On the Road

Who knows where?? July 2 - 5


Everything after Vegas should just be called "Post-Vegas" because we needed to recover from the gambling. Not really, but LVM was a wonderful treat. I haven't blogged since we were there because we  have been keeping busy with the traveling to get to Seattle on a strict time schedule. So far, on this entire trip, every place we have stayed (even the overnights) except for one has been so good to us. We always want to stay another night at all of the parks, but if that was the case we'd never get anywhere so what would be the point??

At the lovely hour of 5:15am, Dad woke me up and we started the 45 minute process of getting ready to go somewhere. No wonder we need 3 months to take this trip. We pulled out of LVM at 6:00 AM on the dot. Even if one of my friends had come with me on this trip, I don't think anyone would be prepared for the early hours Dad tends to force me to keep. It's not as terrible as it sounds; as it gets bright around 5:00 AM, the early morning sun helps to get me moving.

We traveled from LVM to Sparks Marina RV Resort in Nevada which was a 500 mile,  11 hour day. That's a long way, and it was hard driving. This leg took US-95, Hwy 359, and US 395. Parts of these roads go into California, so I can truthfully say we went to California on this trip. Although, I can't give any picture evidence with a state sign because all of those I took show only the trees just after the state sign. Why am I so terrible at that??

On this leg of the trip, the roads we were on were not interstates. This is an example of this size of the roads that we were on for 500 miles. I believe our average mph was about 47. So slow going added up to the 11 hour day.

This is Mono Lake in CA. This lake was not developed with houses which is very different than something we see back home in the east.

In CA on Hwy 359. Definitely a beautiful ride (for me) but a lot of turns and hills for Dad. We are so lucky the Newell performs flawlessly on roads like this.

Self portrait (I know, I know) with my buddy the bunny.

We had to wait about 20 minutes at a construction site, and Dad got up to stretch. He wanted to use the restroom, but I wouldn't let him because I was too terrified it would be our turn and he wouldn't be there!!!

The rest of the drive to Sparks was fairly uneventful except for me trying to fight sleep the whole day! Dad hardly ever gets sleepy when he is driving, which is great of course. Sometimes, however, in the middle of a long day like that, it becomes increasingly more difficult for me to stay awake. I try not to nap ever on this trip, but especially when we are driving because I know Dad likes to have the second set of eyes to help him. I do have to admit, that sometimes, I can't help it, and close my eyes for 10 minutes or so. He is probably just finding out as he reads this (oops!) because I also manage a responsive sound when he comments while I'm resting my eyes.

One of the MANY different things about the west are these salt flats. From afar it look like a lake, but driving closer and closer you see white and then the road seems to disappear! Here are some pictures of the salt, and also of some of the views in California (I think!) When I don't blog every day like I should, the states run together.



Approaching the salt flats. See how it looks like the road is going into the salt??

An abandoned town near the salt flats. Looks like it used to be a rest stop or something of that nature. Maybe gas. Anyway - whatever it was is totally gone now. Somewhat like a modern day ghost town.

It was CRAZY to see mountains with snow on them and be in such warm weather at the same time.

More scenery...

When we finally arrived at the exit for Sparks Marina RV in Sparks, NV we found heavy construction. Well, bad for us. Dad is a pro at not hitting any cones and so far (knock on this picnic bench...) he hasn't hit one yet! So we ended up having to go around the block to get into Sparks, but we made smart decisions.   When we saw the roads the GPS originally wanted us to choose, we noticed they were too residential for us to navigate. We ended up entering the park from the other direction  than we had originally studied, so we weren't quite prepared for the right turn.  Actually we couldn't make it into the check in lanes for Sparks. What else is there to do but unhook? Nothing, because Dad has to back up to make the right turn. This is the very first time we had to unhook the Jeep under pressure, and fortunately we were off the road so we weren't blocking traffic. We unhooked perfectly, moved the Jeep, and then were guided to our site. Even though it was just an overnight stay, Big Rigs Best Bets did us another good one. Sparks was so pretty and near such a cute little downtown area. Each spot had turf grass between it and a parking spot for the toad. Definitely a place we would have liked to stay longer.

Another great thing about heading north through Nevada is the drop in temperature. We really felt a huge difference between the 106 degree Las Vegas days to the mid-90 days as we traveled. Amazing that even mid-90 can be considered "cooler!"

Also, in Sparks, I found a great brewery where we had a really relaxing dinner and even ran into some UT fans! Go VOLS!!!

The Newell and Jeep at Sparks Marina RV

The artificial turf grass.

The wide, wide roads at Sparks.

From Sparks, we continued to head north through more CA and into Oregon. Oregon is stunning! So much green, but way bigger trees than in the east. The trip this day, July 3, was a 400 mile day, so less distance, but still a big day!  After winding through some beautiful roads, we finally made it to an interstate, I-5, which by now, has been our interstate for a while.

Such beauty!

Getting passed by an 18-wheeler. Wish I could say this doesn't happens every day, but it does!

We arrived at Seven Feathers in the mid-afternoon after a 7: 00 AM start from Sparks. Seven Feathers is in conjunction with the casino that makes up most of Canyonville, OR. We were guided to our spot (without having to unhook...yay!) and would you believe that we had a spot on the end of a row?? It was the easiest time getting into a spot yet. What's even better is knowing that we didn't have to worry about leaving either. I made reservations about a week before we showed up and we are there for the 4th of July. So I figure that when I told the receptionist that we were totally huge she believed me, as that is the only way I can imagine we managed to snag a spot on the end. Here are some pictures of Seven Feathers.

Newell at Seven Feathers

Wide streets and flowers

Club house and flowers

Indoor pool, fitness room, bathrooms

It was great to have a break for a day and enjoy the amenities of this new park. I believe it was rated the top RV park in Oregon, and it definitely lived up to its name! The weather was much chillier than what we have been used to, so that took some adjustment, and I was cold most of the time! The 4th was a relaxing day at the park with bike riding and eating. On the night of the 4th, I heard a big bus come in and it was an older Newell so, of course, we ran out and introduced ourselves to Murray and Mary Craig who use their bus for Search and Rescue. We exchanged information and they told us if we were in British Columbia to give them a call. So maybe we will be able to do that. More friends! It is such a community within the RV world.

So far, we are right on schedule and heading to Fidalgo Bay on July 5th. Looking forward to our 4 night stay there and visiting Julie Spalding from back home.

Rolling, rolling, rolling.....

Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam - June 30

We avoided the dam traffic.

More dam humor

Because Dad had to keep his eyes on the road (what?) while we drove over the new 93 bridge, he didn't get to see the Hoover Dam.  We went by too quickly for me see anything. In other words, no pictures to look at. I decided that coming back to the dam was something I definitely wanted to do while in Vegas. We had thought about stopping in the Newell at the casino just down the road, unhooking the Jeep, and driving, but as I have said earlier, we are just too big of a rig.

On Saturday morning, we decided this was the day, and I began looking for a breakfast place. Would you believe there is not one Waffle House in Vegas or even near by? So I tapped around on the iPad for a while and discovered this place, "The Coffe Cup."  It had great reviews from customers, and was also featured on a televison show - Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives with Guy Fieri on the Food Network. Looks great, and is in Bolder  City, just a few miles north of the Hoover Dam. Well, I earn a Gold Star for our breakfast/lunch choice. What a delicious place with a very southern Cali vibe, including pictures, surfboards, and other fun things hanging on the walls. While we were waiting outside to be seated, there was mist spraying to keep people cool. Well, for some reason, it was uncomfortable...almost like the drops of water were so fine and evaporated so quickly that it stung a little. Finally, I wiped my arm and to my surprise Dad looks up and goes, "Do you feel that? I thought I was having a heart attack and this was the end!" HA HA HA!!!! Had a tasty and big breakfast there before heading over to the dam.

Delicious breakfast!

At about 11:30 AM, the Hoover Dam had a short security line  which hardly slowed us down. This road is the old 93 that was used until  the new arch bridge was completed about two years ago. We drove down the curving roads and the across the Hoover Dam!....How awesome. The parking people must have been been on our side at the dam (unlike in Vegas), and we found a spot in the first little lot, bypassing the $7 lot. It was HOT HOT HOT as we walked over the dam, stood on the state line (2 states at once - A Walk to Remember movie reference!), and took pictures. What a structure! There was not a leak in the dam, and the water on the upstream side was probably about 75-100 feet below full stage. We took many pictures, and I even used the bathroom at the Hoover Dam. It felt like I stepped back into the 1970's. We decided against the dam tour (ha ha) and went back to the Jeep. We started back on the old 93, stopping to walk across the new arch bridge which is actually higher than the Hoover Dam itself and offers a spectacular view. The bridge is 880 feet above the water level. WOW! The walkway to the bridge and the bridge itself spared no expense and was an enjoyable walk. After that, we had plenty of sun, came back to the LVM and spent the rest of the day relaxing, going to the fitness room, and finding a place for dinner.

The road looked like it was going straight into the water

Hoover Dam - obviously.

There is the water line of where the water normaly is.

State line on top of the Hoover Dam

On top of the Hoover Dam

The view of the Hoover Dam from the arch bridge.

The arch bridge from the Hoover Dam

On top of the arch bridge

Although Sammy's Woodfired Pizza is a small West Coast chain, it was the best pizza I think I've had in years!!! We had a BBQ pizza, with whole wheat crust. The perfect amount of cheese, onions, and cilantro. Maybe we'll go back again!!! I would vote yes, please! 

Wonderful dinner.

Our next few days are on the road again - looking forward to safe travels!!!

Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS! June 29 - July 2

To quote Dad "Las Vegas isn't what it was like in 1979."

As we planned the trip from Williams to Las Vegas, we still had the GPS set to major highways only and because of that setting, the talking lady was having us drive over 400 miles (all the way over to California) but all on the interstate. We thought this was a really long way, but decided on it because interstates can definitely handle us. Our Prevost friends next door, however, told us the way that they had just come from Las Vegas.  It was Highway 93, home of the Hoover Dam. Because of the recently finished new bridge, we didn't have a curvy and very narrow leg of the trip near the dam. Taking 93 also took our total number of miles down to about 220 which was a big relief to us.

Leaving Williams started well until we banged the hitch on the ground which was the first time on the trip that happened. And that was a LOUD noise. Dad stopped, checked the damage, there was none (we have been lucky with loud noises so far) and we continued on our way. The silly GPS went a little crazy before we got on I-40, but honestly, what's new? I do not like her! We pulled out about 8:00 AM again, stopping only for some more fuel. After tanking up with diesel fuel, there was more excitement.   We put the talking lady on silent as we were getting off of the interstate to prevent her from continuing to say "recalculating, recalculating," and I completely forgot to turn her back on (uh oh....). Inside the Flying J Dad purchased a trucker's atlas because for the rest of the trip we want to travel on roads that are approved for truck travel and avoid roads that are not. I was trying to learn something when we passed our exit to 93 North towards Las Vegas. OH CRAP. This is where it gets stressful for us because we always look ahead on Google Earth to see what our exits look like so that we are prepared. In this case, even though the next exit could be an easy off ramp and then a few easy turns and an easy on ramp, we don't know what it looks like. That is what makes us uneasy. Well, thank goodness, I had the talking lady zoomed in significantly and found a safe exit for us to turn around and we were back on our way. The rest of the trip went swimmingly, and we decided that we were too big to stop at the Hoover Dam.  We would come back in the Jeep the next day.

The Las Vegas Motorcoach Resort (LVM for short) may be my new favorite place on Earth. I told Dad I never wanted to leave, and he said he definitely should have saved this place for later in the trip. These pictures give an extensive look at total fanciness.

Entrance to LVM Resort

Entry way

Club house with fitness room, etc.

Amazing wide roads - looks like a neighborhood

One of the lots with build-outs

The Newell and Jeep in our spot

View of the mini golf course and pool

I spent Friday afternoon at the pool and gym before we decided we had to see the famous Las Vegas Blvd ( The Strip!). The women at the front desk of LVM said there was always parking, it was FREE! and easy to get to. Well, 2 of the 3 things were true. The parking at the Bellagio was more difficult to find than we inititally had in mind and there were people everywhere. Neither Dad nor I realized how packed this place would be for both car and pedestrian traffic. Eventually we found our self-parking and went into the garage. There was not a spot to be found on this first level and we couldn't find access up to other levels. I suggested going out of this level and up the entrance ramp to possibly more parking. There we found a spot after about a total of 35 minutes looking for parking. Later, we saw the garage from outside and noticed there were many levels.  Finally, we took a minute to figure out to go outside the first level and go up. We, of course, loved that parking was free and we were off to explore Vegas. The Bellagio was fantastic! There was amazing artwork, bars, casinos, and people as far as you could see. Also, there was not a clock in sight. With the number of people walking around, it felt like mid-afternoon. If it hadn't been for the ridiculous clothing (yes, I did judge heavily) the girls were wearing, I wouldn't have known it was 10:00 PM. We don't gamble, but we do like to watch other people gamble so we stalked around a few tables of blackjack and tried to learn a thing or two. Then we stalked around the cashier and watched PILES of money being given to the winners. Why don't we participate??

Inside the Bellagio

Amazing chocolate fountain

Inside the Bellagio

DC inside the Bellagio

Ceiling inside the Bellagio

So beautiful!!!

SO MUCH TRAFFIC

After finally finding our way out, we went to see the famous fountains. So beautiful!! It also felt fantastic outside. We decided to walk...I mean be herded like cattle down the sidewalks and up onto the skyways so that there were NO people on the street corners. This path is   safer for both drivers and pedestrians. We dropped into another casino, didn't gamble, and decided we had enough. I also decided that I am definitely coming back, staying on the strip, and doing Vegas correctly!!

Do you know anyone else that got off of the Las Vegas Blvd. without spending a cent? Well now you know two people. Terrible bragging rights...who am I kidding??

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon, AZ - June 27

What a magnificent place!! The pictures will be worth more than my words, so I'll be short and sweet. Williams is about an hour or so away from the Grand Canyon National Park, and the Jeep was perfect for the trip. Dad had previously purchased a Senior Pass for the National Parks for $20 that covered our admission for all National Parks and got us into the shorter pre-paid line as we entered the park. We arrived about 10:30 and didn't have too much trouble parking, thankfully. We were at the South Rim at one of the most popular sights, Mather Point.  As we were walking to the rim, Dad mentioned that he really enjoyed the Grand Canyon so much because there was quite a lot of suspense walking to it, and then BAM! there it is. That was the truth for sure. It's like all of a sudden after walking up these paths and seeing all of these people, there it is! Mather Point has railings at the most popular spots, and I was quite thankful for that!! I actually got quite nauseous as I looked down into the canyon. Speaking of those rails, I saw this teenager climb over, and I said to Dad, "If he falls, I am going to require a lot of therapy." The canyon went down forever and across forever, and we could only see a tiny little bit of the Colorado River. Dad gets a Gold Star for bringing the binoculars, and we saw people on horses down in the canyon riding around. Thanks, but no thanks to that!! The following pictures are from Mather Point.

Mather Point at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon

Hanging my legs into the Grand Canyon!! This was as far as Dad would let me go!! I love this picture!!!

Russell the tourist.

The Colorado River - this is really really zoomed in. As far as my camera could go.

On top of the World!

More of the Grand Canyon

Entrance of the park

After we walked Mather Point for a while, it was time for lunch from our coolers.  We ate in the Jeep because we couldn't find any shady areas for a picnic. We decided to take the bus around to some other points of the park that were only visible by the bus, and that  worked  well. Although we didn't actually get off (we decided that the view was just as good from inside the bus) we did get to see quite a lot more of the canyon from our comfortable seats!

The Grand Canyon really was a totally spectacular place.   I'm so thankful we were able to visit.   The trip there and back was uneventful and I'm also pretty happy that we didn't fall in it!!

Williams, AZ

Williams, AZ - the Gateway to the Grand Canyon  

June 26 - 29

The trip from Desert Drums to Williams, AZ was a whopping 82 miles. If you know us at all, you know we are often VERY early (well, Dad mostly...like 45 minutes early to most things). Dad fortunately decided that we didn't need to be so early arriving in Williams that we beat the campground managers to work!  We pulled out of Camp Verde at 8:00 AM which was the latest start for us since Day 1, and I'm pretty sure Dad thought we were behind on the times. The drive was all interstate from I-17 north, then onto I-40 west. I am obsessed with the fact that Knoxville is also off  I-40. Weird, but I think it's just totally cool how the interstate system connects all across the USA. Well, obviously, that's the whole point, but I think it's awesome! We did pass under the sign to Los Angeles, but that sign may be the closest we get (ha, ha!) I think I'm nervous now....

Easy peasy we leave the interstate and there is an RV park off to right that I can see clearly, but that isn't ours. We navigate  to the Grand Canyon Railway RV Campground which is  in a compound with the Grand Canyon Hotel. Great! We made it with no problems. Well, it's been a few days since an "it's always something moment," so here we go. Dad had made a reservation for this campground, but it's not on their books. The lady at the desk calls a few numbers and our reservation is no where to be found. She also says that people get the Grand Canyon Railway RV Campground and this other place confused all the time, but she doesn't know the set up of the other campground. Like if they can take 45 footers or not. So Dad checks his phone log, and we discover that somehow, he had made reservations at the other RV park (remember the one we saw getting off the interstate earlier?). So - shoot! What are we going to do? The GCR (Grand Canyon Railway) is SO nice! We had done our research and looked at all of the reviews, and this was where we wanted to stay. Back to the Newell to discuss what to do. I checked the Big Rig Best Bets book and this GCR was the only big rig approved place in Williams to stay. So that makes it an easy decision for me. We are staying here and if we have to pay at the other place, oh well. We know this place can take us, and of course, when we call to cancel, the other park says they can take 45'. Duh, they're always going to say that. Fortunately they didn't put up a fight, and Dad hasn't seen a charge on the credit card yet. Even better, GCR takes our Passport America membership and that's a few $$ off the cost for the three nights we planned to stay. I was really proud of us that we made the correct decision and didn't leave immediately to go to the place where our reservations really were. The GCR has several interesting activities and many things for people to do. Because it is connected to the GCR Hotel, guests of the campground are allowed to use the hotel facilities, including a really nice fitness room, indoor pool, and perfectly manicured lawn areas. At the campground, there is a beautiful gathering place to be social around a fire (which is totally contained because everyone is on fire watch in that area). We met a guy with a Prevost who is heading to the Las Vegas Motorcoach Resort next....maybe we'll see them there!



Our campground in Williams, AZ

Williams is a tiny town that is close enough for a bike ride, but Route 66 goes right through, so it is a tourism Mecca for people visiting the Grand Canyon. There are plenty of restaurants that have a very 50's style and all of them play 50s on 5 from Sirius Radio. We spent the first day in Williams riding our bikes, making friends with our neighbors in the Prevost, going to Twisters for dinner, and going to the evening shoot out with the cowboys. The shoot out takes place every evening at 7:00 PM on different blocks throughout the town. It's about a 15 minute skit about four cowboys robbing the bank. In case anyone is planning to visit here in the future, I won't give away any details...but it was loud, and I hate loud!! But definitely worth the short bike ride over.



Downtown Williams, AZ - right on Route 66!

Dad with the sign.

The cowboys at the shoot out. Pretty entertaining.

A delicious dinner at the diner.

Dinner with the King - dind't I just see him in Memphis?

Yes - it worked, and no - you don't want to know what it cost.

So far, we have enjoyed the town and our few days here. I am saving a special post for the Grand Canyon because it needs one all of its own. Today, Thursday, we have been planning the next few days up towards the Oregon coast and towards Washington as well. As I mentioned a few posts ago, my computer has started to bite the dust, and Dad has been working on it probably for three whole days total to try to back up my entire hard drive.    When my hard drive does crash, he can install a new hard drive and restore everything and all programs without, hopefully, too many more problems. Well, today while planning, Dad's computer just turned off in the middle of choosing between three routes. The computer said it was over-heating, but to the touch, it wasn't hot at all. So that was exciting in a nervous way. We couldn't do this trip without his computer!! Google Earth and RV reviews are my most frequently visited sites (well, next to this one to check on my growing fan base). Hopefully, the computer can make it the rest of the trip, and if it doesn't we will have to do something about that!!!

Next leg.....VIVA LAS VEGAS!!!!