Still at Home in Pahrump, Nevada

Hi there, welcome back. Our last chapter concluded on Sunday, April 28^th while we were in the middle of our month long stay at Wine Ridge RV Resort in Pahrump, Nevada, our “official” home of record. Monday was a stay at home day as about 8:30 in the morning intermittent thunderstorms started rolling though Pahrump. We didn't have a lot of rain, but it rained on and off all day and it got cold and windy. The temperature was 20 degrees cooler than just yesterday. We got a few chores done, but mostly just relaxed. We had cocktails with the Bullocks about 5:30, in the coach this time, and then I served dinner. I had made a big pot of chili, great for a cold and rainy day, and we had a nice meal. About 7:30 Peggy and Vernon went back to their coach and we just watched TV until bedtime.

Tuesday, April 30^th, Jackie and I had lunch in the coach and then about 1:30 left and drove to our doctor's office for some appointments. I had the appointment to just have a routine checkup and get my prescriptions renewed for the year. Jackie had made an appointment just so she could talk to the doctor about a few things that she was worried about and to inform the doctor about the falls she took in January and then a few weeks ago. I had my blood work done last week and the results were great. My cholesterol was very good, my blood sugar was acceptable and all the other factors were fine. When the nurse took my vitals my blood pressure was actually on the low side and everything else was good. By loosing about 40 pounds and keeping up my hour a day walking I seem to be holding steady and helping my health without any particular, hard to keep, diet. I got my scripts renewed and I was done.

Jackie talked to the doctor about the headaches she has been getting since she fell on her head in January and the doctor said that this was not unusual and could last for months. He did prescribe a course of steroids which he said could help. Jackie talked to him about her problems breathing and they gave her a quick test which indicated she likely did not have COPD, but might have some other issues. He scheduled her for a stress test just to be sure it was not some undiscovered heart issue. She will take that next week. After we were done at the doctors we a quick Walmart run. It was still cold and cloudy, so we didn't do anything after we got back other than relax in the coach. Peggy told us that she and Vernon had decided to leave tomorrow instead of waiting to leave in two weeks when we do. She has not been feeling well at all since she got sick in Las Vegas and she decided that she needed to head back to Redding, California, near their house, so she could see her regular doctor. Their original plans were to leave here and drive to Idaho to see their grandson Troy and their new great grandson, but health concerns made them change their plans. We had cocktails with them at 5:30 and then did some hamburgers on the BBQ for dinner. After dinner they went back to their coach and we relaxed with the TV for the rest of the evening.

Wednesday, May 1^st, May Day, May Day! About 9:00 Peggy and Vernon pulled out, headed back to Northern California so Peggy can see her own doctors about her breathing and other health issues that are worrying her. They should be back in three or four days. There were at least a dozen other RVs that left today, being the first of the month, and the RV park is beginning to look a little empty. We went out after lunch to run some errands, stopping at what was once one of our favorite second hand, actually more “junk”, stores. We were a little disappointed because since our last visit their stock has gone down and their prices have gone up. Probably won't be going back to it any more. We stopped and got mail and then stopped at Walmart for a couple of things we forgot yesterday and to pick up Jackie's medications. We went back home and then Jackie cooked a taquito casserole to take to the Dilly Muffin party we are going to this afternoon. We left the coach about 4:00 and drove to the Escapee's RV park where Dick and Millie Duffin live. There were about a dozen people at the party and we all sat around and talked and played games for a couple of hours. Everyone brought food, so after the visiting we had a nice pot luck dinner that was great. Everyone packed up and left around 7:00 when it started getting sundown. After we got back to the coach we just relaxed with the TV the rest of the evening.

Thursday, May 2^nd, we left the coach after lunch and went out to do our laundry. After a couple of hours our clothes were all clean and folded and we went back to the coach. We put everything away and made the bed, then just rested and played for a while. About 6:30 we walked down to the clubhouse to play Texas Hold'em. Neither of us did much good, with both of us losing about $5. However, it is a good group and we had a fun time anyway. After cards, about 9:00, we went back to the coach, watched some TV and went to bed. Friday we left the coach about 10:30 and drove to the Chinese buffet, China Wok, for lunch. This was a free lunch for attending a sales presentation by the local representative from the Medical Air Services Association (MASA). MASA is a group that provides insurance to cover medical transportation, including ground ambulances, helicopters and fixed wing planes, as well as relocation services for your coach, car, pets and other property if you become seriously ill or die away from home. We bought a lifetime membership in MASA back in 2007, not long after we started traveling. It was less than $4,000 then and is a one-time purchase. We haven't had to use it, but when you consider that a single helicopter trip from Pahrump to Las Vegas is close to $50,000, it gives us good piece of mind to know we have it. They also encourage their existing members to come to the sales presentations and enjoy a free lunch afterwards. We have done it a number of times. We met Dick and Millie at the restaurant as they are also members. After the presentation we enjoyed a nice Chinese lunch. After lunch we went out to the west end of town and checked on one of our geocaches, which had been reported as damaged. We replaced the container and all is good. We then stopped at the Gold Town Casino to game for an hour or so. We both lost our $20, but had fun. We then headed back to the coach and spent the rest of the day and evening relaxing in the coach. Most of the activities at the park have stopped for the summer, so there was no karaoke tonight.

Saturday, May 4^th, Star Wars Day. “May the 4^th be with you.” We had a quiet day, leaving the park after lunch to run a couple of errands. We went to the UPS store and picked up our mail, then went to a consignment store that was new to us called the Nye Emporium. Kind of a cross between a consignment store, an antique store and a junk shop. We stopped at the cemetery where one of our caches was because it was reported missing. Turns out the pile of stone and debris in an unused back area of the cemetery where the cache was hidden has been removed. It looks like they may be cleaning it up to use for burials. Cache is gone and so is the hiding place, so we just archived it, putting it out of commission. We made a quick stop at Smith's to pick up a couple things we can't get at Walmart, then went back to the coach where we just relaxed the rest of the day.

Sunday, May 5^th, Cinco de Mayo! This was a stay at home day. I did go down to the corner in the morning to pick up a newspaper but we stayed in the coach for most of the day. Got a few chores done and relaxed for a while. About 4:30 we went down to the clubhouse for the park's Cinco de Mayo party. They had tacos, beans, rice, enchiladas, chips and salsa, all for $15 a person and it included two drinks, beer or margaritas. There were only about 30 people at the party and towards the end they didn't much enforce the two drink limit any more. The food was good and they had plenty for seconds for anyone who wanted them (think me) and some of our friends were there. The only bad thing was they had it out on the lawn by the pool and the sun was hot. It was only in the low 80's, but there was no shade. By 7:30 the party was over and we went back to the coach and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Monday, May 6^th, we left the coach about 9:30 and headed southeast on Highway 160 towards Las Vegas. We were headed to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area which is in the Spring Mountains just west of the Las Vegas valley. From Pahrump you have to go over the pass at Mountain Springs and then about half way down the hill towards Las Vegas to Nevada Highway 159. This nice, two lane road loops north and then east and ends up in Summerlin, a suburb of Las Vegas, after about 15 miles. The Red Rock Canyon park is off this road. It is about 45 miles from Pahrump. We entered the park with our Golden Age card, so it was free. Normally they charge $15 a car. Our first stop was the visitors center, which appeared to be relatively new, although I couldn't find anything that tells me when it was built. The visitors center was very nice, and very big with lots of informational displays, and of course, a gift shop. After touring the visitors center we drove the 13 mile loop road that goes through the park. It is a nice, wide paved road that is all one way, so you can take your time and people who are in a hurry can pass you without problems. There are a dozen turn outs for scenic areas and/or parking areas for the many hiking trails in the park. There is even a Jeep trail that goes back into the actual Red Rock Canyon. Unfortunately, we no longer have a high clearance vehicle, so we couldn't go that route.

After touring the park we continued in Summerlin and stopped at a BJ's Brewhouse for lunch. Lunch was good, I had fish and chips and Jackie had a very interesting salad that was made with zucchini noodles. After lunch we went to the nearby Costco for a few supplies. Once we were done at Costco we headed back over the hump to Pahrump. We got home about 3:30, put away our stuff and relaxed for a while. About 6:30 we went down to the clubhouse for Texas Hold'em. Jackie had a good night, ending up about $5, I lost $3, but we had a good time. Our table was mostly friends that we have made here in Pahrump and we enjoyed the two hours. After cards we went back to the coach and relaxed for the rest of the night.

Tuesday, May 7^th, we were up and out of the coach by 7:30 a.m., as shocking as that may sound to those who know us well. Jackie had to go into the doctor's office this morning for a stress test to check out her heart functions. Last week when we were at the doctor's she mentioned her increasing shortness of breath and the doctor set her up for a stress test just to see if anything was going on with her heart. The test was two hours long and while Jackie was in the lab I went my walk and then came back and waited for her to be finished. After the test she said it wasn't what she expected. They didn't have her on a treadmill, as we had been led to believe, but rather just hooked her up to an IV and an EKG and gave her various drugs to stimulate her heart, some drugs to show the vascular system on their imaging equipment and then just alternated stuff for two hours.

After she was done we went back to the coach so she could shower and clean up, then about 12:30 we left and drove to the Red Sky BBQ restaurant for lunch. We love Red Sky for their baby backs and Jackie likes their lamb. We met Millie and Dick Duffin there and had a nice lunch. I had ribs, with lots leftover for tomorrow, and Jackie had lamb, also with leftovers. The lunch was great but just as we were finishing Jackie got a call from her doctor telling her that he had looked at the test results from this morning and had some concerns, no further information, and wanted her to see the cardiologist in the practice. About ten minutes later the cardiologist's office called and scheduled her to come in Friday morning. Now we are worried, although some blocked arteries would certainly explain why she had been having breathing problems for the last year or so. We are hopeful it will be something that can be treated with medications, or at least only involve relatively minor procedures like a stent or two. We won't know until Friday and will, of course, worry until then. After lunch we stopped and picked up our mail and then did a Walmart run. I got a new quadcopter drone that I ordered from Amazon and spent the afternoon reading up on it's operation and assembling it. Hopefully tomorrow we can take it for a test flight, without crashing it. We spent the rest of the day and evening in the coach.

Wednesday, May 8^th, we have some weather moving through the area, threat of rain and some winds, so the first flight of the new drone will have to be postponed. After lunch we left the coach and drove to Desert View Hospital here in Pahrump so Jackie could get her annual mammogram. This is the first time in many years that she did not get it at the hospital in Rancho Mirage back in the Coachella Valley. However, when we were there for a few weeks over the new year they were unable to schedule her in, so she got a referral from out new doctor here and had it done here. They did request all her previous records, so everything should be OK. After the mammogram we went to the nail salon so Jackie could get a pedi and I could get my toenails trimmed. After that we went back to the coach and we stayed in for the rest of the day.

Thursday, May 9^th, we had a quiet day. We went out about 1:00 and had a late lunch at Johnny's, one of the local Mexican restaurants. After lunch we stopped at the Terrible's Roadhouse casino and gamed for about an hour, then headed back to the coach for the rest of the afternoon. The weather called for rain and sure enough, by 4:00 it was raining pretty good. About 6:30 we went down to the clubhouse for poker night. I only lost a dollar and I think Jackie was down two, so not a bad night and a lot of fun. After poker we walked home in the rain and sent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Friday, May 10^th, we were again up early and out of the coach by 7:45 heading to an appointment with a cardiologist, Dr. Arik. Dr. Arik is with Pahrump Cardiology and their practice is a part of the Health Care Partners group, the same group our regular MD belongs to. This is a great health care group with general practitioners, specialists, lab, imaging, pharmacy and urgent care all under the same roof and only minutes from our RV park. We both went in to talk to Dr. Arik who was a very pleasant guy who had no problem spending time with us and explaining everything very well. He did a general interview with Jackie about her issues and what had been done so far. Then he looked at the report from the imaging center regarding the stress test and told us that it didn't seem to make sense to him, coming to two different conclusions. He then left and walked over to the imaging department to look at the images from the test himself.

When he came back he told Jackie that the tests did indicate she was having some sort of cardiac issue and more tests were warranted. He was not scary in that he didn't say it was serious, just that it could be and we needed to find out more. He told Jackie he was going to schedule her for an angiogram, which is a major test which needs to be done in a hospital. He is going to try to get her in early next week at a hospital in Las Vegas. He doesn't use the local Pahrump hospital for major procedures. The angiogram requires the insertion of a catheter into an artery which is then sent up to the heart. They use dye to take pictures of the heart and it's blood system to look for blockages or other problems. They can also use the same catheter to insert one or more stents, little wire cages that open up clogged arteries, if they are deemed necessary. Before we left he also had his staff put a portable cardiac monitor on Jackie to wear for 24 hours to give a long term look at her heart's electrical activity. We were very impressed with the doctor as well as with the speed things are moving forward. We are so glad we don't have to deal with an HMO and all the pre-approval processes. After the doctor's visit we went back to the coach and spent the rest of the day there. With Jackie hooked up to her little machine we couldn't really go anywhere. Because of the fact that we have tests and more appointments for next week, as well as the possibility of even more in the near future, we decided to just extend our stay for another month. We were originally going to be leaving next Tuesday. We were only going to Silent Valley, which means we had no reservations or deposits to worry about. Now we will just work to get Jackie better.

Saturday, May 11^th, we went out after lunch to run a few errands. Jackie was able to take off her heart monitor as the 24 hours was up. We have to return it on Monday. We first went back to the Nye Emporium, the second hand store we went to last week. There was a local author there, Jake Claypool, who had written a book about the Vietnam War. We had heard last week he would be here today. I bought one of his books, signed of course, and then talked to some of the people in the store about buying, or at least consigning, the old Colt 1903 .32 auto I have. I don't use it anymore and figured I might as well sell it. Depending on what someone is willing to pay, it could be worth between $700 and $1,200. None of the guys there wanted to buy it and the owner, who is the one who can make the consignment decision, wasn't there. I will have to come back another time. After the store visit we went to Chatthai, a Thai restaurant we like, and had a nice lunch. After lunch we stopped at the Elks Lodge to gamble a little and so Jackie could get her free birthday drink, but they were going to start a mini slot tournament, so we couldn't use the machines. We then left, picked up our mail and went to Walmart for some supplies.

After Walmart we went back to the coach. I had some time to take the new drone out for it's first flight. I was a little nervous beause I don't have a lot of experience with radio control aircraft, however, I found it very easy to set up and calibrate and then very easy to fly. It is responsive without being twitchy, once you get it up in the air it is very stable. It auto-hovers at whatever altitude you take it to and doesn't move until you hit the controls. The flight time is about 20 minutes and I used up all the battery just doing basic practice moves. Very fun. We spent the rest of the day and evening in the coach.

Sunday, May 12^th, Happy Mother's Day. We had a quiet day and other than going down to the corner store for a Sunday paper we didn't go anywhere. Had a nice, relaxing day at home. Monday we left the coach after lunch and drove over to the medical center to return the heart monitor. They said they would review the results and get back with her if there were any major problems. After that we headed home to wait for someone in Las Vegas to call regarding Jackie's pending angiogram. Late in the afternoon the nurse did call, got a bunch of information and said she would find an opening and call back, but we didn't hear from her any more today. About 6:30 we went down to the clubhouse for poker night. I had the first good night since we got here a month ago, ending up four dollars ahead. Jackie lost two dollars, also not too bad. After cards we went back to the coach, watched a little TV and went to bed.

Tuesday, May 14^th, we left the coach after lunch to run a few errands. We stopped and got mail and stopped at a couple of second hand stores looking for a small side table for next to my chair. We didn't find anything that would work. We also stopped at the Elks Lodge so Jackie could get her free birthday drink. We also did a little gaming, both of us losing our $20 investment. After the Elks we went back to the coach and spent the rest of the day relaxing.

Wednesday, May 15^th, Happy Birthday to my wonderful wife Jackie. Today is also the 7^th birthday of our furkid, Benji. We again went out after lunch for some errands. Jackie stopped at the medical center to drop off some paperwork and get a new appointment with her cardiologist. She was supposed to see him tomorrow, but we couldn't get the angiogram scheduled until next Monday, so there would be nothing to talk about tomorrow. We then went to the local medical lab so Jackie could get her pre-op blood test done for next Monday. After that we went back to the coach and spent the rest of the day inside.

Thursday, May 16^th, we left the coach early, about 9:00, and headed down towards Las Vegas to take care of a few things. The first stop was a 10:30 appointment at the Ford dealership to have Maxie, as we call our little car, serviced. We have had this car for over sixteen months and it now just turned over 14,000 miles. This is the first service it has required. Since our C-Max is a plugin hybrid it runs a lot on just the electric motors. Most of the time in Pahrump our trips are short enough that we never use the gas engine. It does kick in on trips to Las Vegas, but even then, in hybrid mode, the gas engine doesn't run that much. Therefore, unlike regular cars where you are told to get your oil changed every 3,000 miles, I have no way of knowing how much the gas engine has run, what it's “mileage” is. Therefore, the owner's manual tells us that the car's computer will figure out when the oil needs to be changed and let us know. It finally did last week with a message “oil change required” being displayed when I start the car. We went to Friendly Ford here in Las Vegas and I was very impressed. The service manager was very helpful and we were in and out in 90 minutes. Very different from the experiences I had with our Jeep at Jeep dealerships where oil changes could take half the day. After the car was serviced we went to a nearby Greek restaurant called Yousef's Grill for lunch. Jackie had a gyro plate and I had a steak pita. Both were quite good. After lunch we went to Costco for a few things, then stopped so Jackie could get a haircut. By 3:00 we were on our way back to Pahrump with all our errands done. We ran into a pretty good rain shower going back through Red Rock Canyon.  After we got home we relaxed for a bit and then about 6:30 went down to the clubhouse for poker. I did good, ending up a few dollars and Jackie was down a couple. After cards we went back to the coach and watched a little TV before heading to bed.

Friday, May 17^th, was a fairly quiet day. We went out after lunch and ran some errands around town, a couple stores and then back to the coach for the rest of the day. One of the places we stopped was the Nye Emporium where I was able to put my old Colt auto on consignment. We will leave it there for a few months and see what happens. Saturday was much the same as Friday, we left the coach after lunch and went out to run a few errands. After we got back to the coach one of our local friends, Regina, came over and visited with Jackie for about an hour. We learned it was Regina and Richards anniversary and they asked if we wanted to go with them to dinner. We said OK and about 6:00 left and drove to the Terrible's Roadhouse casino for dinner. They have a very nice restaurant there which Regina said had great food. Being Saturday night, it took about a half hour to get seated, but after we got in we had a great meal. I had a small, porterhouse steak that was cooked perfectly, along with sides and the soup and salad bar, Jackie ordered the prime rib special, which was two dinners for $19. She got one to eat and one packaged to take home. Her prime rib was huge and also cooked just as she liked it. I also had a beer and the total bill was $43. Hard to beat for good food. After dinner we drove back to the coach, watched some TV and went to bed.

We are now at the three week mark since we last published, so it is a good time to get this episode online. We are here in Pahrump another three weeks, so be sure to come back. Until next time, remember that life always offers you a second chance. It's called tomorrow! See ya soon.