The Stormy Day

This is the day we stayed here for. It came in as predicted with wind, rain, then a few thunder cracks, a couple of lightning bolts and by dinner time it's pretty much over. Not even enough rain to make Bob happy about cleaning the dust off the solar panels.

We have had enough of buffet dinners, so decided to try the In 'N Out burger drive-in about which we had heard good reviews but never tried. Fresh made deluxe cheeseburgers and fries for less than $10 for us both.

We are done with all things Laughlin and tomorrow we pack up, shower and dump again ready to leave first thing Sunday morning. We will stay hooked up over night so we can be moving early. I made phone calls today so our Canadian cel phone will be activated and Shaw Direct ready for our return. Everything is now in reverse. We need new SIM cards for our iPads, insurance for my car and then up the Island Highway to Union Bay. But in between these home things is another 1500 miles of travel. Because we are going home almost a month earlier than usual from the desert we feel the safest route is up the I5 through California. Not our favourite route but weather dictates it.

I am quite excited to be on the road as we have spent the last two weeks thinking about it, talking about alternatives and giving this 36 hour rain storm it's due.

 

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Sooooo.....

As usual we change our minds again. A rainy day on Friday all across Southern California has helped us decide that sitting in the sunshine is a better option. So at this point we are not leaving until Sunday. It gives us a better weather window and a few more days for Bob's recovery to continue. If things don't change we may even be able to go Highway 395, our favourite route up the east side of the Sierras. It would mean a stay-over in Bishop which to my mind still has the best Texas Smoke BBQ over anything we have tasted this winter. It also has a very well stocked and well priced art supply store.
Another buffet dinner. It's a cheap and easy way to have dinner when it's so hot until dark. For $20 we can eat a good variety of food.
Doodling this afternoon I started to just draw things on the table. Our reed bird we have in the RV was bought years ago from a little town along Lake Patzcuaro in Mexico. It has started discussions of maybe a different journey next year. Maybe giving the desert a rest for a winter? We always have plans.

There's just something magnetic about us that attracts other rv'ers to camp on top of us. This little rig is right outside looking at us....as you can see there is a lot!!! of room in the parking area. We don't understand this mentality. It happens everywhere, the desert, casinos, Walmart parking lots.....maybe we need a big sign posted on the side of the RV saying "quarantine" that we put out every time we stop. And this guy is way closer than it looks in the picture! If it was crowded here it would be understandable but when there is this much room...go figure:)

 

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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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