Las Vegas

Since I have never been to Las Vegas, I thought it might be fun to see the place.  CSI Las Vegas was one of my favorite shows when we had TV at the house. 

I checked my Passport America book and found a resort there.  I called and yes, I could get the PA discount and could make a reservation.  I booked for three nights, and although I didn't have to make a deposit, I requested an email confirmation.  Good thing I did, because when I checked in the desk lady didn't want to give me the discount.  I showed her the printed confirmation that noted the PA discount.  "Oh" she said, and found us a spot.

As I was walking out of the lobby (a quite nice place) a silly looking old lady wearing leather pants and a golf cap approached me with a hand full of coupons for the area. She was hustling people to sit through a sales presentation the next day. The lure was a "free" notebook computer, plus two free nights at the resort.  It was OK with Craig, so I said yes. We sat through the presentation saying "no" to everything.  At the end of  it all we managed to pass on the "no name" notebook as well. We would have had to pay $39 in shipping and handling. The salesman turned it into an extra free day's stay.  The best part was that we don't have to come back.  They let us add it onto our current stay.  So we ended up getting to stay at a decent place with two nice pools, a hot tub, and an exercise room  six nights for only $75 total.  Can't beat that! 

Pool at Oasis RV Resort, Las Vegas Nevada

On Friday, shortly after arriving, Craig hit his head on the underside of the slide while hooking up the water, and felt he needed to be driven to an ER.  Head cuts bleed profusely, and he had taken some Aleve earlier in the day which acts as a blood thinner. I looked at the cut when I gave him a wash rag to press on it and declared it "not too bad." But he was shook up by the blood running in his eyes and dripping on his shoes. By the time we got to the ER the bleeding had stopped. A doctor checked it and said he was fine and didn't need any stitches.  He felt silly, but I was happy because I would rather take him to the ER for a little thing than a heart attack or major accident.

That night we walked around the strip and went into a couple of stores and the MGM Casino. The weather was pretty cold and we were tired so we went back to the Alfa early.

I did a weeks worth of wash Saturday morning after the presentation, and then we went to The Mob Museum.  Several people have told me it was a great exhibit, but I have to say I was not wowed by it. 

I have seen several documentary shows on the History channel that covered the same subjects.  Some of the pictures and most of the stories were things I had seen before.  

Not money well spent.



Sunday there were two NFL playoff games Craig wanted to watch, so I went shopping at one of the outlet malls.  I'm not much of a shopping fanatic, but I enjoy looking for clothes more now that I'm thinner. I bought one new top and some fun socks.

Monday we went to Hoover Dam, which is the subject of my next post.  I feel we are making every day count, but are also taking our time to do mundane things like grocery shopping and the wash.

I could really get to like this lifestyle!

Beware of what you wish for.  While in Death Valley I said that I wished I knew more about geology. Like many RV parks, the Las Vegas resort has a free book exchange.  Guess what I found.

It is an older text book from California State University.  I have started to read it and am sure it is for a Geology 101 course.  I remember a lot that I have read so far, but my knowledge is mostly from grade school science, the Discovery Channel, and signage at park visitors stations.

It is never too late to learn!
What do you want to know more about?

Death Valley, Mosaic Canyon

Wednesday, after leaving the dunes we continued our exploration of Death Valley with a short trip to Salt Creek to see if we could spot some Pupfish.  It seems they are very shy at this time of year, and we couldn't find any.  The few pictures we took didn't seem post-worthy.

After a little picnic lunch at the creek, we went on to Mosaic Canyon which is just down the road from Stovepipe Wells.  Here we walked up a canyon with walls that were (in places) a polished marble.  Very different from anything we had seen before.










The floor of the canyon was a coarse gravel like stone that didn't seem to match the walls at all.  When we looked up, we could see areas of similar dark colored stone high above. I am fascinated by the formations.  I told Craig I wish I knew more about geology.

As we walked thru the canyon it was easy to imagine a roaring rush of water ripping and scoring the stone walls. 

Wednesday was our last day at the Stovepipe Wells park. We enjoyed our time there very much, and I think we did most of the  walks that were accessible with our little car. There are many more canyons to discover, but we don't like to drive more than a couple of miles on the gravel roads with the Accent, and the other trails are farther in. 

Maybe the next time we are here we will rent a Jeep for a few days.  They are available at Furnace Creek.

Because it was our last day, I decided to give the pool a try.  The gal at the reservations office said it was heated, and I had seen some teenagers swimming the day before. There was a large solar array on the roof of the game table area enclosure.

It may have been heated, but it was not very warm.  Craig put a toe in and declared he would stand by as my life guard. Once in, it wasn't too cold, and I did enjoy it.  It is January after all!

So ends this chapter of our travels.  The next morning we packed up and drove to Las Vegas.  Another world!

Mesquite Flats Dunes, Death Valley

On Wednesday, we started our day with a walk into the sand dunes at Mesquite Flats.  

Most of the Death Valley floor is either a hard salt and sand mix with a variety of scrubby creosote bush, desert holly, and salt grass. In this area and in one other, the sand has been trapped by the wind currents and has developed into shifting dunes.

I found my trekking poles came in handy, but were not really necessary.  The top few inches of sand were soft and loose, below that I could feel a hard base.

I now have a tactile understanding of why camels have big feet.

When I got to the top I was quite warmed up and took off my windbreaker.  It was quite a distance.  Everything is farther away or bigger than it seems.

There were many footprints along the ridges and on the sides of the dunes closest to the parking area giving evidence to the many people who have walked there recently.  I don't know how much of a wind it takes to erase them.

I'm glad we were able to experience the dunes, knowing the damage we did was temporary. Our tracks will be blown away.  

The park information indicated the dunes extend about two miles, getting smaller as they go.  This was taken from the top of one of the largest dunes.  It was neat to see the sand mostly unmarred.

We had two other small adventures Wednesday, but I will leave those for the next post. 

Weather report:  First week of January 2013, Death Valley National Park.  Overnight temps in high 30's.  No worry about freezing water hose or pipes.  Afternoon temperatures very comfortable in the mid to high 60's.  Sunny.  Great for hiking!

For more great pictures of Death Valley, check out Carol K's blog.

 She and Dave were here at the same time.

Scotty's Castle and a Hike in Golden Canyon

In an effort to catch up, this post covers two of our days in Death Valley. 

On Tuesday we went to Scotty's Castle, a one time private "winter get away" with an interesting origin.  

Scotty was a con-man ... 

Well, you just have to go there yourself to learn the rest of the story. The ranger-guided tour of the house, basement, and tunnels were well worth the ticket price.   

Every castle has to have at least one tower!

The beams were hand carved on site.

It is difficult to pick which detail picture to include.  I loved this spread and headboard. Everywhere you looked there were priceless pieces of furniture and art.

The only negative about the day was the temperature. Because Scotty's Castle is at 3000 feet altitude it was much colder there than on the valley floor.  It was COLD!

On Wednesday we did a fairly easy six mile hike. We started up Golden Canyon, went up to Zabriskie Point, and came back by way of Gower Gulch. 

The day was perfect.  Warm in the sunshine, and cool in the shade.  The clouds varied almost as much as the rock formations.  

It seemed that every time you turned or looked in a different direction a new type or color of stone presented itself.

Colors!  Most were soft earth tones, but from time to time you could see violet, pink, green, ocher, and sienna all at once.

I did not expect Death Valley to be like this. 

I love it.

Dec 31, 2012 in Death Valley

Because we had no decent internet in the valley, we will be posting days behind real time:

[From Craig] The last day of 2012 was one of the best we've had since we started RVing, in terms of seeing things and recording what we're seeing.

First we drove to the Badwater area, which is the lowest place in the Western Hemisphere. Everyone who comes there is required by law to pose and be photographed with this sign.







Badwater has a mountain right behind it, with a sign that says "SEA LEVEL" nearly halfway up its face.  As photography and web technology advance, someday some may be able to take a picture like this, and someone else may be able to read the sign, probably on a larger image.  For now you just have to take our word for what the little white text says.

Since Badwater is the lowest place around, on the rare occasions when it rains in Death Valley (1.4 inches per year), the runoff wants to come here.  And because the ground in deserts doesn't absorb much water, a fair amount of it gets here and then evaporates leaving its minerals (salt) behind.

Next we drove up the road to a canyon that includes this rock formation called the  Natural Bridge. 

 It doesn't look delicate.

The canyon also includes this dry waterfall, which was carved by the runoff from the (hardly ever) rainfall.

The next attraction along the road was a place called the Devil's Golf Course, which features broken blocks of rock topped with thick salt "frosting".  Here's a closeup.  Every golf shot would be lost between the rocks!

The best place we saw today is called the Artist Drive.  It's a one-way winding road through mountains that have the best colors and contrasts in Death Valley.

By the end of Artist Drive, both Merikay and I were blown away with the beauty of the mountains.  

The last stop of our day was a change of pace: the Harmony Borax Works, which operated from 1882 through 1889 to refine borax for industry and home cleaning. 

 Here Merikay checks out one of the 20 Mule Team wagon rigs used to haul borax to the railroad.






After such a day, we didn't have much energy left for New Year's Eve celebrations. Dinner in the coach, a spirited game of Yahtzee, a bottle of champagne, and finally pickled herring (for luck in the new year) concluded 2012 for us.  Hope you had fun too!

To Barstow and Death Valley

So here we are, in Death Valley National Park on the last day of a very interesting year. 

Some of the other bloggers have written posts about their year of full time RVing.  We are not there yet, but I feel we’ve made significant progress in that direction!  

In the last 16 months we have bought a motor home, Craig has retired, we have traveled to four wonderful national parks, fulfilled my wish to see the Rose Bowl parade, and completed numerous projects on the house.  

Yes I would say it has been a good year (plus.)

What will the next year bring?  I hope that by this time next year we too will be full timing and house free.  Don’t know where we will be parked.

I never have been one for making resolutions.  I do set goals and make plans.  But this year I am making a resolution.

In the next year I resolve to do at least 12 good deeds.  12 things, big or small that I have not done in the past.  I hope to be a better person.

Now on to the RV post!

Our drive from Desert Hot Springs to Barstow was a bit more hectic and a bit longer than  expected.  

Craig’s glasses are not the run of the mill “Lens Crafters” variety, and thus he needed to find a real optometrist office rather than just an optical department to fix them.  But because it was Saturday our choices were limited.  We decided to head to a bigger city, Riverside, since we also needed to get our propane filled and top off the diesel fuel, and Gas Buddy told us the prices were lower in that direction.

We first tried a Walmart Optical Department and they directed us to an optometrist that was open and could help us.  I won’t go into all of the details, but driving a 54’ RV rig (including toad) through a strange city is not fun!  Getting into the UHaul lot for propane required several passes around residential streets to get to the entrance that we could drive into and thru without unhooking the car! But we did it.

The stop at the optometrist went smoothly with me dropping Craig off and driving the Alfa to a side street and waiting for his call on the walkie-talkie before going back to pick him up.  This optometrist fixed the glasses with a spot weld because he did not have a screw that fit either.  Hopefully this will be the last time we are on this chase.

Craig even managed to get the McRib sandwich he wanted after seeing all of the McDonald billboards. I dropped him off and waited in a Walmart parking lot next door. (I had a salad.)

Driving out of Riverside and to Barstow we had another first. Rain. Craig had installed new wipers on the Alfa and between them, the new front tires and alignments and the new shocks, the rig handled nicely. We are beginning to think there might be a “break-in period” with the new shocks.  The ride is definitely smoother now.

As we approached Barstow we saw many clusters of RVs boondocking in the desert. 

As I said before, we are not there yet.  We had our reservation at a little inexpensive ($27) RV park with drive-thru and hookups.

Although since it was only an overnight and freezing temperatures were a possibility, we only hooked up the power. The place was small and old, but clean and loved. 

We pulled out of Barstow about 11:00 AM for a sunny 200 mile drive.  Although I would never want to live in the desert full time, the ever changing views of the mountains are a feast for the eyes. 

We are now at the Stovepipe Wells RV park, with full hookups for five nights.    

Happy New Year everyone!

Death Valley

Internet so slow here I will catch up in a few days..