Winding Down

Each year we are always loathe to leave the warmth and the sunshine. But this year we are really ready to go home. It has been an exceptionally long time away, getting close to seven months by the time we do get home.

Once the decision has been made to turn north we are only putting in time. We are no longer interested in the places we now travel through. We are tired of the dust and the wind and now the Casino camping in Laughlin. Tomorrow we shower, do laundry, dump our tanks and be ready to head out Wednesday morning.

We will hopefully enjoy decent weather until at least Northern California. After that we will go as the weather allows day by day.

My needle felting desert scene is almost finished and I can always continue it at home. I don't need the desert in front of me to remember all the beautiful colours. But it is still missing an Ocotillo and it's bright orange flowers.

As the decision has been made to leave I am remembering all the different segments of our trip.....the Canadian prairies, the Mississippi River, the Delta Blues music, The Ozarks, Louisiana and it's gulf coast, the Coastal Bend of Texas and then the last six weeks back in the desert .....it is hard to believe this has been one continuous journey. We will remember this trip forever, all the good, the bad and the in between.

We will have the time to ponder it all as we wait for spring to arrive on the west coast. Maybe we will bring it with us...time will tell. We are prepared for the worst but hoping for the best for these last fifteen hundred miles.

The last night scene of Casino Row in Laughlin. The two pictures represent both ends of the desert spectrum.

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Windy!!!

Our plans were to do laundry this morning but it was so windy and also the Women's Gold Medal hockey game is on so we have put off chores for another day. We went into the casino to our quiet bar for the second period start ....a bit of a scary game until late in the third period. Tie game and OT and we have a thrilling Gold Medal win. Also a Gold Medal for Women's Curling....good day for our women for sure.

Our very accommodating bartender also had some advice for Bob and his sinusitis. Apple cider vinegar. Swears by it. So we will get some next trip into town and see how it works.

A quiet afternoon and a simple dinner at home. The temperatures have cooled today and as of 5:00 the wind has died down too. A pretty evening.

 

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Life in Laughlin

Not being gamblers and not crazy about the hotel buffets, we have been keeping a pretty low profile at the RV. It has been very warm, in the mid 80's, but true to desert conditions it cools down quickly as soon as the sun sets. We enjoy sitting outside in the late afternoon watching the day change into night.

The town was very busy over the weekend with 150 youth soccer teams.

Probably half of the rvs in the parking area are staying in the hotel. We've been told they are being 'comped' through their gambling playing/winnings. Seems a risky and possible a costly way to stay in a hotel when you can sleep in your own bed just outside. But that's just us :)...

We decided we found the perfect rig for us and all our hobbies. This wee unit is probably over 75 feet long. Even the cargo trailer has an awning. What a great studio/workshop! Have no idea what they carry in it as they weren't here too long and didn't see much activity other than walking a dog or two.

I've seen a lot of different vending machines over the years but this was a new one. 'Best Buy' filled with cel phone accessories, head phones, and ear buds of every colour. Some people just never leave the hotel. Not too much you can't get on the inside.

Trying to capture the vista of the sun on all the hotel windows. Need a lot more practice but that is what I am enjoying while having this quiet time before we head for home. This will be our last warm stop. Much further north and the nights are down to freezing so we won't be dawdling after we leave here.

Just watched Canada squeak out a win over Latvia...big, big game on Friday!!

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Goodbye to the Desert

We're awake early and have an easy getaway as we hadn't unhooked. We turn "a sharp right" according to Ivy, our GPS voice, onto Highway 62 to Vidal Junction. This is the intersection of the highways that is always the turning point that tells us we have finally arrived in the desert. On the other hand it is the "goodbye" corner going north. Agriculture (Ag Checks) and Border Patrol checkpoints are a way of life between Arizona, California and Mexico. As we go through our last one, the kayak draws attention. They are concerned about plant and mussel contaminations from the lakes and rivers being transported into California. We explain the boat hasn't been in the water since Manitoba and it's all OK and we are given our inspection certificate.

We climb up over 2000 feet through a rugged little 'desert mountain range' and coast down into another part of the Colorado River valley and the rather ugly town of Needles, Ca. Thirty miles later we pull into Laughlin, Nevada. This is a distant cousin to the gambling meccas of Las Vegas and Reno. It is where the three states converge in one corner. One road, Casino Drive, running parallel to the Colorado River with maybe 8 to 10 Casino Hotels. All the hotels provide some kind of RV parking. We have stayed in 3 or 4 over the years. Those that don't charge anything are usually the busiest and also include the most desert rat clientele which also includes the most generators. The Tropicana Hotel charges $7 a night or $35 a week, maximum 2 weeks, for dry camping. We set up with reasonable space between us and other rvs and go into the hotel to register. It is a busy weekend, being Valentines and Presidents Day holiday but will quiet down by Monday afternoon. Enquiries as to where we might watch Olympic coverage leads us to the Carnegie Bar. The bartender tries to find the Canada/Finland hockey game for us but doesn't have any luck. We head out to go back to our RV when the bartender tracks us down to tell us he found the game.....love it!!...there are 3 minutes left in regulation time and the game is tied. Halfway through OT Canada's defenceman Drew Doughty gets the winning goal!! What a great few moments for us to see with the perfect outcome.

Bob's cold is wearing him down and it's time to find a doctor. The opinion is sinusitis. He needs antibiotics to clear it all up and hopefully it will address his breathing difficulties and the ringing in his ears. The doctor feels the medication will help it all. Fingers crossed.

After getting the prescriptions filled we picked up a Papa Johns pizza with Ham, aka,"Canadian" bacon, pineapple and mushrooms, a large for $9.99. It is our lunch and dinner for a busy, fractured day...tasted fantastic!!

We are looking forward to our time here and Bob feeling better before we have to make serious miles for home. We have pleasant neighbours, warm daytime temperatures and cooling nights.

Our back yard trees on an asphalt camp sight. Sometimes we have pure desert beauty and other times it's the neon lights of a desert gambling town. It's all good and we enjoy the diversity of our life style.

Goodnight from our first night in Nevada....the 14th state we have travelled through this winter....2 left to go before home.

 

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Moving on up the Highway....

In the style in which we do a lot of things, that is, spur of the moment, yesterday morning we made the decision to start the slow march north. Approximately 100 miles and we're at Earp BLM camp. A few familiar faces but no Tim or Magees. All the spots along the back road are taken by the true desert rats. It is a community we are sometimes comfortable with and others not so much. We are settled pretty much in the middle, both socially and physically.

 

It is Presidents Day weekend here along with Valentines Day today. Always a preferred time for us to stay off the roads. I had my first walk in almost a week because of my cold and it felt good. Really have to try for an earlier start due to the heat now. I did my clothes jettisoning.....getting rid of all the sun bleached, laundromat worn items rather than carry them home. Many are not in really bad shape so will try to drop them off at a local Goodwill spot. There are definitely people here that would appreciate them.

It has been very quiet today. You can hear the traffic in the distance, about two miles away on Highway 62 going east to Parker and west towards 29 Palms and the Palm Springs area. Also right now there are two unidentified birds singing in a mesquite tree nearby. It is such a pretty song especially when there is nothing competing with them in our ears.

Thirty degrees and we are sitting in the shade having our wine. A warm breeze makes the temperature pleasant.

We talk about our plans for the next week and even the next year. Somehow I think maybe our needs, wants and abilities to continue this winter lifestyle may be changing. Time will tell. Maybe we are just ready to be home for this year. It is hard to complain about life here......it really is very beautiful but it also takes it's toll on a person.

The desert is in my soul more than anyplace I've ever been before. The colours, the smells, the stillness and the vast open vistas that I love the best. Being able to see for miles, mountains that are all colours and no trees and sunsets and sunrises that are unsurpassed in my experience. A place that I wish I could paint well enough to express the beauty I see.

 

 

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Paint Your Food

One of the Urban Sketcher's blog that I follow says if you arent inspired to paint you can always draw your food. Then you have at least three subjects a day to keep you drawing.

Spent the morning building my pasta salad, and have recorded the ingredients I used. Didn't have any "radiator" noodles so had to use bow ties.....not as good as they don't absorb the sauce as well. With a hot week ahead a pasta salad in the fridge makes dinners easier. We sat outside in the shade and enjoyed the breeze until dinner time. BBQ ribs to go with the salad and dinner is done.

I'm sketching while I sit outside. My now infamous creosote bush with last years ribbons. Still trying to be happy with ink lines and less paint but I'm not able to stop myself adding paint. Practice, practice....:)

Canadian Women's hockey!!! 3-2 over the US.....yayyyyy......looking forward to the hockey ahead, both men's and women's. Not sure how much we will be able to watch on TV but we can follow all the results on our iPads.

 

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Desert observations

With no moon it is so dark you can't see your hand in front of you. With a 3/4 moon, going to full on Valentines Day, the desert floor is lit up and you could walk safely in its light. Yesterday I sat outside in the late afternoon and for a period of time I did not hear a sound. Not a vehicle, a train, a plane, a voice. It is a rare occasion to experience such absolute quiet.

Boondockers are mostly responsible campers. They respect the desert and always try to leave it in as good or better condition than they found it. As Boondockers ourselves we appreciate the ability to live off the grid with our solar power in an environment of peace, and to our eyes, beauty in our adopted winter home.

Things don't deteriorate very quickly in the desert as I discovered yesterday. Last year I found an interesting branch from a mesquite tree that I decorated with some of my colourful ribbons. I set it in a container and filled it up with quartz and pretty rocks. It sat outside on my table until a windy day sent it flying while we were in town shopping. Today I saw a glint of colour in a small creosote bush and there, stuck in the bush, is my branch and ribbons. They are somewhat bleached of colour but still recognizable as mine.

 

I love the mountains...I wish I could do them better justice. I will keep practicing.

I think we may have turned the corner and are starting to feel some relief from these awful colds. A few more days of sunshine and warmth and hopefully we will be healed.

Tonight's colours on my favourite mountains as we watch the shadows lengthen before the sun sets on another day.

 

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