At Home in Pahrump - Part 3

Hi, welcome back to our story. Our last chapter concluded on Thursday, May 20^th, while we were parked on our lot at the Escapees Co-op park in Pahrump, Nevada. Friday we left the park after lunch and drove to the laundromat to do our laundry. We got finished and were back at the RV park about 2:30. While we were working putting stuff away Jackie saw a Facebook post from another resident at the Escapees park saying that some people were at one of the other lots cleaning out the storage shed and giving a lot of stuff away. We went over there to see what was going on. We found that the member who had the lot had suffered a stroke a few months ago and could no longer live alone. His daughter and son in law were at the lot cleaning everything out of the storage shed and property so that it could be released back to the park for a new member. We did not know the individual that had lived there, but he was clearly an avid camper as there was all kinds of camping equipment as well as boxes and boxes of clothing and household items. The kids were very clear that everything was free, just take it away. We ended up making two trips with the car and got all kinds of good stuff, including a 10x10 pop-up canopy, a brand new hammock and stand, several nice tables, some folding chairs, and a lot of other stuff. I was also able to get a very nice portable 80 watt solar panel system for my son. We don't boondock enough to make it useful to us, but he does a lot of off the grid camping. After our “shopping” trip put the rest of the laundry away, had some dinner and watched TV until bedtime.

Saturday, May 22^nd, I spent a couple of hours cleaning up and checking out the stuff we got yesterday. I wanted to make sure everything was complete and workable, as well as to make sure there weren't any bugs or other critters in or on the stuff before I put it away in the shed. About 1:00 we went out to a late lunch to Terrible's Roadhouse where we both had the liver and onions again. This place has the best liver anywhere. After dinner we went back home and relaxed for a while. We had planned on going to our usual 5:00 karaoke at the Elks, but neither of our friends were going and the weather was cold and threatening rain, so we decided to just stay home and relax. We watched TV for the evening and then went to bed. Sunday was a stay at home day. Got the Sunday paper and had a relaxing morning. In the afternoon I did some chores and relaxed a bit. We had cocktails with Millie and later had a dinner of country ribs that had been cooking in the crock pot all day. After dinner we watched some TV and went to bed.

Monday, May 24^th, we had another stay at home day. I did a few chores outside and did some office work. We had Millie over for dinner and Jackie made a chili relleno casserole with rice and beans. We had a very nice dinner and after Millie left we watched some TV until bedtime. Tuesday we went on a little road trip. We left the park about 10:30 and headed southwest out of Pahrump with the intention of visiting several little desert communities in nearby Nevada and California that we have heard people talk about, but we have never been to. We went south on SR160 for about 15 miles, then turned onto a local road called Old Spanish Trail. It purports to follow, at least partially, the route of the original Spanish Trail, an old 19^th century immigrant route westward. After about 8 miles we crossed the border into California and passed through a small, rural community named Charleston View. I use the term “community” loosely as it was mostly a few dozen scattered homesteads in the desert. The area has clearly been subdivided because there are a network of sand and gravel “roads” over several square miles, but not much civilization. It was another 26 miles to the California town of Tecopa, which was the ultimate destination of our road trip.

The town was established in 1875 as a rest stop on the Spanish Trail and the Mormon Road, which followed the same route in this area. It was originally called Brownsville, after the two Brown brothers who built the town. The site was picked because it was on the Amargosa River, which had fresh water, and also a number of nearby natural hot springs. After a few years the town was bought out and the new owner renamed it Tecopa, after a regional Paiute Tribal Chief. The population in 2010 was 150 spread out over an 18 square mile area. In the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries the area was known for it's gypsum mines, a mineral used for plaster. All of the mines closed in the 1920's and the area is now a tourist area, known for the hot springs and hiking and off roading opportunities. Since we first came to Pahrump in 2007 we have been hearing people tell us about the area and we have just never taken the time to visit. We spent an hour or so driving around, checking out the area. Near the hot springs there are a couple of what they call resorts, but they are pretty rural and rugged. A number of small RV parks, and a couple of restaurants, all of which were closed. Our original plan was to have lunch in Tecopa, but nothing was open today. They are apparently only open over the weekends. We also drove to China Ranch, which is a large date ranch in a deep canyon south of Tecopa. This too has been here since the early 20^th century. After our exploration of Tecopa we headed back towards Pahrump. We stopped in the little town of Shoshone, which is on the road that we generally use to come and go between Pahrump and Southern California. We stopped at the restaurant in town, called The Crowbar, for lunch. We have eaten here before and explored Shoshone in the past. After lunch we drove the last 25 miles back to Pahrump, stopping at the UPS store to pick up our mail on the way home. We got back home around 4:00, making our road trip about five and a half hours, and just under 110 miles round trip. We also did some caching during our travels today, getting nine new finds and no DNFs. This is the most caches we have gotten in over a year. After we got home we just relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Wednesday, May 26^th, we went out after lunch and did a Walmart run. After shopping we headed back to the ranch and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. Millie came over for cocktails at 5:00. The main topic of conversation was that the guy from Delaware that bought her American Eagle motor home had flown in on Tuesday and at 8:00 this morning had driven off in it on his way back to the east coast. Millie no longer has to worry about a very nice RV she could not afford, nor could she drive. She is now very happy in her paid off “cottage” trailer in a place that is very affordable for her. Yea Millie! After Millie left we had leftover country ribs for dinner, then watched TV until bedtime. Thursday was mostly a stay at home day. I went out about 2:30 and drove to my dermatologist so he could check a growth that popped out a month or so ago on the left side of my face. Since it had been six months since the last time I was in, he did a full body check but didn't find anything else. He looked at the growth and thought it could be a skin cancer, so he shaved it off for biopsy. The results will take a week or so and then we can decide how to proceed. After I got home we had cocktails with Millie and then leftover Mexican for dinner. After dinner we watched some TV and went to bed.

Friday, May 28^th, we left the coach about 2:30 and drove to Walmart where I went in to the optometrist to get new glasses. Our new insurance through my Arizona State Retirement System includes pretty decent optical insurance. I had the exam and got new frames and lenses for less than $200, about what I would have paid in Algodones. This year is the first time in about 14 years we have gotten our teeth looked at and new glasses at a shop that was not in Algodones. Jackie did some shopping while I was getting my exam. After Walmart we picked up mail and then headed back to the ranch. Millie came over for cocktails and for dinner we did some hamburgers on the grill with baked sweet potato wedges. After dinner we watched TV for the rest of the evening. Saturday we went out about 1:00 for a late lunch. We went to a fish and chips place on the north end of town which we have not visited before. It was called Seattle Fish and Chips and was opened a couple of years ago by a Seattle transplant who owns a big seafood place up there. We had a big lunch, tried the calamari appetizer, which was OK, nothing special. I had a cup of their clam chowder which was not good. Very watery, no creamy taste, just fishy, and not much in the way of clams. I had the fried shrimp platter, the shrimp was very good, big shrimp nicely cooked. The fries were average and the cole slaw was dry and tasteless. Overall it was a fair meal at best, and very pricey. I understand we had a lot of food, including one beer, but the tab was just under $60, which is too much for fish and chips. After lunch we went back home and relaxed for a while. About 5:00 I left and went to the Elks for karaoke. Jackie was having tummy issues and didn't want to go. Len and Debbie were there, but Tom and Phyllis were out of town. The rotation was huge tonight, over 20 singers, so we only got three songs in in the four hours. After karaoke I went back home, watched a little TV and went to bed.

Sunday, May 30^th, I went out in the morning and got the paper, but other than that it was a stay at home day. Had cocktails with Millie at 5:00 and for dinner I made stuffed peppers. After dinner we watched some TV and went to bed. Monday, May 31^st, Happy Memorial Day. Today was another stay at home day. We went over to Millie's for cocktails at 5:00 because she had a service guy over installing her washer and dryer. After cocktails we went back to our coach and did some steaks on the grill with scallops, BBQ pineapple and sauteed squash. A lovely holiday meal. After dinner we watched TV until it was time for bed.

Tuesday we went out after lunch for some gaming at the Saddle West Casino, one of the larger casinos here in Pahrump. We both lost $20, but it took over an hour to do it, so we had a good time. After our gaming we went back to the coach and spent the rest of the afternoon in the coach. About 5:00 we went over to Millie's again for cocktails and dinner. Millie made some Italian soup and we had it with a salad and some dessert to finish the evening. After dinner we chatted for a while, then headed back to our place where we watched some TV and then went to bed. Wednesday we left the park about 10:00 and headed over the hump to Las Vegas for the day. We had lunch at the Omelet House, one of our favorite places for breakfast and/or lunch, then went to the Red Rock Casino to go to the movies. Today we saw A Quiet Place 2, a sequel to a movie we saw a couple of years ago. The premise of both movies is that Earth has been invaded by aliens, who look a bit like giant spiders and are extremely strong. However, they cannot see or smell but have extremely sensitive hearing. The only way for the few remaining humans to survive is to live VERY quietly. It had most of the same cast as the 2018 film and was a very good movie. After the movie we gamed for a half hour or so before heading back over the hill. We were home by 5:30, had our cocktails and watched TV the rest of the evening.

Thursday, June 3^rd, we had a stay at home day. Southern Nevada was experiencing a heat event with record breaking heat, so we just fired up the A/C and hunkered down for the day. Did some fish on the BBQ for dinner, watched some TV and went to bed. Friday we went out after lunch to pick up our mail and do a Walmart run. On the way we stopped at the Nugget Casino because we had seen an add in the paper for what they called a “Senior Expo” event at the Casino. It was back in the ballroom and was about had several dozen booths, but about 90 percent of them were medical related, either insurance companies, medical centers, hospice centers, or people selling medical products. We walked around, looked at all the booths, picked up a couple of goodies, but were done in a half hour. We spent the most time at a table set up by the campaign of a woman running for Sheriff here in Nye County. The candidate was there and I talked to her briefly and was not too impressed by her qualifications. The current Sheriff, who is also a woman, seems to be doing a pretty decent job. Jackie was talking to a lady working in the booth for the candidate because she looked familiar. Turns out she used to live in Palm Desert many years ago and hung out at a lot of the same bars and restaurants the Jackie did. This was at least 25 years ago, pre me. After the Expo we gamed for a half hour or so, then went and did our errands. After we were done we went back to the coach and relaxed for the rest of the day.

Saturday, June 5^th, we picked up Millie about 1:00 and went to the China Wok buffet for lunch. I had won a free lunch in a drawing at the last MASA meeting we had here a few weeks back. We were going to our usual late Saturday lunch in preparation for karaoke at the Elks tonight. We had a nice lunch and went back to the park to relax and stay out of the heat. About 3:00 Jackie got a message from our friends Len and Debbie telling us that karaoke was canceled for tonight and would it be OK for them to come over for happy hour. We said sure and about 5:30 they came over. We sat and talked for an hour or so and had a good visit. They left to go home and we spent the rest of the night with the TV. Sunday my brother Russ and his wife Zen, who live in North Las Vegas, came up to spent the day with us. Regular readers will know that Russ is a craps pit supervisor at the Golden Nugget downtown and has lived in Las Vegas since the early 80's. We spent most of the day inside since it was still hot. We did take them over to the clubhouse at 2:00 for ice cream floats and introduced them to some of our friends here at the park. We did some burgers on the grill about 5:30 or so and they left to go home about 7:00. It was a nice visit with family. After they left we had our cocktails (they don't drink) then watched TV until it was time to go to bed.

Monday, June 7^th, we had a stay at home day. Did a few chores around the coach, but pretty much stayed inside as it was hot and windy. We did some carne on the BBQ and had Millie over for cocktails and dinner. The chicken was very good, but the beef carne was terrible. We bought it in Yuma at the Food City market, which caters to the Hispanics in Yuma, but the meat was so tough you couldn't eat it. Won't be going there again. After Millie left we relaxed with the TV until bedtime. Tuesday we left the coach a little after 10:00 and started over the hill to Las Vegas to run some errands. The first place we stopped was a telephone repair place. Jackie dropped her phone a while back and it appeared that the screen had cracked near the bottom. We have insurance on our phones and for a $29 deductible she can get a cracked screen replaced. She went in but when the repair guy looked at the phone he peeled off the protective glass and found that it was the protective glass that was cracked, not the phone. That too is warranted, but we have to contact the company that makes the glass. We stopped at a Best Buy which was nearby, but because the phone is more than two years old, they don't carry the protective glass anymore, we have to contact the company directly. After the phone adventure we went to the Cracked Egg restaurant for lunch. Jackie had breakfast, I had lunch. After eating we stopped at Great Clips so Jackie could get a haircut, then we went to Costco for some supplies. After we were done at Costco we went back over the hump to home. After we got everything put away we had cocktails with Millie, then after she left we had some dinner. We watched TV until bedtime.

Wednesday, June 9^th, we left after lunch and went to the laundromat to do our laundry. After the laundry was done we ran a few errands, picking up mail and doing a Walmart run. We then went home and put everything away. We had cocktails and then some chicken enchiladas for dinner. Today I called the dermatologist's office to check on the biopsy they took last week. The girl found my file and told me that it was just an irritated wart and that there was no malignancy and no need for further treatment. Yea! After dinner we watched some TV and then went to bed. Thursday was a stay at home day. Since I knew we are now free to leave Pahrump on our original date of June 19^th, I spent most of the day moving stuff in and out of the motor home preparing for the trip. Since our summer travels don't involve any long term stays beyond a week, we are not taking any of the lights or decorations and none of the musical equipment I use for karaoke. We are trying to lighten the load on the coach. For dinner we had leftover chicken enchiladas and then watched some TV until bedtime.

Friday, June 11^th, was mostly a stay at home day. We did go out in the early afternoon to go to the Dollar Tree to pick up a couple of things we needed. I also did some chores around the coach, including checking the batteries. The house batteries, the bank of four six volt deep cycle batteries, were fine except for a couple needing a little bit of water. However, I found that the trickle charger I have installed to keep the coach batteries, the big 12 volt batteries that are used to start the coach, was not working and the coach batteries were badly discharged. I put the battery charger on the coach batteries and am working to get them back up to full charge. My plug in charger is on the small side, so it will take a while to get the batteries back up. I am still not sure why the trickle charger isn't working and may have to replace it. We did some pork chops on the BBQ for dinner, watched some TV and went to bed.

Saturday, June 12^th, I did a few chores around the house. I decided to go ahead and replace the two large chassis batteries because I am having trouble getting them to go to a full charge. They are almost eleven years old, so I certainly got my money's worth out of them. Ironically, I bought the two new batteries at the same NAPA store here in Pahrump that I bought the other two at eleven years ago. We went to lunch about 1:00 at the Red Sky BBQ place. Great ribs and a full meal to take home for tomorrow too. After lunch I picked up the new batteries, but decided to wait until morning when it was a little cooler to change them out. At 5:00 we left and went to the Elks for karaoke. Since we are leaving next Saturday this will be the last time until September. We had a good time and by 9:30 we were home where we watched a little TV and went to bed. Sunday was mostly a stay at home day. Right after the morning coffee and Sunday paper I changed out the batteries and started the coach briefly to be sure everything was OK. I then drove back to NAPA to turn in the old batteries and get my core charges back. We went to the clubhouse for root beer floats at 2:00 and socialized a little bit. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the house. It is starting to get hot again and we are supposed to hit possibly record high temps during the next week. Good time to head to the beach. We had leftover ribs for dinner, watched TV and went to bed.

Monday, June 14^th, we picked up Millie and went to lunch at a local Mexican place which was new to us. It is called La Fonda and is out in the rural area just a couple miles from the Escapee's park. They have good reviews on Yelp and we have wanted to go there. It is a bit of a dump aesthetically, but the food was decent and reasonably priced. I had the machaca and eggs, which was good, but not as good as what I have had in Yuma. I also had a ceviche appetizer which was outstanding. Jackie and Millie both wanted chili rellenos, and ordered them, but the waitress came back and told them they didn't have any. Boo! Two demerits. Jackie had street tacos, which were OK, but not outstanding. Millie had a chimichanga which had too much rice and beans and not enough meat. All in all, it was a 3 for us at best. After lunch we dropped Millie off at home and ran some errands to Walmart and the UPS store to pick up mail. After we got home we relaxed and stayed out of the heat for the rest of the day. We just did some pot pies for dinner and then watched TV until bedtime.

Tuesday was a stay at home day. I had a meeting in the morning with one of the committee's I serve on here at the park, but it only went about 45 minutes. I spent a little time after lunch doing some more clean up of the lot, getting ready to leave on Saturday. For dinner we did a meat loaf on the BBQ, which is something I had never tried before and wouldn't have on our old, small BBQ. Our new big grill has a temperature indicator with which I can figure out what the heat is and it makes it easier to use it as an oven. The bottom line, the meat loaf turned out great. After dinner we watched TV and went to bed. Wednesday was to be the hottest day of this hot spell, so we had a stay at home day. I did go outside and work on clean up for about 30 minutes, which just about finished the job. By the time we leave on Saturday we won't have much to do. We spent most of the day inside in the air conditioning. At one point in the afternoon we had a momentary power glitch, which I think was from outside the park, which shut down the air conditioners for just a half second. Long enough for them to stop, but not long enough to initiate the safety pause before restart. The rear a/c restarted just fine, but the front one was now blowing warm air. I shut it down for about two minutes, then started it up again, but it was still blowing warm. I was afraid that the power glitch had damaged the compressor. Just as I was starting to really worry, the compressor started again and it started working as it should. Yea and Phew. The issue is that when an a/c compressor shuts down and then immediately tries to start again there is the possibility that the pressure still in the system will not let the compressor start. It is possible for this compressor lock to blow out one of the lines, but fortunately for us it didn't and the when the pressure went down it restarted. We had leftover meatloaf for dinner then watched some TV before going to bed.

Thursday, June 17^th, I did a few outside cleanup chores in the morning and after lunch we went out so Jackie could get a pedi. While she was getting a pedi I went and picked up mail and a couple of other chores before going back to get her. After the pedi we went home and relaxed out of the heat. Yesterday and today set records for heat in Las Vegas and it was only a few degrees cooler in Pahrump. Millie came over for happy hour and stayed for dinner. We had KFC, which we all love, and had a nice dinner. After Millie left we cleaned up and watched TV until bedtime. Friday I finished up the preparations outside for our departure tomorrow. We left the coach about 11:30 and drove to Terrible's Casino to meet our friends Tom and Phyllis Howell for lunch. They have been traveling the last couple weeks, in Northern Nevada and Colorado. They are back in town for a week or so to take care of a few things and then they are gone again. We had a nice lunch and caught up. After lunch Jackie and I gamed a little, then we headed home. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and trying to stay cool. We spent the evening with the TV and headed off to bed.

Saturday, June 19^th, now officially “Juneteenth”, a new Federal holiday. Today was a travel day for us, the first in over two months. We got an early start and were out of the park and on the road by 8:30, but it was already hot. We stopped for fuel in town, then headed south and west towards Barstow, about 145 miles. We arrived at the Desert Springs RV park in Dagget, a little town just east of Barstow, and got checked in. It was 111 degrees and the electric at this park was a little weak, probably because it is a rural area and everyone in the park was running air. I had trouble keeping things running until we went with just one A/C, then it stayed on. We were able to cool the front of the coach enough to make it livable, and we just relaxed and stayed in. When it was time for bed we switched and put the back air on and ran it all night.

We have now left Pahrump for our summer travels, which should take us through California, up into Oregon, then Eastern Idaho and Utah, then back to Pahrump around the first of September. This episode is a little longer than most, but I wanted to wait until we left town to break and get it published. Until next time, remember, you can’t make everyone happy. You’re not an avocado. See ya soon.