Author: mchazen

We woke early and wanted to get rolling as soon as possible.  The plan was to spend the night in Tonopah, which is about 230 miles north.

Around 8:30 we headed out.  The drive through Las Vegas was a little congested, but once we got past downtown the traffic thinned out.  Heading north on US-95, we soon found ourselves in the middle of the desert.  Las Vegas is a strange place.  To reach it from any direction, you have to drive for hours through desert.  Due to the nature of the place, that might be a good thing.

The drive along US-95 was through some of the most desolate country we have seen.  To the east is the Air Force Base and Nevada Test Site; two places you certainly don’t want to wander into.  To the west was Death Valley.  There are few towns (if you can call them that) and lots of abandoned mines.  This is high desert so most of the vegetation is sage.  Most of the drive was through open range, which means livestock is not fenced away from the highway.  You need to stay alert since hitting a cow at 65 miles per hour would be disaster.

We were surprised at how rugged the terrain is.  The well maintained road winds through valleys bordered snowcapped mountains.  It really is quite scenic, especially when you get within view of the Sierras.  I wonder what the place is like in summer.

In the early afternoon we reached Tonopah.  We were totally underwhelmed.  It had been an easy drive on a good highway so we decided to keep going.  Eventually we stopped in the small town of Mina, Nevada.  The RV park was a no-frills place but had full hookups and easy access.  I would be surprised if the town population exceeded 55 people and 22 dogs.  We didn’t even unhook the Jeep.

Late in the afternoon, the wind started and a huge cloud of dust came up off the dry lakebed and covered everything with a fine powder.  We kept the rig closed up and waited for it to blow over.

We watched TV before going to bed.

Tomorrow, we leave Las Vegas. 

Every time we stay in a place for a while, we sort of become attached to it.  It must be comfort with the familiar.  A few days before we move we have to wrap our minds around it, as if visualizing the discovery of some new place.  To be sure, our stay here was fun, but its time to go.

More and more, we talk about finding a place to settle.  We’re not exactly getting tired of our nomadic lifestyle, but it would be nice to be in one place with all our ‘stuff’ handy.  In a way, we miss the regularity of a permanent residence.  Last year we did some searching, but a lot of time was spent visiting family and friends.  This year we are serious about finding the perfect community to settle.  Will we find it?  Who knows, but at least we’ll be in some ‘good prospect’ areas.

Andy stayed with us on his return trip from Colorado.  After a very long drive, he finally reached us around 11:00 PM and headed straight for bed.  A stay in Vegas is not complete without a trip to the breakfast buffet, so this morning we went to Sunset Station and pigged out.  By 9:30 AM Andy was on his way to Ventura.

During the day, we did all the pre-move stuff like putting away the sunshield, dump the tanks and secure anything that can roll around.  Jeanne made one last trip for groceries.  We’re good to go.

We seem to meet people no matter where we land.  I even met someone while running, a fellow named Ron, who was in Las Vegas for the winter season.  He is an experienced runner who mercifully slowed his pace so I could keep up.  I very much enjoyed running with him and hope to keep in touch.  I wish him well.

Of course, with the good also comes the bad and ugly.  For the past few days we suffered from an especially bothersome neighbor.  Just the fact that some folks are alive and within 500 miles is enough to annoy us.  Maybe it was the awning that was flapping all night, or the joyful HELLO NEIGHBOR!, or the shirtless beer belly.  Maybe it all all these things.  Anyway, he left this morning to our great relief.  On second thought, living this lifestyle does have an advantage; you’re not stuck in a long-term relationship with your neighbor.

We spent the evening reading and watching TV before falling asleep to dream of the open road.

The weather has certainly been on a warming trend and for the first time in months we used the air conditioners.  The daytime highs have been in the low 80s under clear skies.  Even with the sunshade, once the sun hits the front window the interior of the coach immediately heats up.  There is no doubt about it, Las Vegas is located in a dry, unforgiving desert environment.  The RV park we’re in is full, but I wonder how many coaches are here in the July and August heat.

We put our extra two weeks here to good use.  High on the list was an oil change for the coach – the first.  For readers unfamiliar with industrial equipment, the diesel motor in the rig takes 24 quarts of oil with a filter change.  There are also two fuel filters (primary and secondary) to change.  Don’t try this at home.

The specification calls for an oil change every 15,000 miles or 12 months.  We are just under on mileage but over on time, so we decided to find a place in Vegas for service.  A little competitive shopping went a long way since the estimates ranged from $145 to $250.  We settled on a place named Speedco, which is sort of like a Jiffy Lube for trucks.  The place was busy, clean and reasonably priced.  The work took about 30 minutes.  On the way back to the RV park we stopped to top off the fuel.  I’m glad that’s out of the way and we’re ready to hit the road.

The prior log entry mentioned that I had signed up for two 5K runs.  The first was on March 5 and the second was today.  Yes, consecutive weekly races was a little crazy but it was a chance to confirm my times.  For the curious, a 5K is about 3.10685596 miles.  More or less.

Picture taken before March 5th race on an overcast morning.

Running under the watchful eye of local law enforcement.

Rounding a corner about half way through the race and still going strong.

Crossing the finish line at 29:47.

Jeanne checking e-mail. We were lucky enough to have a dial-up connection at the coach.

Clark County Firemen Recruits running in formation. Notice that I'm not far behind.

Running the long uphill to the turnaround.

Crossing the finish line at 29:42.

Post race photo on a sunny morning in Las Vegas.

The first run was around a massive outlet mall at the south end of Las Vegas Boulevard, otherwise known as The Strip.  It had rained the night before and was still a little cool and overcast the morning of the race.  The route was flat and I was able to keep up a good pace.  Rounding the last turn and heading for the finish line, I was astonished to see the timer had not yet turned 30 minutes.  My official time was 29:47, or about 4:39 faster than my September 6 run in Arkansas.  Put another way, I cut 55.8 seconds off each kilometer.  My overall pace went from 11:05 to 9:35 per mile.  Needless to say, I was pleased to see the workouts had a positive effect.  Now the trick was to see if I could do it again.

The second race was much different.  The morning was clear and the sun was already warming things up.  By the 8:00 AM start it was already in the low 70s.  As it turned out, the course was not all that flat.  After a brief downhill there was a long, long uphill pull.  Several of the runners stopped but I was able to keep going.  I was sure my time would suck.  Making the final turn, I was amazed to see I was running another sub-30 minute race.  My final time was 29:42, which was marginally faster than last week.  Taking into account the layout of course, it was a material improvement.  There will be no more races for a while.

Jeanne has been diligent with her workouts and is right on the edge of moving up her routine.  In fact, she has run on days I decided to take off.

We ran into a snag with the computer/GPS mapping system.  It seems Dell sent the wrong 12-volt power supply for Jeanne’s computer, which means the computer is running on batteries while traveling in the car or coach.  We better get to where we’re going in about three hours, or else!  After several trips to the Dell web site we determined Dell doesn’t even offer a 12-volt power supply for our laptop models, which is what they should have told us up front!  As with most things, money solves the problem and we eventually found that Lind Electronics had what we wanted.  $125 and four days later, problem solved!

While on the electronics issue, we have still not decided what to do about weak cell-phone reception.  Once again we made an executive decision to delay the decision.  Issue tabled!

When traveling, no matter how hard you try the inside of the rig gets dirty.  The surface of each location has something that will rub off on the carpet — stones, sand, dust, oil, diesel, etc.  We finally broke down and arranged for a professional to clean the carpet.  It was well worth the time and money; the amount of grime that came out of the rig was surprising and this is something we now plan to do on an annual basis.

The RV park we are staying in is dangerously close to a Bass Pro Shop and eventually our resolve eroded.  Jeanne ended up with a new pair of hiking shoes (which she sorely needed) and I ended up with a hunting-style jacket.  Too bad Bass Pro is not a publicly traded company.

Anticipating the weather will cool as we head north, we took advantage of end-of-season sales for warm clothes.  We hope to stay snuggly warm in the late winter and early spring months.

Almost one compete day was spent getting our tax documentation in order.  Our travels make this somewhat challenging since the documents are forwarded from our Texas mail drop.  Eventually we got it all together and sent the package off to our CPA in Ventura, California.  It was a relief to get it in the mail.

Jeanne’s latest project is a wedding gift for her sister DeeDee, who will be married in July.  I have no idea what the gift is, but Jeanne is diligently working on it; sewing under the magnifier-lamp.  

We had another memorable consumer experience.  On two previous occasions we very much enjoyed the buffet at the Sunset Station Casino, which is close to the RV park.  The process is simple; you walk up, pay your money and hit the chow line minutes later.  However, on one particular Thursday evening, we stood in line for several minutes, paid our money and then stood there for about 40 minutes waiting for a table.  Table availability was not an issue, there were several tables set and ready to go less than ten feet away.  The employees just couldn’t get things moving and management was conspicuously absent.  How something this simple can get so screwed up is beyond comprehension.  After a few sharp words with the staff, we eventually got past the velvet rope.  Most of the conversation is not worth repeating here, but I did ask that if we were still in line the next morning, if we would be refunded the price difference between the dinner and breakfast buffets.

Late in the day we received a call from Andy, who was on his way to Colorado and wanted to spend the night with us in the coach.  Of course it was o.k. and we very much enjoyed his visit.  We spent the evening talking and playing video games.  We look forward to another visit on his return trip.

Our remaining time here in Las Vegas is growing short and we are looking forward to moving on.  We enjoy it here, but it is not the place to settle.  We wonder what awaits us in Carson City?

It has been several days since the last update and we apologize to our readers.  To be honest, I was just too lazy to get it done.  However, in a burst of energy and good intentions, this should bring you up to date.

First of all, we were scheduled to move on but due to the weather we decided to stay put for another two weeks.  The new plan has us bypassing Pahrump on our way to Carson City.  We learned a few things during our travels — don’t fight the weather and keep a flexible schedule.

The weather eventually cleared up and this is a great place to hang out.  The days might get into the low 70s, the skies are mostly clear and the air is dry.  We have taken advantage of the good weather to do some sightseeing and run some errands.  Most of all, we have been diligent in our workouts.  In a moment of weakness, I signed up for two 5K runs on consecutive weekends, with the first run on March 5.  It will be interesting to see if my times improve.

We met the couple parked next to us, Art and Joan, who are also full-timers.  We went out to dinner with them one evening at a very nice Italian restaurant overlooking Las Vegas.  The food was excellent, the view was impressive and we very much enjoyed visiting with them.  Like ourselves, they are recently retired and searching for a place to settle.  We wish them well and plan to stay in touch.

On one very nice day we made the short trip to Hoover Dam.  Although we had both seen the dam before, it is still an awesome sight.  Viewing the dam, you wonder why anyone would want to build something that big!  Although it was built in the 30s, it is still impressive even by today’s standards.  Anyone traveling to Las Vegas should make an effort to see this, it is truly an engineering marvel.

Power station at base of Hoover Dam.

Face of Hoover Dam. Image does not do justice to size of the structure.

Intake stations at Hoover Dam on Arizona side.

Spillway on Arizona side of the lake. It is somewhat unusual that the spillways are not an intergal part of the dam structure.

Jeanne overlooking Lake Mead.

Jeanne finding Geocache using GPS to navigate.

Jeanne after her run.

Action shot of Jeanne running through RV park.

During a prior visit to Vegas, we discovered a restaurant at the Paris hotel that specializes in crepes.  Jeanne had fond memories of the place, so off we went to have crepes for lunch.  As expected, they were delicious and our crepe craving has been satisfied for the next three years.

While visiting the family in Santa Paula, we discovered the grandkids very much enjoyed their Sony PlayStation.  While in Vegas, we took the opportunity to purchase a PlayStation 2 and some games.  It will be a good distraction when the kids visit, although we are not above using it on nights where nothing worthwhile is on TV.

One of the biggest travel challenges has been finding out where we are and where we are going.  Maps are the best bet and we usually obtain a map of the local area when we land somewhere.  However, maps are not always available, the roads are not always marked and we may not be certain of our current location.  We needed to solve this problem.

About two months ago, we installed some mapping software on Jeanne’s computer.  Working with the program we noticed it has a GPS interface.  The mental light bulb went on!  After obtaining a serial-to-USB adapter we successfully made a GPS to PC connection and can now see our EXACT location on the mapping program.  This is similar to the GPS systems available in new automobiles for a ton of money.  The capability of the system is impressive.  Wondering where we are and where we are going is a thing of the past.

Jeanne needed a little GPS training and what could be better than finding a Geocache.  For those not familiar with Geocache, it involves using GPS to find ‘hidden treasure’.  Here’s how it works: a container with worthless trinkets is hidden and its coordinates are posted on the Geocache web site.  Obtaining the coordinates from the web site, you navigate your way to the Geocache using your GPS.  When found, you take something, leave something and record your experience on the Geocache web site.  One morning, Jeanne found two Geocaches nearby, both were less than a mile from our coach.

With the GPS training complete, we needed to test the GPS/Mapping capability.  So, getting everything hooked up in the Jeep we tested the system by using it to find the Bass Pro Shop just south of Las Vegas.  The system worked perfectly.  While driving it shows your current location, destination, route, speed, direction and driving instructions.  What a cool system.  Problem solved.

So far, we have avoided gambling.  Strange how both of us has no desire to hang out in a dark, smoky casino playing a game with a negative expected value.  Frankly, it get boring after ten minutes and if we ever really want to play the games, we play them on the PC without any financial risk.

Both of us have been doing Pilates for a year or more and we are getting quite good at it.  However, instructions for some of the advanced exercises are a little vague and before attempting them a lesson would be beneficial.  Lo and Behold, we found a Pilates studio not far from the coach.  On a rainy afternoon, I spent about an hour at the Pilates studio with a Pilates master.  We’re now ready to safely advance to the ‘next level’.

We finally got the awning fixed — the wind-up spring needed to be tightened.  A manufacturer representative at the FMCA rally told me how to do this, but after watching the procedure I’m glad to have paid for the service call.  The awning mechanism included a garage-door type spring that is tensioned by twisting.  This is easier said than done.  The spring holds a LOT of potential energy and is a severe injury waiting to happen.  Do yourself a favor and pay someone to do this.

There’s not much more to tell.

We’re just hanging out waiting for the weather to warm up before moving north.

So far, we used our stay here in Las Vegas to take advantage of all the conveniences a big city has to offer.

First of all, the public park across the street has been the perfect venue for our runs.  Three trips around the soccer field takes about 40 minutes, which is just about right.  For the first time in a long time we’re running on grass, which takes a little more oomph than running on a hard surface.  In addition, you need to pay attention when running on such an uneven surface.  So once again, a change in location changes our workout.

As usual, we had some equipment maintenance issues to resolve.  Rolling up the large awning on the coach is getting difficult due to a weak or broken spring.  After several calls to the manufacturer and local businesses we finally arranged for service, hopefully the problem will be resolved next week.

The coach is getting close to an oil change.  After getting quotes as high as $250, we finally found a Jiffy-Lube style oil-change place for trucks for about $150.  We’ll give it a try when the weather clears.  For those not familiar with motorhomes, an oil change involves over 20 quarts of oil (five gallons), an oil filter and two fuel filters.  This is not something you want to do in your driveway at home.

Somehow, the trip from Quartzsite to Cottonwood Cove plugged up the washout-sprayer-thing inside the black tank.  There was no dump at Quartzsite so we had to travel with a full black tank.  A call to the helpful folks at Monaco technical support let me know how to access the washout.  I am happy to report the washout is working as designed and the black tank is happy.

We took advantage of the dining opportunities Las Vegas has to offer.  One of our first stops was a dinner Buffet where we both suffered after eating way too much.  A trip to a breakfast buffet was a lot more restrained.  One afternoon we attended a gun show at the Tropicana Hotel, which was right across the street from the MGM Grand and Emeril’s restaurant.  Jeanne likes the crab cake appetizers at Emeril’s, so after viewing the ‘hardware’ at the Tropicana we lunched over crab cakes, calamari and a few beers.  We also had an excellent early dinner at a local Olive Garden.  All of this is a real treat for us, since we don’t eat out all that often.

At a local mall, we found a Dell Direct kiosk.  When we bought our laptop computers we purchased a auto/air power supply that plugs into a 12-volt cigarette lighter.  It was suppose to work with both computers, but it only works on mine.  After a discussion with the Dell guys and a call to Dell, a new power supply is on the way at no charge.  For any readers out there considering a new system, give Dell a try.

The cell phone is another issue needing attention.  We have been looking for a cell phone antenna to boost the signal but the phone we use does not support this feature.  We spent some time talking with T-Mobil about phone upgrades, but we still have not come to any conclusions.  We’ll revisit the issue next week.  Ah, the executive decision to delay the decision!

Since internet access is spotty at times, we connect whenever we get a chance.  Some of the connections are highly suspect and we’re very careful about downloading malicious software.  We have good virus protection, but we finally broke down and installed anti-spyware software.  A scan turned up nothing, but at least we feel a little more secure.

The weather has been blustery with periods of rain and the forecast is for more of the same.  Getting to Vegas ahead of the weather was a good move.  When the weather clears, we plan to do a little sightseeing.  Until then, we’re holed up waiting for the rain to stop.

Yesterday, the weather cleared and we used the opportunity to do our workout.  However, with more rain on the way, we decided to use the break to head for Vegas a day early.  We very much enjoyed our Cottonwood Cove experience, but it was time to move on.

We would be staying in the town of Henderson, Nevada, which is part of the greater Las Vegas area.  At about 60 miles, it was not a long trip, but the pull from Cottonwood Cove to Searchlight was 15 miles all uphill in low gear.  Overall the trip took about 90 minutes.

The RV park we pulled into is about two years old and has obviously been designed by professionals.  Occupancy is high and there are many late-model high-end coaches camped here.  This will be a comfortable place to spend the next two weeks.  Best of all, there is a huge public park right across the street that is perfect for our workouts.

We slept later than usual. When we finally rolled out of bed, the rain had stopped and most of the standing water had already soaked in. Clearly the storm was breaking up. One of the other campers told us their rain gauge recorded over two inches, which is about half the normal annual total for this area.

The weather should be clear for a few days, but there is another system approaching. We just might cut short our stay here by a day or two to avoid traveling in rain. We’ll monitor the weather closely.

The weather forecast was for rain and early in the morning clouds were moving in.  With skies threatening, we decided to make our Searchlight mail-run early.  It was raining by the time we were headed back.

Having lived in the dry climate of Southern California, we knew the desert was not a good place to be in a rainstorm.  In moments, dry gullies can fill.  With little vegetation to hold the gravelly soil in place, roads can flood or wash away.  The best thing you can do is find a well drained area and hole up, which is exactly what we did.  It never rained hard, but it was steady all day long.  We’re in a good spot to wait it out; the only issue is the road to Searchlight, which seems to be well maintained.

We passed the day reading and watching TV.  In the evening, we watched the movie Network on TCM.  Having worked in TV, the movie’s depiction of life in the broadcast industry was not far off the mark.

That night the steady rain turned to showers and then stopped altogether.  Tomorrow should be a nice day.

There is not much to report about the past few days, we spent most of the time quietly.

Yesterday, we made the trip to Las Vegas (Henderson) for groceries and supplies at the Walmart Supercenter.  We also used the opportunity to update the computers and this web site.  Between us we had over 1,500 e-mails, most of which was junk.  By far, this trip to Henderson was the most exciting thing we’ve done these past few days.

The clean air, low humidity and cool temperatures make the workouts a little easier, but not much.  Getting started is still a major effort.

The weather is beginning to change and a little rain is forecast for the next few days.  We should be o.k. where we are.

It is amazing how green the desert is.  In the past few days, looking across the lake to the other side of the valley, the wildflowers have clearly taken over.  Parts of the valley are noticeably covered with a carpet of yellow flowers.  If it does rain over the next two days, we expect even more color on the distant hills.  It really is pretty here this time of year.

The first thing we noticed when we got up was the wind had stopped.  A quick check of the lake confirmed it was glassy smooth.  Maybe we’ll set up and launch the kayaks in the next day or so.

After a leisurely breakfast, we drove to Searchlight to pick up our mail, fuel the Jeep, make some calls and do some exploring.  Our drive took us across some deserted desert, which is not unusual around here.  After traveling west for about 25 miles, we started dropping into a valley with a dry lake at the bottom.  In the distance you could see trucks moving along I-15 on their way to and from Los Angeles and Las Vegas.  We had traveled I-15 many times and I always wondered what was on the east side of the dry lake; now I know.  Around noon, we turned around and headed back to Searchlight and Cottonwood Cove.

The road we traveled was marked as the Joshua Tree Highway, and it was aptly named.  These Joshua Trees are really plants related to yuccas.  The leaves are long, pointy and tipped with a killer sharp point.  The Indians had many uses for these plants, mainly as a source of fiber.  They are common to this part of the country but seldom are there so many in one place.  It was a forest of sorts in a desert setting.  We just couldn’t resist stopping for a few pictures.  You certainly don’t want to walk around here on a dark night.

On the return trip, we briefly toured Searchlight and even called a real estate broker on a property for sale.  The ‘improvements’ on the corner lot consisted of a broken down trailer and garage.  The best thing about the property was that it had access to utilities.  When the guy quoted us the price, we laughed, got in the car and headed for the coach.  It was a you-gotta-be-kidding moment.

The rest of the afternoon was spent lazing around the coach reading, watching TV, updating this triplog and debating if we should attend the Super Bowl Buffet tomorrow at the cafe.  For $5 per head, how can we go wrong?