Oatman, AZ

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

Oatman, Arizona, about 30 miles from Laughlin, Nevada, on the Historic Route 66, is an authentic western ghost town and mining camp.  It maintains its historic look and includes gunfights and some of the town folk dress in period costumes.

Burros, used by the gold miners, were released into the hill country when the gold mines shut down and they were no longer needed.  Now the descendants of those burrows come down from the hills and into town to beg for food from the tourists.

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Wild Burros at Oatman, AZ

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Oatman, AZ

Gunfight at Oatman

Gunfight at Oatman

After spending a few free days dry camping in the parking lot at Riverside Casino in Laughlin, Nevada, we have moved about one half mile to the other side of the Colorado River and across the state line to Bullhead City, Arizona, to spend a few days in an actual RV Park with full hookups and a laundry.  We are able to stay here for the Passport America discounted price of $20 per night.

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Ridgeview RV Resort, #226

  • Gasoline Expense: none
  • Camping Expense: $20
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Laughlin, NV

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

90 miles south of Las Vegas is Laughlin, a sort of mini-Vegas and without all the flair of the Vegas Strip, a small town with big casinos.

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Laughlin, NV

This is a destination for many RV people.  Some of the casinos have RV parks with all the hookups as well as allowing parking overnight in their parking lots.  Tropicana Express Casino wanted $7 to park in their lot but Riverside let us stay for free so guess where we stayed.

Riverside Casino Parking Lot

Riverside Casino Parking Lot

Riverside Casino has a classic car collection on the third floor so naturally that had to be our first stop.

Riverside Casino Classic Car Collection

Riverside Casino Classic Car Collection

We will be here a couple of days.

  • Gasoline Expense:  $115.75    $3.78/gallon
  • Camping Expense:  none
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St. Thomas Ruins at Lake Mead

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

We awoke to a very pretty sunrise 🙂

Sunrise Over Lake Mead

Sunrise Over Lake Mead

When the Hoover Dam was built in the 1930’s the rising waters of the Lake Mead reservoir submerged the small town of St. Thomas.  It remained under water for over 60 years.  Now, after over 10 years of severe drought the waters of Lake Mead have receded enough to expose the remains of the town.  We hiked the 2.5 mile trail to the site to see what we could see.

St. Thomas, Nevada

St. Thomas, Nevada

After the initial walk down, the rest of the trail through a few years’ overgrowth of brush was very easy.

The Walk to St. Thomas

The Walk to St. Thomas

At the town site all that remains is about a dozen crumbling foundations.

St. Thomas Ruins

St. Thomas Ruins

A Tree Lined Street

A Tree Lined Street

St. Thomas Ruins

St. Thomas Ruins

St. Thomas Town Site Where Lake Mead Has Receeded

St. Thomas Town Site Where Lake Mead Has Receded

  • Gasoline Expense: 41.90   $3.659/gallon
  • Camping Expense: none
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Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

The Hoover Dam, Civil Engineering Monument of the Millenium, and Modern Civil Engineering Wonder of the United States, as well as the new bypass bridge recently constructed.  My step-sister, Carolyn, and her husband, Norm, joined Bernie and I on a visit there today.  Here’s a picture of a dam trash bin with the four of us.  Great shot, huh?

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Bernie, Marsha, Carolyn, Norm, on the Hoover Dam

While the boys went on a 30-minute dam tour we girls went to the dam gift shop (lots of dam stuff there) and the dam cafe (they serve dam burgers there).  Then the four of us explored the dam area.  Sorry for all the dam talk, but when you visit here I think it’s required.

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View from Top of Hoover Dam

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Hoover Dam

And Lake Mead on the Other Side

And Lake Mead on the Other Side

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Turbine Generators at Hoover Dam

The center of the Hoover Dam marks the Nevada/Arizona state line as well as the Pacific/Mountain Timezone line.

Next, on to Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, just north of Lake Mead.  There are so many beautiful, colorful, and interesting rock formations here as well as some spectacular panoramic views.

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Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada

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Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada

Cabins built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's as shelter for passing travelers. Now being preserved.

Cabins built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930’s as shelter for campers and travelers at Valley of Fire State Park. Now being preserved.

  • Gasoline Expense: none
  • Camping Expense: none
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Lake Mead

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

Government Wash is a free dispersed camping area on the north shoreline of Lake Mead National Recreation Area near Las Vegas, Nevada.  It will be our home for the next day or two.  What a fantastic front window view!  And did I say free?  It’s a rough area, just desert gravel and rocks and a few shrubs but the view and the price are worth it.  There are bathrooms available (if they are open, I didn’t look), as well as trash dumpsters and a large paved parking lot near a boat ramp which is closed because of the low water level.  No camping is allowed on the paved lot.

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Government Wash

There are a handful of other campers here with us tonight as well as a few people sleeping in their cars.

We drove to Boulder City, about 20 miles from here, to find Norm and Carolyn, relatives who are vacationing in the area. We’ll see more of them tomorrow.

  • Gasoline Expense: $61.47 at $3.74 per gallon
  • Camping Expense: none
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Death Valley Pictures

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

For being the hottest spot in North America it’s a really cool place.  We were there for five days and saw a lot of amazing things.  Here just “some” of the pictures we took:

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Red Rock Canyon

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

Before heading to Death Valley, we decided yesterday to spend a day at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. What a beautiful place to see, with spectacular views and interesting rock formations.

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Red Rock Canyon Campground, #101

We found a place to dry camp at the campground and then went for a drive around the 13 mile scenic drive, stopping at overlooks for pictures. There are many miles of hiking trails here, but we will save that for our next visit as it was getting late in the day when we got there.

Bernie on the Rocks

Bernie on the Rocks

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Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

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Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Of course there was no internet or cell phone service out there, but we did manage to pull in a few TV stations with our antenna.

Wine Ridge RV Resort, #908

Wine Ridge RV Resort, #908

Today we are in Pahrump, Nevada. Wine Ridge RV Resort is still under construction, but open for business. There were not many other campers here at this time. We have full hook ups here so we can dump and fill and shop for groceries here before we go off into the wild of Death Valley. And free wi-fi that actually works, a rare thing in RV parks (I could rant about that topic).

  • Gasoline Expense: $41.26 ($3.56/gallon)
  • Camping Expense: $12 (Passport America rate), FHU
  • Camping Expense: $7.50 Red Rock Canyon (half price with Senior Pass) dry camp

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Out In The Boondocks

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

We are in the desert by Las Vegas and headed for Death Valley where we will be for a few days, or a week.  There is no Internet where we are now and if I remember correctly there may not be Internet service for us in Death Valley.

I’m just taking this moment while I found Internet service while passing through a small town to let you know I may be silent for a while but I will continue to blog once we have returned to civilization.

 

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On The Road Again

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

The Flying J Travel Plazas are the most RV friendly truck stops on the road and we seek them out whenever we need gas.  They usually have a separate RV island that includes a sanitary dump station and water as well as gasoline (and diesel) and propane.  On top of that most of them have designated RV parking areas far away from all the semi trucks.  And we are welcome to park overnight for free.  Free is good!  They are always friendly and clean and we’ve always felt safe.

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Flying J Travel Plaza

We are in Barstow, California, for the night and will leave in the morning.

  • Gasoline expense:  $200  ($3.99/gallon)
  • Camping expense:  Free
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Mt. Rubidoux Memorial Park

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

One of our favorite things to do here in Riverside is to hike the 3 mile paved scenic trail of shrines to Father Junipero Serra’s Cross at Mt.Rubidoux Memorial Park.

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Mt. Rubidoux Memorial Park

There is an American flag near the summit, flying today at half mast for the Riverside police officer that was murdered this week.

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Scenic view from the top of Mt. Rubidoux

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Father Serra’s Cross at the top of Mt. Rubidoux

That cross has been there for more than 100 years.  The city is struggling right now with a lawsuit over having a religious symbol on public land.  I hope they are able to work something out because it would be a real tragedy if anything changed.

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Shrine for World Peace

Here is the link to last year’s blog post and pictures when we hiked here:  Rubidoux 2012

 

  • Gasoline expense: none
  • Camping expense: $25
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Return to Riverside

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

How can this be a “daily post” if I don’t post every day?  The problem with a daily diary is that sometimes there is just nothing to say.  And NO pictures to post!  But for those of you who are looking for a daily report of our activities this is for you.

This was just one of those uneventful lazy days.  We did go to McDonald’s for morning coffee, Von’s grocery store, and Trader Joe’s.  The weather is still cloudy and cool so we just did laundry at the campground facility and stayed home.

We were here last year at this same time and explored the historic downtown area at that time… ok, so I’m getting lazy…click the link to last year’s blog:   Riverside 2012

  • Gasoline expense: none
  • Camping expense: $25
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Riverside, CA

Posted on February 9, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

Surf’s up!  It was a cold, rainy night, and a cold damp morning, but that didn’t stop the surfers from riding the waves.  We took a drive up to North Carlsbad State Beach and saw many people out surfing.

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Surf’s Up!

We have moved about an hour north to Rancho Jurupa Park in Riverside, California, gradually moving closer to our goal of visiting Death Valley.  Still waiting for the sunny days to return.

Rancho Jurupa Park, #13

Rancho Jurupa Park, #13

I really should not be complaining about the weather as there is a blizzard heading for Minnesota today.  And our kids just went through a blizzard in the Northeast.

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35″ of snow in New Haven, CT.

  • Gasoline expense: $40.20 for the Jeep.  $4.12 per gallon.
  • Camping expense: $25
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South Carlsbad State Beach

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

Our discounted price ran out at Mission Bay RV Park so we moved on up the coast about 25 miles to South Carlsbad State Beach where we had stayed last year.  We drove in the rain most of the way but once we got settled the sun peeked out for a few hours.

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South Carlsbad State Beach, #99

The campground sits atop a high bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  Clouds were thickening and it was getting cold and quite windy.  We went for a very brief walk on the beach before returning to the RV to ride out the storm.

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South Carlsbad State Beach

Walking on the Beach

Walking on the Beach

It’s going to be a cold night.

  • Gasoline expense: none
  • Camping expense: $32
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Beautiful La Jolla

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

Pronounced Le HOYa.  A lovely neighborhood north of San Diego.  We were walking along the Coast Walk and came across Children’s Pool.  This was originally created as a protected swimming area for children but as the man-made cove began to fill with sand the sea lions and harbor seals moved in.

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La Jolla Children’s Pool

The San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park is in this area.   Bernie and I left our scuba diving gear at home so we were not able to explore it.  At the next beach this diver emerged while we were there.

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Diver

Pelicans, seagulls, cormorants, and sea lions hang out here.  There is a rather unpleasant ammonia smell in this particular spot, but the view is worth it.

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Sea Lions

The Coast Walk changed from a sidewalk to a dirt path.  There was no sun today, and was even a little foggy, but we were still able to enjoy the views.

Coast Walk

La Jolla Coast Walk

La Jolla Coast Walk

La Jolla Coast Walk

  • Gasoline expense: none
  • Camping expense: paid
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Mission Bay Park and Old Town

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

Where is the California Sun?  It’s been so cloudy the past few days.  Oh well, we went out for a walk along the bike path in Mission Bay Park.  Lots of other people were out walking too, riding bike, in-line skating, running, walking their dogs, and working out.  The temp was cool, just perfect for a brisk morning walk.

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Mission Bay Park

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Ducks

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Hello

After lunch we went back to Old Town San Diego for another look.

Casa de Estudillo, built in 1825

Casa de Estudillo, built in 1825

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A Street in Old Town San Diego

The sun did come out for a short time after all.

  • Gasoline expense: none
  • Camping expense: paid on Monday
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Balboa Park

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

Today’s excursion was to Balboa Park in the heart of San Diego.  As we pulled into the parking lot the very first thing we saw was the Oscar Mayer Wieniemobile that we had seen in El Cajon a few days ago.  There was no sign of the drivers.  I don’t think this was an official stop, but rather the drivers that brought it to town might be just enjoying the park.  People were gathered around it anyway, taking pictures of themselves standing by it.

The Wieniemobile again

The Wieniemobile 

San Diego has a Car2Go electric car rental program.  We saw two of these electric cars plugged in and charging under solar panels.  The panels also provide shade for several parking spaces.  Good for San Diego!

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Car2Go  Receiving a Solar Charge

Balboa Park is the nation’s largest urban cultural park.  Within it are 15 museums, gardens, performing arts venues, and also includes the San Diego Zoo.  The beautiful Spanish-Renaissance style buildings were constructed for the 1915-1916 Panama-California Exposition to commemorate the opening of the Panama Canal in addition to the 1935-36 California Pacific International Exposition.  We were here last year and just had to see it again.

Balboa Park

Balboa Park

The Museum of National History was including an exhibit on Chocolate:

mmmm Chocolate!

mmmm Chocolate!

Roots overgrowing the Wall

Roots over growing the Wall

Balboa Park

Balboa Park

Spanish Village Art Center

Spanish Village Art Center in Balboa Park

A Really Big Fig Tree

A Really Big Beautiful Fig Tree

  • Gasoline expense: none
  • Camping expense: paid yesterday
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Old Town San Diego

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

Our time limit was up at Circle RV in El Cajon so we headed towards Silver Strand State Beach in San Diego.  We stayed there last year, enjoyed it, and wanted to see it again.  However, we arrived there to find the campground closed due to some construction projects.  Oh well.  We made some lunch and then walked out to see the water briefly before moving on to Plan B.

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Pacific Ocean

Mission Bay RV Resort was next in our plans after Silver Strand, so we just made that our destination for today.  We were here last year too.  It’s a nice, very clean and tidy RV park.  We are able to stay here at half price ($25/day) for a limit of four days with the Passport America discount.

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Mission Bay RV Resort, #87

An art car caught our eye so we went by to take a picture.  There wasn’t anyone around to talk to about it.

Art Car

Art Car

We took a stroll down Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.  This area has been preserved as it existed during the Mexican and early American periods.  The old buildings are now shops and restaurants.

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Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

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Wells Fargo Stagecoach, built in Concord, New Hampshire in 1868.

  • Gasoline expense:  none
  • Camping expense: $110 for four nights.
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San Diego

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

We took the trolley from El Cajon to downtown San Diego today.  One of the first things we saw was a big pedestrian bridge crossing the roadway.  From the middle of it I was able to take this picture postcard kind of picture of San Diego.  You can see the red trolley we rode.

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Downtown San Diego, California

We walked along the Embarcadero boardwalk on San Diego Bay and did a little shopping.  Such a beautiful day for a walk.  There were people around, but it was not very busy.

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On The Embarcadero Boardwalk in San Diego

Tribute to Bob Hope For All His Years Entertaining the Troups

Tribute to Bob Hope For All His Years Entertaining the Troups

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Balloon Man

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Us

  • Gasoline expense: none
  • Camping expense: none (paid yesterday)
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Wienermobile

Posted on February 2, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

81 degrees!  That was the high today here in El Cajon, California.  I think the high back home in Minnesota was a whopping 10 degrees.  It was cloudy here and we got a few sprinkles of rain this afternoon.

We have decided to stay where we are for a few more days, so we went to the office and paid for two more nights.  It was a peaceful day, we just walked around the neighborhood and hung around home.

We did make a grocery run to the Albertson’s store a few blocks from here.  The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile just happened to be there when we drove in.  This was the highlight of our day.

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Oscar Mayer Wienermobile

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Inside the Wienermobile

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Wienie Whistles

  • gasoline: none
  • camping: $63.80 (PA discounted price for two additional nights)
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El Cajon, CA

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Marsha Brecht

We left El Centro this morning and continued our trek west towards San Diego.  This is some pretty rugged terrain  I’m glad our vehicle is in good shape, I sure would hate to break down out here.

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Along I-8 in Southern California

There is a Border Patrol checkpoint near El Centro.  They just waved us on.

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Border Patrol Checkpoint

Driving west into the sun and into the San Diego metro area with this bus didn’t appeal to us.  We could have done it easy enough but we don’t have to so why bother?  So here we are at Circle RV Resort in El Cajon, California, just outside of San Diego, only about 90 miles from where we started.  Also, we have full hookups here so we can get everything all charged up, dump tanks, and top off our water tank so we’re set for the next few days since  we plan to be dry camping on the beach when we get to San Diego tomorrow.

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Circle RV Resort, Site #177

Once we got settled in we went for a walk to see what we could see.  Next to the RV park are some shops.  Once was a garden center.  It looked like spring here, with daffodil and pansy and lots more.

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Pretty

Earthquake warning signs are something new for us.  It is a reminder that we are in earthquake prone land here.  Hopefully California will not fall off into the ocean while we are here.

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Earthquake Warning Sign

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Bird of Paradise

We get lots of TV stations with our antenna, but all but one are Spanish speaking channels.  And this time I remembered to turn off roaming on my cell phone so that I don’t get expensive international charges like I did twice last year!   We are very close to the Mexico border.

  • Fuel Expense today:  none
  • Camping cost: $33.55 (Passport America half-price discount)
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