. Park's internal politics and in-fighting still as prevalent and poisonous as it always has been. < sigh > Too bad. Will continue to ignore it as much as possible, as we have done for quite a few years already.

Monday ; Sunny and warm.

This past winter season we travelled 20,093 km. / 12,558 miles. The lowest diesel price we encountered was $1.659 per gallon in Yuma, Arizona in February. The highest diesel price we encountered ( in the United States ) was $2.479 per gallon in Tonopah, Nevada a week ago.

Today was another day of "return home" chores, including removing Elsie the truck camper off Lanoire the truck.

Tuesday ; Sunny and very warm.

This morning we headed into town ( Keremeos ). We both had doctor's appointments. Our previous doctor has retired, so we had appointments with a temporary / locum doctor. After we both saw the doctor we went shopping for produce at Sandersons and groceries at Valu-Plus. We are suffering from "sticker shock" ! The price of groceries is much higher here than in Yuma, Arizona.

After a late lunch at home and a brief nap for me we continued working on "return home" chores. Tuesday evenings are our regular Canadian comedy nights on TV. During and after supper we watched Rick Mercer Report, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and ... HA HA HA HA HA ... my favourite, Trailer Park Boys.

Wednesday ; Sunny and hot, 30º C / 88º F, rather unusually hot for April. It won't last long, it will be getting much colder in the next few days.

Today was a long, tiring day of running errands in Penticton. First stop was my cardiologist's office. While I saw the cardiologist, Joanne went to withdraw some money from an ATM, and do some Dollar Store shopping. After she picked me up at the doctor's office, next stop was to refill the truck with diesel, then I dropped her off at
Wal-Mart and took the truck for its annual fluids change service. When that was done ... ( KA-CHING ... five hundred bucks ! ) ... I joined Joanne at Wal-Mart. Next we went to Cherry Lane Mall and had lunch in the food court, then I spent too much time and got too much aggravation at the Telus and Virgin Mobile cell phone stores. Both were useless, but Virgin Mobile slightly outdid Telus in the uselessness contest. We did more grocery shopping at Superstore, then headed back to Keremeos late in the afternoon.

WOO-HOO ... perogies for supper. Welcome home to Western Canada ! We watched Survivor for the first time in about a month.

Thursday ; Mostly sunny, a bit of clouds, warm.

This morning I headed into Keremeos by myself. I had an appointment at the South Similkameen Health Centre lab to have blood drawn for tests. While in town I also filled our five gallon water jug, renewed our newspaper subscription, ordered prescription refills at the pharmacy, and went to the local insurance agency to get some information on the minivan license and insurance renewal.

This afternoon I continued work at home on "return home" chores. I took to our neighbour / friend Jeanine all the pet medications I had bought in Los Algodones, Mexico for her little dog Charlie. I worked on renting a flat bed utility trailer for a trailer tow job we will be doing next week. I had previously arranged for the rental of a neighbour's trailer for this upcoming job, but today the ... < ahem > ... neighbour ... reneged on the deal. I'm never very impressed with people whose word / agreements / commitments can't be relied upon.

Twice this afternoon we took Bo to the dog park for a play session. I did some minor maintenance on both the truck and the minivan. Trimmed my beard. OOOOOPS ... WAAAAAY too short ! DARN ! New clippers ! Learning curve ! Look like a stubbly old man who's forgotten to shave for a week ! HA HA HA !

Friday ; Mostly sunny, warm, a bit windy.

As I type this at 9:30 PM, I'm beginning to feel poorly. For the last few hours I have felt a cold coming on. Which is discouraging, as we have an extremely early morning coming up tomorrow due to a trailer towing job.

This morning we loaded the fifth wheel hitch into the truck in preparation for tomorrow's trailer towing job. I loaded our generator, air compressor, and other necessary equipment and tools into the truck. Ready to go !

Just before lunch we took Bo to the dog park. After lunch and while I napped briefly Joanne did some laundry. I prepared my bicycle for summer use. I made a medical appointment in Penticton. I prepared an invoice / receipt for tomorrow's client.
I activated two new credit cards. I reactivated our Canadian cell phone. I spent the rest of the afternoon working on putting away purchases made over the winter, including quite a bit of clothing.

I cooked pan fried sole for supper. Over supper we watched Time Travelling Bong.
HA HA HA ... great new show ! After supper we watched Amazing Race, then Hell's Kitchen.

Saturday ; home to Penticton to Kelowna to Beaverdell to Rock Creek to Osoyoos to home

Partially sunny, warm.

This morning we were up at the ungodly hour of 5:30 AM in order to be ready to leave home at 7 AM. The trailer towing client wanted us to pick up his trailer in Penticton at 8 AM ! AND ... as I pretty much knew yesterday already ... I have a cold !

We arrived at the client's home at 8 AM. We were hitched up and leaving his driveway before 8:30. Through Penticton, north on Hwy. 97 through Summerland, Peachland, West Kelowna / Westbank, and Kelowna, then southeast on Hwy. 33 past Big White and almost to Beaverdell. The trailer needed to be positioned in a wooded area, on a rough patch of land that had just been cleared this morning by a bulldozer. Thanks to the strength and toughness of Lanoire the truck, and the considerable trailer positioning capabilities of both me and Joanne ... we made the difficult positioning job look easy. The client was very impressed. And that's always a good thing. He paid my fee with a big smile on his face. Well done, Daniel. And Joanne. And Lanoire. We were pulling away from the completed job at 11:30 AM. Job went well, fairly easy money, all things considered.

We continued south on Hwy. 33, to avoid returning through Kelowna, even though the return route we chose was a bit more mileage. We drove south on Hwy. 33 through Beaverdell all the way to Rock Creek, then turned west on Hwy. 3 to Osoyoos. We stopped at Bo's favourite waterfront park in Osoyoos to have a late lunch. We found a beach bag with two women's bathing suits, towels, toiletries, and a cell phone. We took it home with us, planning to use the phone to trace the owner. We arrived home about 2:30 PM.

We removed the fifth wheel hitch from the truck, and put away all the trailer towing equipment and supplies. The found cell phone rang. Joanne answered it. It was the phone's owner. She lives in Prince George, BC, and is currently visiting family in Osoyoos. We made arrangements for her to pick up her beach bag and cell phone tomorrow as she and her husband are driving from Osoyoos back to Prince George.

DSK

April 10 to 16, 2016 ; Death Valley, California, U.S.A. to Keremeos, British Columbia, Canada

Sunday ; Death Valley National Park, California to Fernley, Nevada

Mostly sunny, mild.

This morning we said farewell to Laszlo and Gail ( and DeeOJee the Pit Bull ), leaving them in Death Valley National Park. Two weeks ago we were eager to leave Yuma, Arizona and resume travelling. Today we were eager to resume travelling by ourselves. Playing tour guide / RV caravan leader for the last two weeks has worn me out.

We dumped our waste holding tanks, refilled our freshwater tank, and departed Sunset Campground in Death Valley National Park about 10:30 AM. We drove north on Hwy. 190, then northeast on Hwy. 374, leaving Death Valley National Park, and California. Just a few miles later, at Beatty, Nevada, we turned north on Hwy. 95 ... yet again !

We stopped to refill with diesel at Tonopah. We had lunch there in the camper while parked in a municipal parking lot. I napped very briefly. We continued north on Hwy. 95. We stopped to buy some groceries at Safeway in Hawthorne.

Beatty ... Tonopah ... Hawthorne ... and all the rest of the little towns throughout Nevada are ... < sigh > ... what can I say ? They're ... scruffy, little, desert "loser" towns. What do people do to earn livings in those kinds of towns ? Where do they get medical care ? Nevada has Las Vegas in the south, and Reno / Sparks in the northwest, just a few miles down the road from where we are tonight, but ... nothing much else in between. We drove most of Nevada today, south to north, and ... it's no wonder why the U.S. government chose Nevada as the place to test atomic bombs sixty or seventy years ago.

At Schurz we turned west on Hwy., ALT. 95 to Yerington, then north on Hwy. ALT. 95 to Fernley, and Interstate 80. Whew ! We drove more today than other day this winter season ... starting last September 18. We were trying ... and succeeded ... to reach this rest area tonight because it had Wi-Fi the last time we were here, and I desperately want to get some online work done. My blog posting is a week overdue. I now have two weeks worth of daily journal to post to my blog. Well ! < sigh > This rest area had Wi-Fi. It doesn't any more !

We are boondocking tonight at a rest area on Interstate 80, just a few miles west of where Hwy. ALT. 95 reached Fernley and Interstate 80, just a few miles east of
Reno / Sparks.

Monday ; Fernley to Winnemucca, Nevada

Mostly sunny, mild. Too far north for any more hot weather.

Well ! We had a very productive half day in Fernley, Nevada. This morning before leaving the Interstate 80 Mile Marker 42 rest area we dumped our waste holding tanks, but were unable to refill our freshwater tank at the rest area. We drove a few miles east on the Interstate to the Fernley exit where we refilled with freshwater at a Love's Travel Center. We drove into Fernley and refilled both our propane tanks at Big R Ranch, Home, & Farm Supply. Next we refilled with diesel at Chevron. We found a laundromat ... with free Wi-Fi. WOO-HOO. While Joanne took a couple of hours to do laundry, I worked online. I retrieved almost a hundred e-mails. You could count on the fingers of one hand the number of e-mails that actually mattered to me !  I finally uploaded my weekly journal from two weeks ago to my blog, over a week overdue. Last week's journal still needs to be uploaded to my blog, but I still have a lot of photo processing to be done before I'm ready to post to my blog again. And ... BONUS ...
I returned an unexpected phone call from my gastroenterologist's office, and made an appointment to see her sooner than I had expected.

We had a late lunch in the camper in the parking lot of the laundromat, then departed Fernley just before 3 PM. We drove east on Interstate 80, stopping about halfway to Winnemucca so that I could nap briefly. We arrived in Winnemucca shortly after 6 PM and again were productive. We checked out the Flying J and determined where to refill with freshwater there tomorrow morning. We drove all the way through town and found the cheapest diesel. We refilled with diesel at Chevron then returned to the Flying J to boondock overnight in their parking lot.

I spent the evening working on Las Vegas and Death Valley photos.

Tuesday ; Winnemucca to Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada

The day started out sunny and mild in Winnemucca, but as the day wore on it became cloudy and colder. For the last half hour or so that we drove we encountered intermittent heavy rain. It was cold and rained intermittently for the rest of the afternoon and rained steadily during the evening.

We left the Flying J this morning about 10:30 AM and before leaving Winnemucca we stopped at the grocery store to buy a few items. We headed out of Winnemucca north on Hwy. 95 for an hour or so, then northwest on Hwy. 140 for another hour or so. We stopped for lunch at Denio Junction. Shortly after Denio Junction we entered Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge.

Our destination for today was Virgin Valley Camp, an unserviced campground with a warm mineral springs pool, and a shower house with warm mineral spring water. We were planning / hoping for some time in the warm mineral springs pool, and supper cooked over an open campfire, but the cold and rain prevented both of those. We did have a shower in the warm mineral spring water shower house, but even that felt chilly.

BRRRRR ... had to light the heater tonight !

Wednesday ; Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada to Bend, Oregon

Mostly cloudy, chilly, a few drops of rain during the day as we drove. Late in the evening it was windy and raining in Bend.

This morning we refilled our freshwater tank ... with warm mineral spring water ... and departed Virgin Valley Campground about 10:30 AM, continuing to head northwest on Hwy. 140 through the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge ... which houses wild horses, wild burros, Bighorn Sheep and Pronghorn Antelope ... until the refuge ended at the Nevada / Oregon border. The road descended from the 6500 ft. ASL elevation scruffy high desert of Nevada down to the forested mountains and river valleys of Oregon. It looked a lot like home around Keremeos, BC.

When we got to Hwy. 395 we turned south for five miles to the town of Lakeview to refill with diesel and have lunch parked in the Safeway parking lot, then headed north on Hwy. 395 and Hwy. 31 ... we stopped in Paisley for me to nap briefly ... and Hwy. 97 ... AHHHHH, our "home road" ... all the way to Bend. Long day of driving on winding, climbing, descending, curving mountain roads. A lot more work then just cruising on the Interstates.

We arrived in Bend about 7 PM. We got parked in a Wal-Mart parking lot, along with all the other RV's, despite the "no overnight parking" signage. Go figure !   I rested in the camper with Bo while Joanne went into the Wal-Mart to do most of our tax free Oregon shopping. When she returned we had a late supper.

Thursday ; Bend to The Dalles, Oregon

Well ! Shit ! ! ! We woke up this morning to heavy snowfall ! ! ! Did somebody forget to tell Oregon that it is spring ? ? ? ! ! ! By the time we were leaving Bend a few hours later the snow was melting, BUT ... we travelled all day in cold temperatures, intermittent heavy rain, and occasional sleet !

We started the day with another trip into the Wal-Mart store to continue our spring time tax free shopping in Oregon. After shopping we left the Wal-Mart parking lot and began driving through Bend, continuing our Oregon shopping. We refilled with diesel at Fred Meyer Fuel Stop. We bought toiletries at Walgreens. On impulse we stopped at Trader Joe's and bought another sixty bucks worth of unneeded but highly desirable food stuff. HA HA HA ! Our last Trader Joe's opportunity. And it wasn't squandered. HA HA HA !

We drove north from Bend on Hwy. 97. We stopped to have lunch in the parking lot of Safeway in Madras. We stopped for me to have a brief nap at a rest area near the junction of Hwy. 97 and Hwy. 197. We continued north on Hwy. 197, a much more difficult road to drive than Hwy. 97, but it led directly to the city of The Dalles, our destination. We stopped at the village of Maupin to dump our waste tanks and refill our freshwater tank at the municipal campground.

We arrived in the city of The Dalles about 5:30 PM, a half hour later than planned. We found our way to the seniors' residence where our almost 95 year old friend Eilene now lives in a comfortable apartment. She gave us a brief tour of her new apartment, and the residence's dining room and communal areas, then we took her out for dinner. We had a mediocre dinner at Cousin's Restaurant, but enjoyed the time chatting with Eilene.

After dinner we took her back to her residence, then refilled with diesel again at another Fred Meyers Fuel Stop before leaving The Dalles. We drove west about eleven miles on Interstate 84 to Melamoose State Park, and boondocked overnight in the rest area that is part of the state park. It was still daylight when we arrived at the state park at
8 PM !

HMPH ! Very noisy rest area with a lot of truck traffic coming and going !

Friday ; The Dalles, Oregon to Omak, Washington

Sunny and mild.

This morning as we left the Memaloose State Park Rest Area we drove over to the adjacent state park campground where we dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank at the sani-dump station. We drove east through the lovely Columbia River Gorge on Interstate 84 until we reached Hwy. 97, then turned north on Hwy. 97 and crossed the Columbia River from Oregon into Washington.

We stopped to have lunch at Selah Rest Area. While Joanne prepared lunch I took the dog for a walk, then picked a bouquet of wildflowers for Joanne. The wildflowers have been gorgeous ever since Death Valley. Joanne put the wildflowers into a plastic cup of water and placed it on the dinette table. We sat down to eat lunch and ... HEY ! Why are there little bugs all over the dinette table ? HEY ! ! ! WHY ARE THERE LITTLE BUGS CRAWLING INTO OUR EGG SALAD SANDWICHES ? ? ? ! ! !

OOOPS ! I guess wildflowers are best left admired outside where they grow ! < shrug >

We continued north on Hwy. 97. We stopped in Cashmere to buy some Aplets & Cotlets products from Liberty Orchards. Having made it to Liberty Orchards before closing time I could now indulge myself in a nap. We stopped a few miles down the road from Cashmere in Wenatchee and I had a brief nap while parked in a municipal park.

We continued north on Hwy. 97 all the way to our planned destination, the Okanogan Bingo Casino in Okanogan, Washington. When we arrived there ... the place was abandoned. We continued northbound on Hwy. 97 for about five more miles to its replacement, the new 12 Tribes Casino at Omak. After getting parked in their RV parking lot, and taking Bo for a walk, we went inside the ugly new casino to look around. HMPH ... it ain't Vegas ! It ain't even Laughlin ! HA HA HA ! Oh, well ... as long as they permit free overnight parking of RV's, we're satisfied. HA HA HA !

We had a late supper in the camper, using up the last of our food that is not permitted across the border. After supper I updated my "purchases to declare" list in preparation for crossing the border back into Canada tomorrow.

Saturday ; Omak, Washington to Keremeos, British Columbia

Sunny and warm. How nice !

This morning we left the 12 Tribes Casino and headed into the town of Omak to run some errands. First stop was Texaco to refill with diesel, then Dollar Tree for some last minute U.S. shopping. While Joanne shopped at Dollar Tree I phoned a Similkameen Trailer Towing client in Osoyoos and arranged a meeting.

We left Omak continuing north on Hwy. 97. At Oroville we stopped at Akins Harvest Foods ( used to be Prince's Foods ) to buy some milk and have lunch in the camper before crossing the border back into Canada. Crossing the border was uneventful, although the Canada Customs agent did trip me up with an unexpected, odd question. Well done, amigo !

Once we crossed the border into Osoyoos, Bo began to sniff the air vents and act frantic. HA HA HA ... he can recognize Lake Osoyoos by smell, and recognized we were close to his favourite "pee pee park" on the lakefront in downtown Osoyoos. HA HA HA ... okay, Bo ... we'll stop for just a few minutes at "your" park. Joanne walked Bo for a few minutes in the park then we continued on to our meeting with the trailer towing client. The job will be more complicated than I initially thought ... < sigh >. After the meeting we returned to Bo's park for another visit, this one a bit longer.

We drove west on Hwy. 3 out of Osoyoos, heading into the Similkameen Valley ... and home ! Every spring when we return the beauty of this stretch of road from Osoyoos to Keremeos following the Similkameen River always reminds us of why we chose to live here. We stopped in Keremeos and while I dumped the camper's waste holding tanks at the municipal sani-dump station Joanne took Bo across the street for a few minutes in the municipal dog park. I drove to the South Similkameen Health Centre a.k.a. Keremeos Clinic and selected an appointment time at the lab to have blood drawn next Thursday. Our local health lab works by self-selected appointment times.

We arrived home at Riverside RV Park RV Resort about 4 PM. Whew ! Good to be home ! Lots of "return home" chores though, starting with "summerization" of our park model manufactured home, which took a couple of hours before it was liveable again.

DSK

April 3 to 9, 2016 ; Laughlin, Nevada to Death Valley National Park, California

Sunday ; Laughlin to Las Vegas, Nevada

Well ! HELLOOOOOOOOOO LAS VEGAS ! ! ! ! !

Sunny and hot.

This morning we prepared for departure from Riverside Casino RV Park and about 10:15 AM left the RV park and drove across the street and parked in the casino parking lot. We went inside the casino to have Sunday Champagne Brunch in the Riverside Buffet Restaurant. After a leisurely brunch ... we ate and ate and ate ... HA HA HA ... and a champagne toast to friendship, we hit the road shortly after noon.

We left Laughlin and drove west on Hwy. 163 then north on Hwy. 95, reaching Las Vegas in just a couple of hours. We stopped and shopped at Camping World, then headed to Main Street Station Casino, checking into the casino's RV park around 4 PM. We got settled into our two assigned sites, a long "pull through" site for Laszlo's and Gail's truck and trailer, and a smaller "back-in" site for our truck and camper. While Joanne and Gail went to do laundry, I took a nap, as did Laszlo.

At 7 PM we left the RV park and explored the inside of the lovely Main Street Station Casino and the California Casino across the street, then walked two blocks over to Freemont Street. We spent about three hours wandering up and down Freemont Street, the old / original Las Vegas "strip". It's quite an experience, especially for "Las Vegas virgins" like Laszlo and Gail.

Monday ; Sunny and hot. WHEW ! Tiring but wonderful day ! About eight hours of doing "The Strip" !

We had an early lunch and left the Main Street Station Casino RV Park about noon. We walked a couple of blocks over to Freemont Street where we caught an SDX ( Strip to Downtown Express ) Bus. We rode the bus all the way to the MGM Grand. Our priority for today ... and certainly one of the two highlights of today ... was for Laszlo and Gail to buy four tickets to see Andrea Bocelli perform at the MGM Grand in December. Tickets went on sale this morning at 10 AM. We were at the MGM Grand box office about 1:30 PM and they were lucky to get four seats together. The concert tickets were probably going to be sold out before the end of today !

As we wandered through the MGM Grand we were handed four tickets to view and review a television show at the CBS Center in The District shopping mall area of the MGM Grand. We viewed and reviewed an episode of Life In Pieces. Interesting, but ... the experience gobbled up almost an hour of our time, and the "compensation" of some fast food coupons wasn't worth our time. Oh, well !

The MGM Grand ... the District shopping mall ... the Coca-Cola Store ... Hawaiian Marketplace ... Planet Hollywood ... Miracle Mile Shops ...Cosmopolitan ... and finally ... the true highlight of the day ... the Bellagio ! For us, the Bellagio has always been a highlight of Las Vegas. We spent quite awhile in the floral conservatory. And we viewed the Bellagio's "Dancing Waters" fountain show three different times ; once as we arrived and twice as we departed. WHEW ! WOW !

We caught the SDX Bus across the street from the Bellagio, in front of Paris Las Vegas, and rode it back to Freemont Street. We walked the short distance home from there and arrived home about 8:15 PM. While Joanne prepared a quick, simple, late supper
I downloaded photos from my camera. They are shared photos, a few are mine, but mostly Laszlo's. His camera broke, and so he has borrowed my camera for the duration of our Las Vegas visit.

Tuesday ; Sunny and hot.

We spent the morning at home taking care of chores. We went with Laszlo and Gail for a late lunch at the Main Street Station Casino's buffet restaurant. At 3 PM we left to catch the SDX Bus to "The Strip".

We got off the bus at the Bellagio, crossed the street, and walked to the Flamingo. We walked through the Flamingo to view the "wildlife" display area, a man made tropical rainforest area filled with pink flamingos and turtles and ducks and swans and pelicans and macaws and large koi and ... lots and lots of Japanese tourists. HA HA HA ! We wandered around the Flamingo until about 5:30 and then headed for Caesar's Palace.

From 5:30 until 7:15 we wandered around The Shops At The Forum in Caesar's Palace, browsing the very expensive clothing and jewellery stores. At 7:15 we headed to The Colosseum entertainment theater for ... wait for it ... < insert drum roll here > ... Rod Stewart ... The Hits !

Great concert ! ! ! Merry Christmas, Joanne. I'm still ( at 1 AM ) humming "Forever Young". HA HA HA !

After the concert we found our way back outdoors ... not as easy as it sounds, in Caesar's Palace ... HA HA HA ... and on impulse, got onto a Deuce, the double decker bus that runs from one end of The Strip to the other, and then "downtown" to Freemont Street area, stopping every block or so, so taking much longer than the SDX Bus. We got onto a Deuce heading in the "wrong" direction, so we rode all the way to Mandalay Bay, where the bus emptied out. Then we moved to the front seats on the upper level of the empty bus, for a "bird's eye view" of "The Strip" at night. We rode from Mandalay Bay all the way to the opposite end of The Strip, and then "downtown" to Freemont Street. It was a great way to get an inexpensive night time tour of Las Vegas ! And what a lot of "entertainment" on a Las Vegas bus from 10 PM to 11:30 PM !

We got off the Deuce bus at the "far" end of Freemont Street, slowly walked the length of Freemont Street, then home to Main Street Station Casino RV Park.

Quite a day ! ! ! ! !

Wednesday ; Sunny and hot, a really beautiful day. The weather while we've been here in Las Vegas has been great ! When we got home at 10:30 PM tonight the outside temperature was still 82 degrees.

Laszlo and Gail did their own thing today. We seemed to have "burned them out" a bit over the last few days. HA HA HA ! At noon Joanne and I caught an SDX Bus and headed to The Strip. First we explored The Venetian, then caught a Deuce bus over to Circus Circus. We had a late lunch at Subway, then explored Circus Circus. Every half hour Circus Circus presents a free ten minute circus act. We watched two of them, a female solo trapeze artist, and a male hand balance duo. WOW ... those guys were good ! Circus Circus is very child friendly, and is obviously the best place for families to stay on the Las Vegas Strip. Around 4 PM we got tired and decided to return home by SDX Bus and take a rest.

 

We caught an SDX Bus again about 6:45 PM and returned to The Strip yet again. We went to The Mirage to see the free, outdoor "erupting volcano" show at 8 PM and then headed over by Deuce bus to The Bellagio to watch a night time performance of the "Dancing Fountains". It was so captivating ... we stayed for a second performance fifteen minutes later. We did not know until tonight that in the evenings the Bellagio's Dancing Fountains perform every fifteen minutes. We wandered around just a bit more then caught an SDX Bus and returned home to Main Street Station Casino RV Park about 10:30 PM. Whew ! Tired ! Soup and a sandwich as a late, light supper, and we called it a day !

We've had a wonderful four days in Las Vegas !

Thursday ; Las Vegas to Valley Of Fire State Park, Nevada

Sunny and hot in Las Vegas, very hot at Valley Of Fire State Park.

This morning we prepared for departure and left the Main Street Station Casino RV Park about 11 AM. We were ready to depart a few minutes before Laszlo and Gail were ready, and as we waited for them I received another request by phone for a quote for a trailer towing job back home in BC.

We departed Las Vegas heading northwest on Interstate 15, stopping for Laszlo to refill with diesel at a large truck stop travel center right beside Las Vegas Speedway. We continued northwest on I-15 for an hour or so, then turned east on the Valley Of Fire State Park Road for another half hour or so. When we arrived at the state park, there were only two campsites unoccupied and available. One large campsite and one small campsite. Perfect !

 

We had a late lunch, then everybody napped. Mid-afternoon Laszlo went off with DeeOJee to explore by truck while Joanne and I, and Gail, and Bo went for a long, leisurely hike around the large campground and then out into the desert to see wildflowers and cacti blooming. The scenery in Valley Of Fire State Park is astounding !

Around 6:30 PM I lit a campfire. Just before it got dark I performed a magic trick for Laszlo and Gail. Joanne had prepared foil wrapped packets of vegetables and a foil wrapped meatloaf for me to cook on the campfire. Gail had prepared foil wrapped potatoes to be baked and hamburger patties to be grilled on the campfire. I cooked everything and we were all pleased with the results. We spent the evening chatting around the campfire.

All of us were tired from four days of Las Vegas and glad to be here today enjoying the tranquility of an evening campfire.

Friday ; Valley Of Fire State Park to Amargosa Junction, Nevada

Cloudy, cold, windy, intermittent light rain. We travelled separately from Laszlo and Gail today, meeting them again late in the afternoon at the rest area where we boondocked overnight.

This morning we departed Valley Of Fire State Park's Arch Rock Campground about
11 AM, dumping our waste tanks and refilling our freshwater tank at the park's
sani-dump station as we left. We headed east on the Valley Of Fire State Park Road to Hwy. 169, then north to the town of Overton. While Joanne went into the town's grocery store to buy a few grocery items I went into the McDonald's and used their ( extremely poor ) free Wi-Fi to get online briefly and obtain the mileage data I needed to prepare a Similkameen Trailer Towing quote.

We continued north on Hwy. 169 until it reached Interstate 15, then west on I-15 back to the Valley Of Fire State Road junction where we stopped at the Moapa Paiute Travel Plaza, a no tax "rez" fuel bar where we refilled with cheap diesel. We had lunch in a gravel parking lot adjacent to the travel plaza.

After lunch we continued southwest on I-15 almost back to Las Vegas, then turned west on Hwy. 215, sort of a bypass road around the north side of Las Vegas. When Hwy. 215 ended we got onto Hwy. 95 heading west. At Amargosa Junction, the junction of Hwy. 95 and Hwy. 373 which heads south towards Death Valley, we met up again with Laszlo and Gail at a very scruffy rest area where we boondocked overnight.

Saturday ; Amargosa Junction, Nevada to Death Valley, California

The day started out cloudy and chilly, but was sunny and hot in Death Valley. We travelled with Laszlo and Gail again today, our final day together.

This morning we refilled with fresh water and dumped our grey waste tank before leaving the scruffy rest area this morning. We headed south on Hwy. 373 and Hwy. 127 then west on Hwy. 190 into Death Valley National Park. When we arrived in the National Park village of Furnace Creek we went to the full service / full hookups Furnace Creek Campground, but it was full, so ... we went to Sunset Campground and got ourselves parked in a couple of adjacent unserviced campsites. We had lunch and then set off in Laszlo's and Gail's truck for an afternoon of exploring Death Valley.

We explored ...

• Devil's Golf Course
• Badwater Basin
• Artist's Drive and Artist's Palette
• Dante's View
• Twenty Mule Team Canyon
• Zabriskie Point

Whew ! Great afternoon ! We returned "home" to Sunset Campground about 6:30 PM.
I planned and prepared a special surprise farewell dinner which we ate in Laszlo's and Gail's fifth wheel trailer. Gail prepared sweet potato fries and mashed sweet potatoes. Joanne prepared coleslaw. And I surprised Laszlo with a favourite dish of his that he has not had in many years. I cooked our last four Lake Winnipeg Pickerel fillets. Despite having been in the freezer for six months, they were still very good ! We spent the rest of the evening chatting with Laszlo and Gail in their trailer.

And ... as we were all ( except Laszlo ) busy preparing supper, I was hired to do another trailer towing job soon after our arrival home. WOO-HOO !

Tomorrow we leave Laszlo and Gail here in Death Valley National Park and we begin some serious driving northward !

DSK

March 27 to April 2, 2016 ; Yuma, Arizona to Laughlin, Nevada

Easter ; Sunny and hot. I didn't even realize it was Easter today until a grocery store clerk wished me "Happy Easter" at 5:30 PM.

This morning we returned to the storage yard to complete some last minute / forgotten summerization tasks on the fifth wheel trailer. And we trimmed Bo's claws.

We spent the afternoon putting away all our outdoor patio furniture into the Arizona room, and closing up the Arizona room. We covered everything in the Arizona room with old sheets to keep it all sand / dust free. And the final job, the one I really dislike, installing all the vinyl panel snap on walls on the exterior of the Arizona room.

I back flushed the truck camper's waste holding tanks. Late in the afternoon we went to Albertsons for some last minute grocery shopping. Not too much groceries, we need to leave fridge and freezer room for Trader Joe's stuff. WOO-HOO ... Trader Joe's shopping in Palm Springs in a couple of days. HA HA HA !

For the last few days Bo has been anticipating our departure, based on seeing our preparations. This afternoon when we left to go to Albertsons, he was convinced that we were "on the road again". He was SOOOOO excited ! When we returned to Kofa Ko-op after grocery shopping he was like ... "HEY ! ! ! What a rip off !" HA HA HA ! Tomorrow, Bo !

At 6 PM we went to the clubhouse for the final ice cream social of the season. At 7 PM we walked Bo around the dog park for the last time this season. WOW ... still daylight at 7 PM ! After supper I worked online, finishing up some financial matters before we travel and posting my weekly journal to my blog.

Monday ; Yuma, Arizona to Palm Springs, California

Sunny and very warm in the morning in Yuma. Extremely windy while driving in the afternoon. Warm and windy in Palm Springs in the evening.

Just before we left Kofa Ko-op I received a telephone call from a man in Osoyoos who wants a trailer moved in a month. WOO-HOO ! My first trailer towing job of the summer.

We spent the morning doing our final departure preparations and left Kofa Ko-op about 11:30 AM as planned. For the next ten days or so we will be travelling with our friends from Kamloops, BC, Laszlo and Gail and their dog DeeOJee the Pit Bull. For most of that time we will be introducing Laszlo and Gail to new experiences for them, favourite old experiences of ours.

We headed west out of Yuma on Interstate 8 crossing over the Colorado River into California. About an hour into California we stopped for lunch in Holtville. AHHHHHH ... Holtville Taco Shop’s huge, wonderful burritos. Best burritos we’ve ever had, better even than any we’ve had in Mexico. Carne Asada for me, “Californian” ( with fries inside the burrito ... HA HA HA ) for Joanne, Machaca ( con arroz y frijoles ) for Laszlo, and El Pastor for Gail. Piña to drink for Joanne, Horchatta to drink for me. By the time we finished lunch and were walking back to our rigs in the parking lot across the street, three out of four of us were ready for a siesta. HA HA HA !

No time to nap just yet ! We drove on country back roads mostly north, a bit west, through horrific winds and sand storms to the southeast tip of the Salton Sea and the scruffy little village of Niland. In Niland we turned east for a few miles to the very odd community known as Slab City. All full time RV’ers want to visit Slab City. It’s one of the “must visit” Mecca type places for full time RV’ers. During the Second World War there was a military base there. All that remains are the concrete slabs of the many buildings that were there. Hence “Slab City”. It is now a community of RV’ers, some year round, some winter only, billed as “the last place to live free in America”.

Yeah ... right ! If you’re into that anarchy sort of thing. It is a community of hippies and homeless and religious fanatics and survivalists and every sort of nut job and weirdo you could possibly imagine. It’s filthy ! Garbage and broken glass everywhere. I don’t even feel it’s safe to walk the dog anywhere around there for all the broken glass on the ground. BUT ... yes, yes, they all live there without any “government interference” ...
< rolling my eyes >.

We stopped at “Salvation Mountain” ( go ahead ... Google it ! ) which marks the entrance to Slab City. We sent Laszlo and Gail on to explore the area and I went to take a nap in our camper. They were back within a half hour. They had seen enough. Time for them to nap as well ! HA HA HA !

We left Slab City and drove northward along the eastern shore of the Salton Sea and then west over the northern shore until reaching Hwy. 86 south of Palm Springs. North on Hwy. 86 until we arrived at Spotlight 29 Casino at the intersection of Hwy. 86 and Interstate 10 marking the eastern edge of the Palm Springs urban area ... technically in Indio ... about 6:30 PM. We parked in Spotlight 29’s RV parking area, walked Bo and DeeOJee, then went inside the casino to explore a bit. After a bit of wandering around we left Laszlo and Gail inside the casino playing slot machines and we returned to our camper for a late, very light supper.

Tuesday ; What a great day in Palm Springs. Strange weather though ; sunny, cloudy, warm, chilly, windy.

This morning we left Spotlight 29 Casino, Laszlo, Gail, and DeeOJee with us in our truck. Before getting onto the freeway I dumped our grey waste tank in the desert and refilled with freshwater at the TA Travel Center. We headed west on Interstate 10, then north on Palm Drive into Desert Hot Springs. We stopped at Auto Zone and Laszlo bought two air filters for his truck. Next stop was Glossy, the women's bathing suit store that is the only place where Joanne buys bathing suits. Today she bought three. While Joanne and Gail shopped for bathing suits Laszlo and I walked the dogs. After Glossy we walked down the street to shop at Angel View, a thrift store. Gail bought three tops / blouses / sweaters. I fell in love with a roll top desk that cost only sixty dollars.
< whispering > I really would like to have it ! < sniffle >

We had lunch at Del Taco before leaving Desert Hot Springs. We took Laszlo and Gail on a brief tour of the two RV parks in Desert Hot Springs that we recommend, should they ever return to the Palm Springs area, which seems likely after the great day we all had today. We drove across Interstate 10, from Desert Hot Springs on the north side of the freeway, to Palm Springs on the south side.

We drove through downtown Palm Springs and went to Revivals, our favourite thrift store. Run by a gay men's organization, it is oxymoronic to call this a thrift store. Today we saw a Baby Grand Piano on sale there ... the third time we have seen a Baby Grand Piano for sale there ! And today there also was ... wait for it ... a dental chair for sale. HA HA HA ! I bought a lovely, soft, cardigan sweater. Laszlo bought a very nice windbreaker jacket. And Gail really scored, buying two brand new dresses that still bore the retail price stickers of $70 each, paying $8.75 for each of them.

Next stop was the Palm Springs dog park. We spent quite awhile there, Bo and DeeOJee romping and visiting happily with all the other dogs. Around 5 PM it suddenly became quite chilly, so we left. It seemed a bit too early to go for supper so we went looking for a grocery store, finding a Stater Bros where we bought a few items. On the way from the grocery store to the restaurant we stopped at a panaderia ...
WOO-HOO ... and bought some pan dulce / Mexican pastries for breakfasts.

Finally ... AHHHHH ... we arrived at Sherman's Deli, the highlight for me of each Palm Springs visit. Our waitress was a complete ****wit, screwing up our orders and our bills afterwards. The food at Sherman's Deli is SOOOOO good ... how good is it, you might ask ... that her screw ups didn't matter. HA HA HA ! How's that for mellow on my part ? ! ? HA HA HA ! As we drove back through downtown Palm Springs we stopped for a few minutes at a classic car dealership so that Laszlo and I could salivate over the cars displayed in their showroom window. I wanted the Aston Martin ( like James Bond's ). Laszlo wanted the Triumph TR7.

We arrived back "home" at Spotlight 29 Casino about 9 PM.

Wednesday ; Palm Springs, California to Quartzsite, Arizona

Sunny and warm.

This morning we all went in our truck to Trader Joe's in La Quinta, an eastern "suburb" of Palm Springs. As usual at Trader Joe's, we spent almost a hundred dollars on impulse purchases of gourmet / exotic food stuff. Laszlo and Gail spent quite a bit less than us. I guess spending money foolishly at Trader Joe's is an acquired skill. HA HA HA ! We returned to Spotlight 29 Casino, had lunch and prepared for departure.

We bought diesel, dumped our grey waste tank and refilled our freshwater tank before leaving Palm Springs. Laszlo refilled his truck with diesel and his generator with fuel. Around 2 PM we were headed east out of Palm Springs on Interstate 10. The desert is in bloom. The Ocotillo are all filled with bright green little leaves and brilliant red flowers on top. The Barrel Cacti have a bright red hue to them. After crossing back into Arizona we stopped at a rest area for ... a brief rest, of course. When we arrived in Quartzsite we turned north on Hwy. 95 and drove a few miles to the High Jolly Camping Area on BLM land.

The BLM camping areas in the desert all around Quartzsite are almost deserted this late in the season. We found our way to a pleasant area to boondock overnight, with a good rock fire pit, and no other campers nearby. We got set up, rested, wandered around exploring the desert and arroyo behind us. I flew my Canadian flag kite for awhile. As my kite rose, Gail started and I joined her in a loud rendition of "Oh Canada", our national anthem. Around 6:30 PM I built a campfire. Around 8 PM Gail made a grilled / warm salad and we all roasted wieners for supper. We had a very pleasant warm evening sitting around the campfire chatting and stargazing until 10 PM.





Thursday ; Quartzsite, Arizona to Laughlin, Nevada

Sunny and warm, a lovely day.

We had a slow start to the day, leaving our Quartzsite boondocking spot at 11 AM, heading north on Hwy. 95. We arrived in Lake Havasu City around 1 PM, parked in a waterfront park parking lot, walked the dogs and had lunch. Laszlo and Gail climbed into our truck and I drove us over to London Bridge. Yes, yes ... that London Bridge. And no, no ... it's not falling down. It was dismantled, shipped brick by brick, and rebuilt in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. HA HA HA ... I kid you not ! And viewing it and walking across it was on Laszlo's "bucket list". So ... cross that one off, pal ! HA HA HA !

We left Lake Havasu City around 2:30 PM, continuing north on Hwy. 95 to Interstate 40, then west on I-40 to the Arizona / California border. We followed Historic Route 66 on the Arizona side of the Colorado River to Hwy. 95 ( again ) leading north ( again ) to Bullhead City. We refilled with diesel ( both trucks ) and crossed the Colorado River into Nevada at the Avi Casino a bit south of Laughlin. We drove to the north side of Laughlin and checked into the Riverside Casino RV Park, arriving around 5 PM.

At 7 PM we drove back to the Avi Casino for buffet dinner. WOO-HOO ! Two For One Thursdays ! We listened to a blues band in the bar for a few minutes then went to the Native Harvest Buffet and ... ate and ate and ate ! Laszlo and Gail joined the Avi Casino's Player's Club, and used their new member's "free play" to win enough to pay for their buffet dinner ... with about four bucks left over. WOO-HOO ! What a successful day ! HA HA HA !

Friday ; Laughlin, Nevada, Bullhead City, Oatman, and Kingman, Arizona

We got a leisurely start to the day, leaving the Riverside Casino RV Park at 11 AM in Laszlo's and Gail's truck heading to Oatman, Arizona. Oatman is an "Old West" mining "ghost" town, restored for tourism, noted for the wild burros that freely roam its streets. We crossed the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada back into Bullhead City, Arizona, then drove south all the way through Bullhead City and beyond, then east to Oatman. We wandered around for an hour or two, taking photographs, meeting burros, browsing and shopping for souvenirs. Before leaving Oatman we ate the picnic lunches we had brought.

Laszlo wanted to drive the very winding "back road" route from Oatman to Kingman, so ... off we went ! The desert vistas were spectacular, with lots of brilliant coloured blooms in the Mojave Deesert. We stopped frequently to wander around and take photos ... of blooming Barrel Cacti and Prickly Pear Cacti and Yuccas and Cholla Cacti and ... ! We reached Kingman, drove around the little city, then drove back to Bullhead City, Arizona and across the Colorado River again to Laughlin, Nevada.

We walked the dogs, then went to explore the Riverside Casino, whose RV park we are staying in. Our RV park stay includes some meal vouchers for the Riverside Casino Buffet Restaurant. We wandered around the casino for an hour or so, Laszlo and Gail joined the Player's Club, then we went to the restaurant for dinner. While lined up to enter the restaurant we saw a woman Joanne and I know in the line a few people behind us. Karla was a recent visitor to Kofa Ko-op. We were the Welcome Committee when she arrived, so that's how we met her. For quite a few days of her stay at Kofa Ko-op she and her dog Mia joined us on our daily pack walks. She is a single woman and was planning to dine alone in the restaurant. We invited her to join us and she accepted.

Dinner was excellent. Friday night in the Riverside Casino Buffet Restaurant is Seafood Feast Night ! MMMMM ! ! ! We ate and talked and ate and talked and ate and talked and ... ! HA HA HA ! After dinner Karla left to return "home" to the RV park. Laszlo and Gail played slot machines with the "free play" money received when they joined the Player's Club, and once again won just enough money to pay for supper and have a few bucks left over. HA HA HA ... two nights in a row ! The four of us wandered around exploring the casino for awhile longer before catching the shuttle bus back to the RV park across the street, arriving back at our rigs about 10 PM.

Saturday ; Sunny and hot.

We had a slow morning. Today was a bit of a "rest and chores" day. After an early lunch we all got into Laszlo's and Gail's truck and headed out. They dropped me off down the street at the Tropicana, and they ( including Joanne ) continued on to do some shopping for groceries at Safeway in Bullhead City. I found a quiet corner table in a small fast food restaurant inside the Tropicana, connected to the casino's free Wi-Fi, and spent two and a half hours trying to get some online work done. In that time,
I accomplished perhaps fifteen minutes of productive work ! The Wi-Fi was terrible !
< sigh > Story of my travelling life ! ! !

I met Joanne, Laszlo and Gail in the Tropicana's parking lot and we spent an hour or so in the hot sunlight viewing the 1955 / 56 / 57 Chevrolets car show displayed in an adjacent parking lot. We returned to the Riverside Casino RV Park about 4:30 PM. Joanne and I gave Bo a bath. My goodness, what a dirty little dog. I phoned a Similkameen Trailer Towing client with a quote and secured a trailer towing job in a few weeks. At 6:15 PM the four of us walked slowly downhill through the RV park to the Riverside Casino and their buffet restaurant ... again ! HA HA HA ! We ate and ate and ate ... of course ... and chatted until after 8 PM. We waddled across the casino and upstairs to the car museum where we wandered around looking at antique and classic cars ... yes, yes, again. We waddled and farted our way across the casino, past the open doors of the concert venue where Sheena Easton was performing, over to the RV park shuttle bus stop, caught the little shuttle bus, and were "home" at our rigs by 9:30 PM.

Oh, boy ... only thirteen and a half hours until our next buffet meal. HA HA HA
< SNORT > HA HA !

DSK