Eastbound and Down

Hello again, welcome back to our travels. Our last chapter concluded on Sunday, April 30^th when we officially began our summer travels by leaving Santa Maria, California and starting east. Those of a “certain age” will recognize the title of this blog as the theme song from Smokey and the Bandit. Our first night was in Bakersfield, California where we stayed one night. Didn't even unhook the car, just relaxed for the afternoon and evening. Monday was another travel day, 150 miles east to Newberry Springs, California, just east of Barstow. We stayed at this same RV park last week when we were going West to the coast. Again we left the car connected for our one night stay and just stayed in and watched some TV for the day.

Tuesday, May 2^nd, we left Newberry Springs about 9:30 and continued east on Interstate 40, heading to Needles, 120 miles away. We arrived at the Needles Elks Lodge just before noon and got settled in for a two night stay. After we got set up and had lunch we went out to explore just a little and get at least one geocache so we could get the souvenir that they are giving for finding a cache today. This is the 15^th Anniversary of the sport of geocaching. We were able to find two quick caches and stopped at a store for a couple of things. We were going to make a Walmart run, but it seems that Needles doesn't have a Walmart, or any other grocery chain store for that matter. The closest Walmarts are in Bullhead City, Arizona or Kingman, Arizona. We drove around for a half hour exploring Needles and then went back to the coach for the rest of the afternoon. Today it was going to hit 100, so we are going to stay inside.

Wednesday, May 3^rd, we had a non-travel day for a change. Since it was going to be well over a hundred today we decided to go for a drive to Laughlin, Nevada, which is only about 30 miles north of Needles. We have not been to Laughlin in at least eight years, if not longer. The drive took about 40 minutes and our first stop was the Harrah's Casino. We gambled for an hour or so and then went to the coffee shop for lunch, although we both had breakfast. We then drove up to the Golden Nugget and gambled for another hour or so before leaving and making one last stop at the Riverside, the original Laughlin Casino. Laughlin is named after Don Laughlin who opened his casino and hotel in 1966. There are now ten casinos in Laughlin and it is listed as one of the top five RV destinations in the U.S. We didn't win anything, but between the two of us we only lost less than a hundred dollars for the day, and had a good time. When we finished at the Riverside we crossed the bridge into Bullhead City, Arizona, and stopped at Walmart for some supplies. We then went home, getting home about 5:30, before the cats even missed us. We spent the rest of the evening in the coach.

Thursday, May 4^th, Star Wars Day. (May the “fourth” be with you) This was another travel day, and was going to be as hot as yesterday. We got out around 9:30 and started east on Interstate 40 again. We are going 178 miles to Williams, Arizona. After 11 miles we crossed the Colorado into Arizona, leaving California for at least six months if the current travel plans stick. We made a fuel stop but still made it to Williams just after 1:00. Because Needles is 500 feet elevation and Williams is almost 7,000 feet, it was pretty much uphill all the way. I was really having to work to keep the coach from overheating, but we made it with no problems. Williams is considered to be the “Gateway” to the Grand Canyon and the old steam train that goes up to the canyon leaves from here. We are staying at the Grand Canyon Railroad RV park, which is right next to the tracks for the canyon train. We are going to be here for three days, so we took a little longer to get set up. Once we got set up we relaxed for the rest of the day. Jackie will need a quiet evening to acclimate to the altitude anyway.

Friday, May 5^th, Happy Cinco de Mayo! Not Mexican Independence Day as many believe, but certainly a day when everyone is Mexican. In the spirit, we went out to a local Mexican place called the Fiesta Grill for lunch. The food was good, not the best ever, but good, solid Sonoran Mexican food. The salsa was the best thing, the cost of the drinks the worst. My tequila driver and Jackie's margarita totaled more than our meals. After lunch we did one geocache, only because it had been put out the day before and we would be able to get an FTF (first to find) on the cache. Since we are not really early starters, we rarely get FTFs, so it is fun to stumble into one. After our cache find we went to the one laundromat in town and did our laundry, the first time since Ehrenberg. While unloading the car we were checked out by a Coconino County Sheriff's Deputy. It seems a few days ago an elderly couple were murdered and their car, a white Jeep Liberty, was stolen. The cops are looking at all white Jeep sedan's. Once our laundry was done we went home and put our clothes away and relaxed the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Saturday, May 6^th, we left the coach after lunch to do some geocaching in the Williams area. We had a good afternoon, getting 15 new finds, along with four DNFs, before quitting about 3:30. One of the caches was another milestone, number 8,500! Yea! We then went back to the coach and relaxed the rest of the day. Sunday was another travel day. There has been a storm system setting over the southwest for the last couple days, and, although we didn't have any rain like Southern California, we were having very strong winds. The winds blew all night long and we were a little worried about traveling, however, the other side of the coin was that we were at 7,000 feet and the storm was predicted to bring snow to as low as 5,000. Decision made, we were on the road about 10:00. We continued east, about 100 miles to Homolavi Ruins State Park, just north of Winslow, Arizona. We stayed at this park a couple of years ago and liked it. It is only about three miles out of town, but it is up on a mesa and very quiet and pretty. The winds on the trip were strong, but never got into the scary range, so we had a pretty good trip. We are going to be here in Winslow for five nights. We got everything set up and then we just relaxed the rest of the day.

Monday, May 8^th, we went out after lunch to do some geocaches. We got four new finds, and two DNFs in about an hour, then the rainy weather that we had been promised looked like it was moving in. We quit caching and went back to the coach. As it turned out, the rain bypassed us except for some very light sprinkles.  Nonetheless, we had a nice, relaxing afternoon and the weather didn't spoil our evening BBQ. About a year ago our friend Ray Babcock brought back a bunch of Mahi from a Mexico fishing trip and it has been sitting in our freezer since. We got it out today, BBQed it and had some great fish tacos. Yum. Ironically, just as we were finishing dinner Ray called, the first time I had talked to him in weeks. Of course, we thanked him for dinner. We spent the rest of the evening watching TV.  The picture is of one of the geocaches we found today was at a 9/11 Memorial on Old Route 66.  It was built with two of the steel beams from the World Trade Center.

Tuesday, May 9^th, the promised rain finally came in early in the morning. About 4:00 a.m. the thunder came and we had a series of brief thunderstorms and rain showers until about 9:30. There was a break in the weather so I had time to get my walk in. We left the coach after lunch and went to Walmart, which is on the far west side of Winslow. We are just east and north of town. When we came out of the store we noticed a very heavy, black storm over towards the west. We drove through town, just sight-seeing a little, and didn't hit any rain until we turned into the drive for the State Park. We were right under the thunderstorm and the rain was very hard, and there was small, pea-sized hail. Fortunately, it was small and soft, so I don't think it could cause any damage to vehicles, but it was piling up on the ground like snow. Oddly, when we turned into the drive for the campground the hail stopped. The storm track was such that the hail was falling only about a quarter mile north of the campground, so the coach didn't get any at all. We spent the rest of the day around the coach. We did get a little more rain, but by evening it had cleared up. We did some pork chops on the BBQ for dinner and relaxed the rest of the night.

Wednesday, May 10^th, we went out after lunch to do some geocaching. It was still very cloudy, but the storm system was moving out to the east. In a few hours we were able to get eight new finds, and one DNF. About 3:00 we finished caching and stopped at the Winslow Elks Lodge. For whatever reason, we did not come here when we stayed in Winslow for the first time two years ago. The Elks are in their original old brick building, built in 1923, just a block or two from old downtown on Route 66. It is a two story building with the club room and a large ballroom on the first floor and the lodge hall taking up most of the second floor. The bartender took me up to the lodge room and it was very pretty and very typical for lodge rooms in the older lodge buildings. Very big with lots of seating. The entire Winslow Lodge is about 300 people and I think you could sit half of those in the Lodge Room. Clearly built for a different era. We had one cocktail and talked to the bartender, who was the only other person in the lodge while we were there.

One interesting bit of history is that the Arizona Elks were responsible for the introduction of the first actual elks into the State of Arizona. In 1913, a year after Arizona became a state, the Department of the Interior determined that the elk herds in and around Yellowstone National Park were too large. The Arizona Elks organization, with members of the Yuma Elks serving as spokesman, made application to capture and relocate elk to Arizona. Later that year 86 elk were captured and shipped to Winslow, turned over to members of the Winslow Lodge, and eventually located in the nearby Sitgraves National Forest. Many of the elk in Northern Arizona today are descendants of that original herd. The entire story can be read on the Winslow Elks website. (link here) After our visit at the Elks we went back to the coach and spent the rest of the evening relaxing. Thursday was finally a clear morning. We had a stay at home day today, getting a lot of little chores done.

Friday, May 12^th, another travel day. We left the Winslow area about 10:30 for the 126 mile trip east to Gallup, New Mexico. The trip was uneventful and we arrived at the USA RV park in Gallup about 1:30 local time. When we crossed the Arizona-New Mexico line we lost an hour, going on actual Mountain Savings Time rather than Arizona Mountain Time. We quickly got settled into our space for our two night stay. After we got set up we stayed in for the rest of the day. Saturday we left the coach about 11:00 and went out to lunch at a little restaurant called El Matate. It is a small, converted house in an old neighborhood near downtown that we discovered two years ago when we were here. We came then with the Babcock's and Bullock's and we all enjoyed our meals. We were not disappointed, the food and service were excellent. After lunch we did some geocaching and were able to get eight new finds and two DNFs in a few hours. We then did a Walmart run and returned to the coach where we stayed in for the rest of the night.

Sunday, May 14^th, Happy Mother's Day. Both of our mothers have passed away, so we don't really celebrate Mother's Day. It was another travel day for us. We left Gallup about 10:00, continuing east about 135 miles to Albuquerque, New Mexico. We made a fuel stop and then arrived at the Enchanted Trails RV park about 1:00. We have stayed at this park numerous times in the past. We quickly got parked and set up. The park is right next door to a Camping World store, so we had to make a quick run there after we got set up. We didn't buy much, only a reflective sun shade for the front window of the coach. However, we did run into some old caching friends, Robert and Diana Knight. It turns out they are also staying at the same RV park as us, right behind us in the row over. They have been in Albuquerque for several weeks getting some repairs done to their coach. After Camping World we went back to the coach, made cocktails and went over and had happy hour with Robert and Diana. We have known them for several years, meeting them while geocaching. After happy hour we went home and had some of the chili I made. We then stayed in and watched TV the rest of the day.

Monday, May 15^th, Happy Birthday to my wonderful wife Jackie, as well as our little cat Benji. Benji is five today, Jackie isn't. We went out after lunch to do some geocaching. We kind of got off to a slow start, with a few caches that we couldn't get to for one reason or another. However, it got better and we ended up with ten new finds and one DNF in a couple of hours. We then went back to the coach, relaxed for a bit, changed clothes and went out for dinner. For her birthday Jackie wanted to go to PF Changs, so that's where we went. We had a great meal, Jackie had salmon, I had surf and turf. For her birthday they bought her entree as well as gave us a desert to take home. We were back home about 7:30 and stayed in the rest of the evening.

Tuesday, May 16^th, we left the coach about noon and went to lunch at an interesting place called the Monte Carlo Steakhouse and Liquor Store. It has been featured on Chef Guy Fieri's TV show, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and was recommended to us by a couple of friends. We have been to at least three other “Triple D” restaurants here in Albuquerque over the years, some good, some not so much. The restaurant is in the same building as a large liquor store, however, contrary to what you read, it does have it's own entrance in the back as well as access through the store. When we first walked in the first thing that came into both our minds was that it reminded us of Cactus Jack's in Indio. Lots of wood, low ceiling, red leather booths and chairs and bar decorations. Jackie had a cheeseburger, which she said was good, but nothing special. I had Louie's Special, which was kind of a cheese steak without the peppers. It was outstanding. Like Cactus Jack's, the portions where very big, lots of fresh cut fries on mine, lots of onion rings on Jackie's I would recommend the place, and it will be on my list of “go backs” the next time we are in Albuquerque. Speaking of Cactus Jack's, we just learned yesterday that the original Indio location is closing down this month. We have heard rumors for a year or more, but apparently the owner George has had issues with the landlord and is not going to renew the lease. He is making good money on the new store in Palm Desert. It is too bad, because the place holds a lot of memories for Jackie and I and a lot of our friends.

After lunch we drove to Costco for some things. It was a stormy day, on and off rain and wind, so there would be no caching. We needed to go to Costco because we are heading east and needed to stock up on vodka. The only states in the country where you can buy liquor at grocery stores and Costco without really high state taxes and fees, are California, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. Once we leave here we are at the mercy of State liquor stores and high prices. We bought enough to get us about two thirds of the way through our summer trip. After Costco we headed back to the coach and relaxed the rest of the evening. Wednesday we went out after lunch for one more day of caching. In a few hours we had a dozen new finds, and one DNF. We went back to the coach so that I could do a couple things to get ready to travel tomorrow. We spent the rest of the day in the coach.

Thursday, May 18^th, we packed up the coach and headed out about 10:00, continuing east 185 miles to Tucumcari, New Mexico. We parked for the night at the Elks Lodge, water and electric for $15. Hard to beat. Since we were only going to be here for one night we didn't even unhook the car. We spent the rest of the day in the coach. Friday, was yet another travel day. The storm fronts that have been coming through the Southwest the last few days are moving out, but there are some strong winds in their wake. We only had to go a little over a hundred miles but it was a rough ride because of the strong cross winds. We arrived in Amarillo, Texas about 1:00 local time. When we crossed from New Mexico into Texas we lost another hour, moving into the Central Time Zone. We checked into the Oasis RV Resort and got our spot. We are going to be here for a week. I originally had it set up for five days, but the park's weekly rate is cheaper than the daily rate for five days. That was a no brainer.

Our arrival here in Amarillo, Texas, marks a good place to close out this episode and get it published. We are now 1,200 miles almost due east from where we started in Santa Maria, California less than three weeks ago. We are now out of the mountains of the Southwest and onto to the prairies of America's Heartland. We are also crossing Tornado Alley, so keep your fingers crossed. Until next time I leave you with the words of Billy Joel from his song, Keeping the Faith. “You know the good ole days weren't always good and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems.” Later dudes.

A Quick Trip to the Coast

Hi there, glad to see you are back. Our last chapter ended on Saturday, April 15^th, when we left Camp Verde in Central Arizona and traveled south to Buckeye, a western suburb of Phoenix, Arizona. Sunday was Easter morning. Happy Easter. We got a Sunday paper and had a relaxing morning. We then went out to do some geocaching in the area. We were able to get nine new finds before we stopped because it was getting a little warm. Normally warm wouldn't bother us that much, but the air conditioning in our Jeep Grand Cherokee quit. Again! This makes the ninth time the air has stopped working in this car. It has literally been an annual event until this time, it lasted exactly two years, the length of the warranty of the part. It is very frustrating, but Jeep corporate has no interest in making us happy because the car is nine years old. We stopped and had lunch at a very nice Chinese restaurant. We had checked a couple other places, but they were closed or closing early. After lunch we went home and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the coach, in the A/C.

Monday, April 17^th was another travel day. We were packed up and on the road by 10:30, heading west to Ehrenberg, Arizona, on the Colorado River right across from Blythe, California. We got into the park and got set up, and then we stayed in the rest of the evening. For dinner we had the rest of the great Chinese food we had on Sunday. We are going to be here for three nights. We stopped here because Jackie has a doctor's appointment in the Coachella Valley on Wednesday. We didn't want to take the coach to the valley because we are headed to the California Central Coast, Santa Maria, after we leave here, and I will not drive through the Los Angeles basin during the week. We will drive the car into the Coachella Valley from here and then go north out of Blythe to Interstate 40, thus avoiding the LA area.

Tuesday, April 18^th, we went across the river into Blythe about 11:30 and had lunch at one of our favorite places. There is a little Mexican place called Garcia's in downtown Blythe that has wonderful homemade Mexican food. We have to hit it any time we are in the area. After lunch we went back to the park and did our laundry. There is a nice laundry in the clubhouse and the park is nearly empty this time of year, so there is no competition for the machines. We finished our laundry about 4:00 and spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the coach.  You have heard of sock monkeys?  Benji is our sock kitty, this is he on the bad as I was putting away my socks.

Wednesday, April 19^th, we left Ehrenberg, in the car, about 8:45 and headed west for the hundred mile or so drive to the Coachella Valley. Jackie had a follow up appointment for her knee today. We arrived with time to spare, and the drive wasn't too bad with no air because it was still fairly cool that early. Jackie got in to see the doctor and talked to him about the on and off pain in her leg. It is not so much the knee now as it is the muscles. The doctor didn't have too much to offer except to say keep exercising the leg and taking anti-inflammatory. At the very end he did suggest another cortisone shot, which he gave her right in the knee.

After we left the doctor's office we stopped and both of us got haircuts at a Great Clips in Rancho Mirage where there was a guy working who had done Jackie's hair a couple months ago. She really liked the haircut. I had my first haircut in about four or five months. We then drove to the Cactus Jack's in Indio and had lunch. By 2:30 we were on the road again, headed east toward home. We arrived back at the coach just after 4:00, not even an eight hour day. The cats never even missed us. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the coach.

Thursday, April 20^th, a travel day. We were packed up and on the road about 10:30, heading north to Needles, California. Within the first mile of the trip we crossed the Colorado into California, the first time the coach has been out of Arizona since January 15^th. The trip was about 100 miles, but U.S. 95 is a bad road, very curvy with lots of dips, in very bad shape, and, to top it off, the wind was blowing pretty hard. We arrived at the Needles Elks Lodge about 12:30 and I was glad to be off the road for the day. This Elks has full hook up, 50 amp sites, but Needles is not exactly a tourist destination. We didn't even unhook the car as we are on the move again in the morning. We did a minimal set up for the night and then spent the rest of the day relaxing in the A/C.

Friday, April 21^st, we were on the road again about 9:30, heading west on I-40 to Newberry Springs. It was 120 miles, most of it on freeway, so other than some gusty winds it was an easy drive. We arrived at the Newberry Mountain RV park around noon and quickly got parked and settled in for another one night stand. Today we decided to unhook the car and go do some exploring. Newberry Springs is an unincorporated community of about 3,000, although in our exploring I would be hard pressed to say where most of those people were. The bulk of the buildings, which line the National Trails Highway, the two lane road running parallel with the freeway, were vacant and falling down. This two lane road used to be a part of old Highway 66, the Mother Road.

We had lunch at a run down, but VERY interesting diner called the Bagdad Cafe. It seems that in 1988 this was the location of a movie called Bagdad Cafe, a German made comedy. The inside of the place is covered in money, tee shirts, cards, stickers, placards and other memorabilia. We actually had lunch, a couple of cheeseburgers that were OK, but while we ate there were a dozen people who just came in, looked around, took some pictures and left. Apparently the film is a bit of a cult culture hit, especially with European tourists. After lunch we did some geocaching along old 66, getting five new finds, and one DNF, before deciding it was getting too hot to drive around with no air conditioning. We went back to the coach and relaxed the rest of the day.

Saturday, April 22^nd, we were on the road about 9:45, continuing west towards Bakersfield, about 120 miles away. The drive was pretty routine, no wind, just a bit of a grade up and down over Tahachapai Pass. We arrived at the Desert Palms RV Park about 12:30, quickly got parked and set up for our last one night stand for a while. We didn't unhook the car today, so we just stayed in the coach the rest of the day. Sunday was the last travel day for this sprint to the coast. We were on the road about 9:30 heading west 130 miles to Santa Maria, California. We arrived at the Santa Maria Elks Lodge about 12:30 and got parked in our spot. We did the initial set up then went out and got an In and Out for lunch and did a Walmart run. After we got back to the coach we finished getting set up and then relaxed the rest of the evening. Our primary purpose for coming here is to see Jackie's Aunt Donna, who is 91 and lives in Pismo Beach, just north of Santa Maria. We will be here for a week.

Monday, April 24^th, I headed out about 7:30 and took the Jeep to the local dealer to get the air conditioning fixed. The service rep told me that his A/C guy had a couple of other jobs ahead of me and that it would likely be after lunch before they had a diagnosis of the problem. I had the shuttle take me back to the coach and we hung around the coach the rest of the day. We did a few chores and played some cards. About 4:30 I got a call from the dealer that it was, in fact, the condenser again, the same issue as the last seven times. He also said I had a minor oil leak in one of the rear axle seals. I gave him our extended warranty information and he called back a little later to tell me that the office for the warranty was closed and he couldn't call until tomorrow. Since it made no sense to pick up the car tonight just to drop it off again first thing tomorrow, I told him to keep the car and get on it first thing in the morning. We checked to see if Jackie's Aunt Donna and her grandson Corey wanted to come over and visit, but Corey said Donna was not feeling like going out. We spent the rest of the evening watching TV.

Tuesday, April 25^th we were stuck in the coach with no car. The dealer called in the morning and said that the extended warranty company had approved the repairs and that they would get the part that day. However, in the mid afternoon the service guy called and said the part had just come in and it was not likely that the repairs would be done before the end of the day. We spent the rest of the day playing cards and relaxing. Wednesday the dealer finally called about 1:30 and said the car was fixed and ready to pick up. The shuttle came and picked me up a little while later and by 2:30 I was in the car and traveling with air conditioning. It only cost the $250 deductible and I plan on writing Chrysler Jeep again to try and get that refunded. I stopped at KFC and picked up some chicken for dinner and then went back to the coach, got Jackie and we drove over to her Aunt Donna's in Pismo Beach for the first time this trip. Regular readers will remember that she lives in a very nice house on the hill overlooking downtown Pismo Beach and the pier. A great view of the beach and the ocean. We had a very nice visit with Donna and Corey, her grandson who lives with her and is her caretaker. Donna is 91, soon to be 92 and is doing pretty well for her age, but she is still frail and needs someone to watch over her. We had the KFC for dinner and left about 7:30 to head back to the coach for the rest of the night.

Thursday, April 27^th, we left the coach after lunch and drove to San Luis Obispo to do some shopping. We stopped at Dick's Sporting goods because for the last couple of months Jackie has been wanting to get one of the patio rocking chairs that sit flat on the ground and have shock absorbers on the back legs so you can rock the chair. We have checked a couple of places before, but everyone was out of stock. This store had a bunch of them, so we were able to get her one. Yea! We then did a Costco run since the stores were right across the street from each other. After shopping we went back to the coach and unloaded our stuff. About 5:30 we drove up to Nipomo, the next town north, to go to Jocko's for dinner. Jocko's is a local steak house that is, as far as I am concerned, the best steak house anywhere. Corey and Donna met us there and we had a great meal, with lots of leftovers. After dinner we went back to the coach and spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Friday, April 28^th, we were invaded by dogs. The Elks is hosting a dog agility competition this weekend in the park area between where we are parked and the Lodge building. There are all kinds of RVs coming in and people setting up tents and shelters as well as the obstacle course that they run the dogs through. This is the second or third time we have been here when this dog event is going on. We left the coach about 1:30 and drove up to Donna's to spent the day with her and Corey. We just sat and talked, had some cocktails and snacks late in the afternoon, and just had a good visit. We left a little before 7:00, went back to the coach and had a light dinner. We then watched TV the rest of the evening.

Saturday, April 29^th, was a stay at home day, although we did make a quick run to the grocery down the street for a couple of things. Corey and Donna came over around 1:30 to spend the afternoon. Jackie's cousin Pia, who lives nearby in Grover Beach, also came over. We pretty much just sat and talked, although Corey and I did go outside for an hour or so to watch the dogs on the agility courses. They had everything from Chihuahuas to German Shepherds running the obstacles. The only thing is that for the little dogs the jumps were lower. Corey brought over a lasagna and we had that for dinner with the five of us. Everyone left about 6:00 and I spent an hour or so cleaning up so we could leave tomorrow. After that we relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Sunday, April 30^th, another travel day. For the next four days we will be back tracing our route over here to Santa Maria. Today we traveled 130 miles to Bakersfield. We got into the RV park about noon for our one night stay. We didn't unhook the car, so we just stayed in for the day and chilled. Since we have now completed all of our winter travel and our spring family visits. As of today we are officially starting our 2017 Summer Tour, which will take us all the way across the country to a series of rallies in the Midwest in July and then on to the far Northeast part of the U.S. We are working to cover the eight states in the continental U.S. that we have not been in, all in the Northeast. From today until we arrive back in Pahrump in November we will have traveled almost 10,000 miles if we stick to the current plan. All of this means that this is the perfect place to close this chapter and begin the first of many episodes covering our summer odyssey. Until next time I leave you with this very apropos quote from Robert Louis Stevenson. “For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” See ya soon.