2012-40 Tucson Arizona, ANNUAL TRAVEL EXPENSE REPORT

2012-40

Tucson Arizona

Desert Trails Rv Park  (Winter campsite)

view looking out front of my campsite

I’ve made it to my winter destination at Desert Trails Rv Park.  After settling in, I’m right next to the swimming pool which is a great spot, but I have had people occasionally walking through my campsite.  Kind of startling when I’m just relaxing reading a good book and suddenly someone walk right through my campsite.  I finally put up a sign letting folks know it’s not a pass-thru but a campsite.  Most folks understand that it’s rude to walk through someone’s campsite, but until they get used to where all the pass-through walkways are located in this quirky campground, they often end up taking the shortest route back to where ever they are going.

new patio area next to the swimming pool

All the clubs are starting up and I’ve committed to doing one called  the RV Travel Club.  We’ll be covering where to go, what to see, best campgrounds and best routes to take in each state.  Should be lots of fun.  I’m helping out the photo club get going as well, but don’t plan on being the lead throughout the winter as it would be just too much for me.  I’m enjoying the Writers Club and this wonderful group of writers and all their stories.

Since I’m settled in, it’s that time of year to review what the costs have been over the past summer.  The expenses cover my campsite, fuel (diesel) and misc. expenses which involve all those unexpected expenses like a new tire, insurance, health bills etc.  It does not cover my daily living expenses such as food and entertainment.  I hope the figures will help others who are thinking about traveling as a full-timer understand the costs of traveling as a full timer .  It should also be noted that I usually stayed at least a week If not longer in most locations and only traveled on average about 150 miles between campground/destinations.  That makes a huge difference on the daily/weekly and monthly expenses.

click on image to enlarge

If you are new to this Blog and have any questions regarding camping, please drop me a line.  My e-mail address is listed on the right hand sidebar.

2012-39 Lake Havasu Arizona

2012-39

Lake Havasu AZ

Campground:  Campbell Cove RV Resort, 1523 Industrial Blvd. Lake Havasu City AZ, 86403
Local: (928) 854-7200.  PA rate: $21.00, Normal Price: $42.00.  Nice park.  Back to back sites (site are close together), but you can pull thru if no one is in the other site.  Some pull thrus for very large rigs.  2 miles from center of town.  Spotty Verizon service as this is a roaming area for Verizon.

Campground:  Shady Lane Rv Park.  $17 full hookup.  Pull-thru sites.  gravel.  185 N hwy 95 Quartzsite AZ.  Last stop before reaching winter destination. Monthly rate:  $200 + electric.

Distance traveled:  55 miles

Somehow I thought the distance would be a bit further, so when I got to Lake Havasu after only about an hour I was really surprised.  The temperatures in the 90 degree range on this fall day and I’m having trouble relating to those up north who are already experiencing freezing weather.  The sun is so bright out here I’m having to wear sunglasses all the time.  My sister Dorothy sent me some wonderful pictures of all the fall color in her town of Whitehall Mich. and it got me in the mood to have some fall color in the camper.  So off to the Dollar store to buy some fall leaves (silk of course).  Made up a couple nice arrangements to remind me it really is fall.

London Bridge, the #2 attraction in Arizona

I was saved from having another time change as Arizonans don’t change their clock for the daylight saving change.

The local news has a big article about a flood control project our here.  The first phase has cost 4 million dollars to stop flooding along one of the many washes that run through this area.  Three big earthen reservoirs have been constructed.  The next phase will cost 6 million dollars to build concrete channels in the Horizon Six subdivision.  Imagine, they built a subdivision in a flood zone.  Then Dah, they realized that it would flood during any heavy rain.  Now did the subdivision or the developer have to pay for the ten million dollar diversion of water?  I think you know the answer.

numerous washes throughout the Lake Havasu City

It is a little hard to realize in this extremely dry desert area that one would have to worry about flooding.  But as I drive around the Lake Havasu area, I do notice very large and deep washes that indicate that when it does rain, the water runs right through this whole.  Those washes are like large dry river beds with deep gouges and walls of loose gravel and sand winding their way through this arid land.  The campground I’m in is actually a high peninsula with those washes defining each side, creating an island effect overlooking Lake Havasu.

I’m enjoying just living in this area for the week, without much touring.  The London Bridge and Lake Havasu being the major attractions in the area.  Doing my little chores like washing the truck, which was covered with bug doo doo splattered on the front grill, vacuuming and other household chores.  I’ve been working on a “water fountain” but so far I’ve come up with a couple snags.  The flower pot I planned to use leaks like a sieve and the pump doesn’t shoot up much water, so this is one project that needs a lot more work.

looking across Lake Havasu into California

It’s super windy out today and I’ll head out for my last leg of my journey south towards Tucson AZ, my winter destination.  This Blog will be fairly quiet for the next couple of months as I take the winter off and play in the desert.  It sure has been fun having everyone along on my journey for the past 8 months.  Wishing everyone a super great time as you explore your part of the world.

I invite you to explore the Blog and re-visit some of the past destinations.  A search at the top left corner of the blog is a great way to explore.  Simply type in the State you're interested in and all the articles that originated from that state will show up.  Or, click on the table of contents on the right hand side by Month and Year and explore that way.  If you're interested in pictures, go to the PICASA website and explore all the pictures associated with this Blog.

2012-38 Bullhead City Arizona

2012-38

Bullhead City Arizona
Bullhead City Arizona
Oatman Arizona

Campground:  Silver View RV Resort, 1501 Goldrush Rd, Bullhead City AZ, 86442. Local: (928) 763-5500 PA rate: $14.95 - $17.45, Normal Price: $29.90 - $34.90  Spectacular views of Laughlin and Bullhead City. Nice large and wide sites and pull-thrus.  Back-ins overlooking the river, high on the bluff are also prone to heavy winds. Full hookups, 50amp, cable tv.

Campground:  Snowbird Rv Park.  1600 Joy Lane,  Bullhead City AZ, 86426, Local: (928) 768-7141 PA rate: $15.00 + $2 cable tv, Normal $30.00 Sites are close together.  Older park.  Concrete patio, full hookup w/cable tv.

Distance traveled:  153 miles

The Colorado River and Laughlin NV

Heading south from Las Vegas on  hwy 95, I’m impressed by the scrub covering the dry desert valley.  It has rained in this area recently and the valley looks quite green.  I’ve even seen water standing on the flat desert sand as underneath is a hard packed ground that does not absorb any water.

Then heading east along hwy 163 the sharp craggy mountains have a quality unlike any I’ve seen elsewhere.  I really don’t know what it is.  The casual observer would probably think they all look pretty much the same.  But to me, there is something that attracts me to them.  The sharp edged mountain ridges, the sandy earthen color of the sloping sides dotted with desert ironwood and a few yucca’s and Joshua trees.  Views of canyons as the hwy descends over 2,000 feet down to Laughlin and  Bullhead City.  The Colorado River sparkling blue against the desert scenery.

Opps.  I went to set up at the Silver View Rv park today and after disconnecting the truck and camper, I couldn’t get the tail gate to go down.  Locked in place.  No way to remove the campers hitch over the top of the tailgate, so I reconnected everything and drove it all into the Chevy dealer.  One of the tailgate latches broke loose.  The only thing connecting it is a tiny piece of plastic which broke apart.  Imagine, a plastic piece that probably cost two cents to manufacture.  The service guy came out to the truck, assessed the problem, brought me into the parts department where we purchased the $9 part.  He then showed me how to install it, saving me a $100+ repair bill.  Nice guys.  Thanks Findlay Auto Center.

Went out for breakfast today.  I’ve been going to Subway’s as they make a breakfast sandwich out of egg whites.  I have them add ham, green peppers and onion and cheese making it basically a Western sandwich.  Really good and their Seattle’s Best coffee is great.  I asked the guy making my breakfast what his favorite sandwich was.  He said he rarely eats there, as he’s been working for them for 6 years and after making all those subs, doesn’t have an appetite for any of them.  Did you know they have a veggie patty that’s supposed to be pretty good as well.  I do try to eat healthy when I can.

Haven’t gone into the casino’s on the other side of the river in Laughlin.  Guess I’m burned out on seeing them all over Nevada in the past month.  I’m sure I’ll make it into one of them in the next couple of days.

Distance Traveled:  10 miles

Well that was a short trip.  The previous Passport America site would only let me stay 3 days, even though they had lots of space available.  So I moved down the road to an older park I’ve stayed in before, the Snowbird Rv park.  After setting up I went back to K-mart and spent my $5 gift card for signing up for their rewards card.  Got a 75 oz bottle of Xtra laundry detergent for $1.99 and a bag of Halloween candy discounted the day after Halloween.   Both for under $5.00.   Two great bargains and both free.  You know that’s my favorite price.

Being on the south end of Bullhead City, I’m very close to Oatman.  An old mining town that is on the original path of the famous Route 66.  Oatman is a great place for all you budding photographers and folks who enjoy seeing wild burros and a bit of the old west.  The tourist shops cater to the biker clubs and t-shirt lovers.  Later, after taking a bunch of photos and talking to the locals, none over enthusiastic by the way, I headed back into town and across the Colorado River to the Avi Casino for lunch.  The Restaurante Aviano
Is right next to the buffet which is not open for lunch.  Which worked to my advantage, as I probably wouldn’t have tried the Aviano as it looks and feels very upscale.  What I found is a great place for lunch with prices in the $6.95 range.  Wonderful breadsticks, pizza made to order, make your own sandwiches with very fresh ingredients and good service and salad bar.  So good I’m going back and trying one of their pasta dishes.  I don’t usually talk about restaurants all that much since I often eat at the most average of places.  This one was top notch and if you're in the Laughlin area, go a little further and eat at the Avi Casino.

Oatman AZ

I’ll head to Lake Havasu next then on into Tucson.  My final winter destination.

A final shout out to my sister Ann, wishing her many happy years in her new senior apartment.  Knowing she’s in a safe comfortable place at senior prices and surrounded by friends, starting a new chapter in her life brings a big smile to my face.  Nice to know we can all continue to change and enjoy life no matter what age.  PS, I’m two years younger than she is.

Moro photos on PICASA

2012-37 Pahrump Nevada

2012-37

Pahrump Nevada
Las Vegas day trip

Campground:  Preferred RV Resort, 1801 E. Crawford Way, Pahrump NV, 89048 (800) 445-7840
Local: (775) 727-4414 PA rate: $16.50, Normal Price: $33.00 for the PA rate one gets a gravel site with a concrete pad and picnic table.  Full hookups w/wifi and over air tv stations available.  Good cell phone service.  Swimming pool, club house, work out room, and workshops.

I’m here for 10 days on my way south for the winter.  I discovered the other day when I went to check up on my mail that had not gotten delivered to the previous campground, that the folks at Silver City Rv rejected my mail and had it sent back. While I was staying at the campground.  Of course they never told me that, as I continued to extend my stay there, waiting for my mail to arrive.

Lesson learned for full-timers.  Always have your mail sent General Delivery to the Post Office at your next destination and for an added 75 cents the USPS will provide a tracking number for your pkg.

I filled up with diesel today at only $3.999 a gallon.  Seems like ages since in was in the $3 range… I think I remember when $2.50 was high.

Luxor Hotel/Casino

Here at the Preferred RV Resort, which is member owned, I’ve been talking to some of those members.  Now each owner can buy a share and stay in the park for 30 days each year.  Initially it sounds pretty good even though a member has to pay yearly dues of $300, so that works out to $10 a day for your 30 day stay.  But they have added a few extra dollars per day to cover electric costs etc. so it’s closer to maybe $13.50 a day.  My next door neighbor bought out someone else who was leaving the area for good and got his membership/owership for about $200.  Initial owners/members paid $5,000 to join.  At dinner this evening, they have lots of food events here, one couple has purchased a home in the area and sold their RV.  But they are still owners in the park.  So for the $300 yearly fee they basically have a club membership and join in all the activities that go on in a park like this.  It also sounds like there’s a lot of turnover of owners/members.

mock up of the tunnel digger for Yucca Mt

Between Beatty and Pahrump is the Nevada Test site, part of the Nellis Airforce Range complex.  It is also the site of the Yucca Mountain Project where they were building all those tunnels into the mountain to store nuclear waste in the future.  The program was cancelled in 2009 by President Obama with the belief that it was better to spend the money repurposing the nuclear waster for use in the newer nuclear reactor plants.  You see the nuclear waste from our old nuclear plants in the U.S. which are first generation plants can be configured and used in the second generation nuclear plants that our scientists developed.  Of course we haven’t built any of those second generation plants in the U.S. but we apparently have shared those designs with other countries like Japan and European countries who did.  So rather than store nuclear waste it could be used, even if we don’t have the nuclear power plants to take advantage of that repurposed nuclear waste, other countries do.  I know, it’s crazy isn't it.

map showing earthquake activity in the past

yucca Mt project was being built on an active military test site

This all leads up to the extensive display that the Pahrump Museum has put together to explain this whole project, but mostly ignoring the info presented in the previous paragraph.  You see the site was contested by a whole bunch of folks from environmentalists right down to the State of Nevada itself.  But the county of Nye, which Pahrump is in, seems to be pretty much in favor of the original plan.  After all, it would create and has created a ton of high paying jobs in the local area, that is until it was all canceled two years before the final studies on it’s feasibility would have been completed.

Tests were done on water seepage into the newly constructed tunnels.  Water being a bad thing when storing nuclear waste.  Heat tests were done on the tunnels to see how they would react to 400 degree temperatures which is what the nuclear waste would produce.  Charts showed where past earthquakes appeared in the area.  What caught my eye on the displays is that the Test range is still being used today.  Meaning they still drop “munitions” for testing etc.  Which  to my mind doesn’t seem like a smart thing to do if one is going to be storing nuclear waste underground in the area, but what do I know.

The Yucca Mountain project is dead in the water as the saying goes and has been locked up real tight.  I was kind of hoping I could get a tour of it.  But it was not to be.

Another spooky aspect is that the Nellis Airforce range, some 3 million acres in all is also home to area 51.  No wonder one of the campgrounds in Beatty NV is called “Space Station Rv park”.   So I learned about yet another piece of the puzzle that makes up our country and some of the odd decisions we make along the way.

Luxor

Las Vegas, day trip

A few days later in the area and I decided to drive into Las Vegas.  About an hours drive from Pahrump.  I had also wanted to drive hwy 160 into Vegas as it will be my route heading towards the Bullhead City area at the end of the week.  For much of the way it becomes a 4 lane divided highway through the desert, then it narrows to a two lane road over the Red Rock Canyon range.  There is a 7% grade descending into Vegas for 3 miles, though it didn’t seem bad considering there were wide gentle curves as it went through the mountainous area.  None of those tight sharp curves I’ve encountered going over some mountain passes.

My goal this time was to head to the Luxor Casino and hotel.  I love the fantasy architecture of the Vegas strip.  It’s been on my personal bucket list of places to visit for quite some time and I made it on today’s day trip.  Heading north along Las Vegas Blvd. I pass the famous Las Vegas sign and just as the congestion of Vegas begins to overwhelm, I arrived at the Luxor.  Parking was easy in their free parking garage.  Heading across one of the many skyway bridges, I entered the Luxor for the first time.  The black pyramids exterior looks a bit dirty from the desert dust and the black glass appears to be sagging just a bit.  Overall it’s still a most spectacular sight.  The interior is as to be expected, a series of ascending floors forming the interior of the pyramid, showing the walk ways and doors to each hotel room.  No windows face inward from those hotel rooms only the doors and walkways on each floor look out over the expansive interior.  And the interior is filled with a mash of fake tall buildings, shops, entrances to the Titanic exhibit and the Human Body Exhibit, both costing about $32 to enter.  A nice food court sits in the back with everything from a Mc Donald’s to Nathan’s Hotdogs.  Making for an inexpensive place to get a quick bite to eat.  Starbucks is there as well with their $4.50 cups of coffee, but I opted for the Mc Donald’s coffee which is pretty darn good as well and only 63 cents at the senior rate.

After my tour of the Luxor I hopped onto the three stop free monorail out front.  Ok, it doesn’t go all that far but it’s free.  At the Excalibur stop, I got off, walked across another sky bridge to the MGM Grand which is an entire block in size.  I know because I walked through the whole darn thing to get to the other end that has a link to the Vegas Monorail which costs $12 for an all day pass.  Figured it was better than hoofing it up and down the main street where on street level it’s very congested on the road and sidewalks.  Ok it wasn’t as great as Disney Worlds monorail being a bit more bumpy and also the views were often obscured by construction and parking garages.  But otherwise a fun little journey through the heart of Las Vegas.  I hate to say it but a number of us monorail riders had a good chuckle as a guy pushed his wife onto the car in a wheel chair and as the train took off the wheel chair started to roll down the isle.  She locked herself in place and then upon exiting, he bumped just about every chair and post like it was a pinball machine with the wheelchair.  I know, I know, we shouldn’t have been chuckling, but we couldn’t help it.

Circus Circus

New York New York

view of new condo's from monorail

inside the MGM

Vega monorail.  $12 full day pass

So there you are, another week on the road.  After having settled in for a week and exploring a bit of southern Nevada, I’ll be heading to Bullhead City and Lake Havasu next before reaching Desert Trails around the middle of the month.  So just a few more stories before landing at my winter destination.

do you think too much sun?

a few more pictures on PICASA

2012-36 Hawthorne to Pahrump Nevada

2012-36

Hawthorne Nevada
Tonopah
Beatty
Pahrump

Campground:  Scotty's rv park, Hawthorne Nv 775-945-2079 $19 regular rate.  Basic in-town campground.  Mainly pull-thru’s.  Restrooms, laundry and wifi available.  Concrete island with all utilities and long narrow concrete pad for stepping out onto.

Joyland

Campground:  Joy Land RV Park, 1260 Ketten Rd.  Tonopah NV, 89049, Local: (775) 482-9444
PA rate: $9.00 - $10.00 Normal Price: $18.00 - $20.00 Three dirt lots on a side street.  The 3rd one has pull-thrus.  Real basic but doable, though surrounded by shacks and MH‘s in disrepair, this is a poor town.  No tv reception.  Minimal cell phone.  Wifi available in town.

Beatty Hot Baths

Campground:  Beatty Hot Baths Rv.  $21 water/elect. 30 amp.  No dump station.  Hot springs are include in the RV camping rate making for a great value.  Only about 14 campsites but they also permit dry camping for a small fee.  No wifi, no over air tv, 2 bar Verizon cell service. But who needs it with a hot springs out your back door.  Note: Road traffic/noise is heavy in the evening.

Campground:  Preferred RV Resort, 1801 E. Crawford Way, Pahrump NV, 89048 (800) 445-7840 Local: (775) 727-4414 PA rate: $16.50, Normal Price: $33.00 for the PA rate one gets a gravel site with a concrete pad and picnic table.  Full hookups w/wifi and over air tv stations available.  Good cell phone service.

I headed out of the Carson City area after waiting well over a week for my mail to arrive and it never did.  At least I had a great time visiting with Elaine and John along the way.  I decided to head on south into California to Mono Lake, just to see what it looks like, then east back into Nevada.  What a wonderful drive along hwy 395 along the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range which recently got a dusting of snow on all the top peaks.  What an awesome site to see along with the fall change of colors.  Around the Mono Lake area it becomes a most desolate desert valley surrounded by those mountains and even though there were a few things to see in the area like a scenic drive, the eastern or back side of Yosemite and a ghost town, I continued on back into Nevada.  Fortunately I didn’t have to buy any fuel while in California as the cost for diesel was over $5.00 a gallon.  there are numerous electronic signs indicating which mountain passes are open or closed.  Only one was closed when I went through the area.

I liked this route not only for the new vista’s I’d never seen before, but also because they had numerous areas one could pull over to take some pictures and get a drink out of the camper.  There was even some construction on one of those overpasses.  We all had to stop and wait for the one way traffic to reverse and I got an extra chance to take a few more pictures and visit with fellow travelers along the route.

Distance traveled: 151 miles

I arrived in Hawthorne Nevada a dusty little town of about 3,000.  The large Hawthorne Army Depot is here consisting of over 2,400 bunkers storing ammunition, mercury and things of that sort.  My campground, Scotty’s Rv, is right in town so it’s close to one casino a few restaurants and two discount stores.  A military museum called the Hawthorne Ordnance Museum is in town and even though it was closed when I stopped by, it has large windows and a number of displays outside so I was able to get an idea of what’s stored in all those bunkers.  A local resident told me that the military special ops group that took down Osama Bin Laudin had their final training here before going over to take him down.  The local paper had a big to-do about it after the fact and this particular local I spoke to was not happy that it was out that their small town was involved.

Calif. heading back into Nevada

Hawthorne Nevada, Army Depot bldgs

Distance traveled: 104 miles

There are some really awesome colored mountain ranges along route between Hawthorne and Tonopah Nv.  Looking like someone splashed yellows, reds, oranges, browns and tans across the mountains.  It’s a lonely road to travel even with the occasional bunches of cars, trucks and Rv’s passing on by.

I arrived at the Joy Land Rv Park which is more or less three sand lots surrounded by chain link fences on three sides.  The pull thru sites are on the 3rd lot and at the end of a desolate road.  Old shacks, mobile homes with debris stacked out front and on the sides looking as if the inhabitants have given up on life itself.

Tonopah, mining museum

abandoned mining housing

Tonopah is an old mining town and I’ve passed this way before a couple of years past.  Half the stores are closed, a few old casinos line the main street.  I stopped into a deli in the heart of town, one of the few shops that looked well kept.  The food was good and as the locals came in, it was clear that everyone in town knew each other and easy casual conversations took place.  A young couple in their mid 20’s came in with a small baby and a child about 4 or 5 years old.  I was impressed with how easy going the parents were and relished hearing the dad telling the baby that she was just too precious and cute for words.  Gives one a warm feeling to see children being raised with such love.

Can’t imagine how they make a living around here.  I drove through some of the back streets and folks were living in houses that had no paint on them and in many cases looked as if they’d been patched together with what ever was available.  I’m only spending two days here and even with that it seems too much.

Distance Traveled:  93 miles

Hwy 95 looks like it’s been paved recently and is just as smooth as can be.  The road is straight as an arrow for most of the way on this two lane highway with bare mountains on either side and I even saw my first Joshua Trees in the desert.  Still no cactus.  Beatty is a good stopping point for anyone wanting to visit Death Valley, the Ghost Town of Rhyolite and Scotty’s Castle.  I’ve been to all of those areas and have reported on them in the past.  This time I’ll once again enjoy the hot baths at the park.  They’re actually hot springs enclosed in three buildings.  Each with temperatures from mild to hot depending on which building you choose.  The floor of each building has rock and gravel as the base where the hot springs percolate up through the floor.  A wide sturdy staircase leads to the waters edge.  A shallow 3-4 feet deep.  Just right for sitting on the bottom of the gravel floor or floating on the heated mineral spring water.  You can bet I enjoyed my time in the baths today and will again tomorrow.

downtown Beatty NV

The small town of Beatty, approx. 1,000, are the most friendly of folks.  I’ve had easy conversations with so many in the short time I’ve been here.  And what a perfect day.  77 degrees and sunny.  Having such a short time in the area I had to see a few of the sites once again.  I took off early in the morning and headed just outside of Beatty to the ghost town of Rhyolite and the Goldwell Open Air Museum which has some of the most wonderful sculptures.  Just perfect for any budding artist/photographer to enjoy.  I think I got some hauntingly beautiful shots and can’t wait to share them with you.

heading into Death Valley

I learned more about the ghost town of Rhyolite as well.  It is considered the last of the gold rush era boom towns built on the hopes and dreams of finding gold.  Only one mine produced gold, taking out a total of about two million dollars worth and went broke doing so.  At it’s height in 1907 it had between 3,500 to 5,000 people.  With concrete and brick buildings.  Some three stories high.  All had water and electric.  This was a town that was determined to make it.  And yet less than 13 years later it was all over. The final end to the gold rush era.

Then it was off into Death Valley and when I say into, it really is like going down deep into this barren hot valley.  The descent is through a series of mountain ranges as bare and weathered as one would imagine.  But oddly they have had quite a bit of rain recently, washing out a more direct route to Scotty’s castle.  That rain revived the scrubby plants that grow in death valley and much of it was as green as can be and washed of all the dusty sand that usually covered everything.  My destination was Scotty’s castle, about a 35 mile drive through Death Valley.  The castle was built by the wealthy Albert and Bessie Johnson of Chicago.  How it ended being built in this oasis of a canyon is most fascinating.  It all started when Scotty, who was working for the Buffalo Bill Cody show, began selling shares of his “gold mine” out in death valley on the side.  Albert Johnson was one of those who invested in Scotty’s mine to the tune of $30,000.  Johnson decided to visit the mine and took a trip out to Death Valley.  Realizing that Scotty had no mine but enjoying the west and Scotty’s stories, Albert decide to buy up any land that had water in the area.  Eventually building a couple cabins around the natural spring.  Bessie came out and said if he wanted her to ever join him again, he’d better build a proper house.  And that was the beginning of the adventure that led to the building of Scotty’s Castle.  The place was able to produce it’s own electricity and had solar water heating.  Indoor waterfalls helped add humidity to the dry desert air.

Distance traveled:  73 miles.

My next stop is in Pahrump Nevada.  A desert valley community approx 50 miles west of Las Vegas.  Preferred RV Resort is one of those resorts that has a large swimming pool craft rooms, club house, Laundromats etc.  Nice place to land at a good Passport America rate.  I understand many Vegas workers live out here due to the cheaper housing prices.  I'll be here for 10 days.

So there you have it.  Another week on the road as I continue heading south towards my winter destination.  I’ve committed myself (ok you can stop the jokes right there) to head a new camping club at Desert Trails this winter.  It will be called “The RV travel Club”  and we’ll be sharing places to go, things to see and travel routes to use and avoid along the way.  Hopefully we’ll cover a few states each week.  Looking forward to sharing what ever I’ve learned along the way.

more pictures on PICASA