We were ready to leave “Sin City” at 7:30 today…
After a while you get tired of all the hustle and bustle, and you’re ready to leave it behind… Far behind…
Well, that was the plan, but it didn’t turn out that way…
Remember when I told you about the first horrible night we had, with all the highway construction right outside our door?
Well, when I moved the trailer the next day, I didn’t realize I ripped the “umbilical” (read: power) chord out of the trailer receptacle, and, in so doing, I broke the lid off the receptacle… That would not have been a problem if the umbilical chord would stay put, but the lid is spring loaded, and it has a little lip on it, which holds the chord in place while you’re driving… Without a lip to hold the chord, there’s no power to the trailer, and the turn signals, the power break, and other electrical “stuff” needed for a safe trip is out the window…
There’s nothing open at 7:30 on a Sunday morning, and we would have to wait until 10:00 (at least) to get a replacement receptacle, so I made the decision to take off… Thinking: Since we’re going to drive the GREAT BASIN Highway (as desolate and as empty a stretch of road you‘ll ever find), we wouldn’t encounter all that many vehicles, and we could pick up the part in Ely…
I jury-rigged the chord with a bungee, but it didn’t work… I left it in place anyway…
All went well for the first hour…
I decided to trust Jill (our GPS), who guided us Northeast onto Nellis Boulevard (which I’d never thought of taking before), and that turned out to be great… It took us away from all the freeway traffic in town, and hooked us up with I-15 East of Las Vegas International Speedway and Nellis Air Force Base…
We stopped to check the power chord situation, and, of course, nothing worked… As we did that, Lu noticed that the right rear tire on the trailer was showing a bit of steel belt… I looked at it… The area in question was on the edge of the tire, and it didn’t look like much of a deal… I thought we’d be OK until we got to a big town where we could replace it…. WRONG!
A mile after we got onto I-15, and about two miles before we would turn off this main artery, a truck passed and honked… Then a pick-up truck passed… The passenger had his window down and looked at me while pointing dramatically down toward Terra Firma… I got the message!
Funny, but there was no notice of the problem inside the cab… No vibration, no nothing… We slowed and pulled over to the shoulder, and as we did, Lu said she saw our tire take a detour into the desert… Benedict Arnold!
After coming to a full and legal stop, we found only the rim and a few remnants left of the tire…
Thank goodness, the rim was OK…
As I realized our early start had come to a screeching halt, I steamed for a bit, said a few cuss words (which I’m sure made Luanne blush), but collected myself nicely (Luanne was proud of me), and then called Good Sam Platinum Road Service… Within 1 1/2 hour we had a new tire, and were on our way again…
The road to Ely, as the pictures show, is long and lonesome, and located, for the most part, in the center of two mountain ranges (don’t feel like looking it up, so, don’t know their names), but this time (we’ve lost count of all the times we’ve driven this route), we were totally amazed (blown away) by how green everything is… Usually, when we’re here, it’s as brown as only a desert can be…
Anyway, we got to Ely, and we hooked up, and I went to the town’s main RV parts store to get a new receptacle… No go…
Had to ship it here by Pony Express, which might be here in a day or a month… Who knows?
We’re in High Heaven here (as you can see on the pictures)… I mean, we’re at an elevation somewhere between 6 and 7 thousand feet, and my oxygen intake has escalated to a wheezing 4,000 breaths a second, so the sooner we’re out of here, the happier my lungs are gonna feel, so… Let’s get the show on the road…
To celebrate my lack of breathable air (and after the wonderful news about the umbilical chord), we decided to head over to the Old Nevada Hotel (it has a colorful story, but look it up yourself… I‘m too tired to elaborate), where we bellied up to the bar for a celebratory drink, and found out that there was a free dinner buffet being served for people who might have popped in, or who had trouble breathing the thin air around here…
Wonderful food… Even though it was Mexican, and I couldn’t pronounce the names if I tried…
That was it for this magnificent day… Now the waiting for the Pony Express starts…
I’m afraid this will be my last Blogs until we get home… I’m taking a break, and I deserve it… Any questions, please write me at kjelljohnsen$@msn.com, or on my Facebook… Take care until then…
Oh, Anne, we’re trying to get home on the 1st, but they’re calling for snow, so it might be a few days after that… Love you all!
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/LAS%20VEGAS%20to%20ELY%5EJ%20NEVADA%20%5E5APR.%2025%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=72&isFromRichUpload=1
Monday, April 26, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
LAS VEGAS - ALBUM 1 (APR. 23 - APR. 24, 2010)
Friday, Apr. 23...
If one picture tells a thousand words, then I have about 186,000 words to tell you, because we took about 260 pictures in Las Vegas over the past two days, which I have now managed to squeeze down to 186…
Since there are so many, I decided to break them into two Blogs…
There’s not much to say about Las Vegas that you probably don’t already know, so, I’m gonna make this short and sweet…
As I understand it (from personal experiences, and talking to people living here), Las Vegas is still recuperating from the “depression.” There are a lot of commercial buildings and homes empty when you drive around town, and there is a lot of new construction which has simply stopped in mid-stride, but, when you drive, or stroll down “The Strip” (Las Vegas Boulevard), you’d be hard pressed to think this town is hard up…
Tourists are here by the thousands, and traffic is awful whether you‘re driving The Strip or Freeways…
Luanne and I’ve been here many, many times over the years, and we really don’t like going into town any more… To us, Las Vegas has become so “impersonal,” and so big, so “stretched” out that it’s almost impossible to “take it all in” and enjoy it any more… Of course, the prices of everything has skyrocketed, which doesn’t help either…
Anyway, now-a-days, we usually drive through town just to check out the new casinos, and then go to “people friendly” places (like Laughlin) instead of fighting the crowds…
As I said, I’ve split our two-day venture here into two Blogs: This one consists of (for the most part) pictures taken while driving, and the following contains pictures we shot while walking…
Most of the pictures will be self explanatory, so I haven’t bothered writing anything on them…
I think it’s true when I say that Las Vegas has gone over the top when it comes to everything, and that’s only been a good thing (to me) when it comes to the architectural designs of new buildings… They are sleek, and right down fabulous, and that’s the only comment I will make… See the pictures for yourself: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/LAS%20VEGAS%20-%20ALBUM%201%20%5E5APR.%2023%20-%20APR.%2024%5EJ%202010%5E6?uc=96&isFromRichUpload=1
If one picture tells a thousand words, then I have about 186,000 words to tell you, because we took about 260 pictures in Las Vegas over the past two days, which I have now managed to squeeze down to 186…
Since there are so many, I decided to break them into two Blogs…
There’s not much to say about Las Vegas that you probably don’t already know, so, I’m gonna make this short and sweet…
As I understand it (from personal experiences, and talking to people living here), Las Vegas is still recuperating from the “depression.” There are a lot of commercial buildings and homes empty when you drive around town, and there is a lot of new construction which has simply stopped in mid-stride, but, when you drive, or stroll down “The Strip” (Las Vegas Boulevard), you’d be hard pressed to think this town is hard up…
Tourists are here by the thousands, and traffic is awful whether you‘re driving The Strip or Freeways…
Luanne and I’ve been here many, many times over the years, and we really don’t like going into town any more… To us, Las Vegas has become so “impersonal,” and so big, so “stretched” out that it’s almost impossible to “take it all in” and enjoy it any more… Of course, the prices of everything has skyrocketed, which doesn’t help either…
Anyway, now-a-days, we usually drive through town just to check out the new casinos, and then go to “people friendly” places (like Laughlin) instead of fighting the crowds…
As I said, I’ve split our two-day venture here into two Blogs: This one consists of (for the most part) pictures taken while driving, and the following contains pictures we shot while walking…
Most of the pictures will be self explanatory, so I haven’t bothered writing anything on them…
I think it’s true when I say that Las Vegas has gone over the top when it comes to everything, and that’s only been a good thing (to me) when it comes to the architectural designs of new buildings… They are sleek, and right down fabulous, and that’s the only comment I will make… See the pictures for yourself: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/LAS%20VEGAS%20-%20ALBUM%201%20%5E5APR.%2023%20-%20APR.%2024%5EJ%202010%5E6?uc=96&isFromRichUpload=1
Friday, April 23, 2010
LAUGHLIN to HENDERSON and LAS VEGAS (APR. 19 - APR. 22, 2010)
Monday, Apr. 19... Happy birthday to me…
Can’t believe how old I’m getting, but I don’t feel old, and, as mom always told me: “You’re only as old as you think you are,” so, I guess I’m at the tail end of puberty… I’ve been told I act like that at times… Of course, my bones and muscles tell a different story…
Ah, shucks… Let’s get into something less dramatic…
The day started poorly, because my cell phone was totally dead, so I missed calls from kids, grandkids, friends, and relatives…
The Internet Service was iffy at it’s best, but I managed to see all the greetings on my Facebook and Email, so, thanks to all of you for taking the time to write and for remembering this Old Fart…
The rest of the day was fine…
We did some shopping, visited some slot machines, had dinner at the River Palms, and between us, Lu and I actually managed to win over a hundred bucks before calling it a day… All in all, I’d say that’s a good day…
Tuesday, Apr. 20...
Got fed up with lack of phone service, so we piled into the truck and drove a hundred miles, to Costco, in Henderson, to get it taken care of… That’s where I bought the thing, and they’re always good in taking care of their customers…
OK… You’re gonna laugh now, but it really wasn’t all that funny… Well, I guess it was… The little Oriental girl, at the Cell Phone Kiosk in Costco (I swear she couldn’t be more than 13), took the phone out of my hand…
Looked at it… Opened the battery cover… Took out the battery…
Put back the battery… Put back the cover… Gave me back the phone… Once again: Fully operational! Thank you very big!
That’s all I’m gonna say about that…
Just so the trip wasn’t totally wasted, we stopped by Sam’s Town to check on the RV Park… Got home around 1:30, and took a nap…
Won a little at the slot machines, and celebrated by going to Joe’s Crab Shack for Nachos… Home fairly early, where I worked on my Blog until 10:30…
Wednesday, Apr. 21...
Up early, to go and get my truck filled up, then back to Ridgeview to hook up…
Left at 8:30, and arrived at Sam’s Town RV Park, in Las Vegas, two hours later…
Spent some time uploading pictures and writing on my Blog, then went and had a fantastic lunch buffet at the Casino…
We spent some more time in the Casino in the evening, and I was up another hundred bucks at one time, but Lu was loosing, so we ended up with a total winning of six dollars… Now, there’s success for you…
Thursday, Apr. 22...
What a horrible night!
Didn’t sleep a wink!
Boulder Highway is located about 50 feet away (on the other side of a concrete block fence) from where we planted the trailer…
We noticed there was road construction going on as we arrived, but thought nothing of it… Didn’t realize it was night work…
At precisely 9:00PM the backhoes, dozers and trucks fired up, and it was a constant racket, with ear-piercing backup horns screaming, and heavy duty buckets and blades grinding rocks to a pulp…
There was a lull at exactly 2:00AM (probably “lunch” time), but it all started up again a half hour later, and it kept on going until 5:30AM…
I went to the office, when I finally got my senses back, and complained to the manager…
She gave us another site - at the very back of the park - and also gave us an extra free day’s stay, so that was nice… Of course, I had to unhook everything, and re-hook in order to move, but it was worth it…
We actually got everything done before the sky opened up and we got drenched, so even the timing was good…
Took a long needed nap, after which we visited Joe’s Crab Shack for a drink, stopped at Lee’s Liquor Store to get a bottle of Bombay Sapphire for Uncle Terry (for when they come to visit), and wasted a half hour in the Rainbow, and Fiesta Casinos (in Henderson) while waiting for our good friends, Larry and Lori to get home from work (at 6:15)… They live across the street from where Stein and Tina used to live, and we’ve been good friends from the time we met, back in whatever year that was… In fact, they’ve visited us on Lummi Island, and just about every time we’re through Las Vegas, we stop to have some fun…
Went to the Fiesta Casino, where we all had Mexican food…
Good time… And good to see you guys again…
Got home around ten, and went straight to bed, where we got a good night’s sleep… Barely noticing the road noise across the park and over the fence…
That’s it… I’m caught up… And so are you…
Here are the pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/LAUGHLIN%20to%20HENDERSON%20and%20LAS%20VEGAS%20%5E5APR.%2019%20-%20APR.%2022%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=90&isFromRichUpload=1
Can’t believe how old I’m getting, but I don’t feel old, and, as mom always told me: “You’re only as old as you think you are,” so, I guess I’m at the tail end of puberty… I’ve been told I act like that at times… Of course, my bones and muscles tell a different story…
Ah, shucks… Let’s get into something less dramatic…
The day started poorly, because my cell phone was totally dead, so I missed calls from kids, grandkids, friends, and relatives…
The Internet Service was iffy at it’s best, but I managed to see all the greetings on my Facebook and Email, so, thanks to all of you for taking the time to write and for remembering this Old Fart…
The rest of the day was fine…
We did some shopping, visited some slot machines, had dinner at the River Palms, and between us, Lu and I actually managed to win over a hundred bucks before calling it a day… All in all, I’d say that’s a good day…
Tuesday, Apr. 20...
Got fed up with lack of phone service, so we piled into the truck and drove a hundred miles, to Costco, in Henderson, to get it taken care of… That’s where I bought the thing, and they’re always good in taking care of their customers…
OK… You’re gonna laugh now, but it really wasn’t all that funny… Well, I guess it was… The little Oriental girl, at the Cell Phone Kiosk in Costco (I swear she couldn’t be more than 13), took the phone out of my hand…
Looked at it… Opened the battery cover… Took out the battery…
Put back the battery… Put back the cover… Gave me back the phone… Once again: Fully operational! Thank you very big!
That’s all I’m gonna say about that…
Just so the trip wasn’t totally wasted, we stopped by Sam’s Town to check on the RV Park… Got home around 1:30, and took a nap…
Won a little at the slot machines, and celebrated by going to Joe’s Crab Shack for Nachos… Home fairly early, where I worked on my Blog until 10:30…
Wednesday, Apr. 21...
Up early, to go and get my truck filled up, then back to Ridgeview to hook up…
Left at 8:30, and arrived at Sam’s Town RV Park, in Las Vegas, two hours later…
Spent some time uploading pictures and writing on my Blog, then went and had a fantastic lunch buffet at the Casino…
We spent some more time in the Casino in the evening, and I was up another hundred bucks at one time, but Lu was loosing, so we ended up with a total winning of six dollars… Now, there’s success for you…
Thursday, Apr. 22...
What a horrible night!
Didn’t sleep a wink!
Boulder Highway is located about 50 feet away (on the other side of a concrete block fence) from where we planted the trailer…
We noticed there was road construction going on as we arrived, but thought nothing of it… Didn’t realize it was night work…
At precisely 9:00PM the backhoes, dozers and trucks fired up, and it was a constant racket, with ear-piercing backup horns screaming, and heavy duty buckets and blades grinding rocks to a pulp…
There was a lull at exactly 2:00AM (probably “lunch” time), but it all started up again a half hour later, and it kept on going until 5:30AM…
I went to the office, when I finally got my senses back, and complained to the manager…
She gave us another site - at the very back of the park - and also gave us an extra free day’s stay, so that was nice… Of course, I had to unhook everything, and re-hook in order to move, but it was worth it…
We actually got everything done before the sky opened up and we got drenched, so even the timing was good…
Took a long needed nap, after which we visited Joe’s Crab Shack for a drink, stopped at Lee’s Liquor Store to get a bottle of Bombay Sapphire for Uncle Terry (for when they come to visit), and wasted a half hour in the Rainbow, and Fiesta Casinos (in Henderson) while waiting for our good friends, Larry and Lori to get home from work (at 6:15)… They live across the street from where Stein and Tina used to live, and we’ve been good friends from the time we met, back in whatever year that was… In fact, they’ve visited us on Lummi Island, and just about every time we’re through Las Vegas, we stop to have some fun…
Went to the Fiesta Casino, where we all had Mexican food…
Good time… And good to see you guys again…
Got home around ten, and went straight to bed, where we got a good night’s sleep… Barely noticing the road noise across the park and over the fence…
That’s it… I’m caught up… And so are you…
Here are the pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/LAUGHLIN%20to%20HENDERSON%20and%20LAS%20VEGAS%20%5E5APR.%2019%20-%20APR.%2022%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=90&isFromRichUpload=1
Thursday, April 22, 2010
A visit from family, and some time spent in LAUGHLIN, LAKE HAVASU CITY, and OATMAN (APR. 15 - APR. 18, 2010)
Thursday, Apr. 15...
When “Gede” and Terry visited us on Cape Cod (whenever that was), we discussed the possibility of them meeting up with us again somewhere in Arizona; the premise being they’d get out of some cold NW weather…
Lo and behold, they were as good as their word, and, even though I spent some of the morning in the prone position, suffering from some mental instability and lower abdomen upheavals from the previous night’s bash (see last Blog), we managed to greet them at the Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport (a pretty large title for a strip of asphalt a hundred feet long) at approximately 12:20PM…
It was a joyous reunion, which lasted about five minutes, since they were on a “Flight and Hotel Gambling Jaunt”… In other words, they had to take a bus from the airport to their hotel (Don Laughlin’s Riverside) to check in, which was good for me, since it gave me an additional half hour to lay down (at home), while they got themselves checked in, and all that…
Turned out their room wasn’t ready, so, when we got there, they were deep into the magic of loosing money…
Of course, somehow, we got our directional signals mixed up, so we all spent some time cruising the casino grounds (both inside and out) before we finally caught up with each other…
The intrusion and confusion didn’t seem to matter, and, even though we’d interrupted their fun time, a second Happy Reunion took place with hugs and love all around…
We dropped a few coins ourselves just for the practice (actually, it’s not coins any more, it’s bills and paper vouchers), and then took a stroll on the Riverwalk… Lovely afternoon (80-some degrees)…
Stopped at a few of the other casinos, and had a late lunch at Joe‘s Crab Shack, where we discussed what to do and see while they were here… They’d never been here before…
After some running around trying to find a rental car place in town (and not succeeding), Terry and I left the girls, and ended up back at the Airport, where we reserved a vehicle for the next day…
It was getting late (7:30PM), and they’d been up since before extremely early, and, needless to say, I was ready for the sack as well (not mentioning Lu, ‘cause she’s always ready for the sack)…
Anyway, we parted ways with the promise of meeting up fairly early the next morning…
Friday, Apr. 16...
Got up early… Big sightseeing day planned… But before anything could be accomplished, Lu and I had to get ourselves a Starbucks fix, so we parked at the Riverside, and walked over to the Aquarius before meeting up with the McCanns back at the Riverside…
Terry and I the drove over to the Airport, parked my truck and rented a Mazda (zoom, zoom) from Hertz…
Picked up the girls (who had fun with the machines while the boys were away), and headed down to Lake Havasu City, to check out the London Bridge, which some fool brought (block by block) over from London…
Guess he wasn’t such a fool after all, ‘cause it put place on the map…
We stopped in Needles to get some literature from a Land Management Office, and arrived in LHC all rearing to mingle with the crowds… The problem: No crowds… Matter of fact, there were hardly anybody there… The place was dead! Found out this is the “in-between-season”…
The snowbirds have trekked North, and nothing of importance will happen until the summer crowd comes on Memorial Day, at the end of May…
We sauntered around taking a few pictures, and then decided to vacate to a more promising tourist trap: Oatman…
Oatman is an Old Mining Town nestled in the hills (Southeast of Bullhead City), on “famous” Route 66...
It’s claim to fame these days are “wild” burros (donkeys, or asses, if you’d rather call them that), and a couple of staged gunfights… The one we watched was totally botched by the participants (guns which didn‘t fire, poor acting, and missed dialog), but no-one seemed to care… It was fun to see anyway…
It’s been about ten years since we were here, and things have changed…
There are now dozens of souvenir shops and eateries, but the Old Oatman Hotel is still the main attraction, if you get tired of looking at, buying for, or petting the ever-increasing burro population…
We had a fantastic lunch at the Hotel, and, so not to leave the poor critters hungry, “Gede” bought carrots which she and Lu doled out to the herd…
After the good time in Oatman, Lu and I were dropped off at home, to get ourselves ready for the evening session, which consisted of some slot playing, a walk on the Riverwalk, some more visits to some more slots, having dinner at the Gourmet Room (Riverside), and just a little bit more play, before getting home around 9:30... Very good day!
Saturday, Apr. 17...
The day started with a trip to Starbucks with “Gede” and Terry; then a trip up and down the Riverwalk to various casinos to try our luck… Surprising thing is, we’re about even fund-wise (a few bucks to the good, actually), so that’s a good thing…
Had lunch again at Joe’s Crab Shack, after which Lu and I went home for a rest, and to let “Gede” and Terry have some private time by themselves… Found out they took the river taxi up to Harrah’s (which is a bit out of the way from the other casinos), where they planted themselves on the beach for a couple of hours…
We hooked up again around 4ish, and since Tuesday is my birthday (and Terry and “Gede” would’ve left by then), they wanted to take us out for dinner tonight… So, after some time messing around with the odds at the Riverside, we piled into the water taxi and went over to the River Palms, where we had great food, and a very good time at the Lodge Steak House…
Thanks heaps you guys! That was a wonderful birthday gift, one I’ll remember for the rest of my life…
Oh, and thanks, “Gede” for telling me that Dee is one of my Blog readers…
How fun is that?! Now there’s a lady with high spirits… Always a great, big smile on her face…
F.Y.I.: She used to be a neighbor many years ago, but, unfortunately, we lost touch over the years, but “Gede” and Dee have retained their friendship, and I’m really thrilled that she has found some interest in my Blog…
I don’t know why the heck I’m writing like this, since Dee obviously reads this mess, so, let’s just say,
Hi, Dee, it’s a great pleasure to hear you’re doing good… We miss seeing your happy face like we did, but, maybe we can all get together one of these days? Hope so…
Sunday, Apr. 18...
Had breakfast with “Gede” and Terry this morning, after which we gambled at the Riverside…
Both Lu and I had a good morning, since I won 55 and Lu won 70 bucks after breakfast… Not too shabby, huh?
Around 10:30, or so, it was time for “Gede” and Terry to say farewell… They had to go and pack, and be ready to take off for the airport by 11:00...
It was kind of sad to see them take off, but that’s the way it goes…
We really enjoyed having you guys visit, and appreciate it very, very much…
Not too many people would’ve taken the time, and paid the cost, to fly from one end of the continent to the other, just to visit in-laws for a few days…
We love you for it, and so grateful for your kindheartedness… Thanks, guys, from the bottom of our hearts! Let’s sit down and reminisce one of these days when we get home…
That’s about all there is to tell, so, I’ll quit for now, and get this Blog and the pictures posted…
More later…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/A%20visit%20from%20family%5EJ%20and%20some%20time%20spent%20in%20LAUGHLIN%5EJ%20LAKE%20HAVASU%20CITY%5EJ%20and%20OATMAN%20%5E5APR.%2015%20-%20APR.%2018%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=123&isFromRichUpload=1
When “Gede” and Terry visited us on Cape Cod (whenever that was), we discussed the possibility of them meeting up with us again somewhere in Arizona; the premise being they’d get out of some cold NW weather…
Lo and behold, they were as good as their word, and, even though I spent some of the morning in the prone position, suffering from some mental instability and lower abdomen upheavals from the previous night’s bash (see last Blog), we managed to greet them at the Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport (a pretty large title for a strip of asphalt a hundred feet long) at approximately 12:20PM…
It was a joyous reunion, which lasted about five minutes, since they were on a “Flight and Hotel Gambling Jaunt”… In other words, they had to take a bus from the airport to their hotel (Don Laughlin’s Riverside) to check in, which was good for me, since it gave me an additional half hour to lay down (at home), while they got themselves checked in, and all that…
Turned out their room wasn’t ready, so, when we got there, they were deep into the magic of loosing money…
Of course, somehow, we got our directional signals mixed up, so we all spent some time cruising the casino grounds (both inside and out) before we finally caught up with each other…
The intrusion and confusion didn’t seem to matter, and, even though we’d interrupted their fun time, a second Happy Reunion took place with hugs and love all around…
We dropped a few coins ourselves just for the practice (actually, it’s not coins any more, it’s bills and paper vouchers), and then took a stroll on the Riverwalk… Lovely afternoon (80-some degrees)…
Stopped at a few of the other casinos, and had a late lunch at Joe‘s Crab Shack, where we discussed what to do and see while they were here… They’d never been here before…
After some running around trying to find a rental car place in town (and not succeeding), Terry and I left the girls, and ended up back at the Airport, where we reserved a vehicle for the next day…
It was getting late (7:30PM), and they’d been up since before extremely early, and, needless to say, I was ready for the sack as well (not mentioning Lu, ‘cause she’s always ready for the sack)…
Anyway, we parted ways with the promise of meeting up fairly early the next morning…
Friday, Apr. 16...
Got up early… Big sightseeing day planned… But before anything could be accomplished, Lu and I had to get ourselves a Starbucks fix, so we parked at the Riverside, and walked over to the Aquarius before meeting up with the McCanns back at the Riverside…
Terry and I the drove over to the Airport, parked my truck and rented a Mazda (zoom, zoom) from Hertz…
Picked up the girls (who had fun with the machines while the boys were away), and headed down to Lake Havasu City, to check out the London Bridge, which some fool brought (block by block) over from London…
Guess he wasn’t such a fool after all, ‘cause it put place on the map…
We stopped in Needles to get some literature from a Land Management Office, and arrived in LHC all rearing to mingle with the crowds… The problem: No crowds… Matter of fact, there were hardly anybody there… The place was dead! Found out this is the “in-between-season”…
The snowbirds have trekked North, and nothing of importance will happen until the summer crowd comes on Memorial Day, at the end of May…
We sauntered around taking a few pictures, and then decided to vacate to a more promising tourist trap: Oatman…
Oatman is an Old Mining Town nestled in the hills (Southeast of Bullhead City), on “famous” Route 66...
It’s claim to fame these days are “wild” burros (donkeys, or asses, if you’d rather call them that), and a couple of staged gunfights… The one we watched was totally botched by the participants (guns which didn‘t fire, poor acting, and missed dialog), but no-one seemed to care… It was fun to see anyway…
It’s been about ten years since we were here, and things have changed…
There are now dozens of souvenir shops and eateries, but the Old Oatman Hotel is still the main attraction, if you get tired of looking at, buying for, or petting the ever-increasing burro population…
We had a fantastic lunch at the Hotel, and, so not to leave the poor critters hungry, “Gede” bought carrots which she and Lu doled out to the herd…
After the good time in Oatman, Lu and I were dropped off at home, to get ourselves ready for the evening session, which consisted of some slot playing, a walk on the Riverwalk, some more visits to some more slots, having dinner at the Gourmet Room (Riverside), and just a little bit more play, before getting home around 9:30... Very good day!
Saturday, Apr. 17...
The day started with a trip to Starbucks with “Gede” and Terry; then a trip up and down the Riverwalk to various casinos to try our luck… Surprising thing is, we’re about even fund-wise (a few bucks to the good, actually), so that’s a good thing…
Had lunch again at Joe’s Crab Shack, after which Lu and I went home for a rest, and to let “Gede” and Terry have some private time by themselves… Found out they took the river taxi up to Harrah’s (which is a bit out of the way from the other casinos), where they planted themselves on the beach for a couple of hours…
We hooked up again around 4ish, and since Tuesday is my birthday (and Terry and “Gede” would’ve left by then), they wanted to take us out for dinner tonight… So, after some time messing around with the odds at the Riverside, we piled into the water taxi and went over to the River Palms, where we had great food, and a very good time at the Lodge Steak House…
Thanks heaps you guys! That was a wonderful birthday gift, one I’ll remember for the rest of my life…
Oh, and thanks, “Gede” for telling me that Dee is one of my Blog readers…
How fun is that?! Now there’s a lady with high spirits… Always a great, big smile on her face…
F.Y.I.: She used to be a neighbor many years ago, but, unfortunately, we lost touch over the years, but “Gede” and Dee have retained their friendship, and I’m really thrilled that she has found some interest in my Blog…
I don’t know why the heck I’m writing like this, since Dee obviously reads this mess, so, let’s just say,
Hi, Dee, it’s a great pleasure to hear you’re doing good… We miss seeing your happy face like we did, but, maybe we can all get together one of these days? Hope so…
Sunday, Apr. 18...
Had breakfast with “Gede” and Terry this morning, after which we gambled at the Riverside…
Both Lu and I had a good morning, since I won 55 and Lu won 70 bucks after breakfast… Not too shabby, huh?
Around 10:30, or so, it was time for “Gede” and Terry to say farewell… They had to go and pack, and be ready to take off for the airport by 11:00...
It was kind of sad to see them take off, but that’s the way it goes…
We really enjoyed having you guys visit, and appreciate it very, very much…
Not too many people would’ve taken the time, and paid the cost, to fly from one end of the continent to the other, just to visit in-laws for a few days…
We love you for it, and so grateful for your kindheartedness… Thanks, guys, from the bottom of our hearts! Let’s sit down and reminisce one of these days when we get home…
That’s about all there is to tell, so, I’ll quit for now, and get this Blog and the pictures posted…
More later…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/A%20visit%20from%20family%5EJ%20and%20some%20time%20spent%20in%20LAUGHLIN%5EJ%20LAKE%20HAVASU%20CITY%5EJ%20and%20OATMAN%20%5E5APR.%2015%20-%20APR.%2018%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=123&isFromRichUpload=1
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
YUMA, and the trip to BULLHEAD CITY, AZ (APR. 10 - APR. 14, 2010)
I’m sitting here (on our 8th (and last) night in Bullhead City, AZ., contemplating whether to work on the Blog or not…
It’s 8:30 and Lu is in bed watching some “favorite “ TV shows, so there isn’t much of a choice, really… She likes to be horizontal when watching shows… That way she knows I’ll turn off the TV when I come to bed… You get it?
Nah, I’m kidding… Not about Lu being in bed, but about the TV…
Anyway, if I’m going to take the time to do something constructive here, I better get with it… It’s late, and we‘re moving up to Las Vegas tomorrow…
So, did I tell you that both Lu and I love our favorite bartender, Kari (at the Parrish’s Bar and Grill)… She’s the cutest thing since Hermit the Frog (or something like that), and has the personality to go with it… Not only that, but she looks a lot like Jamie Lee Curtis, and Lu wanted her hair, so, as I’ve said in a previous Blog, Kari introduces us to Ken (her hair dresser), who came to our trailer and cut both of our manes…
We showed up at Parrish’s the following day, and Kari took one look at Lu - whose hair now is really, really short - and says (so the whole bar can hear), “You need PRODUCTS girl!”
We come back for more abuse the following evening, and, as soon as Kari is done working, she sits Lu down at one of the tables and proceeds to indoctrinate her into the finer things of hair styling… Even some of the customers got involved, and Lu took it all in stride… Bravo for her!
From one mess to another:
We went SCRAMBLE golfing on Sunday (Apr. 10), at the Westwind, and had a blast… I think we were paired up in four or five foursomes, and the idea is to only use the best ball as we proceed through each hole… Could tell you more, but then I’d have to kill you, as the saying goes…
The people we met golfing are all very friendly and jovial, and I believe we’re fitting right in, so both Lu and I are looking forward to spending next Winter down here…
Talking about friendly people… We’ve been passing this elderly lady’s place, on our way to and from the pool, and noticed her rear license plate was from Everett, WA… Then one day she had backed the car up, and the front plate said: UFF DA… Of course, I had to talk to her…
Matter of fact, she stopped me and invited us over, because she had a letter from Norway she needed some translation for… We had a great time yakking about Norway, and this and that, but the funny thing is that when we stood up to leave - after an hour - she says, “My… I forgot to offer you something to eat and drink… I even have cold beer in the fridge for you!” Well… We’ll take her up on that offer when we get back…
On Tuesday (Apr. 13) we left Westwind at 8:30 in the morning… We only had about 200 miles to drive, and they were easy miles, so we took our time… Stopped at Parker and had a pretty good breakfast, and then, after a short stretch through California, we pulled into Ridgeview RV Park (on the North end of Bullhead City, AZ) a little after 1:00...
Bullhead City stretches for miles and miles along the Eastern shore of the Colorado River (which is the border between Arizona and Nevada), and the bridge across the river is located just a hop and a skip from our Park… On the Nevada side lies the City of Laughlin, which basically consists of 7 or 8 casinos that are (for the most part) connected by a Riverwalk… We’ve always liked Laughlin, and would take it over Las Vegas any time of the day… The casinos are big, yet the city is small and manageable…
The Riverwalk is about a mile long, and provides a very comfortable stroll - if you’re not out there when it’s 120 degrees…
We got ourselves situated at the Park, and then went for a taste of the slot machines…
You win some… You loose some… The main thing to remember is to use your head… If you do that, you’ll have a great time… Guaranteed!
Over to some other stuff…
To my dismay, we found our cell phone service (Verizon) here absolutely lousy, and the internet service (also Verizon) twice as bad… Seems like a place like this, with all the casinos and all the people who either live here or visits here, should have decent services, but, unfortunately, not so…
Maybe, some day, things will be better?
On our first full day here (Apr. 14) we drove ten miles back South (on Hwy 95) to check out AVI Casino and Resort… An Indian place we visited back in 2000... They have a very nice RV Park, and, to our surprise, they still have a very cheap breakfast ($6.08 for two: Eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast, and milk)…
In the evening, we went to a few casinos…
Lost some… Won some…
Became “best friends” with a very nice and cheerful couple, Bob and Jeri, whom we had drinks with at the Lodge Steakhouse…
I might’ve imbibed a little too much of the merriment, ‘cause Lu insisted on driving home, but what the hey… You only go around once, so why not enjoy it?
As I said earlier, this is our last night here in Laughlin/Bullhead City, but I’m going to cut this Blog short, because I have around 90 pictures for this segment, and somewhere around 150 pictures for the rest of the time we spent here… Since I don’t have internet service, I have to wait until tomorrow, when we get to Vegas, to upload everything, and, I think, it’ll be easier for me to split things into two Blogs… We’ll see…
Best regards from the Vagabonds…
Have a great rest of the week…
Here are the pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/YUMA%5EJ%20and%20the%20trip%20to%20BULLHEAD%20CITY%5EJ%20AZ%20%5E5APR.%2010%20-%20APR.%2014%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=92&isFromRichUpload=1
It’s 8:30 and Lu is in bed watching some “favorite “ TV shows, so there isn’t much of a choice, really… She likes to be horizontal when watching shows… That way she knows I’ll turn off the TV when I come to bed… You get it?
Nah, I’m kidding… Not about Lu being in bed, but about the TV…
Anyway, if I’m going to take the time to do something constructive here, I better get with it… It’s late, and we‘re moving up to Las Vegas tomorrow…
So, did I tell you that both Lu and I love our favorite bartender, Kari (at the Parrish’s Bar and Grill)… She’s the cutest thing since Hermit the Frog (or something like that), and has the personality to go with it… Not only that, but she looks a lot like Jamie Lee Curtis, and Lu wanted her hair, so, as I’ve said in a previous Blog, Kari introduces us to Ken (her hair dresser), who came to our trailer and cut both of our manes…
We showed up at Parrish’s the following day, and Kari took one look at Lu - whose hair now is really, really short - and says (so the whole bar can hear), “You need PRODUCTS girl!”
We come back for more abuse the following evening, and, as soon as Kari is done working, she sits Lu down at one of the tables and proceeds to indoctrinate her into the finer things of hair styling… Even some of the customers got involved, and Lu took it all in stride… Bravo for her!
From one mess to another:
We went SCRAMBLE golfing on Sunday (Apr. 10), at the Westwind, and had a blast… I think we were paired up in four or five foursomes, and the idea is to only use the best ball as we proceed through each hole… Could tell you more, but then I’d have to kill you, as the saying goes…
The people we met golfing are all very friendly and jovial, and I believe we’re fitting right in, so both Lu and I are looking forward to spending next Winter down here…
Talking about friendly people… We’ve been passing this elderly lady’s place, on our way to and from the pool, and noticed her rear license plate was from Everett, WA… Then one day she had backed the car up, and the front plate said: UFF DA… Of course, I had to talk to her…
Matter of fact, she stopped me and invited us over, because she had a letter from Norway she needed some translation for… We had a great time yakking about Norway, and this and that, but the funny thing is that when we stood up to leave - after an hour - she says, “My… I forgot to offer you something to eat and drink… I even have cold beer in the fridge for you!” Well… We’ll take her up on that offer when we get back…
On Tuesday (Apr. 13) we left Westwind at 8:30 in the morning… We only had about 200 miles to drive, and they were easy miles, so we took our time… Stopped at Parker and had a pretty good breakfast, and then, after a short stretch through California, we pulled into Ridgeview RV Park (on the North end of Bullhead City, AZ) a little after 1:00...
Bullhead City stretches for miles and miles along the Eastern shore of the Colorado River (which is the border between Arizona and Nevada), and the bridge across the river is located just a hop and a skip from our Park… On the Nevada side lies the City of Laughlin, which basically consists of 7 or 8 casinos that are (for the most part) connected by a Riverwalk… We’ve always liked Laughlin, and would take it over Las Vegas any time of the day… The casinos are big, yet the city is small and manageable…
The Riverwalk is about a mile long, and provides a very comfortable stroll - if you’re not out there when it’s 120 degrees…
We got ourselves situated at the Park, and then went for a taste of the slot machines…
You win some… You loose some… The main thing to remember is to use your head… If you do that, you’ll have a great time… Guaranteed!
Over to some other stuff…
To my dismay, we found our cell phone service (Verizon) here absolutely lousy, and the internet service (also Verizon) twice as bad… Seems like a place like this, with all the casinos and all the people who either live here or visits here, should have decent services, but, unfortunately, not so…
Maybe, some day, things will be better?
On our first full day here (Apr. 14) we drove ten miles back South (on Hwy 95) to check out AVI Casino and Resort… An Indian place we visited back in 2000... They have a very nice RV Park, and, to our surprise, they still have a very cheap breakfast ($6.08 for two: Eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast, and milk)…
In the evening, we went to a few casinos…
Lost some… Won some…
Became “best friends” with a very nice and cheerful couple, Bob and Jeri, whom we had drinks with at the Lodge Steakhouse…
I might’ve imbibed a little too much of the merriment, ‘cause Lu insisted on driving home, but what the hey… You only go around once, so why not enjoy it?
As I said earlier, this is our last night here in Laughlin/Bullhead City, but I’m going to cut this Blog short, because I have around 90 pictures for this segment, and somewhere around 150 pictures for the rest of the time we spent here… Since I don’t have internet service, I have to wait until tomorrow, when we get to Vegas, to upload everything, and, I think, it’ll be easier for me to split things into two Blogs… We’ll see…
Best regards from the Vagabonds…
Have a great rest of the week…
Here are the pictures: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/YUMA%5EJ%20and%20the%20trip%20to%20BULLHEAD%20CITY%5EJ%20AZ%20%5E5APR.%2010%20-%20APR.%2014%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=92&isFromRichUpload=1
Saturday, April 10, 2010
YUMA & ALGODONES… Side trips, county fairs, and friendly visits (MAR. 28 - APR. 9, 2010)
Can’t believe it’s almost two weeks since I updated my Blog…
(Sorry, Gede, you’re gonna have to get used to not having my stories put you to sleep at night… There‘s still some time, though, to get weaned, since I intend to keep plugging along until we’re home)…
Let me see…
What to tell you…
We were at Yuma Lakes until April 3...
OK place, but that’s about it…
I’m almost sure I’ve told you that Yuma Lakes is located on the outskirts of hundreds (or maybe thousands) of acres of agricultural fields, so there’s a dust problem when the farmers plow and there’s a wind…
Thank goodness, we didn’t have too much wind while there, so, I guess, I can’t complain too much about that…
Actually, of the fourteen days we were at Yuma Lakes, we didn’t spend all that much time in the park itself… It seems we were always on the go to see or do things…
Yuma County Fair was happening, and we were kind of excited about going there, but it turned out it was just like any other Fair: Lots to occupy kids, but not so much for us Old-timers…
Ever since we arrived in Yuma, we’ve been pretty religious about spending our mornings in either the hot tub or pool, or both…
At Yuma Lakes they didn’t want you in there until 8 AM, but here at Westwind, we can use the “swimming holes” any time we want, so that was a deciding factor in choosing this place for ”Snow birding” next Fall…
We like to get up around 6:30 - 7:00 to wash away the night, and at that time of the morning, there are very seldom anybody else around, so we have the facilities all to ourselves… Pretty nice!
One of the pastimes here is to visit Flee Markets…
There are two…
One is fairly large, and is located West of town, and the other is humongous, and located a few miles from where we’re staying (at Westwind), in what they call the Foothills…
It takes both stamina and fortitude to walk through it all without blowing a hole in your wallet…
As I said, we moved back to Westwind on April 3, and absolutely love the place…
The people are incredibly friendly, and the Park is beautifully maintained…
The pool is of fair size, but the hot tub is the biggest one we’ve ever seen…
It’s kidney shaped, and, though I haven’t measured it, I bet it’s at least 30 feet long and about 8 feet wide…
To top that off, Westwind offers a fabulous 9-hole golf course, a Pro Shop, and a restaurant and bar, which are all factors in us choosing this place for our future Winter getaways…
On April 4, we had a 7.2 earthquake, which was something to behold… It “only” lasted 45 seconds (I hear), but it seemed like it would never end… You should’ve seen the trailer and the truck do the Boogie…
For that matter, you should’ve seen Luanne’s face (she’d been in taking a nap) when she waddled out from the bedroom, hanging on to whatever was handy… “What do I do,” she yelled, all panicky and scared to death… Macho me offered: “Hang on to your pantyhose, Baby, and ride it out!”
Hey, I figured the trailer was the best place to be, since it’s used to twists, turns, and shakes…
I was probably right, but it was quite a ride… One we’ll remember for a long, long time…
We’ve been to Los Algodones quite a few times these past few weeks…
The first time was to get our teeth cleaned…
Had an appointment at 2:00 one day, but when we got there, we found the dentist was running 3 to 4 hours late, so we rescheduled for an early appointment on the 5th.
I got the best cleaning I’ve had in many years, and it only set me back $50.00 for the two of us…
Made an appointment for next August to get a gold crown… The cost… $190.00... Can’t get that in the States for that price, that’s for sure…
Other than that, and going shopping at a brand new Walmart Supercenter (a couple of miles away from us), and at Fry’s grocery store, we’ve taken some long rides around the countryside… Took our bikes in to get them tuned up the other day, so we’re now all over the place without clanks or squeaks… It’s fairly flat around here (in the Foothills), so it’s easy riding…
What else?
Oh, yeah…
For 100 bucks, I had some little Mexicans wash and wax the trailer the other day (they tossed in washing the car)… Both vehicles needed it badly, and since I refuse to do things like that in nearly 90 degree weather, I thought it was a good deal…
So, here’s a good one:
We met the cutest little bartender at the local hangout for Snow birders…
Luanne was taken by her hair (I was taken by the whole package), and, through her, we met her hairdresser/stylist (or whatever you want to call these folks), who works at the Marine Base three days of the week… His name is Ken, and the days he’s not working at the Base, he goes around cutting people’s hair at their home… Hence, for the first time in our lives, we had a professional come to our Wagon Wheel and cut our manes… Are we catching up with the Jet set, or what?
Last Thursday (around 10:30am), our very good friend, Mavis, arrived from Arizona City (about a 3½ hr drive) for an overnight visit…
We spent a few minutes sitting around shooting the breeze, then headed over to Algodones, where she bought all kinds of medicines for her friends back home…
I tell you… Algodones would cease to exist if it wasn’t for Americans coming over the border to get their teeth fixed, get new glasses, or buy medicine…
Why does everything in the States cost so much more than here? Another conundrum, huh?
We stopped at the Quechan Casino on the way back, but didn’t win anything… Not that we expected to, you understand… But it’s fun now and again…
Anyway, when we got home we stopped at Westwind’s Restaurant and Bar for dinner and drinks…
At home, afterwards, a new friend, Earl, came by to invite us over to a party, but Mavis didn’t want to go, but said Lu and I should, so we did for about half an hour…
We’ve now met a great bunch of people around here, but don’t ask me what their names are (hopefully, that’ll change with time)… The thing is, they’re all so very, very friendly and accommodating… We even got an invitation to go golfing tomorrow morning (Sunday, 11th), at 8:30, which will be kind of challenging since neither Lu nor I have touched a golf club in more than what? four years?
Oh, well… Nothing ventured, nothing gained…
We had a great time visiting with Mavis after we got home… Always nice to see dear friends, that’s for sure…
She left yesterday morning after we had a wonderful farewell breakfast at the Daybreaker restaurant (up the street)…
I think that’s all I have to tell you for now…
Like I said up at the top, I’m planning to keep the Blog up until we get home, so check back again one of these days to see if I’ve gotten the lead out and posted some new stuff…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/YUMA%20%5E0%20ALGODONES%e2%80%a6%20Side%20trips%5EJ%20county%20fairs%5EJ%20and%20friendly%20visits%20%5E5MAR.%2028%20-%20APR.%209%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=56&isFromRichUpload=1
(Sorry, Gede, you’re gonna have to get used to not having my stories put you to sleep at night… There‘s still some time, though, to get weaned, since I intend to keep plugging along until we’re home)…
Let me see…
What to tell you…
We were at Yuma Lakes until April 3...
OK place, but that’s about it…
I’m almost sure I’ve told you that Yuma Lakes is located on the outskirts of hundreds (or maybe thousands) of acres of agricultural fields, so there’s a dust problem when the farmers plow and there’s a wind…
Thank goodness, we didn’t have too much wind while there, so, I guess, I can’t complain too much about that…
Actually, of the fourteen days we were at Yuma Lakes, we didn’t spend all that much time in the park itself… It seems we were always on the go to see or do things…
Yuma County Fair was happening, and we were kind of excited about going there, but it turned out it was just like any other Fair: Lots to occupy kids, but not so much for us Old-timers…
Ever since we arrived in Yuma, we’ve been pretty religious about spending our mornings in either the hot tub or pool, or both…
At Yuma Lakes they didn’t want you in there until 8 AM, but here at Westwind, we can use the “swimming holes” any time we want, so that was a deciding factor in choosing this place for ”Snow birding” next Fall…
We like to get up around 6:30 - 7:00 to wash away the night, and at that time of the morning, there are very seldom anybody else around, so we have the facilities all to ourselves… Pretty nice!
One of the pastimes here is to visit Flee Markets…
There are two…
One is fairly large, and is located West of town, and the other is humongous, and located a few miles from where we’re staying (at Westwind), in what they call the Foothills…
It takes both stamina and fortitude to walk through it all without blowing a hole in your wallet…
As I said, we moved back to Westwind on April 3, and absolutely love the place…
The people are incredibly friendly, and the Park is beautifully maintained…
The pool is of fair size, but the hot tub is the biggest one we’ve ever seen…
It’s kidney shaped, and, though I haven’t measured it, I bet it’s at least 30 feet long and about 8 feet wide…
To top that off, Westwind offers a fabulous 9-hole golf course, a Pro Shop, and a restaurant and bar, which are all factors in us choosing this place for our future Winter getaways…
On April 4, we had a 7.2 earthquake, which was something to behold… It “only” lasted 45 seconds (I hear), but it seemed like it would never end… You should’ve seen the trailer and the truck do the Boogie…
For that matter, you should’ve seen Luanne’s face (she’d been in taking a nap) when she waddled out from the bedroom, hanging on to whatever was handy… “What do I do,” she yelled, all panicky and scared to death… Macho me offered: “Hang on to your pantyhose, Baby, and ride it out!”
Hey, I figured the trailer was the best place to be, since it’s used to twists, turns, and shakes…
I was probably right, but it was quite a ride… One we’ll remember for a long, long time…
We’ve been to Los Algodones quite a few times these past few weeks…
The first time was to get our teeth cleaned…
Had an appointment at 2:00 one day, but when we got there, we found the dentist was running 3 to 4 hours late, so we rescheduled for an early appointment on the 5th.
I got the best cleaning I’ve had in many years, and it only set me back $50.00 for the two of us…
Made an appointment for next August to get a gold crown… The cost… $190.00... Can’t get that in the States for that price, that’s for sure…
Other than that, and going shopping at a brand new Walmart Supercenter (a couple of miles away from us), and at Fry’s grocery store, we’ve taken some long rides around the countryside… Took our bikes in to get them tuned up the other day, so we’re now all over the place without clanks or squeaks… It’s fairly flat around here (in the Foothills), so it’s easy riding…
What else?
Oh, yeah…
For 100 bucks, I had some little Mexicans wash and wax the trailer the other day (they tossed in washing the car)… Both vehicles needed it badly, and since I refuse to do things like that in nearly 90 degree weather, I thought it was a good deal…
So, here’s a good one:
We met the cutest little bartender at the local hangout for Snow birders…
Luanne was taken by her hair (I was taken by the whole package), and, through her, we met her hairdresser/stylist (or whatever you want to call these folks), who works at the Marine Base three days of the week… His name is Ken, and the days he’s not working at the Base, he goes around cutting people’s hair at their home… Hence, for the first time in our lives, we had a professional come to our Wagon Wheel and cut our manes… Are we catching up with the Jet set, or what?
Last Thursday (around 10:30am), our very good friend, Mavis, arrived from Arizona City (about a 3½ hr drive) for an overnight visit…
We spent a few minutes sitting around shooting the breeze, then headed over to Algodones, where she bought all kinds of medicines for her friends back home…
I tell you… Algodones would cease to exist if it wasn’t for Americans coming over the border to get their teeth fixed, get new glasses, or buy medicine…
Why does everything in the States cost so much more than here? Another conundrum, huh?
We stopped at the Quechan Casino on the way back, but didn’t win anything… Not that we expected to, you understand… But it’s fun now and again…
Anyway, when we got home we stopped at Westwind’s Restaurant and Bar for dinner and drinks…
At home, afterwards, a new friend, Earl, came by to invite us over to a party, but Mavis didn’t want to go, but said Lu and I should, so we did for about half an hour…
We’ve now met a great bunch of people around here, but don’t ask me what their names are (hopefully, that’ll change with time)… The thing is, they’re all so very, very friendly and accommodating… We even got an invitation to go golfing tomorrow morning (Sunday, 11th), at 8:30, which will be kind of challenging since neither Lu nor I have touched a golf club in more than what? four years?
Oh, well… Nothing ventured, nothing gained…
We had a great time visiting with Mavis after we got home… Always nice to see dear friends, that’s for sure…
She left yesterday morning after we had a wonderful farewell breakfast at the Daybreaker restaurant (up the street)…
I think that’s all I have to tell you for now…
Like I said up at the top, I’m planning to keep the Blog up until we get home, so check back again one of these days to see if I’ve gotten the lead out and posted some new stuff…
PICTURES: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/YUMA%20%5E0%20ALGODONES%e2%80%a6%20Side%20trips%5EJ%20county%20fairs%5EJ%20and%20friendly%20visits%20%5E5MAR.%2028%20-%20APR.%209%5EJ%202010%5E6?nl=1&uc=56&isFromRichUpload=1
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