Blown into California

Today we left Vegas heading southwest on I-15. It was a tough day. First we stopped at Exit 1 in Primm Nevada for lunch and 1 more visit at their gaming establishment. We went to Buffalo Bills and had lunch at their Wagon Master Coffee shop. I had my usual Mexican lunch and Gary had breakfast. Pretty good food overall. We got back on the road about 2pm. We stopped in Baker California for fuel and I got out to take a picture of the largest thermometer in the world.
When I got back in the truck I realized I didn't have my cell phone. It isn't to be found anywhere. Not in the truck, on the ground, in the store, in the house..no-where..I think I left it in the Wagon Master when we had lunch. That is the last place I remember having it. We called the restaurant and no one had turned it in. I talked to Security too and they took my contact information. If it turns up they said they'd call us. I'm not counting on that though. I called All-Tell and canceled the line for now.
I feel naked...I want my phone. OK..just a little whining..oh how attached we become to our electronic stuff!!!
We still have Gary's phone so we'll make out for now. Only time will tell if it turns up.

Continuing on I-15 we went thru a construction zone..slow..slow..slow
then, the winds started. Wind..wind..wind..slow..slow..slow..sometimes we were only going 30 miles an hour on an interstate that had a 70 mile per hour speed limit. We were being pushed hard. Gary did an excellent job keeping us between the lines but it was tough.
Several miles inside California we had to stop at the state Agricultural checkpoint. The inspector came into the house, had me open the refrigerator so he could see what fruits or vegetables we had. He asked a lot of questions. Where were we from, which county, did we have unshelled nuts or other plants. He checked my lucky bamboo(my only houseplant). The wind was so bad we both had to open and close the house door together to keep it from banging against the house. No problems, so we rolled on into the wind again. We finally arrived at Thousand Trails tonight about 7pm.

This TT preserve isn't as nice as some of the others we have stayed at. They have a lot of problems with the electric system and many of the sites don't have working electric boxes. We were told to check the box before moving into the site to be sure there was electric. We did and settled on our second choice of site. So far it is working OK, and hopefully our electrical monitoring system will catch any problem before it can cause any damage to the house. We're both pretty tired and ready for bed. Traveling against the wind, losing my phone, and arriving so late has worn us out. So, good night all. Hope you're doing well. Love, Deb

Colorado River Bridge at Hoover Dam

A new bridge is being built around Hoover Dam. An engineering marvel.
I've included some pictures of Hoover Dam followed by pictures of the new bridge under construction.

Lake Mead Pictures

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

From their web site: "Lake Mead National Recreation Area offers a wealth of things to do and places to go year-round. Its huge lakes cater to boaters, swimmers, sunbathers, and fishermen while its desert rewards hikers, wildlife photographers, and roadside sightseers. It is also home to thousands of desert plants and animals, adapted to survive in an extreme place where rain is scarce and temperatures soar."

Lake Mead is a reservoir created by Hoover Dam. About 96 percent of the water in Lake Mead is from melted snow that fell in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming. There must have been several consecutive years where outflow has exceeded inflow because the water levels is pretty low. But, folks were still enjoying it on this sunny weekday.

Las Vegas Casino Pictures

These are pictures of the skyline and casino buildings in Las Vegas. You are not allowed to take pictures inside the buildings. For that I am sorry because some of them are quite a sight.

It's Vegas Baby!!!

Yep, we're in Sin City. And there are sights to see. All kinds of sights.
Wednesday night we went to Fremont Street to experience the Fremont Experience. Just a normal Wednesday night..right??!! Fremont Street has many of the older casinos that were started in the days of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack. Several blocks of the street have been closed to cars. It has a metal mesh roof that contains fiber optics and at night they flashed lights and signs on it. Very impressive.
We saw crowds of people...people eating, drinking, dancing, laughing, and yes even gambling.
There was a guy playing the sax...a band singing Rolling Stones tunes..it was a "sight" to see. We enjoyed walking along and absorbing it all. The police were there, on bikes, on foot and on Segway.

We eat dinner at one of the casinos...$7.77 all you can eat buffet. And it was actually pretty good. I didn't take my camera but if we go back I will. Afterward we drove down Las Vegas Blvd. This 3 and half mile strip has 1 mega-hotel and casino after another for your pleasure.

We spent the rest of our time in Vegas resting, working, sampling the local cuisine and visiting a few of their gaming establishments. Nothing exciting, but enjoyable.

We did drive out to Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam one afternoon. There is a new bridge and road being built that will bypass the Dam. Once it opens next year, no one will be allowed to drive over the dam any more. A security checkpoint is now in place right before the dam. We were just waved thru, but we did see another pickup stopped and the back of it being inspected. I guess they are looking for bombs or other incendiary devices. The new bridge is a marvel of engineering. I don't think there is enough money that would get me to do the job they are doing. We watched them move men and equipment via a gondola suspending from cables moving from 1 side of the river to the other. Way too high up and scary for me.

Grand Canyon Pictures. Enjoy..

Verde Vally Thousand Trails

We spent 4 nights at this wonderful Thousand Trails park. It is located a few miles outside Cottonwood in the Verde Vally. We liked this park the best of any we've stayed in so far. Beautiful mountains surround the park. We will surely return when we are able. For two days we toured the area. Sedona, Prescott Vally, Prescott, Camp Verde and Cottonwood. The area is beautiful beyond words. And depending on where you are the terrain changes. The colors range from all shades of green to the richest shade of orange and red.

We visited Montezuma Castle National Monument and Montezuma Well. It is one of a number of well-preserved ancient dwellings in north central Arizona. We were told that it is probably the most spectacular; an imposing 20 room, 5-storey structure built into a recess in a white limestone cliff about 70 feet above the ground. When first (re)discovered the ruins were thought to be Aztec in origin, hence the name bestowed on them by early explorers, but they are now known to belong to the Sinagua Indian peoples who farmed the surrounding land between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, before abandoning the area.
We hiked the short but very steep trail to the top of the mountain. Very impressive views of the surrounding area and the Well.
On Sunday we drove to Sedona. The rock formations in the area are indescribable. Beautiful. We ate lunch at a KFC. I tried the new grilled chicken. OK, but it needed more spice for me. I like a kick to my food.
On Monday we rolled out again. Our destination was going to be Kingman Arizona. But..as we've said before "our plans are in jello". We stopped in Williams for lunch. Williams is the Gateway to the Grand Canyon. It is only 59 miles from the park. So, we decided we just couldn't pass that close to the park without visiting. So, we found an RV park and stayed for 2 nights.
Yesterday we drove up to the Park. We visited it with Van and Rita a few years ago. The day was cool and very windy. I was very glad to wear a jacket and hat. We walked along the South Rim. I took many pictures. I'll post some as soon as I can.
Today we moved on into Nevada.

On the road to Arizona.

This morning we pulled out of Hidden Valley about 8:30am. First stop was the Holiday RV Dealer. When we arrived last week, our living room slide didn’t want to slide out. Mr P climbed under the house, held up the motor, I pushed the button and it went out but not happily..it made ugly nosies. We called Carriage and reported the problem and they had us contact Andrew at Holiday. Due to the RV Rally that they were participating in, we couldn’t get in on Tuesday. They were busy moving all of their RV’s back onto their lot. So, we stayed over an extra day and went this morning. God was smiling on us. Once it was determined the motor was bad, they actually had the part in stock. Sometime in the past they had ordered it for another customer but didn’t need all that came. So, they had it..wow..talk about luck. At first we thought they’d have to order the part and we’d have to stay here longer. That wouldn’t be a problem, but it was nice to have it repaired so quickly. We were on the road again by about 11am.
This afternoon we’ve traveled I-40 heading to Holbrook Arizona. We’ll spend the night there and move on tomorrow to Cottonwood. The plan is to stay at the Thousand Trails for 4 nights. We’ll be able to tour around Sedona and Verde Valley while there.

Tuesday on the Turquoise Trail

Tuesday morning the rally was over. Several rigs that had been staying at the Balloon Fiesta Park moved into Hidden Valley with us. We spent the afternoon riding up NM 14 which is called the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway. We went as far as Madrid a small artsy town.
Afterward we took the Sandia Crest National Scenic Byway up to the Sandia Crest. The Crest is a mile above the surrounding countryside and 2 miles above sea level. The Sandia Crest Highway is the highest scenic drive in the southwest. The Sandia Mountains were created by an uplift, leaving the forested eastern slope we drove up, and a craggy, cliff-like western face. Part of the Cibola National Forest, the Sandias are home to Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, mule deer, black bear and many other mammals and birds— including the golden eagles. Mostly we saw snow..snow and more snow. I think the only animal I saw was 1 little rabbit. Oh-well maybe next time. We carefully walked up the ramp to the overlook. As you can see from the picture it was partly covered with snow. The view overlooking Albuquerque was beautiful and worth the slightly cold feet I got.

The Rally

The Infinity group which now owns the Good Sam RV Club, Camping World and Coast to Coast put on a 5 day Rally here in Albuquerque. We had planned this trip with our friends Gary and Suzanne Tomlinson. But, due to a health issue they had, they had to return to Michigan and were unable to come. We stayed at Hidden Valley RV Resort in Tijeras. This small town is about 15 miles east of Albuquerque.
At about 1500 feet higher elevation than Albuquerque it was a bit colder. We had night-time temps in the low 30’s every night. On Friday night we came home from the Rally evening entertainment to see that it was snowing hard. It had snowed, sleeted and rained all day but this was a bit of a surprise. We had about 1 ½ “ on the ground, trees and bushes. Our house too. It didn’t stick to the roads thank goodness. The sand trucks were out covering the bridges because I’m sure the roads froze overnight.



The Rally had 3112 rigs parked on site at the Balloon Fiesta Park. There were more of us scattered around at the various RV parks. And folks from the area were able to join in the fun for a $10.00 day pass. The seminars, RV show and Vendor booths were set up at Expo New Mexico, their state fair grounds. The evening entertainment was held in a very large tent at the Balloon Fiesta Park. Buses ran between the two locations to transport the RVers back and forth. The weather on Friday was pretty miserable and this caused some delays. The route normally takes about 15-20 minutes but with the weather and road construction on both I-40 and I-25 it was taking almost an hour for 1 bus to go 1 way. This made some folks very unhappy. Some even missed the Friday night entertainment because they had to wait so long for a bus. It got better on Saturday as they brought in more busses and more folks drove their own vehicles.
Friday night’s entertainment was Neil Sedaka. I don’t remember ever hearing him sing before. Gary had and was sure I’d be surprised. I knew he was known for having written many, many songs other singers have made famous. And Gary was right. He was great. He is 70 years old but boy could he belt it out. His back up band and singer were great too. You might have seen him on Tuesday morning when he appeared on LIVE WITH REGIS & KELLY.
Over the weekend and Monday we went to several classes, attended a wine tasting, looked at new RVs and enjoyed the many other festivities. Several classic rigs were on display. Very cute and I can't imagine actually living in one of them.

We went to hear Rita Coolidge sing on Saturday night but didn’t enjoy it and left early. We skipped Sunday night’s Osmond Brothers and Gary went to hear Daddy Do Run Run on Monday by himself. I wasn’t feeling great and just decided to hang out at home with Miss Ellie. Gary enjoyed Daddy..they sang many classic rock and beach music.

Visiting in Socorro New Mexico

On Monday morning we met them at the El Camino Restaurant. We’d eaten there when we visited before and I really enjoyed their huevos rancheros. Their version consisted of a corn tortilla fried lightly, covered with a fried egg smothered with refried beans and chili sauce. When ordering I was asked “Red or Green”. This means which kind of chili sauce did I want. I got the red with some green on the side. If I’d ordered both on the plate I’m told the correct answer is “Christmas”. This came with extra crispy hash brown potatoes and several slices of bacon. Can we say “heart-attack on a plate”? But it was sooooo good. Gary got his usual pancakes and bacon. It was pretty good too he said.

After breakfast we went back to the Coffeehouse so Prescott could make a list of the paintings and check on the labels they had applied for each painting. We met some of Prescott’s morning coffee group.

Afterwards they told us on a tour around Socorro in their four-wheel drive 4-Runner. The Quebradas Backcountry Byway is an unpaved county road traversing about 24 miles of rugged, colorful landscapes east of town. We spent about 2 ½ hours traveling a road I sure wouldn’t want to drive on without 4-wheel drive. We had great weather to enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery.



We stopped to eat again at Manny’s Buckhorn Tavern in San Antonio. This is one of Georgette and Prescott’s favorite places to eat. The Buckhorn has been ranked 7th in the country by GQ magazine for the best green-chili cheeseburger in the US and is in an on-going battle for the title with the Owl Café which is just in the next block. I know I had one of the best Taco Salad’s I’ve ever eaten. And the burger Gary had was large and very tasty. This small town tavern may not look like much but the folks are friendly and tho food is great.
After a stop at our house so I could work for a bit, we went back to their home and had some of Prescott’s BB Q pork ribs for dinner. We enjoyed our visit with them and called it a night about 9pm. Thanks for the hospitality Georgette and Prescott. See you next time.



Buddy


Spike

On Tuesday morning, we hooked up again and took off for the Rally in Albuquerque.

Easter Sunday- Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to Us. Today is our 35th Wedding Anniversary. Can you believe I’ve been with HIM 35 years? And he’s still with me….I’m excited. We know we are so blessed with our life and enjoy each day we’re given. We love our family and friends and think about you all often. Watch out..one of these days we’ll be pulling into a driveway near you.

We spent the day traveling from Roswell to Socorro. Along the way we went thru the Lincoln National Forest and stopped for lunch in Capitan. We enjoyed lunch at the Smokey Bear Restaurant. They were having a special ham lunch since it was also Easter Sunday. They gave us 2 pieces of chocolate cake since we were celebrating our anniversary. Very nice owners and family. And very good food. If you go through Capitan be sure to stop and check it out.
http://www.smokeybearmotel.com/restaurant.php





We stopped at the Valley of Fires Recreation Area to take pictures of the volcanic landscape. This is an amazing place. So quiet. All you hear is the wind whistling. They have a nice RV park and boardwalks that you can use to get out into the middle of the rock. The Valley has many square miles of buckled, twisted lava, part of an extensive flow up to 50 meters thick and over 45 miles long that originated from several volcanoes, including one vent now known as Little Black Peak. The volcanic action responsible was relatively recent, only between 1500-1000 years ago, but the lava has become quite overgrown with grass and small bushes so the landscape is somewhat greenish rather than black. A lonely place to visit.



In the afternoon we pulled into Casey’s RV Park in Socorro. After getting settled, we called our friends Georgette and Prescott Grey to let them know we had arrived in town. We first met them when we traveled to NM a few years ago with Van and Rita. Georgette and Rita were college room mates. Georgette is a watercolor artist. We joined them at Manzanares Street Coffeehouse where they were hanging some of Georgette’s watercolor paintings. They are going to be on display for a couple of months.
http://www.socorrocoffee.com/

She does several shows in NM each year and teaches classes thru NM Tech. Visit her website to see samples of her beautiful paintings. You can also purchase from the site.
http://www.gegrey.com/

They took us to dinner at the Socorro Springs Brewing Co restaurant. Pretty good pizza at a decent price. http://www.socorrosprings.com/