Margaret Higgins Clark kept us company on the trip up 395 today from Ridgecrest to Reno. It's a neat drive along the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada. Still have one disc left to finish up the story.
When we started out, we passed the Boy Scouts placing flags along the main street for Presidents' Day. Kind of fun to see them up early and involved with that project - give the parents credit for the supervision and truck driving! Along 395 all the small towns (Lone Pine, Big Pine, Independence, Bishop, etc.) had their flags out flying also. The only sad feature was that the main flags were all at half-staff for Justice Scalia. At least he passed away doing something he loved!
We stopped in Lone Pine for a bite. Interesting place - it's the jumping off spot for hikers going up Mt Whitney as well as the turning point to head over to Death Valley. Within an hour's drive, you have the highest and lowest spots in the Continental United States. Lone Pine also has a Movie and Film Industry Museum because it was the location site for many western movies. We have never visited the Museum nor have we gone to Manzanar - the Japanese relocation center from the 1940's. Have to put both of those stops on our to-do list next time we head south. Manzanar must have been a real culture shock for the Japanese families relocated from Los Angeles, San Francisco and other west coast cities. It's in the middle of the high desert and all they had were old wooden barracks to live in for the duration of the war.
Arrived home mid-afternoon and it was good be back in the house where everything was safe and sound. No snow on the ground - quite a bit different than when we left! Fairly warm, but that's supposed to change in the next couple of days.
Take care. Our love to all.
Monday, February 15, 2016
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Ridgecrest, CA
Quiet trip up to Ridgecrest from El Centro today. Started out in the farmland around El Centro through the Medjool date tree farms and citrus groves We had started the audio book Happy Birthday yesterday (coincidentally on my birthday). The books certainly make the travel time go by quickly. Passed through Palm Springs and Desert Springs and passed by Big Bear. Interesting to be traveling through the desert and see snow-covered peaks rising up.
Because of the heat, a lot of the shopping areas had covered shed-type parking, even the Walmart we stopped at. Some had solar panels on top, so they served a dual purpose. The drive north went from desert to highly-populated areas, back to desolate areas. After driving up Cajon Pass on I-15, we turned on 395 and that will be the route we take home tomorrow. No need for any more maps, it is just one road heading north!
We arrived in Ridgecrest early enough so that we could check in and then go play nine holes of golf. Interesting golf course. The tee and greens were grass, but everything else was what they call dormant fairways. I think the literal translation of dormant fairways is dead grass. At least it kept the clubs and balls clean, almost like sandpaper.
We're looking forward to getting back to Reno tomorrow. Seems like the weather is fairly good right now, nothing like the cold weather being experienced in the Northeast.
Take care and enjoy life.
Because of the heat, a lot of the shopping areas had covered shed-type parking, even the Walmart we stopped at. Some had solar panels on top, so they served a dual purpose. The drive north went from desert to highly-populated areas, back to desolate areas. After driving up Cajon Pass on I-15, we turned on 395 and that will be the route we take home tomorrow. No need for any more maps, it is just one road heading north!
We arrived in Ridgecrest early enough so that we could check in and then go play nine holes of golf. Interesting golf course. The tee and greens were grass, but everything else was what they call dormant fairways. I think the literal translation of dormant fairways is dead grass. At least it kept the clubs and balls clean, almost like sandpaper.
We're looking forward to getting back to Reno tomorrow. Seems like the weather is fairly good right now, nothing like the cold weather being experienced in the Northeast.
Take care and enjoy life.
El Centro (#2)
My post yesterday had an unexpected result yesterday. Tom III wrote and told me that he was cancelling his subscription to my blog because he was tired of hearing about temperatures which were 100 degrees higher than he was experiencing in Vermont! So for the time being, I'll refrain from any talk about high temperatures and low gas prices. Besides, we're back in California and the gas prices are going back up, surely but not slowly.
Perhaps I was a little harsh about my description of El Centro yesterday. After all, the Imperial Valley is the vegetable capital of the West Coast (and perhaps further east than that). The farm fields are a great testament to the value of irrigation water from Northern California and also the Colorado River. Without that water, this all would be desert.
Some of you may know that Fallon, NV is known as the Oasis of the Desert. On the gate at El Centro Naval Air Facility is the term "Pearl of the Desert". Guess you have to make the best of a bad situation (oops, there I go again, denigrating El Centro area. My bad!).
Enough for now.
Perhaps I was a little harsh about my description of El Centro yesterday. After all, the Imperial Valley is the vegetable capital of the West Coast (and perhaps further east than that). The farm fields are a great testament to the value of irrigation water from Northern California and also the Colorado River. Without that water, this all would be desert.
Some of you may know that Fallon, NV is known as the Oasis of the Desert. On the gate at El Centro Naval Air Facility is the term "Pearl of the Desert". Guess you have to make the best of a bad situation (oops, there I go again, denigrating El Centro area. My bad!).
Enough for now.
Saturday, February 13, 2016
El Centro, CA
El Centro is an old Spanish name for "In the Middle of Freaking Nowhere"! Left early this morning this morning, gassed up at Costco ($1.27 a gallon). Sorry, I just can't get over the low price of gas down in Tucson.
Went north on I-10 to I-8 and crossed the desert over to Gila Bend where we had breakfast. The landscape along that road is pretty flat with the occasional mountain rising straight out of the flat desert floor. Passed by Picacho Peak which is a landmark used by old-time travelers going from Mexico to California. After leaving Gila Bend, we went on to Yuma right on the Colorado River. Although it's not very wide, it seemed to be pretty full. We stopped and took a walk down to the River just to stretch.
Upon leaving Yuma, we passed through the Imperial Desert Recreational Area. I think every off-road vehicle which had been up in Parker for the Best Ride in the Desert moved down to the Yuma area. The sand dunes there are amazing and even from I-8 it was fun watching the off-road vehicles charge up and down the dunes. Lots of campers and RV's out in the desert dry-camping. Guess it pretty well clears out when the weather starts to get warmer. As it was, we enjoyed the 85 degree temperature.
It was interesting as we entered El Centro to see a line on the water tower about twenty feet off the ground marked "sea level", so we are a little below sea level here. We're just south of the Salton Sea which was formed years ago when the Colorado River broke through its' banks and established it. Since then it has not received any substantial inflow and keeps getting more salty year after year.
Tomorrow we're heading north up through Bakersfield to hit 395 and head north. Probably stay somewhere around China Lake and head home either Monday or Tuesday. Not anxious to hurry back to the cold weather.
Take care.
Went north on I-10 to I-8 and crossed the desert over to Gila Bend where we had breakfast. The landscape along that road is pretty flat with the occasional mountain rising straight out of the flat desert floor. Passed by Picacho Peak which is a landmark used by old-time travelers going from Mexico to California. After leaving Gila Bend, we went on to Yuma right on the Colorado River. Although it's not very wide, it seemed to be pretty full. We stopped and took a walk down to the River just to stretch.
Upon leaving Yuma, we passed through the Imperial Desert Recreational Area. I think every off-road vehicle which had been up in Parker for the Best Ride in the Desert moved down to the Yuma area. The sand dunes there are amazing and even from I-8 it was fun watching the off-road vehicles charge up and down the dunes. Lots of campers and RV's out in the desert dry-camping. Guess it pretty well clears out when the weather starts to get warmer. As it was, we enjoyed the 85 degree temperature.
It was interesting as we entered El Centro to see a line on the water tower about twenty feet off the ground marked "sea level", so we are a little below sea level here. We're just south of the Salton Sea which was formed years ago when the Colorado River broke through its' banks and established it. Since then it has not received any substantial inflow and keeps getting more salty year after year.
Tomorrow we're heading north up through Bakersfield to hit 395 and head north. Probably stay somewhere around China Lake and head home either Monday or Tuesday. Not anxious to hurry back to the cold weather.
Take care.
Friday, February 12, 2016
Awesome Views - Tucson
The awesome views came this morning on a trip up to Mt Lemmon. We got lonesome for snow and Vi had seen an advertisement for skiing up at Mt Lemmon, just northeast of Tucson. So this morning after breakfast, we headed out to find Mt Lemmon. We started up a road which was reminiscent of the Virginia City highway.
Even though it was only twenty-five miles to the peak, it was a twisting and turning road - I swear I saw my own tail lights a couple of times :-). There were various vista turn-outs along the way and each view was more stupendous than the last. There was only which looked out over the entire city of Tucson - beautiful. Others were notable for their rock formations. I'll send pictures on my One Drive later this evening.
Almost at the top there was USFS (United States Forest Service) Visitor Center. There was a lone USFS Ranger on duty. She said she lived there alone throughout the year, but didn't get lonesome because there were always plenty of visitors. Reminded me of when we visited a fire-lookout station in the Sierra Nevada several years ago. Beautiful views, but very lonesome. At the top of the mountain, there was a small ski area. Not very long lines - as a matter of fact, we didn't see anyone go up the lift the entire time we were there. There's a small town, Sommrhaven, at the top which seemed to be mostly ski homes. Not exactly Vail or Heavenly, but kind of neat in a small town way. Couldn't have been more than 100 homes up there.
On the way up we passed many cyclists - those people had to be in great shape. The Ranger said many of the Canadian teams came down during the winter to practice because they couldn't cycle at home. A lot easier (and faster) on the way down - they really zoomed down the mountain road. Top altitude was about 8100 feet. There was a back road down called the Control Road, but they said it was a rough, primitive road about twenty-five miles down to a town called Oracle. If Peter had been with me, it might have been a question of whether we attempted it. However, luck was with us because it was closed because of snow and landslides.
Looks like we're leaving tomorrow. Can you believe they are heartless enough to kick us out on my birthday? There's just no empathy these days. We're heading over I-80 through the Mojave to El Centro. If we like it there, we'll stay for a couple of days. Otherwise, we'll head back up toward Reno along the backside of the Sierra.
We'll keep you posted. Stay in touch.
Even though it was only twenty-five miles to the peak, it was a twisting and turning road - I swear I saw my own tail lights a couple of times :-). There were various vista turn-outs along the way and each view was more stupendous than the last. There was only which looked out over the entire city of Tucson - beautiful. Others were notable for their rock formations. I'll send pictures on my One Drive later this evening.
Almost at the top there was USFS (United States Forest Service) Visitor Center. There was a lone USFS Ranger on duty. She said she lived there alone throughout the year, but didn't get lonesome because there were always plenty of visitors. Reminded me of when we visited a fire-lookout station in the Sierra Nevada several years ago. Beautiful views, but very lonesome. At the top of the mountain, there was a small ski area. Not very long lines - as a matter of fact, we didn't see anyone go up the lift the entire time we were there. There's a small town, Sommrhaven, at the top which seemed to be mostly ski homes. Not exactly Vail or Heavenly, but kind of neat in a small town way. Couldn't have been more than 100 homes up there.
On the way up we passed many cyclists - those people had to be in great shape. The Ranger said many of the Canadian teams came down during the winter to practice because they couldn't cycle at home. A lot easier (and faster) on the way down - they really zoomed down the mountain road. Top altitude was about 8100 feet. There was a back road down called the Control Road, but they said it was a rough, primitive road about twenty-five miles down to a town called Oracle. If Peter had been with me, it might have been a question of whether we attempted it. However, luck was with us because it was closed because of snow and landslides.
Looks like we're leaving tomorrow. Can you believe they are heartless enough to kick us out on my birthday? There's just no empathy these days. We're heading over I-80 through the Mojave to El Centro. If we like it there, we'll stay for a couple of days. Otherwise, we'll head back up toward Reno along the backside of the Sierra.
We'll keep you posted. Stay in touch.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Tucson, AZ (Again, #3)
Well, first the good news - today gas was $1.31 at Costco and the high temperature was 83 degrees. What more could you ask for!
Today we decided to take a tour around Tucson. Started out East to the Saguaro National Park in the hopes that the cactus would be in bloom. Alas, that was not to be. But it was still fun and interesting to drive around the park and take a walk through the cactus. The SNP is a huge park with lots of hiking trails, but there is an eight mile driving loop which gave us a great idea of the various saguaro cactus. We read in the Visitor Center that it takes almost thirty-five years before they bloom and they can grow to over 100 feet tall. It's nice that they saved the area because otherwise it would have been developed like the rest of the area around the park.
After lunch, we drove out to the opposite side of Tucson. We were looking to go to Old Tucson which is an old move set built back in the 1930's and used for Western's like Tombstone. Turned out that it was more like a tourist trap. No, let me rephrase that - it was a tourist trap. Kind of like Virginia City on steroids! We decided to pass it by and drove around the Tucson Mountain Park. There is a road over the mountain through Gates Pass which was really interesting. The road over the mountains was built in the late 1800's for a cost of $1000 (five miles winding over the mountain and down into the valley). Try building a road for that price today. At the top was a scenic view area which had spectacular views in both directions. There were some rock cabins and fences which had been built in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps. As we have traveled around the country, we have seen some great buildings and art done by the CCC. It was a big effort by the government to put people to work and do some constructive work.
We have been lucky enough to stay on Davis-Monthan AFB here in what they call a Temporary Lodging Facility. Primarily designed for families moving into the area, they are available on a space available basis. Makes it nice because it's like a one-bedroom apartment, with full kitchen, bath, and living room. Also convenient because the Exchange, Commissary, and golf course are close by. They fly A-10 Warthogs out of here - they were supposed to be phased out, but the war in the Middle East has given them a new lease on life. We haven't been to the Graveyard across the street from the base, but we may go there in the next day or two. However, I think golf is on the agenda for tomorrow.
Hope all is well with everyone. Take care and enjoy life.
Today we decided to take a tour around Tucson. Started out East to the Saguaro National Park in the hopes that the cactus would be in bloom. Alas, that was not to be. But it was still fun and interesting to drive around the park and take a walk through the cactus. The SNP is a huge park with lots of hiking trails, but there is an eight mile driving loop which gave us a great idea of the various saguaro cactus. We read in the Visitor Center that it takes almost thirty-five years before they bloom and they can grow to over 100 feet tall. It's nice that they saved the area because otherwise it would have been developed like the rest of the area around the park.
After lunch, we drove out to the opposite side of Tucson. We were looking to go to Old Tucson which is an old move set built back in the 1930's and used for Western's like Tombstone. Turned out that it was more like a tourist trap. No, let me rephrase that - it was a tourist trap. Kind of like Virginia City on steroids! We decided to pass it by and drove around the Tucson Mountain Park. There is a road over the mountain through Gates Pass which was really interesting. The road over the mountains was built in the late 1800's for a cost of $1000 (five miles winding over the mountain and down into the valley). Try building a road for that price today. At the top was a scenic view area which had spectacular views in both directions. There were some rock cabins and fences which had been built in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps. As we have traveled around the country, we have seen some great buildings and art done by the CCC. It was a big effort by the government to put people to work and do some constructive work.
We have been lucky enough to stay on Davis-Monthan AFB here in what they call a Temporary Lodging Facility. Primarily designed for families moving into the area, they are available on a space available basis. Makes it nice because it's like a one-bedroom apartment, with full kitchen, bath, and living room. Also convenient because the Exchange, Commissary, and golf course are close by. They fly A-10 Warthogs out of here - they were supposed to be phased out, but the war in the Middle East has given them a new lease on life. We haven't been to the Graveyard across the street from the base, but we may go there in the next day or two. However, I think golf is on the agenda for tomorrow.
Hope all is well with everyone. Take care and enjoy life.
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Tucson (again - #2)
Not much new to report from Tucson. Weather continues to be warm and not much wind. We played golf yesterday and again today, but think we're going to take tomorrow off. There's a lot to explore down here and we'd like take advantage of some of the local history.
This year is so much different than last year down here in Tucson. It was relatively cold then, but we're really enjoying this sunshine and blue sky.
We'll keep you posted if there's anything exciting to report!
This year is so much different than last year down here in Tucson. It was relatively cold then, but we're really enjoying this sunshine and blue sky.
We'll keep you posted if there's anything exciting to report!
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Tucson, AZ
Wow, is it warm down here in Tucson! Hit 75 today and it is supposed to be in the 80's later in the week. Guess who didn't bring any shorts and not very many short sleeve shirts? Somehow I think my wardrobe is going to grow a little larger down here. No complaints, just didn't think it was going to be this warm.
We left Glendale this morning and took a back road down to I-8 because we didn't want to take I-10 through Phoenix with all the attendant traffic. Passed through the town of Goodyear - interesting story there which I'll relate later. The airport in Goodyear was where the Met Life blimp was tethered. You may have seen it doing the photo shoots at the Waste Management Open in Phoenix. The airport was also home to a lot of old commercial planes which had been put out to bake in the sun. Because of the low humidity (read that as no humidity) and warm temperatures, this area is well-known as a "bone-yard" for aircraft. Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson is where the Air Force stores its' old planes. They keep well and they can salvage parts from them as they need them. Everything is there from 707's to 747's with all kinds of airline identification, both US and foreign. Interesting to see them lined up on the taxi-ways. They have a similar commercial bone-yard in Pinal Air Park just north of Tucson.
According to my handy-dandy AAA Arizona guide, Goodyear got its' name from the Goodyear Tire Company. Farmers grew cotton in the area early in the 1900's (and still do) which Goodyear used for the cotton fibers in its' tires, so they had large manufacturing plants around the town. Amazing what you can learn as you travel around the country!
We're staying at Davis-Monthan AFB and it is conveniently located to sights we want to see, as well as shopping and restaurants. We'll check out the base golf course as well as others in the area. With these temperatures, it is going to be great. There was one other advantage we noticed in Arizona - when we filled up at Costco this afternoon, gas was $1.35. Hooray!!
I think the Sports Books made a killing on the Super Bowl. They had the Panthers at -3 and the over at 45 - nowhere near what the outcome was. So now it's on to baseball since football won't be around for a while. Maybe we'll get a chance to go to some spring training sessions down here.
Take care and stay in touch.
We left Glendale this morning and took a back road down to I-8 because we didn't want to take I-10 through Phoenix with all the attendant traffic. Passed through the town of Goodyear - interesting story there which I'll relate later. The airport in Goodyear was where the Met Life blimp was tethered. You may have seen it doing the photo shoots at the Waste Management Open in Phoenix. The airport was also home to a lot of old commercial planes which had been put out to bake in the sun. Because of the low humidity (read that as no humidity) and warm temperatures, this area is well-known as a "bone-yard" for aircraft. Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson is where the Air Force stores its' old planes. They keep well and they can salvage parts from them as they need them. Everything is there from 707's to 747's with all kinds of airline identification, both US and foreign. Interesting to see them lined up on the taxi-ways. They have a similar commercial bone-yard in Pinal Air Park just north of Tucson.
According to my handy-dandy AAA Arizona guide, Goodyear got its' name from the Goodyear Tire Company. Farmers grew cotton in the area early in the 1900's (and still do) which Goodyear used for the cotton fibers in its' tires, so they had large manufacturing plants around the town. Amazing what you can learn as you travel around the country!
We're staying at Davis-Monthan AFB and it is conveniently located to sights we want to see, as well as shopping and restaurants. We'll check out the base golf course as well as others in the area. With these temperatures, it is going to be great. There was one other advantage we noticed in Arizona - when we filled up at Costco this afternoon, gas was $1.35. Hooray!!
I think the Sports Books made a killing on the Super Bowl. They had the Panthers at -3 and the over at 45 - nowhere near what the outcome was. So now it's on to baseball since football won't be around for a while. Maybe we'll get a chance to go to some spring training sessions down here.
Take care and stay in touch.
Phoenix, AZ (actually Glendale)
Had a great trip yesterday down from Laughlin to Glendale (just outside of Phoenix). Day started out nice and sunny (55 degrees) and the wind didn't bother us much inside the car. You can tell when you leave Nevada heading south on the Needles Highway; it changes from a four-lane, well-paved road to two-lane, pot-holed road in California. Again, I think I detect Harry Reid's influence there. Parts of where we traveled were the old Route 66 and all the tourist advertisements are geared toward the Great Road. Good thing we gassed up at the Indian Reservation at Avi in Nevada, the gas was only $1.99. When we hit Needles in California, gas off I-40 was $3.79!
As we continued down AZ 95 (US 95 goes down the California side), we passed a lot of RV's parked out in the desert dry-camping. It's open land and a lot of snowbirds take advantage of the free parking - there are some elaborate campsites and others just sitting out by themselves in the sagebrush. Lake Havasu is on that route and is a real mecca for people wanting to spend time in the sun and on the lake during the winter. It's also the site of the London Bridge which was taken apart brick-by-brick, transported across the Atlantic, and reconstructed in Lake Havasu. Amazing!
We passed through Parker, AZ and got detoured around the Main Street. Seems we had arrived right in the middle of the Best in the Desert event there. It's a huge event for off-road racing. If you're interested, check out www.bitd.com. We kind of took some back roads going down towards Phoenix and didn't have much traffic (and that's the understatement of the year). I saw some great roads which I thought the Jeep would enjoy, but someone who was driving vetoed those thoughts. Got a kick out of one town which we passed through which was named Hope. As you left the town, there was a sign by the side of the road which read "Your Now Beyond Hope". Cute, huh! Maybe they should take some English lessons and correct the sign from "Your" to "You're".
As we took US 60 into Glendale, we stopped at the Hasayampa Wildlife Refuge and Rest Area. The Hasayampa River is dry, but they say it flows underground most of the year - couldn't prove it by us; however, further down the road, we did see a little bit of a trickle. There are a lot of dry washes and bridges over wide expanses which must be put to good use when the rainy season comes. Would be interesting to see them at full flow, but then again, maybe not.
We were going to go to dinner at the Westgate Entertainment District, a huge complex of restaurants, shops, sports arenas, etc. It's the home of the Arizona Coyotes (hockey) and the University of Phoenix Stadium which is where the Arizona Cardinals play. You may remember that from last year when some little football game was played there between the Patriots and the Seahawks. However, there was some special event going on and there were lines waiting to get in for parking, so we opted for going somewhere else. After driving around, we found a quaint, local establishment called Applebee's.
Today we're heading down to Tucson. Originally, I had planned on us stopping at the Kitt Peak Observatory, but think we may save that for later in the week. That way, we can watch the Super Bowl when we get to Tucson (and maybe the tail end of the Waste Management Open which is being played here in Phoenix this week).
Weather here is gorgeous. Finally turned warm and it was 73 at the peak yesterday. Turned cool as soon as the sun went down, but still better than snow and ice. Looking forward to some golf this week in Tucson.
Take care and enjoy life.
As we continued down AZ 95 (US 95 goes down the California side), we passed a lot of RV's parked out in the desert dry-camping. It's open land and a lot of snowbirds take advantage of the free parking - there are some elaborate campsites and others just sitting out by themselves in the sagebrush. Lake Havasu is on that route and is a real mecca for people wanting to spend time in the sun and on the lake during the winter. It's also the site of the London Bridge which was taken apart brick-by-brick, transported across the Atlantic, and reconstructed in Lake Havasu. Amazing!
We passed through Parker, AZ and got detoured around the Main Street. Seems we had arrived right in the middle of the Best in the Desert event there. It's a huge event for off-road racing. If you're interested, check out www.bitd.com. We kind of took some back roads going down towards Phoenix and didn't have much traffic (and that's the understatement of the year). I saw some great roads which I thought the Jeep would enjoy, but someone who was driving vetoed those thoughts. Got a kick out of one town which we passed through which was named Hope. As you left the town, there was a sign by the side of the road which read "Your Now Beyond Hope". Cute, huh! Maybe they should take some English lessons and correct the sign from "Your" to "You're".
As we took US 60 into Glendale, we stopped at the Hasayampa Wildlife Refuge and Rest Area. The Hasayampa River is dry, but they say it flows underground most of the year - couldn't prove it by us; however, further down the road, we did see a little bit of a trickle. There are a lot of dry washes and bridges over wide expanses which must be put to good use when the rainy season comes. Would be interesting to see them at full flow, but then again, maybe not.
We were going to go to dinner at the Westgate Entertainment District, a huge complex of restaurants, shops, sports arenas, etc. It's the home of the Arizona Coyotes (hockey) and the University of Phoenix Stadium which is where the Arizona Cardinals play. You may remember that from last year when some little football game was played there between the Patriots and the Seahawks. However, there was some special event going on and there were lines waiting to get in for parking, so we opted for going somewhere else. After driving around, we found a quaint, local establishment called Applebee's.
Today we're heading down to Tucson. Originally, I had planned on us stopping at the Kitt Peak Observatory, but think we may save that for later in the week. That way, we can watch the Super Bowl when we get to Tucson (and maybe the tail end of the Waste Management Open which is being played here in Phoenix this week).
Weather here is gorgeous. Finally turned warm and it was 73 at the peak yesterday. Turned cool as soon as the sun went down, but still better than snow and ice. Looking forward to some golf this week in Tucson.
Take care and enjoy life.
Friday, February 5, 2016
Still in Laughlin
It's been a great time in Laughlin; however, we leave tomorrow for Phoenix heading down through Lake Havasu. The weather has been warming up each day, but someone forgot to turn down the fan. We have had wind every day. Today we went over to Arizona and played golf at Huukan Golf Club. Huukan is an Indian word for "Crooked Stick", so it's an aptly named golf course. I think the name originally referred to Lacrosse which the Indians played - don't think they played much golf :-).
Nice golf course, but the wind really came into play. Good thing it wasn't cold or it would have really been miserable. Wasn't too crowded - think that had something to do with the wind? I think we'll be glad to leave Laughlin and head for Phoenix and Tucson. Pretty crowded around here - lots of old folks. Sure glad we're not in that crowd. Not only are there a lot of snowbirds around, but there are a lot of people brought in by bus and plane. Harrah's doesn't miss a trick in keeping the casino full.
Tomorrow should be a fun trip - we'll follow the Colorado for a while and then cut cross-country to get to Phoenix. We'll only be there for a day and then head down to Tucson where we plan on staying for a week.
Hope all is well with everyone. Stay in touch.
Nice golf course, but the wind really came into play. Good thing it wasn't cold or it would have really been miserable. Wasn't too crowded - think that had something to do with the wind? I think we'll be glad to leave Laughlin and head for Phoenix and Tucson. Pretty crowded around here - lots of old folks. Sure glad we're not in that crowd. Not only are there a lot of snowbirds around, but there are a lot of people brought in by bus and plane. Harrah's doesn't miss a trick in keeping the casino full.
Tomorrow should be a fun trip - we'll follow the Colorado for a while and then cut cross-country to get to Phoenix. We'll only be there for a day and then head down to Tucson where we plan on staying for a week.
Hope all is well with everyone. Stay in touch.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Laughlin, NV
Well, we left yesterday morning with 23 degrees on the thermometer and arrived in Laughlin with 55 degrees. Must have been downhill since the altitude was 5000 feet when we left Reno and it's only 2500 here - saves on gas that way.
We have lived in Nevada for more than ten years and are always amazed that we can top a rise and see for ten or fifteen miles and not see any sign of habitation at all. It was especially beautiful yesterday because of the snow-covered mountains until we got south of Tonopah and then the snow kind of left us. Saw a lot of wild burros - it's funny because up around Reno, there are many more wild horses and hardly any burros. Must be left over from the prospectors!
With our normal good timing, we hit Las Vegas at rush hour. We had gone through Pahrump in order to miss most of the Las Vegas traffic, but still got caught up in it on the south side before we hit 95 south and got back to low (or no) traffic. South on 95 is interesting because it connects Las Vegas with Searchlight and is a four-lane, limited access highway with hardly any traffic. Do you think that might have something to do with the fact that Harry Reid lives in Searchlight? Just before the turn-off to Laughlin, there is a huge rest area with very modern facilities and great architecture (if there can be great architecture in a rest area). Again, probably thanks to Harry.
Just an update on family. Danny arrived in New Zealand for his semester abroad after a 36 hour, 35 minute flight from Montreal. Don't think I could get Vi on that flight :-). He's a day ahead of us, so Tom III and I are hoping he can tell us the outcome of the Super Bowl before it occurs here, so that we can place some bets. That idea hasn't worked with Char in Okinawa, but one can always hope!
Met up with Hank and Diane last night and we'll get together later this morning. Have to remember when making tee times that Arizona (just across the river) is an hour ahead of us. Cross the bridge and you lose an hour. Beautiful
Take care and enjoy life.
We have lived in Nevada for more than ten years and are always amazed that we can top a rise and see for ten or fifteen miles and not see any sign of habitation at all. It was especially beautiful yesterday because of the snow-covered mountains until we got south of Tonopah and then the snow kind of left us. Saw a lot of wild burros - it's funny because up around Reno, there are many more wild horses and hardly any burros. Must be left over from the prospectors!
With our normal good timing, we hit Las Vegas at rush hour. We had gone through Pahrump in order to miss most of the Las Vegas traffic, but still got caught up in it on the south side before we hit 95 south and got back to low (or no) traffic. South on 95 is interesting because it connects Las Vegas with Searchlight and is a four-lane, limited access highway with hardly any traffic. Do you think that might have something to do with the fact that Harry Reid lives in Searchlight? Just before the turn-off to Laughlin, there is a huge rest area with very modern facilities and great architecture (if there can be great architecture in a rest area). Again, probably thanks to Harry.
Just an update on family. Danny arrived in New Zealand for his semester abroad after a 36 hour, 35 minute flight from Montreal. Don't think I could get Vi on that flight :-). He's a day ahead of us, so Tom III and I are hoping he can tell us the outcome of the Super Bowl before it occurs here, so that we can place some bets. That idea hasn't worked with Char in Okinawa, but one can always hope!
Met up with Hank and Diane last night and we'll get together later this morning. Have to remember when making tee times that Arizona (just across the river) is an hour ahead of us. Cross the bridge and you lose an hour. Beautiful
Take care and enjoy life.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Leaving Reno
Well, tomorrow we're heading down to Laughlin for several days and then on to Tucson. Thought I'd make a blog and then you all could either follow it or not, depending on your desires. As I have said before, it makes it easier than trying to figure out who we have kept advised of our travels. You can make comments if you prefer or just enjoy the posts.
Right now, we're leaving early Wednesday to go to Laughlin, staying at Harrah's. We plan on meeting Hank and Diane there. Hank is Mary Gagner's brother and we got to know them very well during our trips to Seattle. They live in Minnesota, but head down to Parker, CA as snowbirds for the winter. Can't say as I blame them. Why put up with the snow when you can enjoy the sunshine and play golf.
We're hoping to find warmer weather and no snow, but it has been kind of cool down in Laughlin. After Laughlin, we're heading over to Phoenix and Tucson for a week. Will be nice to leave the snow and ice behind, although we do appreciate the snowpack. The Truckee Trickle has turned into the Truckee Torrent and we're 125% of average snowpack which bodes well for next summer
Take care and we'll keep you posted on our travels.
Right now, we're leaving early Wednesday to go to Laughlin, staying at Harrah's. We plan on meeting Hank and Diane there. Hank is Mary Gagner's brother and we got to know them very well during our trips to Seattle. They live in Minnesota, but head down to Parker, CA as snowbirds for the winter. Can't say as I blame them. Why put up with the snow when you can enjoy the sunshine and play golf.
We're hoping to find warmer weather and no snow, but it has been kind of cool down in Laughlin. After Laughlin, we're heading over to Phoenix and Tucson for a week. Will be nice to leave the snow and ice behind, although we do appreciate the snowpack. The Truckee Trickle has turned into the Truckee Torrent and we're 125% of average snowpack which bodes well for next summer
Take care and we'll keep you posted on our travels.
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