April 13 to 19, 2014 ; Death Valley National Park, California to Goose Lake State Park, California / Oregon border

Sunday ; Death Valley National Park ; Twenty Mule Team Canyon to Wildrose Campground

Sunny and hot in Death Valley during the day. Temperature just shy of 100 degrees ! Cool and windy at the high elevation of Wildrose Canyon in the evening. Today was Day Two of my cold, and I was feeling ... poorly.

This morning we departed our boondocking spot in Twenty Mule Team Canyon and continued on the one way loop gravel road for the final mile or so of it until we once again reached Hwy. 190, the main road through Death Valley National Park. We drove to Furnace Creek, one of the two villages in the park, and into Texas Spring Campground, one of the three National Park campgrounds at Furnace Creek. We checked out the campground, then used their dump station to refill our freshwater holding tank and dump our waste holding tanks.

From Furnace Creek we headed south on Badwater Road seventeen miles to Badwater Basin, the lowest elevation below sea level in North America. We had previously visited Badwater Basin, and I wasn't feeling healthy enough today to want to go hiking across the salt flats so we just viewed them from the parking area. I wanted to conserve what little energy I had for some other hikes I had in mind.

We drove back north on Badwater Road to Natural Bridge, a canyon area with a natural rock formation "bridge" from one side of the canyon to the other. To get to the Natural Bridge requires an uphill hike for half a mile. Normally, not that much of a challenge, but ... on Day Two of a cold ... and with the outside temperature at 97 degrees ... WHEW ... I was huffing and puffing something fierce. The hike downhill back to the parking lot was a lot easier.

We continued driving north on Badwater Road to the Artist's Palette one way, nine mile long scenic drive through "multi-hued volcanic and sedimentary hills" ... like painted mountains ! This was Joanne's primary interest on this visit to Death Valley.

We stopped at the picnic area at Furnace Creek to have lunch. After lunch I napped briefly with Sully. Since there was cell phone service at Furnace Creek Joanne phoned her sister. We departed Furnace Creek about 3 PM, heading north then west on
Hwy. 190 across Death Valley towards Stovepipe Wells, the other village in the National Park. The temperature remained at 97 degrees throughout the afternoon crossing Death Valley.

Shortly after Stovepipe Wells was the road to Mosaic Canyon, a hike through a marble walled canyon. I wanted to hike Mosaic Canyon, but ... I had already done one uphill hike at 97 degrees suffering from a cold, and I wasn't willing to do it again ! We passed by the road to Mosaic Canyon and kept driving.

About eight miles southwest past Stovepipe Wells we turned onto Emigrant Canyon Road for the twenty-one mile trip through Emigrant Canyon, Emigrant Pass, Nemo Canyon and Wildrose Canyon to Wildrose Campground. We were now on the west side of Death Valley in the Panamint Mountains. The elevation rose from below sea level to above 4100 feet. And the higher we got, the thicker the wildflowers became. WOW ... really lovely !

When we arrived at the remote and unserviced Wildrose Campground we were a bit surprised to find that most of the twenty-three campsites were occupied. After getting parked and set up in a site we went for a short exploratory hike. It turned into a much longer hike than we had planned, but we hiked slowly, and it was much cooler here. Bo really enjoyed a long, leisurely hike, as he had spent the entire day in the truck with Sully. Like all U.S. National Parks, Death Valley doesn't allow dogs ... well ... anywhere, it seems !

As we hiked, I noticed a rattlesnake on the side of the road. Oh ... it's dead ! Must have been injured by a car as it crossed the road, although there were no visible crush injuries. A few minutes later as we re-entered the campground ... WHOA ! ! ! A big rattlesnake ! ALIVE ! Good thing I saw it before Bo did. Joanne pulled Bo away and as
I approached slowly to get a better look ... it slithered away underneath a Creosote Bush. Rattlesnakes are shy, and would just as soon avoid a confrontation.

As the sun set, the wind picked up, and the temperature dropped quickly. Chilly evening !

 Monday ; Sunny and warm, nice at this elevation.

 

Our initial plan was to depart Death Valley National Park today, but late last night we changed our minds. While reading the Death Valley National Park tourist information newsletter, I discovered two things ;

1. Death Valley is an excellent place for stargazing, because of the clear atmosphere and absence of light pollution.

2. Tonight ... shortly after midnight ... there will be a total lunar eclipse visible here !

I was very interested in seeing the total lunar eclipse, especially since the positioning of our campsite was such that the moon is visible out our camper's front "picture window" while we are in bed. We can watch the eclipse from bed ! And since I have a cold, a "day off" would be welcome.

So ... this morning we got a lazy start to the day, then ... refilled Elsie's freshwater tank. This is an unserviced campground, but there are a few water spigots throughout the campground. We drove out of the campground and a short distance down a nearby isolated gravel road to dump our grey ( shower wastewater ) tank. As we returned to the campground I decided, on impulse, to drive up to see the 1879 charcoal kilns about eight miles away ... all uphill, from 4100 feet at the campground to something like 8000 feet at the kilns.

On the drive up I had to come to a complete stop to allow a very large snake to slither across the road. From what I could see, I believe it was a Copperhead.

The last two miles of the road to the kilns were extremely rough gravel, violating the decision I had made before leaving Yuma that we would have to forego any rough road / off road adventures on this trip home because of the heavy storage chest on top of the camper and the heavy items packed into the "children's bunk bed" storage area above the dinette table. I need to be better disciplined !

The kilns built in 1879 were used to produce charcoal for a mine thirty miles away ! They used the wood of the abundant Piñon Pines in the surrounding area. It took two weeks to turn the wood into charcoal ! Since the kilns had only been used for about a three year period, they are in extremely good condition, despite being 145 years old.

Sometimes when I look at what our forefathers were able to accomplish, I'm astounded ! This kiln site is so far off the beaten path ... there's no damn path ! ! ! Eight thousand feet up into the Panamint Mountains above the incredibly hostile environment of Death Valley ! Even in 2014 this site is extremely difficult to get to !

 

The entire eight mile return trip to the campground was downhill, so ... HA HA HA ...
I put the truck in neutral and coasted down. For awhile I shut the engine off to really conserve fuel, but ... realized quickly that I needed the engine running to provide power steering and power brakes. DUH ! HA HA HA !

Back at the campground Joanne sat outside in the warm sunlight all afternoon working on Sudoku puzzles while I read and napped with Sully. Late in the afternoon I wanted to start our little generator to give it its monthly "exercise" and ... recharge my computer's battery. I had an extremely difficult time getting it started, and an even more difficult time keeping it running before I clued in. OH ... we're above four thousand feet and the air is thin ! DUH ... again ! ! !

We sat down to eat supper at 7:30 PM ... as the huge, full moon rose above the mountains. WOW !

Yes, yes, the total lunar eclipse was quite spectacular ! And being able to view it from the comfort of our bed was pretty special.

 

Tuesday ; Wildrose Campground, Death Valley National Park to Lone Pine, California

Sunny and warm. This morning we departed Wildrose Campground and drove 21 miles on Emigrant Canyon Road back to Hwy. 190 where we turned west. I was running low on fuel so we had to stop at the first village we came to, Panamint Springs, still within Death Valley National Park, to buy some diesel fuel ... at $5.989 per gallon ! ! ! Without a doubt that will be the most expensive fuel of this winter season. I bought just enough diesel to get us to the first town outside of the National Park, Lone Pine. And just as I finished pumping the fuel, the service station had a power failure, so we couldn't pay by credit card ! Well ... at least I got the fuel pumped before the power failure.

We stopped at Father Crowley Vista Point looking over Rainbow Canyon, the last ( if westbound, first if eastbound ) Death Valley National Park facility. We had lunch and
I napped briefly before continuing westbound on Hwy. 190 out of Death Valley National Park.

 

Just before reaching the town of Lone Pine we stopped at a Visitor Information Center to pick up some information on the route we will be taking, heading north from here, a route we have not travelled before. In town I dropped Joanne off at the local grocery store and I went to a propane supply business to have our propane tanks refilled. After refilling the propane tanks and buying groceries we refilled with diesel at Chevron, then went to find the county park Joanne had picked out for us to stay at.

Twenty-five bucks a night for unserviced sites ? I don't think so ! We found a gravel parking lot behind the McDonald's in town and parked there overnight. With the permission of the McDonald's manager. I spent the last part of the afternoon working in the McDonald's, using their free Wi-Fi, with my laptop plugged into an electrical outlet to recharge the battery. After supper in Elsie I returned to McDonald's to do more computer work. I had a lot of photos to download from my camera to laptop, and then "process" them, and I posted my weekly blog entry.

Thank you very much McDonald's in Lone Pine, California.

Wednesday ; Lone Pine to Crestview Rest Area near Mammoth Lakes, California

Sunny and warm. Today we continued driving north on Hwy. 395, first through the Inyo Valley between the Inyo Mountains on the east and the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the west, then up into the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. The temperature became a lot cooler the higher we climbed up into the Sierra Nevadas. We stopped for the night at a highway rest area just a bit north of Mammoth Lakes ski area. The elevation was somewhere in the vicinity of 8000 feet ASL. It was a pretty chilly evening.

We spent the morning at Manzanar, one of the ten Japanese internment camps in the United States during the Second World War. Over 10,000 AMERICANS of Japanese ancestry were interned ( read that "imprisoned" ) at Manzanar from 1942 to 1945. Bravo for the much touted American Constitution ! < he says with contempt and tongue in cheek > We toured the interpretative center / "living history" museum displays, then watched a brief video presentation. We were fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time. A 74 year old man who was at Manzanar from age 2 to age 5 was also a visitor today. He was persuaded by the staff to give an impromptu presentation of his experience as a young child in the camp, and his life afterwards. Somewhat ironically, he and his wife are also "Snowbirds" returning north to their summer home after spending the winter down south.

We had lunch in the parking lot of the National Park Service / National Historic Site at Manzanar before continuing north on Hwy. 395. At Independence we stopped at a municipal campground to refill our freshwater tank.

Joanne wanted to stop at the "world famous" Schat's Bakery in Bishop and buy some of their "world famous" Sheepherder's Bread. So ... we did ! And we bought a bunch of other baking as well. HEY ... a German bakery is almost as good as a panaderia. HA HA HA ! Across the street from Schat's Bakery was Holy Smoke Texas Style BBQ. Bought a pound of barbecued beef brisket ! Before leaving Bishop we shopped for groceries and refilled with diesel at Von's.

At the ski village of Mammoth Lakes we stopped at the municipal wastewater treatment plant and dumped our waste holding tanks at their RV dump. And just a few miles down the road was the lovely, forested Crestview Rest Area where we boondocked for the night.

MMMMM ... good brisket !

Thursday ; Mammoth Lakes, California to Carson City, Nevada

Mostly sunny and warm. A bit windy in a few areas. A bit cool in a few areas.

This morning before departing the Crestview Rest Area I discovered a truck tire had lost half its air pressure, from 80 PSI to 40 PSI. HMPH ... slow leak ! I did not want to change a tire when the camper was on the truck, if I could avoid it. I decided to risk driving about ten miles back to Mammoth Lakes Village on the low pressure tire. We refilled the freshwater tank at the rest area and headed back to Mammoth Lakes Village, taking the Mammoth Lakes Scenic Loop Road.

In Mammoth Lakes Village we found our way to a tire repair shop ... which was surprisingly busy. I don't know why. Winter / ski season is over, summer / mountain biking season hasn't started yet, why is the village so busy ? I did not want to wait a couple of hours for service, so I filled the tire back up to 80 PSI and we set off again, northbound on Hwy. 395.

Before we reached Crestview Rest Area again, I had a brainstorm. The last time I had a tire slow leak, it was because the screw in metal valve stem had vibrated loose. HMMM ... that could have happened when we were driving over that very rough road to the charcoal kilns a few days ago. We pulled into Crestview Rest Area again. I removed the tire's hub cap and wheel liner, and tightened the screw in metal valve stem. It was a teensy bit loose, so ... hopefully ... that was the problem and it's now solved. I'll know for sure in a day or two.

We continued northbound on Hwy. 395. We took about a half hour or so detour on the June Lake Scenic Loop, passing by four lovely lakes before returning to Hwy. 395. We stopped again at Mono Lake to view the tufa towers, columns of mineral deposits along the shoreline. We stopped in the village of Bridgeport to have lunch, eating our lunch parked in the lot of the closed Tourist Information Center, which was right beside the closed museum and the closed Social Services Office, which was right beside the closed ( forever ) grocery store. Looks like Bridgeport has seen better days !

 

We continued northbound on Hwy. 395 to Carson City, Nevada. Remember the map in the opening scene of the 1960's television show Bonanza ? We stopped at a large shopping mall that had, amongst many other stores, a Wal-Mart and a Trader Joe's. WOO-HOO ... Trader Joe's tomorrow morning. We went into Wal-Mart and did our food and supplies shopping.

I needed Wi-Fi and an electrical plug to recharge my laptop battery ( our little generator is not working ! ). The McDonald's inside Wal-Mart had Wi-Fi, but like many fast food restaurants, no electrical plugs on the walls near the tables. So ... after finishing our Wal-Martin', I reluctantly went to Starbucks. I hate Starbucks. Over two bucks for a small ... sorry, I meant "tall" ... < rolling eyes > ... cup of tea. Pretentious staff. Even more pretentious customers. Obnoxious, too loud, jazz "muzak". Oh, well ! I nursed my cup of tea, worked online, and recharged my laptop battery, for two hours, seated in a corner in a comfortable leather armchair. I suppose that was worth the two bucks !

Good Friday ; Carson City, Nevada to and around Lake Tahoe, Nevada and California to Reno, Nevada

Sunny and warm. Well ... except for when we were up at Mount Rose above Lake Tahoe at an elevation above 8900 feet.

Day seven of my cold and I have finally begun to get better ... at last !

This morning before departing the Wal-Mart shopping mall where we spent the night we walked over to Trader Joe's and ... you know ... spent way too much money buying way too much exotic / gourmet / specialty foods on impulse. Trader Joe's is one of life's great indulgences ! We drove across the street to another mall where I went into Dollar Tree to buy a small hand mirror to replace the one I dropped and broke this morning
< sigh >. Before leaving Carson City we refilled with diesel at Terrible Herbst, a chain of Nevada fuel stations.

We headed north out of Carson City on Hwy. 50, immediately beginning the long ascent up to Lake Tahoe. When we reached Lake Tahoe we stopped at a Safeway store and had lunch in their parking lot. We spent the entire afternoon driving completely around Lake Tahoe, first south to South Lake Tahoe, a very upscale small city, then onto Hwy. 89 around the south end of the lake, crossing from Nevada into California, then north along the west side of the lake. We stopped at Sugar Point State Park to refill with freshwater and dump our grey and black waste holding tanks. At the north end of the lake when we crossed from California back into Nevada and got to Mount Rose Summit, above 8900 feet, I had a brainstorm. HEY ... we don't have any photos of Sully in snow. HA HA HA ! I pulled over to the side of the road, took Sully out of the truck, tossed him into the snow, and took a picture. HA HA HA HA HA ! He was not happy about being awakened from a snooze on the back seat of the truck to be tossed out into the snow. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !

 

We took Hwy. 431 to the northeast which rapidly descended down to the adjacent cities of Reno and Sparks. We stopped at a PetsMart in Reno to buy some dog food, then continued northbound through the cities back on Hwy. 395 once again. We stopped at one of the northern suburbs to boondock overnight in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

Saturday ; Reno, Nevada to Goose Lake State Park, California / Oregon border

Sunny and warm. Before leaving Reno this morning we bought a couple of items at Wal-Mart and refilled with diesel at Smith's, a supermarket chain. We continued northbound on Hwy. 395, crossing from Nevada back into California soon after leaving Reno. We had a long day of driving, covering a lot of miles. We stopped for lunch at a roadside rest area. My lunch was Sheepherder's Bread spread with cream cheese, then a thin layer of smoked salmon / lox, a slice of onion, and some capers. Thank you very much Schat's Bakery and Trader Joe's. HA HA HA !

Late in the day we took a detour to find a National Forest Services campground at the northern tip of California. The campground was supposed to be three miles off the highway. We drove much more than three miles from the highway on a poor mud road. As I attempted to turn around I ripped a mud flap off the truck < fume >.

We continued northbound on Hwy. 395, and as we crossed from California into Oregon we stopped at Goose Lake State Park. Water not turned on, but electricity on, and a dump station available. We decided to stay for the night. We got parked and set up in a site, then went for a short hike with Bo before supper.

Sully wasn't feeling well tonight but ... since we have electricity we will be using his little electric "heater blankie" overnight. That should help him to feel better, hopefully.

DSK

April 6 to 12, 2014 ; Death Valley National Park photos

April 6 to 12, 2014 ; Yuma, Arizona via Nevada to Death Valley National Park, California

LATE ADDITION PHOTOS ABOVE

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

March 30 to April 5, 2014

Sunday ; Laughlin, Nevada and Bullhead City, Arizona
 
Joanne continues to be intermittently ill, plagued by abdominal cramping which has persisted for almost a week now.

Today started out sunny and extremely windy, becoming hot when the wind died down early in the afternoon.

We got a late start to the day, mostly because it was too windy to go anywhere this morning. Around noon we set out to explore Katherine Landing, a nearby National Forest Service campground. When we arrived, the Ranger would not permit us to enter the park to look around for a few minutes. Not the first time this has happened to us at a National Forest Service Campground in this area. And I'm not prepared to pay a daily user fee just for the privilege of going in to look around for a few minutes to see if it's somewhere we might like to return to in the future. So ... with the experience today at Katherine Landing, and previously at other locations, it doesn’t seem likely that the U.S. National Forest Service is going to be getting any money out of my pocket at any time in the foreseeable future ! ! !

We drove into Bullhead City. I went to Home Depot looking for two items. They had one. I drove to Lowe’s looking for the other. They didn’t have it either. No problem,
I know that Wally’s World in Yuma will have what I need. We drove to Silver View RV Resort to check the place out. We have a coupon for a one week stay at a very good price and we might use it next fall on the way south. Before crossing the Colorado River from Bullhead City, Arizona back to Laughlin, Nevada I refilled Lanoire with diesel at Circle K.

Back at The Tropicana’s RV Park, I cranked up Elsie’s TV antenna, plugged the new, swing arm mounted TV into my little inverter, and turned on the TV to look for CBS. The TV works fine on the inverter ( 12V DC to 120V AC ), and I could receive a half dozen or so TV channels with the roof top antenna, but none were CBS. So ... we were not able to watch Amazing Race tonight. AND ... < HMPH > ... some dumb ass recently mounted a dream catcher from the ceiling, and it blocks the view of the TV when seated at the dinette table !

At supper time we went into the casino with my laptop and two coupons we had for $5 food vouchers. We redeemed the coupons and received the two $5 food vouchers at the Player’s Club, then sat outside the Passagio Restaurant for about half an hour while I worked online using the casino’s free Wi-Fi. After posting my weekly blog entry we went into Passagio for their bottomless pasta special. All you can eat soup, salad, garlic breadsticks, and pasta with sauce ... for $7 ! I had soup, we both had salads. Joanne chose fettucine pasta with alfredo sauce. I chose angel hair pasta with basil cream sauce. And ate two bowls of it ! I had a Diet Coke which mysteriously did not appear on the bill, probably because the waiter forgot to bring it and had to be reminded. Bill was $14 minus the two vouchers = four bucks ! Don’t ya just love casinos ? ! ?

Monday ; Laughlin, Nevada to Yuma, Arizona

Sunny and hot. It had been our intention to drive from Laughlin to Quartzsite, then boondock overnight in the desert. But when we got to Quartzsite late in the afternoon it was so windy, and there was so much desert dust / sand blowing around, we decided to continue all the way home to Yuma.

We dumped our waste holding tanks at The Tropicana before leaving Laughlin late this morning. We made it five days without dumping the black waste tank, which I suspected would be the limit. I was right. We drove south on Needles Highway to Needles, California, then east on Interstate 40 to Arizona Hwy. 95. South on Hwy. 95 to Lake Havasu City where we stopped at Safeway to buy some groceries and have a late lunch.

Upon leaving the Safeway parking lot I made a wrong turn and ... VOILÀ ... all of a sudden I was crossing London Bridge, the only thing of any distinction in Lake Havasu City ! Why would somebody dismantle London Bridge, brick by brick, ship it from London, England to the desert in Arizona, and reconstruct it ? ? ? Some old men just have too much money, n'est-ce pas ?

No, no ... it's not falling down ! It stands proudly in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Betcha most of you didn't know that, didja ?

I made a u-turn after crossing London Bridge, drove back over it, and got onto Hwy. 95 continuing southbound ... through Parker and Quartzsite all the way to Yuma, arriving home about 7 PM, just before it got dark.

Tuesday ; Sunny and very warm during the day, windy and very chilly in the evening.

A busy day, starting to get ready for departure in a week. Worked our final shift of this winter season at Humane Society Of Yuma this afternoon. Went to Wally's World to buy some hardware and screen. Replaced the truck camper's entry door screen that Bo busted a few days in Laughlin < sigh >. Poor Bo, was in a hurry to enter the camper, only saw that the solid entry door was open, didn't notice that the screen door was closed. Jumped up, hit the screen, broke it, fell backwards down onto the pavement. OUCH !

Processed Laughlin trip photos and posted some to my blog in the evening.

Joanne phoned her sister. All seems well so far with ten year old dog adopted a few days ago.

Wednesday ; Sunny, warm, very windy all day, very chilly in the evening.

Too windy to work outdoors much today. Was planning to load stuff into truck storage chest on roof top of camper, but ... couldn't do it on a windy day like this !

Spent the evening working the Humane Society booth at the Yuma County Fair. What a parking fiasco ! Got shuffled from one full parking lot to another until, finally, in desperation, and late for shift, parked at Wal-Mart on Pacific and walked from there. Bit of a slow evening at the Humane Society booth, but ... sold $48 worth of merchandise ; calendars and t-shirts.

Thursday ; Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico

Sunny and hot.

Around noon we headed for Los Algodones, our last Mexico trip of the season. First stop was TK Beauty Shop for haircuts. Three dollars for me, five dollars for Joanne. Profitable enough at those prices to justify knocking a large hole in the wall and expanding into the neighbouring space previously occupied by a dentist. We had a leisurely, wonderful lunch of pollo asado at our favourite Los Algodones restaurant. Went to Mini Mercado San Valentin across the street and stocked up on Zuko drink mixes. Over to Mega Dulceria Toons a few doors down to stock up on Nugs, Coconugs, and Creminos. Then to Farmacia Phoenix to stock up on some medications. Last stop was Liquis a.k.a. The Purple Store to buy some vanilla for our friend Eilene. Line up to cross back into the United States was about fifteen minutes today. I was "processed" by a shaved head, steroid filled black ... sorry, make that "African American" < rolling my eyes > ... CBP agent who has been watching too many "bad cop" movies. Thought he should flash me some 'tude just because he can. Save it for someone who gives a rat's ass, dude, I'm Canadian !

On the way back home we ran more shopping errands. Harbor Freight for some freebie "guy stuff". HEY ... the coupons said "no purchase necessary" ! Smart & Final for some Liquid Smoke to make candied salmon in the Sun Oven. Fed Ex to pick up a package that they tried to deliver twice while we were away last weekend. Albertsons for some groceries.

Back at Kofa Ko-op we used the remaining couple of hours of daylight to load "stuff" into the truck storage chest on top of the camper's roof. Whole lot easier said than done ! ! ! Went for a walk in the dog park with Bo. Went for a slow, leisurely bicycle ride at sunset.

Friday ; Sunny and very warm.

Headed out to The Foothills late this morning. Dropped Joanne off at Salvation Army Thrift Store then went to Al's RV Service & Supply to buy a few items at monthly 15% off everything sale. Picked up Joanne and headed out of town northbound on Hwy. 95
a few miles to From The Farm to buy a couple of HUGE artichokes ... and a HUGE lemon. Drove back into Yuma Foothills to do some Wal-Martin'. Final stop on the way home was Peanut Patch to buy enough fresh peanut butter to last seven months.

Back home at Kofa Ko-op we worked on getting ready to depart on Tuesday. Joanne loaded stuff from Harvey ( the fifth wheel trailer ) to Elsie ( the truck camper ). I did routine annual maintenance on Harvey before he goes into storage for the next seven months or so in the brutal heat of Yuma's summer.

Saturday ; Sunny and very warm today. Joanne cooked beef stew in the Sun Oven.

Most of the day was spent preparing for departure on Tuesday. Joanne worked on packing and moving stuff from the trailer to the camper. I worked on getting the trailer ready to be moved to the storage yard tomorrow. I worked on cleaning and putting yard furnishings into storage in the Arizona room and shed. Late in the afternoon we gave Bo a bath.

DSK

PHOTOS ; March 23 to 29, 2014 ; Yuma, Arizona to Laughlin, Nevada

March 23 to 29, 2014 ; Yuma, Arizona to Laughlin, Nevada

Photos to be posted in a few days upon our return to Yuma

Sunday ; Sunny and hot.

This morning we went to Yuma Park N Swap a.k.a. Dog Track Flea Market a.k.a. Yuma Swap Meet a.k.a. Flea Market Los Perros. Joanne bought some cosmetics, we bought some Awesome cleaner to take home to Keremeos, and we bought some produce, including a half dozen of those little tiny Mexican miniature bananas we call Bo-nanas because Bo loves them so much. We had lunch at Carl's Jr., filled up with diesel at Fry's Fuel Bar, then Joanne went into Fry's for a few grocery items while I went to O'Reilly Auto Parts to buy another windshield chip repair kit to keep in the truck ... for the next time we get a rock chip in the windshield. On the way home we stopped at Lowe's. They didn't have what I wanted.

This afternoon I removed the sacrificial anode drain plug from the trailer's water heater and flushed all the scale out of the water heater. I cleaned the anode, inspected it, and decided it would be good for another year. After reinstalling the sacrificial anode drain plug in the water heater I caulked around the new bezel I installed on our old Sun Oven, sealing the new bezel to the oven body. I should have explained to Joanne that she should not pick up the Sun Oven before the caulking dries ... before she picked it up and got her fingers in the wet caulking.
 < sigh >

We took Bo for a late afternoon walk around the dog park then went to the regular Sunday evening ice cream social where we chatted with a neighbour's visiting young grandson. He's in ... online school. I didn't know there was such a concept at the grade eight level ! We're such dinosaurs ! Back at home we watched Amazing Race.

Monday ; Sunny and very hot ! It was our intention to go to Los Algodones today to get haircuts and buy medications, but ... Joanne was ill, so we didn't go. She was disabled for the day by some manner of upset stomach ailment.

I watered all my cactus gardens, then did some "year end" pruning. I washed the truck. I did some online work. I did some computer file backup work. I read a book. I napped in the Arizona room. HEY ... it's a tough job, but somebody has to do it !

Tuesday ; Sunny and very hot ... again. For the second day in a row Joanne was disabled by some manner of stomach ailment, a flu virus perhaps.

We have a ( recently widowed ) neighbour / friend who recently purchased a used truck camper. She asked for my help in learning how to install and remove a camper from a truck. So ... given Joanne's inability today ... I recruited Mary Lou to be my assistant to put Elsie onto Lanoire.

Mary Lou and I got the camper put onto the truck, then I left to run a couple of errands before heading to the Humane Society for my regular Tuesday afternoon shift of dog walking. Joanne didn't go because ... she's sick AND ... the Humane Society of Yuma's cat wing is closed and quarantined due to an outbreak of ringworm !

On the way to the Humane Society I stopped at RV Connection and bought a set of bathroom faucet handles. Then I went to SewMasters of Yuma to buy a vinyl cover bag for our Sun Oven. When I came out of SewMasters I looked up and ... OMG ! ! ! The old truck storage chest which
I had mounted on top of the truck camper was hanging over the back of the camper, just about ready to fall off ! My tie down method had obviously failed ! I climbed the ladder up onto the roof of the camper and discovered ... DAMN ! ... the rubber mat underneath the storage chest had blown off the roof ! DAMN DAMN DAMN ! ! ! I tied the storage chest back into place, hoping that it would hold long enough for me to make it home.

I drove from SewMasters all the way back to Kofa Ko-op looking for the expensive rubber mat that was lost. Didn't find it ! DAMN DAMN DAMN ! ! ! Drove from Kofa Ko-op all the way back to RV Connection. There was the mat, on the side of the road just before RV Connection. Damn lucky that heavy rubber mat didn't fly off the roof of the camper and land on the windshield of a car behind me ! I threw the mat into the truck and headed for the Humane Society, arriving a half hour late.

It was hot, and I was upset, so I only walked dogs for an hour and a half, instead of my usual two and a half hours. I was eager to resolve the storage chest tie down problem. Before I left the Humane Society I climbed up on the roof of the camper and tied the storage chest down again. When I arrived home I climbed up on the camper AGAIN and changed the storage chest's location on the camper roof, and modified my tie down method. Wish me luck !

Wednesday ; We were saddened to learn this morning by e-mail that one of our very first, and dearest, Escapee friends died yesterday in Edmonton, Alberta. Tom was a dear man, and we will miss him. Our sympathies go to Ruth-Anne. Tom and Ruth-Anne were one of two couples who were our original "mentors" in the world of full time RV'ing ten years ago. And Tom and Ruth-Anne were the first visitors we had to our new "home" when we purchased our lot in Riverside RV Park in Keremeos seven years ago.

On a more positive note, our congratulations go to Joanne's sister and two nieces who have decided to adopt a ten year old Poodle mix named Sophie. Lorraine said that she found inspiration in our adoption of Sully at age thirteen, and we are proud that our actions set a good example. Hopefully Sophie will be a good "pack member" with their current dog, Macie the Bichon Frisé .

Today was sunny, but with a very strong wind and blowing sand that obliterated the sky. A desert storm ! Joanne was feeling a bit less ill today than the previous couple of days.

This afternoon I did some spring cleaning in the trailer. Since we did not get to Los Algodones this week for haircuts, I trimmed my beard. It was unruly and uncomfortable. The camper was not sitting correctly on the truck so we removed the turnbuckles, raised the camper up on its jacks, and carefully repositioned the truck underneath, then remounted the camper onto the truck. Lots of work for such a tiny adjustment, but ... the camper will remain on the truck now for over a month, and all the way back home to B.C., so I was being fussy about the accuracy / alignment.
I paid some bills, both here at Kofa Ko-op and online. In the evening, after having supper and watching Survivor, we went Wal-Martin'. I hate Wal-Martin' but if I have to do it, late on a Wednesday evening is as good a time as any. We used the trip to Wal-Mart as a "test drive" for the new location and new tie down method of the truck storage chest on the roof of the camper. Everything seemed secure !

Thursday ; Yuma to Quartzsite, Arizona

Sunny and warm, after a very chilly night.

By the time we were finished morning chores and were ready to depart it was about noon. We left Yuma headed south on Hwy. 95 towards Quartzsite. We stopped at "FROM THE FARM", a local produce farm and market to see if they have any artichokes yet. YES ! HUGE ONES ! A buck apiece ! WOO-HOO ! We'll get some on the way back to Yuma on Tuesday. And we'll get more when we depart Yuma again in two weeks. MMMMM ... fresh, LARGE artichokes for a dollar !

Halfway to Quartzsite we turned off Hwy. 95 at Mile Marker 55 heading northeast into the Kofa Wildlife Refuge, the Castle Dome Mountains, and lovely Castle Dome Peak. After three paved miles and seven miles of rough gravel road we reached Castle Dome Mines / Castle Dome City, a 150 year old silver and lead mining ghost town, now a museum / tourist attraction. We spent about 2½ hours wandering around the town site, viewing the three dozen or so restored buildings filled with artifacts. By then ( 5 PM ) my feet were getting sore ... shouldn’t have worn my new Birkenstock sandals to walk that much over such rough desert terrain ... so it was time to move on, even though we had not yet seen it all. Maybe we'll return for another visit next year ?

We drove back to Hyw. 95 then continued north to Quartzsite. It looks like most of the thousands of flea market vendors in Quartzsite have left for the season, but tomorrow morning we’ll browse a bit before moving on. We continued north through town to the Hi Jolly boondock area at Mile Marker 112 a few miles north of Quartzsite, arriving moments before dusk ( about 7 PM ). Bo and Sully both enjoyed wandering around the desert for awhile before it got dark outside and we went inside the camper to have supper.

Friday ; Quartzsite, Arizona to Laughlin, Nevada

Sunny and hot. We got a late start to the day. Before leaving our boondock campsite out in the desert I dumped our grey waste tank in the arroyo behind our campsite. We headed into Quartzsite for a bit of flea market browsing. Neither of us was too enthusiastic about that today, so we only spent an hour at it, buying just a few small items.

We continued northbound on Hwy. 95. Arizona Hwy. 95, not California Hwy. 95 which is just on the other side of the Colorado River which both states' Highway 95 follows. We stopped in a Safeway parking lot in Parker to have lunch and buy a few grocery items. I also refilled our freshwater tank using a landscaping water spigot I noticed on the landscaped area between the Safeway parking lot and the highway.

In Lake Havasu City we stopped at Home Depot. They did not have the item I was looking for.
I stopped there only because it was right on the highway, making it more convenient to stop there at Home Depot in Lake Havasu City than to go to Home Depot in Yuma.

Hwy. 95 is "interrupted" at Interstate 40. We travelled west on I-40 for ten miles or so, then northwest on Historic Route 66 for another ten miles or so until it reached the continuation of Hwy. 95. Somewhat odd road engineering < rolling eyes >. Kind of like travelling in Mexico. HA HA HA !

In Bullhead City we refilled with diesel at Maverik Fuels, then crossed the Colorado River to the Avi Casino on the Nevada side of the river, a bit south of the city of Laughlin. Bo became very happily excited when we pulled into the Avi Casino's RV boondock parking lot. "HEY ... I've lived here before !" Geeeez, Bo, it's just a casino parking lot ! There was just enough time before it got dark to take Bo for a long walk, and then we went inside the casino to pick up local entertainment magazines.

Joanne is still felling ill.

Saturday ; Laughlin, Nevada and Bullhead City, Arizona

Sunny and hot, temperature in the high 80's, low 90's, depending on whose thermometer you believe.

This morning we left the Avi Casino and drove north on Needles Highway from the Avi which is south of Laughlin, through Laughlin to the north side of town, and onto Casino Drive ... "The Strip". We checked in at The Tropicana. We had a coupon for "buy one night, get one night free" in their unserviced / "boondock" RV park.

We checked in, selected a site, then went shopping across the Colorado River in Bullhead City, Arizona. We drove from one end of Bullhead City to the other, stopping at each one of five optical shops looking for replacement nosepieces for my eyeglasses. I don't like the silicone nosepieces on my eyeglasses and I want to change them to hard plastic nosepieces ... which apparently nobody has !

When we reached the south end of Bullhead City ... and the bridge across the Colorado River back into Nevada ... we stopped at a large grocery store to buy a jug of milk, then crossed the Colorado River again, and drove north back to the Laughlin, Nevada "Strip" again.

The Tropicana had an Outdoor Food Fest event on each Saturday in March. Today's featured item was barbecued beef brisket on a bun, with potato salad, corn fritters ( very nice ! ) and apple pie. We had that for supper in their outdoor dining and entertainment venue, Victory Plaza. While having supper we enjoyed listening to the live music of Krisy Thompson.

After supper it was time to head to the Riverside Casino for ... WOO-HOO ... ZZ TOP ! The weather was so lovely we decided to walk the mile or so to the Riverside where the outdoor concert was staged on the roof top of the parkade. "GIMME ALL YOUR LOVIN" ... "LEGS" ... "SHARP DRESSED MAN " ... ! ! ! The classic MTV videos for all their hits playing on big screen TV's in the background ! Even fuzzy white guitars while playing LEGS. I sure was hoping they were going to spin them. HA HA HA ! But I guess that's just an MTV video special effect.

We walked back to The Tropicana and ... there was another live band playing outside in Victory Plaza. We sat down and enjoyed The Kid & Nic Show for about an hour. Wandering through the casino to get back to the RV park we stopped for a few minutes at one of the casino bars to watch another live band called Block Party. Certainly enjoyed a lot of live music today !

In the early 1980's ... yes, yes, more than 30 years ago ... I was in a "car rally" with two friends from work. We wore tuxedo t-shirts and dark, cheap sunglasses, and entered our team as "The Sharp Dressed Men". As we approached each rally checkpoint, we blasted ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man" at very loud volume on the car stereo. HA HA HA ! Not too long after that one of those friends died ... in his early 20's ... of a ruptured brain aneurysm. First time I had a friend younger than me die ! Tonight ... I remember him !

DSK

March 16 to 22, 2014

Sunday ; Sunny and hot.

This morning we did some routine maintenance then loaded the fifth wheel hitch head into the bed of the truck. After lunch we headed out towards The Foothills to drop the hitch head off at neighbours of ours from back home at Riverside RV Park Resort. Paul and Kolly will haul our fifth wheel hitch head back home to Keremeos for us. Thank you !

After visiting briefly with Paul and Kolly we continued east towards The Foothills where we ran some shopping errands at Wally's World and O'Reilly Auto Parts.

Before we left home Joanne put a beef stew to cook in the Sun Oven. By the time we returned home, it was done. We had an early supper then attended the regular Sunday evening ice cream social before watching Amazing Race.

Monday ; St. Patrick's Day

Sunny and hot. This morning when I was watering my cactus gardens, little lizards came running from all directions. WATER ! ! ! HA HA HA ! As the weather gets hotter and hotter I guess the poor little guys have to get their water whenever and wherever they can.

This afternoon we puttered around with some routine spring maintenance chores on the trailer. I cleaned the battery terminals. I removed the floor registers and Joanne vacuumed in the ducts. I washed and de-waxed / de-oxidized above the awning line of the trailer.

We went to the park's St. Patrick's Day corned beef and cabbage dinner. It was okay. Certainly not as nice as when Joanne cooks corned beef. And ... < shrug > ... with the colitis flare-up I've been experiencing for the last week or so, I certainly couldn't eat any cabbage.

In the evening we watched MasterChef Canada. Yes, yes, we Canadians certainly are a "kinder, gentler" nation, n'est-ce pas ? But really ... Nanaimo Bar perogies ? ! ? HA HA HA ! Hey, Sharon ... can you spell "pout-rogie" ? HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !

Sorry ... inside family joke !

Tuesday ; Windy ! Dusty ! Warm !

Too windy to do the outdoor chores I had planned for this morning, so I had a bit of a lazy morning. After lunch we went over to our friend Carol Mae's to watch the final episode of last season's Amazing Race which she recorded for us. Thank you Carol Mae. Afterwards we went to the Humane Society for our regular Tuesday afternoon shift of cat cuddling and dog walking.

Today I walked a deaf pit bull. She had a page of doggie sign language attached to her cage door. Who knew ? It was interesting to communicate with a dog in a new way.

After a bit more than two hours of walking dogs I was tired. I went to the cat room to wait for Joanne to finish. She asked for my help to finish up. I was opening cupboards looking for something she asked me to get for her when ... HEY ! All of a sudden, the cat who had been missing since early this morning showed up. HA HA HA ! I guess Meow ( the cat's name ) hid in a cupboard when her cage was being cleaned this morning and spent the entire day hiding in there.

When we got home, I gave Sully his daily blood pressure medication. As sometimes happens when I give it to him on an empty stomach ... he vomited a few minutes later. Then stepped in it ! Oh, Sully ! I had to give him a foot bath. Which resulted in a lot more than just his feet getting wet. Poor Sully !

Wednesday ; Sunny and hot.

This morning I repaired a chip in the truck's windshield. By myself ! Using a windshield chip repair kit I recently bought. And I'm going to buy another one of those windshield chip repair kits to have on hand just in case. They cost twelve dollars. I bought the first one using a five dollars off coupon. And I have another coupon ! The results are as good as ... or better ... that the forty dollar windshield chip repairs I've had done at auto glass shops. My repair today is as good as the repair I had done near Tucson a year ago, and better than the one I had done in Cawston, B.C. about five or six years ago. As a matter of fact, I had a bit of resin left over after finishing today's repair, and I used it to "touch up" the old repair done in Cawston, making it even better than it was.

Late this afternoon Joanne and I "hosted" the Wednesday afternoon "heavy appetizers" / hors d'oeuvres potluck Happy Hour. Small crowd ! The northward migration has begun. Afterwards, during the remaining hour of daylight, we finished the waxing of the upper part of the trailer on the curb side. It has already become too hot to do much outdoor work here between noon and 6 PM.

Thursday ; Cloudy in the morning, sunny in the afternoon, very warm.

This morning we did some annual maintenance chores on the trailer. After lunch Joanne went to run some shopping errands. I disassembled and rebuilt our old Sun Oven using some repair parts I ordered. In the evening we went to another one of the Thursday evening free jazz concerts at Yuma Palms Shopping Center. After the concert we went to PetsMart to buy some dog food, then Famous Footwear to buy me some Birkenstock sandals. YIPPPEEE ! ! ! Afterwards we went for a very late supper to Golden Corral, another buffet restaurant we like to visit once per year.

Friday ; Sunny and hot. I cooked potatoes and eggs in the Sun Oven. Joanne used them to make potato salad for supper tonight.

This morning we went shopping to Arizona MarketPlace, the local, large flea market and browsed through the entire market, buying a few items. This afternoon I finished rebuilding / reassembling our old Sun Oven. Joanne did laundry. I did some minor home improvement projects on Elsie the truck camper. I chatted with neighbours who received their new Sun Oven today, deciding to buy it as a result of my recent Sun Oven demonstrations. That makes two neighbours who bought Sun Ovens as a result of my recent cooking demonstrations. In the evening I worked on bill paying and finances.

Saturday ; Sunny and hot.

This morning we went to a potluck brunch in the clubhouse. MMMMM ... good !

This afternoon Joanne went thrift store shopping. Mercifully ... by herself ! HA HA HA !
I worked on maintenance and spring cleaning chores. AND ... my semi-annual exercise of taking inventory of medications and figuring out what medications I need to buy in Mexico before we leave here. That sounds like an easy chore, but ... it's not. How much meds do we have here right now ? How much is left back home in B.C.? How much should go to the truck camper to travel back home with us ? How much should stay here in Yuma ? How OCD am I really ? ! ? HA HA HA !

In the evening I again worked on bill paying and finances.

DSK