We were mostly preoccupied yesterday with watching the coverage on TV of the big storm - Sandy. It is incredible that a storm that is barely classified a category 1 Hurricane can do so much damage. Actually, it was more a situation of coincidences that resulted in most of the damage. The main problem, of course, was that the storm came on shore at the same time as the high tide. The stories and pictures of the damage were sad. The size of the storm was also amazing and the effects were far reaching into the Midwest and also north into Canada. We saw pictures of the shore at Seaside Heights where Josie always visited while growing up in New Jersey, and the beach is gone. There seems to be no question that our climate is changing and the weather in that part of the country appears to be getting more severe as time goes on. I'm sure we will be hearing much more about climate changes and the areas that are impacted. It was indicated during one interview yesterday that the entire Midwest is also affected by these climate changes with more frequent and more severe tornadoes in the last few years. We are thankful that we are "westerners" now and just pray that our families and friends are safe from all the severe weather.
There wasn't much else that happened yesterday except for a trip to the fitness center for our daily workout. I did more research and configuring of computer options and have pretty much decided that I can't afford - or should I say justify - the added costs for going to the Apple platform. Actually, another consideration is that I don't use the computer for work as much as I did previously, so many of the benefits aren't significant for the general, everyday applications that I use now. I just have to be more diligent in how I allow outside access to my data from unknown sources.
We still have to do the resumes for our search for work. We are waiting on the letter of recommendation from Jackson Hole to use along with our resumes. It has been sent to our address in FL, but we haven't received it as yet. We have only had 1 mailing from FL since we arrived, so we expect that letter to be in the next one which will be early next week. We are enjoying our free time and aren't looking forward yet to buckling down and getting some of our required tasks completed...
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Drive to West Side
Another area that has had some appeal to us over the years is Tonopah, AZ. It is, basically, the last town of significance as you leave the Phoenix area to go west. There is nothing but hills and desert beyond Tonopah. It is the town where the projected population explosion was to take place before the economic downturn and before the real estate bubble burst. I did some business out there selling lots, including a 5 acre tract to Patty's friends, Mike and Angel from Naperville, IL.
Needless to say, the property looks almost the same as it did back in 2005 or 2006 when they purchased the property. It is frozen in time. We stopped by the real estate office in downtown Tonopah on the way back, and picked up a flyer on properties that were available in that area. Wow! The real estate in that area has taken a big hit in this downturn. The same properties are selling for about 1/3 of the price before the economy went south. I'm sure they will all bounce back, but for now, there are some great deals there. It will take many years - perhaps 5 to 7 - to rebound to the prices of 6 or 7 years ago.
On the way home we wanted to stop in Goodyear to visit the Cotton Lane RV Resort where we stayed for a year back in 2003-4:
The Resort has changed some since we were last there and they have added many homes and improved the overall appearance of the Resort:
The golf course is the biggest change as it was closed for renovation. It is going to be a very nice little course when they are finished with the improvements. You can also see the old Harness Race Track that is still standing behind the Resort on I-10. It was a nostalgic visit, to be sure.
The trip home from there was totally different as the construction on the new Loop 303 is taking place on the entire stretch from Goodyear to Surprise. It is going to be one beautiful highway when it is all done, but it will be several more years before that happens. In the meantime, it is a good area to avoid. Bridges are being constructed over every cross street on that stretch, and there are many.
It was fun visiting these old areas that were very familiar to us. We also drove past the development in the desert called Sun City Festival, and, although it has grown, it looks like the economical impact has slowed its growth tremendously. It still requires a 20 mile round trip to do any grocery shopping from where it is located. The only thing that has been added is a Shell gas station with a mini mart that is located at the entrance.
Today will be one where, if we don't do anything else, we are going to update our resumes for some serious job hunting. It would be real easy to stay in this mode of relaxing every day but there are other priorities. Also, we will begin thinking about the details for consolidating our 2 storage locations. That will not be a pleasant task...
Needless to say, the property looks almost the same as it did back in 2005 or 2006 when they purchased the property. It is frozen in time. We stopped by the real estate office in downtown Tonopah on the way back, and picked up a flyer on properties that were available in that area. Wow! The real estate in that area has taken a big hit in this downturn. The same properties are selling for about 1/3 of the price before the economy went south. I'm sure they will all bounce back, but for now, there are some great deals there. It will take many years - perhaps 5 to 7 - to rebound to the prices of 6 or 7 years ago.
On the way home we wanted to stop in Goodyear to visit the Cotton Lane RV Resort where we stayed for a year back in 2003-4:
The Resort has changed some since we were last there and they have added many homes and improved the overall appearance of the Resort:
The golf course is the biggest change as it was closed for renovation. It is going to be a very nice little course when they are finished with the improvements. You can also see the old Harness Race Track that is still standing behind the Resort on I-10. It was a nostalgic visit, to be sure.
The trip home from there was totally different as the construction on the new Loop 303 is taking place on the entire stretch from Goodyear to Surprise. It is going to be one beautiful highway when it is all done, but it will be several more years before that happens. In the meantime, it is a good area to avoid. Bridges are being constructed over every cross street on that stretch, and there are many.
It was fun visiting these old areas that were very familiar to us. We also drove past the development in the desert called Sun City Festival, and, although it has grown, it looks like the economical impact has slowed its growth tremendously. It still requires a 20 mile round trip to do any grocery shopping from where it is located. The only thing that has been added is a Shell gas station with a mini mart that is located at the entrance.
Today will be one where, if we don't do anything else, we are going to update our resumes for some serious job hunting. It would be real easy to stay in this mode of relaxing every day but there are other priorities. Also, we will begin thinking about the details for consolidating our 2 storage locations. That will not be a pleasant task...
Monday, October 29, 2012
A Different Mall
Our closest big Mall and the one we used to go to more than the others - Arrowhead - was where we went yesterday. It is just down Bell Rd from us, about 10 miles, and I wanted to visit the Apple store that is located there. There were many changes that we noticed as far as stores and some store locations, but it still had the mass crowd of people. We thought that was unusual for not being close to Christmas, but the area is so populated that it is probably normal for any day.
My visit to the Apple store was just to do some research on prices, models and conversion from PC platform to the Mac platform. I really like the systems, but don't like their prices. It seems that you pay twice as much for half the computing resources than the PC platform. There is no question, in my mind, that that is the way to go, but I am having a hard time justifying the extra cash. There is still no rush to make a change, but I will need to decide pretty soon. My frustration level is growing with the system I have now.
We also visited the JC Penney Home Store near there while looking for a toaster oven - didn't find the one we are looking for - and to Costco, which is around the corner from the Mall. While at Costco, I found one of the HP systems I had been looking at for about $200 less than I was quoted online from the HP site. It is awfully attractive and I have until the offer ends on Nov 7 to decide on that option.
It was an otherwise quiet day for us. Carole came over to visit for awhile and she is attempting to empty the storage shed on this site. It is an overwhelming amount of stuff that is stored there and we feel sorry for her and that task ahead. We would like to use the shed to help us reorganize our own storage, but we will not have access until her work is done. We renewed our offer to help her any way we can.
There are lots of things to do around our rig, so today may be the day we begin those tasks. Our hunt for the perfect "winter" job will probably also begin today...
My visit to the Apple store was just to do some research on prices, models and conversion from PC platform to the Mac platform. I really like the systems, but don't like their prices. It seems that you pay twice as much for half the computing resources than the PC platform. There is no question, in my mind, that that is the way to go, but I am having a hard time justifying the extra cash. There is still no rush to make a change, but I will need to decide pretty soon. My frustration level is growing with the system I have now.
We also visited the JC Penney Home Store near there while looking for a toaster oven - didn't find the one we are looking for - and to Costco, which is around the corner from the Mall. While at Costco, I found one of the HP systems I had been looking at for about $200 less than I was quoted online from the HP site. It is awfully attractive and I have until the offer ends on Nov 7 to decide on that option.
It was an otherwise quiet day for us. Carole came over to visit for awhile and she is attempting to empty the storage shed on this site. It is an overwhelming amount of stuff that is stored there and we feel sorry for her and that task ahead. We would like to use the shed to help us reorganize our own storage, but we will not have access until her work is done. We renewed our offer to help her any way we can.
There are lots of things to do around our rig, so today may be the day we begin those tasks. Our hunt for the perfect "winter" job will probably also begin today...
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Revisiting Familiar Places
One place that we always enjoyed visiting while here is the Outlet Mall in New River. Since we both still needed some things for the winter, yesterday was the day for that visit. It is so much easier and faster to get there now with the new highway, Loop 303, completed from just up the road from us to the I-17 just down the road from the Mall. We parked by the Food Court as we wanted to grab some lunch before walking around. We noticed the huge tree that we saw featured on the news the night before where they cut off most of the (lower) branches because it was too heavy to hoist into place:
The work crew was busy preparing the branches to insert back into the tree trunk to prepare it for decorating for Christmas on November 17:
We spent several hours walking around the Mall, shopping and stopping for some frozen yogurt. The strangest thing happened while watching the activity around the tree. A woman walked up to Josie and recognized her from working with her at Cactus Flower Florists back in 2001 or 2002. She actually recognized her voice, of all things.
Following our fun trip to the Mall, we decided to take an early evening trip to our pool at the Town Center here in Happy Trails. It is the main pool in the Resort and Josie felt like using the hot tub to help relieve some muscle strain from our workout at the fitness center in the morning and the walk around the mall in the afternoon. The hot tub felt great:
followed by a dip in the pool:
We were the only ones using the hot tub and pool at this hour and we noticed a huge party across the fairway in the back of one of the homes:
Maybe there weren't any people at the pool because they were all at this party - who knows. It is still a little early in the season though, so many more people will be coming into the Resort over the next several weeks.
There are no plans yet for today which is OK for us. It's nice not to have everything planned out for the day and is a welcomed change from a work schedule...
The work crew was busy preparing the branches to insert back into the tree trunk to prepare it for decorating for Christmas on November 17:
We spent several hours walking around the Mall, shopping and stopping for some frozen yogurt. The strangest thing happened while watching the activity around the tree. A woman walked up to Josie and recognized her from working with her at Cactus Flower Florists back in 2001 or 2002. She actually recognized her voice, of all things.
Following our fun trip to the Mall, we decided to take an early evening trip to our pool at the Town Center here in Happy Trails. It is the main pool in the Resort and Josie felt like using the hot tub to help relieve some muscle strain from our workout at the fitness center in the morning and the walk around the mall in the afternoon. The hot tub felt great:
followed by a dip in the pool:
We were the only ones using the hot tub and pool at this hour and we noticed a huge party across the fairway in the back of one of the homes:
Maybe there weren't any people at the pool because they were all at this party - who knows. It is still a little early in the season though, so many more people will be coming into the Resort over the next several weeks.
There are no plans yet for today which is OK for us. It's nice not to have everything planned out for the day and is a welcomed change from a work schedule...
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Perfect Timing
The word from Jackson, WY is that they have been getting some snow the last few days. There are about 3 inches on the ground as of yesterday and it is beginning to get very cold. The timing was perfect for us to leave there and arrive in AZ in mid October. Also, the temperatures here in AZ are predominately in the 80's which is also a pleasant change from the 100's that are common for the more than 5 months in the summer. We will remember the perfect timing in the future when we leave our summer location for the warmer winter location.
The computer issues over the last couple days have quieted down until I hear back from PayPal on resolution of the charge for the useless software. I have started to look at computer alternatives and I am still up in the air whether to make the change to an Apple platform or stay with the PC. The problem I'm having is that if I stay with the PC, I will need to get the new OS - Windows 8 - which is too new to try, and the Apple systems mean more money. Will it be better to bite the bullet and spend the extra money for a better platform? Decisions, decisions.
The results from Austin's first 8A high school playoff game are positive. They won the game, 38-6, over a pretty good Proviso West team. Austin had 172 yards rushing and 1 TD. That brings him within 4 yards of 2000 for the season. What a record! They head to round two next week when they will play a very good Oak Park team. It's one game at a time at this point and we're sure his great team will go far, if not all the way to the championship this year.
There are still several places we wanted to go when we arrived here, and some are critical - like eye exams, Doctor's appointments, license renewals, etc. - but some are also fun things, like going to the Outlet Mall, hiking in the White Tank Mountains and driving to familiar areas to see the changes. What will be the destination today? I vote for something fun...
The computer issues over the last couple days have quieted down until I hear back from PayPal on resolution of the charge for the useless software. I have started to look at computer alternatives and I am still up in the air whether to make the change to an Apple platform or stay with the PC. The problem I'm having is that if I stay with the PC, I will need to get the new OS - Windows 8 - which is too new to try, and the Apple systems mean more money. Will it be better to bite the bullet and spend the extra money for a better platform? Decisions, decisions.
The results from Austin's first 8A high school playoff game are positive. They won the game, 38-6, over a pretty good Proviso West team. Austin had 172 yards rushing and 1 TD. That brings him within 4 yards of 2000 for the season. What a record! They head to round two next week when they will play a very good Oak Park team. It's one game at a time at this point and we're sure his great team will go far, if not all the way to the championship this year.
There are still several places we wanted to go when we arrived here, and some are critical - like eye exams, Doctor's appointments, license renewals, etc. - but some are also fun things, like going to the Outlet Mall, hiking in the White Tank Mountains and driving to familiar areas to see the changes. What will be the destination today? I vote for something fun...
Friday, October 26, 2012
More Computer Issues
Most of the day yesterday was spent trying to recover one of my applications that was wiped out by the PC Cleaning software I purchased. My application for the weather station and the entire 4 years worth of (daily) data was eliminated by this worthless and destructive software. I know it doesn't seem like a major application to most folks, but it is a hobby of mine and means a lot to me. I submitted a dispute with PayPal and will await reimbursement from them once they fail to resolve the issue. Part of the claim is that the company hasn't returned my call for tech support in order to resolve the issue directly with them.
While trying to restore older versions of the system from checkpoints taken a few days ago and failing to locate the data, I tried locating the files on a backup disk I created a month ago. They were not part of the backup as the backup instructions were to only copy data that has changed. Another lesson learned. All backups should be total backups, and not incremental. All the older "full" backups were cleared from my backup disk to make room for new backups. As a result, I went to Best Buy and purchased a larger backup drive - 3 TB - to use for complete backups. That's another story.
I really wanted to upgrade my computer with more memory and more disk space to help gain speed. I discovered that the costs for doing that were more than if I purchased a new computer. That's the way I will go, but only after these current issues are resolved. It's not suppose to be this tough to use your computer everyday.
Josie is bored with my total attention to the computer. She did some laundry and some outside cleaning to pass the time and I know she hopes the problems get fixed - now! I hope so too. We did go to Famous Footwear yesterday for her to buy a new pair of tennis shoes. We have started our daily trips to the fitness center to try to get our bodies in shape again - if that's possible...
While trying to restore older versions of the system from checkpoints taken a few days ago and failing to locate the data, I tried locating the files on a backup disk I created a month ago. They were not part of the backup as the backup instructions were to only copy data that has changed. Another lesson learned. All backups should be total backups, and not incremental. All the older "full" backups were cleared from my backup disk to make room for new backups. As a result, I went to Best Buy and purchased a larger backup drive - 3 TB - to use for complete backups. That's another story.
I really wanted to upgrade my computer with more memory and more disk space to help gain speed. I discovered that the costs for doing that were more than if I purchased a new computer. That's the way I will go, but only after these current issues are resolved. It's not suppose to be this tough to use your computer everyday.
Josie is bored with my total attention to the computer. She did some laundry and some outside cleaning to pass the time and I know she hopes the problems get fixed - now! I hope so too. We did go to Famous Footwear yesterday for her to buy a new pair of tennis shoes. We have started our daily trips to the fitness center to try to get our bodies in shape again - if that's possible...
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Enjoying Time Off
We are certainly enjoying our respite from work. It can almost be considered retirement - but it isn't. The gears are getting oiled to begin the search for work and that effort will begin today. Resumes are being updated and places of interest are being identified so the mass assault on the HR departments can begin. Progress with that will be continuously updated.
Our first visit to Kohl's was yesterday and we believe that the attraction to that chain of stores is waning. It seems more and more that their super low prices are getting more in line now with the more expensive stores like Macy's, Penney's, Dillard's, etc. Kohl's used to stand out with their low prices, but not anymore - unless we're going to the wrong Kohl's, which I doubt. We need some clothes that we were not able to find at the outlets in Laughlin, so we may try the outlets in New River - or the new Tanger Outlets that are opening in mid November that are near the stadium in Glendale.
I was also dealing with some computer issues yesterday and while trying to make it more efficient, I purchased some software for both our computers. As always, I regret those decisions. The software is called Spark Trust PC Cleaner (don't buy it) which I read about in online reviews. I downloaded the software and called the 800 number to have it activated and, of course, a tech answers and tries to sell $500 more of support and software. It is very dissappointing and has caused more problems by eliminating some of my shortcuts and other data that I use. It will be awhile before I recover totally from that mistake. The goal was to not have to take the computers into Best Buy or some other computer repair store to have the systems "cleansed" and to save the $200 cost for that solution. There are many computer "sharks" out there ready to steal your money. Maybe the best solution is to just get a new computer rather than spending all this money on fixes. I was going to upgrade my computer with more memory and a larger hard drive, so a new computer may be the cheapest. Hmm.
By the way, we had out transponders installed and now we can use the gate that is right behind our space rather than drive all the way to the main gate out front. Much better.
Our first visit to Kohl's was yesterday and we believe that the attraction to that chain of stores is waning. It seems more and more that their super low prices are getting more in line now with the more expensive stores like Macy's, Penney's, Dillard's, etc. Kohl's used to stand out with their low prices, but not anymore - unless we're going to the wrong Kohl's, which I doubt. We need some clothes that we were not able to find at the outlets in Laughlin, so we may try the outlets in New River - or the new Tanger Outlets that are opening in mid November that are near the stadium in Glendale.
I was also dealing with some computer issues yesterday and while trying to make it more efficient, I purchased some software for both our computers. As always, I regret those decisions. The software is called Spark Trust PC Cleaner (don't buy it) which I read about in online reviews. I downloaded the software and called the 800 number to have it activated and, of course, a tech answers and tries to sell $500 more of support and software. It is very dissappointing and has caused more problems by eliminating some of my shortcuts and other data that I use. It will be awhile before I recover totally from that mistake. The goal was to not have to take the computers into Best Buy or some other computer repair store to have the systems "cleansed" and to save the $200 cost for that solution. There are many computer "sharks" out there ready to steal your money. Maybe the best solution is to just get a new computer rather than spending all this money on fixes. I was going to upgrade my computer with more memory and a larger hard drive, so a new computer may be the cheapest. Hmm.
By the way, we had out transponders installed and now we can use the gate that is right behind our space rather than drive all the way to the main gate out front. Much better.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Gaining Ground
The first detail of the day yesterday was to get the ball rolling to get our transponders for the gates. I went to the office and they verified that the information they needed was received from the lot owners and I just had to complete the form with our vehicle details. Since we have 2 vehicles, I had to provide the info for each, so following a trip back to the rig to get the VIN numbers for each, the application was complete. We will go to the ranger station today between 10 and 3 to get the transponders installed on our vehicle windshields. They are permanent installations and we would just re-activate them should we return in the future to rent again.
All of the other chores we had scheduled were completed in the morning so we took a drive around our old neighborhood in Sun City Grand to check things out. First of all, I had forgotten how beautiful it was with the four, very green golf courses. We stopped and picked up some flyers from homes that were listed for sale and there are some terrific buys right now. The low-end homes that I was selling for $240K - $270K back in 2007 are now selling for $150-$180K. It's too bad we aren't in the market to buy right now, especially with the low interest rates. We expect those low prices will slowly creep up, but the Feds have promised to keep the interest rates low, at least for the next couple years. We hope that when the time comes for us to buy something, somewhere, it will still be a buyers' market. We were also surprised to see a cactus in bloom at this time of year:
I guess there are different times of the year for different types of cactus.
Today we will complete the transponder installation and also get some "feelers" out for some seasonal work in the area. There is also the plan that needs to be developed for consolidating our storage units. At least the temperatures are beginning to drop in this area to a decent number where we can do some outside work. It looks like the highs for this week will remain in the mid 80's which is fine with us...
All of the other chores we had scheduled were completed in the morning so we took a drive around our old neighborhood in Sun City Grand to check things out. First of all, I had forgotten how beautiful it was with the four, very green golf courses. We stopped and picked up some flyers from homes that were listed for sale and there are some terrific buys right now. The low-end homes that I was selling for $240K - $270K back in 2007 are now selling for $150-$180K. It's too bad we aren't in the market to buy right now, especially with the low interest rates. We expect those low prices will slowly creep up, but the Feds have promised to keep the interest rates low, at least for the next couple years. We hope that when the time comes for us to buy something, somewhere, it will still be a buyers' market. We were also surprised to see a cactus in bloom at this time of year:
I guess there are different times of the year for different types of cactus.
Today we will complete the transponder installation and also get some "feelers" out for some seasonal work in the area. There is also the plan that needs to be developed for consolidating our storage units. At least the temperatures are beginning to drop in this area to a decent number where we can do some outside work. It looks like the highs for this week will remain in the mid 80's which is fine with us...
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Setting Up
Most of the day was spent doing chores and setting up more things for the long term stay. We needed to replace our sewer hose and connections as the old ones were beginning to leak - a no-no everywhere. We went to the local RV dealer in Surprise, Orangewood RV, where they have a very complete parts store that has all RV goods at a decent price. It is a dealership that sells mainly Montana fifth wheels and we shopped there before we purchased our Doubletree Mobile Suites, so we are familiar with the store. We also purchase our propane tanks from them when they need refilling.
We called our mail forwarding service in FL and gave them this address. We also called the AZ Republic and started delivery here. One issue that wasn't resolved yet was the transponder issue to get us in and out of the other gates at Happy Trails. We contacted Rett (owner of our space) and he will be sending all the required info to the HOA office this morning. Hopefully, we will get the transponders today.
The issue with the porch is resolved - temporarily. It is a much too nice feature to ignore and not use in some way, even though it was custom built for another fifth wheel. We set the porch to the rear of our rig, even with the slideout, so that we could utilize it as a standalone porch. We have to walk around to the stairs at the rear of the porch, but it is worth the extra effort. You can see in the photos below how it is now set up and also notice that it has a sun shade which is very handy at this location:
It almost looks like it is part of our fifth wheel as we look out the side windows at this nice seating area. Rett indicated that he would attempt to make a better fit for the porch when he arrives here in late November. So for now, we will enjoy it as it is.
Today, we will continue with other items we need to address - such as renewing my drivers license and taking care of the transponder issue. We are still avoiding the storage issue right now as that will be a tough one to coordinate given the extra space in CA that we need to consolidate with this one. Ugh...
We called our mail forwarding service in FL and gave them this address. We also called the AZ Republic and started delivery here. One issue that wasn't resolved yet was the transponder issue to get us in and out of the other gates at Happy Trails. We contacted Rett (owner of our space) and he will be sending all the required info to the HOA office this morning. Hopefully, we will get the transponders today.
The issue with the porch is resolved - temporarily. It is a much too nice feature to ignore and not use in some way, even though it was custom built for another fifth wheel. We set the porch to the rear of our rig, even with the slideout, so that we could utilize it as a standalone porch. We have to walk around to the stairs at the rear of the porch, but it is worth the extra effort. You can see in the photos below how it is now set up and also notice that it has a sun shade which is very handy at this location:
It almost looks like it is part of our fifth wheel as we look out the side windows at this nice seating area. Rett indicated that he would attempt to make a better fit for the porch when he arrives here in late November. So for now, we will enjoy it as it is.
Today, we will continue with other items we need to address - such as renewing my drivers license and taking care of the transponder issue. We are still avoiding the storage issue right now as that will be a tough one to coordinate given the extra space in CA that we need to consolidate with this one. Ugh...
Monday, October 22, 2012
Home for the Winter
We wanted to get an early start yesterday to get to Happy Trails in Surprise by about noon. There were lots of things we wanted to accomplish yesterday - check-in, get set up, get keys for the storage shed and mailbox, order transponders for the vehicles to use at the gates, and get a feel for any changes since our last visit - briefly - in January this year.
By leaving at 9:30, we should have had plenty of time. We had to stop at the gas station at the freeway entrance to gas up and it was 10 AM by the time we hit I-17 for the 90 mile trip. All was going fine and we were enjoying familiar views until we reached the area just south of Black Canyon City - probably 30 miles from our destination - and we ran into this:
There was an accident somewhere along this stretch of I-17 - what else is new - and we lost 1 1/2 hours crawling through this traffic jam. Not only did it cause us to be late - we arrived at almost 1 PM - but it destroyed any expectation of getting good fuel mileage for the trip. The truck and trailer averaged 7.5 MPG on a trip that should have been over 9 MPG.
We finally made it though, and got checked in and started the set up of our fifth wheel on our spacious site for the winter:
There is a portable porch that is visible in the shot above that we were invited to use while here and was used by Dick and Carole while they used this site as their winter home for over 15 years. The problem we have with this porch:
is that it was custom built to accommodate their fifth wheel and ours has a different configuration - we have a slide-out on that side of the rig, plus ours sits a little higher than theirs, so it may be impossible to use as an extension of the trailer. Add to that the fact that it sits on a water valve that is under the porch and it greatly restricts the mobility of the porch. Sheesh. We will need to resolve that issue asap. Then we discovered that the owners - Rett and Claire Porter - have to provide a form that gives approval for us to acquire the gate transponders. We didn't know about those, and we're sure the owners didn't know either.
We had a surprise and pleasant visit from Carole who is spending the winter in one of the vacation villas in the park. She has been through a lot and she still has to clean out the shed before we can have the use of it for ourselves.
The new owners have completed the house on the space we rented almost 5 years ago:
They have a similar setup on a space in Texas for their other home. We expect to meet them when they arrive here in late November. So far, we have only communicated by phone and email, so we are anxious to close that loop.
The first order of the day today is to order newspaper delivery from the Arizona Republic so it's time to get on with the chores...
By leaving at 9:30, we should have had plenty of time. We had to stop at the gas station at the freeway entrance to gas up and it was 10 AM by the time we hit I-17 for the 90 mile trip. All was going fine and we were enjoying familiar views until we reached the area just south of Black Canyon City - probably 30 miles from our destination - and we ran into this:
There was an accident somewhere along this stretch of I-17 - what else is new - and we lost 1 1/2 hours crawling through this traffic jam. Not only did it cause us to be late - we arrived at almost 1 PM - but it destroyed any expectation of getting good fuel mileage for the trip. The truck and trailer averaged 7.5 MPG on a trip that should have been over 9 MPG.
We finally made it though, and got checked in and started the set up of our fifth wheel on our spacious site for the winter:
There is a portable porch that is visible in the shot above that we were invited to use while here and was used by Dick and Carole while they used this site as their winter home for over 15 years. The problem we have with this porch:
is that it was custom built to accommodate their fifth wheel and ours has a different configuration - we have a slide-out on that side of the rig, plus ours sits a little higher than theirs, so it may be impossible to use as an extension of the trailer. Add to that the fact that it sits on a water valve that is under the porch and it greatly restricts the mobility of the porch. Sheesh. We will need to resolve that issue asap. Then we discovered that the owners - Rett and Claire Porter - have to provide a form that gives approval for us to acquire the gate transponders. We didn't know about those, and we're sure the owners didn't know either.
We had a surprise and pleasant visit from Carole who is spending the winter in one of the vacation villas in the park. She has been through a lot and she still has to clean out the shed before we can have the use of it for ourselves.
The new owners have completed the house on the space we rented almost 5 years ago:
They have a similar setup on a space in Texas for their other home. We expect to meet them when they arrive here in late November. So far, we have only communicated by phone and email, so we are anxious to close that loop.
The first order of the day today is to order newspaper delivery from the Arizona Republic so it's time to get on with the chores...
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Final Day in Cottonwood
Yesterday was the final day in Cottonwood and at the Thousand Trails Preserve. Following our "marathon" day on Friday, we wanted to take it easy and not do a lot more driving. The only trip was to town to get a few groceries and a final trip to the casino. We left our final visit to the Cliff Castle Casino with some money left in our pockets which always make it more fun.
We took a short walk in the campground to get a shot of the pool area which we didn't visit on this trip. The lodge and pool area are really nice and are directly behind our space:
Our visit here was very enjoyable, but we are ready to move on to our last stop for the winter. The space at Happy Trails in Surprise, AZ is waiting for us. I called APS (Elec Co.) to have the electric changed over into our names which is part of our rental agreement, and the owners have the paperwork at the ranger station all ready for our arrival. The space is right next to the one we rented several years ago and is the one that our friends Carole and Dick Cole owned before Dick passed away earlier this year and Carole sold to the neighbor.
The drive to Surprise should only be 1 1/2 hours and is about 90 miles, so it should be an easy trip and we hope to arrive there before noon. Our next entry will be from our winter home, so here's hoping for an enjoyable stay in a familiar location...
We took a short walk in the campground to get a shot of the pool area which we didn't visit on this trip. The lodge and pool area are really nice and are directly behind our space:
Our visit here was very enjoyable, but we are ready to move on to our last stop for the winter. The space at Happy Trails in Surprise, AZ is waiting for us. I called APS (Elec Co.) to have the electric changed over into our names which is part of our rental agreement, and the owners have the paperwork at the ranger station all ready for our arrival. The space is right next to the one we rented several years ago and is the one that our friends Carole and Dick Cole owned before Dick passed away earlier this year and Carole sold to the neighbor.
The drive to Surprise should only be 1 1/2 hours and is about 90 miles, so it should be an easy trip and we hope to arrive there before noon. Our next entry will be from our winter home, so here's hoping for an enjoyable stay in a familiar location...
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Marathon Drive
First of all, I need to explain what happened with yesterday's entry. We were rushing around trying to get an early start to our planned drive, and I got distracted before publishing the entry, which meant it didn't get posted until we returned home at 6 PM last night.
Our drive turned out to be a marathon drive through north central AZ and covered a total of 450 miles. We didn't intend for it to be so long, but we underestimated the distance between some of the cities we traveled through.
It started at 7:30 in the AM and just as we pulled out onto the main road from the campground, we spotted this balloon taking off:
This is another popular area for these balloons and they must get a spectacular view of the red rocks of the Sedona area.
Our trip took us through Payson and then Heber-Overgaard, where the huge forest fire of 2002 destroyed much of the area between these two cities, including the Bison Ranch and several other housing areas. We took these shots of the fire ravaged area that was along highway 260 between the towns:
We stopped at the Chamber of Commerce office in Heber-Overgaard and had a nice conversation with the two ladies working in the office. They gave us a good accounting of the events during that fire which a fireman started on the Indian Reservation, south of the cities, hoping for more work time. It brought back memories of that fire which didn't seem like ten years ago since it happened. Anyway, we got lots of information on the area which is one that we have always liked and would be a consideration in the future for spending some time.
Our next stop was Show Low, where we expected to see much more of the fall colors but were somewhat disappointed. We didn't go through some of the nicest areas because they were too far south of our planned trip, so we didn't get any good photos.
We then went through Concho and St Johns, where there were several locations advertising 40 acre ranches at a very low cost. They are at a very low cost because there is nothing in these areas - including trees. It is mostly sand, sage and pinion pine and juniper bushes. Shopping is non-existent, and you have to travel many miles to get groceries or anything else.
We traveled north to pick up I-40 after stopping to grab some lunch that we brought with us. The area in which we stopped was along the edge of one of these "ranches" and it was a quick stop. We decided to exit off I-40 in Winslow in order to drive past a couple of nostalgic places - our old property in Mogollon Ranch and the Lodge at Happy Jack. The properties that were located in the Mogollon Ranch were selling at about half the price that we paid and sold ours for back in 2001. Other than that, it looked the same. Our stop at the Happy Jack Lodge was after their business hours but we took a drive through the park and it also brought back memories. The biggest change that we noticed was that there was a small cabin placed on the site where we stayed on the Camp Host #1 site:
That tells us that they are not using workampers for their Host function, and we were curious whether they used them in the store or not. Oh, well. Maybe someday we'll get the answer.
We arrived home at 6 PM to end a very long day. As mentioned, we didn't anticipate it taking so long, but it was a trip that brought back some good memories of favorite places.
Now, the report on the final game of the season for Austin and his team, which they won, 41-14. It was another spectacular performance by our grandson. He ran for 226 yards and 4 TD's on runs of 3, 44, 70 and 42 yards. All of that in just 3 quarters, when they removed him to rest for the playoffs, starting next week. He finished the season with 27 touchdowns and 1826 yards rushing - both school records that will last a long time. WOW! There isn't much more that can be said about him and the season he enjoyed. We wish him luck in the playoffs and will be rooting for his team to go all the way...
Our drive turned out to be a marathon drive through north central AZ and covered a total of 450 miles. We didn't intend for it to be so long, but we underestimated the distance between some of the cities we traveled through.
It started at 7:30 in the AM and just as we pulled out onto the main road from the campground, we spotted this balloon taking off:
This is another popular area for these balloons and they must get a spectacular view of the red rocks of the Sedona area.
Our trip took us through Payson and then Heber-Overgaard, where the huge forest fire of 2002 destroyed much of the area between these two cities, including the Bison Ranch and several other housing areas. We took these shots of the fire ravaged area that was along highway 260 between the towns:
We stopped at the Chamber of Commerce office in Heber-Overgaard and had a nice conversation with the two ladies working in the office. They gave us a good accounting of the events during that fire which a fireman started on the Indian Reservation, south of the cities, hoping for more work time. It brought back memories of that fire which didn't seem like ten years ago since it happened. Anyway, we got lots of information on the area which is one that we have always liked and would be a consideration in the future for spending some time.
Our next stop was Show Low, where we expected to see much more of the fall colors but were somewhat disappointed. We didn't go through some of the nicest areas because they were too far south of our planned trip, so we didn't get any good photos.
We then went through Concho and St Johns, where there were several locations advertising 40 acre ranches at a very low cost. They are at a very low cost because there is nothing in these areas - including trees. It is mostly sand, sage and pinion pine and juniper bushes. Shopping is non-existent, and you have to travel many miles to get groceries or anything else.
We traveled north to pick up I-40 after stopping to grab some lunch that we brought with us. The area in which we stopped was along the edge of one of these "ranches" and it was a quick stop. We decided to exit off I-40 in Winslow in order to drive past a couple of nostalgic places - our old property in Mogollon Ranch and the Lodge at Happy Jack. The properties that were located in the Mogollon Ranch were selling at about half the price that we paid and sold ours for back in 2001. Other than that, it looked the same. Our stop at the Happy Jack Lodge was after their business hours but we took a drive through the park and it also brought back memories. The biggest change that we noticed was that there was a small cabin placed on the site where we stayed on the Camp Host #1 site:
That tells us that they are not using workampers for their Host function, and we were curious whether they used them in the store or not. Oh, well. Maybe someday we'll get the answer.
We arrived home at 6 PM to end a very long day. As mentioned, we didn't anticipate it taking so long, but it was a trip that brought back some good memories of favorite places.
Now, the report on the final game of the season for Austin and his team, which they won, 41-14. It was another spectacular performance by our grandson. He ran for 226 yards and 4 TD's on runs of 3, 44, 70 and 42 yards. All of that in just 3 quarters, when they removed him to rest for the playoffs, starting next week. He finished the season with 27 touchdowns and 1826 yards rushing - both school records that will last a long time. WOW! There isn't much more that can be said about him and the season he enjoyed. We wish him luck in the playoffs and will be rooting for his team to go all the way...
Friday, October 19, 2012
Just a Lazy Day
Yesterday was one of those days where we didn't feel like doing much of anything - so we didn't. We sat outside in the warm sun and had coffee and read the newspaper. It was very relaxing and we talked about going different places, but nothing jumped out at us and said "we must see this" or "we must do this". It's nice to have those kind of days occasionally. We did go to the store later on in the afternoon to get some groceries, and we went to the casino for a short time last night. It was my turn to win and I left with $120 and Josie lost a little bit. Not a very exciting day.
Today, we are leaving early to take a drive that we haven't taken in probably 10 years. We plan to drive through the White Mountains - the towns of Heber, Show Low, Greer and maybe as far as St Johns - to see the remaining fall colors, if any. We did this same trip on our anniversary many years ago and we have some great photos of the colors, so maybe we aren't too late this time. That's about it for now...
Today, we are leaving early to take a drive that we haven't taken in probably 10 years. We plan to drive through the White Mountains - the towns of Heber, Show Low, Greer and maybe as far as St Johns - to see the remaining fall colors, if any. We did this same trip on our anniversary many years ago and we have some great photos of the colors, so maybe we aren't too late this time. That's about it for now...
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Travel Day to Cottonwood, AZ
We left the Riverside RV Park in Laughlin, NV at 8:30 AM. The first 12 -15 miles out of Laughlin toward Kingman, AZ are brutal. It's all uphill - steep uphill - and the truck was struggling to maintain 45 - 50 MPH. My fuel economy estimator was showing 2.9 MPG when we arrived in Kingman and finally reached I-40. The entire stretch on I-40, which amounted to 145 miles, was more hilly terrain and the fuel economy meter when we hit Flagstaff was still in the low 6 range. Thank goodness for the downhill segment between Flagstaff and Camp Verde where we exited and finished the trip with a 7.5 MPG average. Still terrible fuel economy, but not bad considering the way we started out.
By not stopping at all along the way, we made the entire trip in less than 4.5 hours and arrived shortly after 12:30 PM. Following the check-in at Thousand Trails and our setup, we took these shots of our site and the campground:
Our space is located right behind the swimming pool and it may be a destination sometime during our stay.
We drove into Cottonwood to check out any changes that may have occurred since our last visit here several years ago. It looked pretty much the same as we could remember. I got a haircut while in town at Fantastic Sams and we each had a Blizzard at the DQ before leaving town.
Our evening was spent at the Cliff Castle Casino where we also have not visited in several years. There were many changes in the slot machines as we expected, but we did fairly well in the short time we played last night. Josie left ahead for the night and I lost just a few dollars. That will be worth another visit or two before we leave.
I extracted the copy of a news article that appeared on Patty's Facebook page about Austin's accomplishments on the football field. As I mentioned sometime during the week, he is the Chicago area's leading rusher and his school's leading career rusher as stated in this article - and there are still a couple games remaining! What an amazing season and we are hoping it all leads to tough choices between colleges that want to recruit him. There are several that are courting him now and it will be interesting to see how the season ends for him. We are very proud of him, and he is a very good student to boot!...
By not stopping at all along the way, we made the entire trip in less than 4.5 hours and arrived shortly after 12:30 PM. Following the check-in at Thousand Trails and our setup, we took these shots of our site and the campground:
Our space is located right behind the swimming pool and it may be a destination sometime during our stay.
We drove into Cottonwood to check out any changes that may have occurred since our last visit here several years ago. It looked pretty much the same as we could remember. I got a haircut while in town at Fantastic Sams and we each had a Blizzard at the DQ before leaving town.
Our evening was spent at the Cliff Castle Casino where we also have not visited in several years. There were many changes in the slot machines as we expected, but we did fairly well in the short time we played last night. Josie left ahead for the night and I lost just a few dollars. That will be worth another visit or two before we leave.
I extracted the copy of a news article that appeared on Patty's Facebook page about Austin's accomplishments on the football field. As I mentioned sometime during the week, he is the Chicago area's leading rusher and his school's leading career rusher as stated in this article - and there are still a couple games remaining! What an amazing season and we are hoping it all leads to tough choices between colleges that want to recruit him. There are several that are courting him now and it will be interesting to see how the season ends for him. We are very proud of him, and he is a very good student to boot!...
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Last Day in Laughlin
We stuck around most of the morning waiting on our mail delivery but left at around 10 AM to go to Sam's Club for some things that we needed to travel with. That small errand had us returning to the fifth wheel before noon and Josie started doing some laundry.
The FedEx truck pulled up outside at around 12:30, so the rest of the day, except for Josie finishing up on some laundry, was available for some last minute exploring. We found an ad in one of the RV journals for a new development that was located in Fort Mohave, AZ, less than a half hour from Bullhead City and Laughlin. We stopped everything we were doing and took a quick drive down to see the model:
The real appeal for us is obvious - the homes have RV garages as part of the residence so your RV is always with you and there is an additional space next to the RV garage which can be used either for another vehicle or another RV as the space also has hookups for a second RV if friends visit that have an RV themselves.
The prices started at $150K for the smallest model which is about 800 SF. The lots are a good size - 9500 SF and the location isn't all that bad either. The problem we had yesterday was that there wasn't anybody at the model and when we called the number a gentleman answered that was on his way to Las Vegas. He said he could meet us today but, of course, we will be on our way to Camp Verde. It doesn't matter, really, as we are just interested in getting the details. From what we understand now, they are only taking reservations on lots at this point.
This is an option that we have seen on homes in Florida and Texas, but this represents the first of this type that we've seen in AZ. This area of AZ is not bad for a winter home. It would be difficult to have a place in this kind of climate year round, just like in the Phoenix area. It is less than a half hour from Laughlin and Bullhead City, and less than 2 hours from Vegas. Another option would be to buy a lot someplace and just build the home we would want. We aren't there yet, but it doesn't hurt to line up and evaluate the options.
It's a 237 mile trip today to Camp Verde and the Thousand Trails Preserve. We expect it to take about 5 to 5 1/2 hours with stops, so we need to get it in gear right now to leave at a decent time this morning that will get us there early this afternoon...
The FedEx truck pulled up outside at around 12:30, so the rest of the day, except for Josie finishing up on some laundry, was available for some last minute exploring. We found an ad in one of the RV journals for a new development that was located in Fort Mohave, AZ, less than a half hour from Bullhead City and Laughlin. We stopped everything we were doing and took a quick drive down to see the model:
The real appeal for us is obvious - the homes have RV garages as part of the residence so your RV is always with you and there is an additional space next to the RV garage which can be used either for another vehicle or another RV as the space also has hookups for a second RV if friends visit that have an RV themselves.
The prices started at $150K for the smallest model which is about 800 SF. The lots are a good size - 9500 SF and the location isn't all that bad either. The problem we had yesterday was that there wasn't anybody at the model and when we called the number a gentleman answered that was on his way to Las Vegas. He said he could meet us today but, of course, we will be on our way to Camp Verde. It doesn't matter, really, as we are just interested in getting the details. From what we understand now, they are only taking reservations on lots at this point.
This is an option that we have seen on homes in Florida and Texas, but this represents the first of this type that we've seen in AZ. This area of AZ is not bad for a winter home. It would be difficult to have a place in this kind of climate year round, just like in the Phoenix area. It is less than a half hour from Laughlin and Bullhead City, and less than 2 hours from Vegas. Another option would be to buy a lot someplace and just build the home we would want. We aren't there yet, but it doesn't hurt to line up and evaluate the options.
It's a 237 mile trip today to Camp Verde and the Thousand Trails Preserve. We expect it to take about 5 to 5 1/2 hours with stops, so we need to get it in gear right now to leave at a decent time this morning that will get us there early this afternoon...
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Breakfast Buffet at the Aquarius
When we used to come to Laughlin years ago, we usually stayed at the Aquarius Hotel and Casino. At that time, it was known as the Flamingo and it changed its name and ownership about 6 years ago. They always had the best breakfast buffet and we looked forward to having it each day when we used to stay there. We went back yesterday morning, and it was almost exactly as we remembered it. We had a table that was right next to a window on the Riverwalk and it was the same quality food and large selection, including champagne and/or wine if you wanted some. The only difference for us was the price. We had been used to paying less than $15 for the both of us to eat there, but yesterday the bill was $23. That's a lot to spend for breakfast - anywhere. That price included a 10% discount for using our Club Card.
Following our breakfast, we played a few dollars in the Aquarius Casino before leaving. Neither of us expected to win anything, but it was kind of a farewell to the Casino before we leave tomorrow. It was short and sweet, and we each lost our $20 stake.
We then went to the residential area of Laughlin and tried to visit some model homes that were located in a new subdivision on the top of the hill in town. The views were spectacular from there, but the models were closed until 12 noon, so we went back to town to spend our final day of gambling on the slots at the Riverside. Our usually productive and lucky machines stayed home yesterday. I lost what was left of my stake for the week, but Josie played for a couple hours on her first $20. No jackpots were won, but we still finished out the week ahead of the game and it was a terrific time that we spent in Laughlin. We will probably return sometime during the winter and will most likely stay at either the Riverside Hotel or Aquarius again.
Our final day in Laughlin is today and we are expecting a mail delivery, so we will probably stay close to the rig and also get ready for our trip to Verde Valley tomorrow...
Following our breakfast, we played a few dollars in the Aquarius Casino before leaving. Neither of us expected to win anything, but it was kind of a farewell to the Casino before we leave tomorrow. It was short and sweet, and we each lost our $20 stake.
We then went to the residential area of Laughlin and tried to visit some model homes that were located in a new subdivision on the top of the hill in town. The views were spectacular from there, but the models were closed until 12 noon, so we went back to town to spend our final day of gambling on the slots at the Riverside. Our usually productive and lucky machines stayed home yesterday. I lost what was left of my stake for the week, but Josie played for a couple hours on her first $20. No jackpots were won, but we still finished out the week ahead of the game and it was a terrific time that we spent in Laughlin. We will probably return sometime during the winter and will most likely stay at either the Riverside Hotel or Aquarius again.
Our final day in Laughlin is today and we are expecting a mail delivery, so we will probably stay close to the rig and also get ready for our trip to Verde Valley tomorrow...
Monday, October 15, 2012
More of the City
Even though we wanted to try out some of the other casinos in town, there was an Outlet Mall about a block from us that looked inviting. This was a place that we visited several years ago and it was almost a joke to us at the time with just a few, small name-brand outlets. Boy, what a change. We spent a lot of time walking around the Mall and even did some shopping at the Izod outlet where we have a member card. That card saved us some extra money on some much needed clothes.
It was then time to do a couple other casinos. We went to Harrah's where we made sure our old Club Cards were still valid for play. They were, and we played for a while before deciding to move on to a different casino. Josie won $200 on her first spin on a machine, and it was downhill for both of us after that.
Our next stop was at the Golden Nugget where we signed up for their Club Cards and played for just a short while. We had no luck at this casino and left after only playing a few dollars.
We then went to our usually consistent machines in the Riverside Casino where we have won most of our money. Our favorite machines were occupied, but we played for a couple hours on the machines that were in the same group. The net of the whole day was that we only spent a small amount of money and still finished ahead for the day.
We will deposit our winnings for the week in the bank today. It turns out that we finished ahead of our expenses for the week and we will still have a little bit of our original stake to play a little more before we leave on Wednesday morning. We still believe that the best slot machines are in Laughlin, and we surely missed them over the last 4 years or so. Our plan was to use our season ending commitment bonus from Jackson to play the slots and we were committed to exchanging that amount for a week full of enjoyment. We are thankful that we will leave town with the bonus money intact - plus a few dollars more.
There are a couple more areas in Laughlin that we would like to explore, so that is on our agenda for today...
It was then time to do a couple other casinos. We went to Harrah's where we made sure our old Club Cards were still valid for play. They were, and we played for a while before deciding to move on to a different casino. Josie won $200 on her first spin on a machine, and it was downhill for both of us after that.
Our next stop was at the Golden Nugget where we signed up for their Club Cards and played for just a short while. We had no luck at this casino and left after only playing a few dollars.
We then went to our usually consistent machines in the Riverside Casino where we have won most of our money. Our favorite machines were occupied, but we played for a couple hours on the machines that were in the same group. The net of the whole day was that we only spent a small amount of money and still finished ahead for the day.
We will deposit our winnings for the week in the bank today. It turns out that we finished ahead of our expenses for the week and we will still have a little bit of our original stake to play a little more before we leave on Wednesday morning. We still believe that the best slot machines are in Laughlin, and we surely missed them over the last 4 years or so. Our plan was to use our season ending commitment bonus from Jackson to play the slots and we were committed to exchanging that amount for a week full of enjoyment. We are thankful that we will leave town with the bonus money intact - plus a few dollars more.
There are a couple more areas in Laughlin that we would like to explore, so that is on our agenda for today...
Sunday, October 14, 2012
On a Winning Streak
We used our free breakfast buffet coupons yesterday at the Riverside. The meal was excellent, but we didn't think there was as much selection at this one as there is at the Aquarius breakfast buffet that we have always enjoyed in the previous visits to Laughlin. Of course, we haven't been to that one since we arrived here - mainly because we are staying so far from the hotel this time.
Since we were already in the casino, we tried our luck again on the machines we have been successful playing so far. Luck is still with us. I was about halfway through a $10 stake when suddenly this happened:
The big jackpot hit for the machine which was 6,000 credits. Josie happened to be sitting at the machine next to mine, and we both almost fell off the stool. Fortunately, we had the camera with us to record this event. The shot below shows the payoff completed as the winning total can be seen on the machine:
It's too bad I was only playing a nickel machine - actually a whopping .15 per spin - as the amount won was $300. I'll still take it anytime! This win goes a long way in helping to cover our expenses for the week.
We then went to the Aquarius Casino to see what, if any, changes have been made there. It wasn't a very long stay as they have replaced some of our favorite machines and have far fewer slot machines than they previously had. We only spent a few bucks, but it went fast, so we left.
The river was very active yesterday with all kinds of boats and jet skis:
There was even a group going down the river in rafts as you can see below:
Note: That's the Sam's club in the photo on the other side of the river in Bullhead City, AZ.
There are only a couple of the casinos left that we usually visit while in Laughlin and we will try to get to them in our remaining time in town. It sure is nice to be on the positive side of luck on this stay. We have almost always had success at the casinos in this town and is one reason why we like it so much.
Our reservation is also made for a few days at the Verde Valley Thousand Trails park which is where we will spend our final time before arriving in Surprise on October 21. That is another area that we are very familiar with and enjoy visiting. It's a good time of the year to be there as the temperatures are beginning to get into the comfortable range. The temperature here yesterday 85 with a low of 58. That's not bad either, so it looks like the timing is good for this trip south...
Since we were already in the casino, we tried our luck again on the machines we have been successful playing so far. Luck is still with us. I was about halfway through a $10 stake when suddenly this happened:
The big jackpot hit for the machine which was 6,000 credits. Josie happened to be sitting at the machine next to mine, and we both almost fell off the stool. Fortunately, we had the camera with us to record this event. The shot below shows the payoff completed as the winning total can be seen on the machine:
It's too bad I was only playing a nickel machine - actually a whopping .15 per spin - as the amount won was $300. I'll still take it anytime! This win goes a long way in helping to cover our expenses for the week.
We then went to the Aquarius Casino to see what, if any, changes have been made there. It wasn't a very long stay as they have replaced some of our favorite machines and have far fewer slot machines than they previously had. We only spent a few bucks, but it went fast, so we left.
The river was very active yesterday with all kinds of boats and jet skis:
There was even a group going down the river in rafts as you can see below:
Note: That's the Sam's club in the photo on the other side of the river in Bullhead City, AZ.
There are only a couple of the casinos left that we usually visit while in Laughlin and we will try to get to them in our remaining time in town. It sure is nice to be on the positive side of luck on this stay. We have almost always had success at the casinos in this town and is one reason why we like it so much.
Our reservation is also made for a few days at the Verde Valley Thousand Trails park which is where we will spend our final time before arriving in Surprise on October 21. That is another area that we are very familiar with and enjoy visiting. It's a good time of the year to be there as the temperatures are beginning to get into the comfortable range. The temperature here yesterday 85 with a low of 58. That's not bad either, so it looks like the timing is good for this trip south...
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Celebrating Our Anniversary
As it was our 41st Anniversary yesterday, we wanted to make the most of the day. Of course, the morning was already scheduled with a visit to the Jeep dealer in Bullhead City to have our power window repaired. That took up a good portion of the morning - and $200. I also had the dealer fill our 4 tires with nitrogen, to replace the air. This is suppose to help with fuel economy and also create more stable tire pressures as they will not fluctuate with temperature changes as tires do with air. We have been getting lights from our Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS) saying that one of our tires is below acceptable pressure and we are tired of putting more air in every time there is a major change in temperature. It seemed like a good deal at $25.
The rest of our day was spent doing the River Walk which we hadn't done since we arrived on Wednesday:
We wanted to try the Colorado Belle casino for the first time in several years and we were surprised that our Club Cards still worked. The casino had undergone major changes and the slots we used to enjoy playing were gone and replaced with machines we don't like to play. We left there to go to the Pioneer, which has always been the smallest and oldest of the casinos and still has many coin machines where the newer casinos have all switched to tickets-only play. Our Club Card again was still valid at the Pioneer which also surprised us. It was a joy playing there and I walked out with another $100 in winnings for the day. Our goal is to finish the week we are here with winnings that exceed the total amount spent in the casinos and we are on track to make that happen.
Following play at The Pioneer, we returned to the Riverside and played more on our "lucky" machines. We didn't win any large pots, but won enough to play for a couple hours on a small stake. It was a fun day in the casinos and was the kind of entertainment we enjoy, especially to celebrate an anniversary.
The football report from last night in Naperville was again great news. Austin's team won in a cake-walk, 49-0 over a winless foe to go 7-1 on the year. Austin only played in the first half and had 107 yards on 11 carries with 2 TD's. That gives him 24 touchdowns on the year and he is the leading high school rusher in the entire Chicago area. Way to go Austin!
We have tickets for a free buffet breakfast at the Riverside so that's the plan for this morning. We also want to return to the Aquarius Casino today and maybe even Harrah's and a couple of the others. Here's hoping our luck continues...
The rest of our day was spent doing the River Walk which we hadn't done since we arrived on Wednesday:
We wanted to try the Colorado Belle casino for the first time in several years and we were surprised that our Club Cards still worked. The casino had undergone major changes and the slots we used to enjoy playing were gone and replaced with machines we don't like to play. We left there to go to the Pioneer, which has always been the smallest and oldest of the casinos and still has many coin machines where the newer casinos have all switched to tickets-only play. Our Club Card again was still valid at the Pioneer which also surprised us. It was a joy playing there and I walked out with another $100 in winnings for the day. Our goal is to finish the week we are here with winnings that exceed the total amount spent in the casinos and we are on track to make that happen.
Following play at The Pioneer, we returned to the Riverside and played more on our "lucky" machines. We didn't win any large pots, but won enough to play for a couple hours on a small stake. It was a fun day in the casinos and was the kind of entertainment we enjoy, especially to celebrate an anniversary.
The football report from last night in Naperville was again great news. Austin's team won in a cake-walk, 49-0 over a winless foe to go 7-1 on the year. Austin only played in the first half and had 107 yards on 11 carries with 2 TD's. That gives him 24 touchdowns on the year and he is the leading high school rusher in the entire Chicago area. Way to go Austin!
We have tickets for a free buffet breakfast at the Riverside so that's the plan for this morning. We also want to return to the Aquarius Casino today and maybe even Harrah's and a couple of the others. Here's hoping our luck continues...
Friday, October 12, 2012
Lettermen Concert
Even though we went to Sam's Club, stopped to see some new homes in Laughlin and won some money in the Casino, our highlight of the day was the Lettermen concert at the Don Laughlin Theater in the Riverside Resort Hotel and Casino.
The show started at 8 PM but we went earlier in the day to pick up our tickets at the Will-Call window. Our seats were very good - 2nd row of tables from the stage - but were on the right side of the stage which did not give us a straight-on view, but were good enough. It was a very nostalgic show for me but Josie didn't remember too much of their music until they started singing some of their hits.
The group has changed over the years - Tony Butala is the only original member of the group still with them. Tony is the founder of the group and is the little guy in the pictures below:
and is the one shown below:
If you read the biography in the link above, you will see that a very famous person was once a member of the group before they became "officially" a 3 man group called The Lettermen. It was a female singer named Concetta Ingolia, who left the group to become a star on the hit TV show Hawaiian Eye and changed her name to Connie Stevens.
The show was fabulous for me although I'm not so sure that Josie got the same satisfaction that I did. She got more satisfaction following the show when we went to the Casino and played just $20 and she walked out with over $500. I also won - $50 - on my $20 that we each played, so we aren't doing too bad at the slots so far.
I have to take the Jeep this morning to the dealer in town to have our left rear power window repaired. For the third time, the mechanism that raises and lowers the window is broken and needs to be replaced. This is a common problem with our year and model and, as mentioned, is the third time we have done this same fix on the same window. Our plan is also to try a different casino today - the Colorado Bell - which is another one where we have enjoyed success in the past. So, it should be another fine day in Laughlin...
The show started at 8 PM but we went earlier in the day to pick up our tickets at the Will-Call window. Our seats were very good - 2nd row of tables from the stage - but were on the right side of the stage which did not give us a straight-on view, but were good enough. It was a very nostalgic show for me but Josie didn't remember too much of their music until they started singing some of their hits.
The group has changed over the years - Tony Butala is the only original member of the group still with them. Tony is the founder of the group and is the little guy in the pictures below:
and is the one shown below:
If you read the biography in the link above, you will see that a very famous person was once a member of the group before they became "officially" a 3 man group called The Lettermen. It was a female singer named Concetta Ingolia, who left the group to become a star on the hit TV show Hawaiian Eye and changed her name to Connie Stevens.
The show was fabulous for me although I'm not so sure that Josie got the same satisfaction that I did. She got more satisfaction following the show when we went to the Casino and played just $20 and she walked out with over $500. I also won - $50 - on my $20 that we each played, so we aren't doing too bad at the slots so far.
I have to take the Jeep this morning to the dealer in town to have our left rear power window repaired. For the third time, the mechanism that raises and lowers the window is broken and needs to be replaced. This is a common problem with our year and model and, as mentioned, is the third time we have done this same fix on the same window. Our plan is also to try a different casino today - the Colorado Bell - which is another one where we have enjoyed success in the past. So, it should be another fine day in Laughlin...
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Tough Start to the Day
Everything went according to schedule yesterday until we hitched up to pull out from Mesquite. Our left rear outside tire on the truck (dually) was very low - it looked like it had a slow leak. I have a compressor to put air in tires, but the way these duallies are mounted, the valve stems are difficult to reach. Since we couldn't take a chance on driving the 170 miles to Laughlin with the tire leaking, we had to find a place nearby to have it checked.
There was a Ford dealer just down the street, so we stopped there. They saw a nail in the tread of the tire, but they didn't have the proper tire mounting equipment for a dually wheel, so they suggested another place in town. I never heard of a dealership that sells these vehicles not having the equipment to fix them. After putting some air in the tire, we went to John's Diesel in Mesquite. Of course, he was very busy, but said he could squeeze us in and have the tire checked and repaired if necessary.
I had to drop the fifth wheel in the street so they could work on the tire in their shop:
It seemed like it took forever to repair the tire, and it did. They didn't have automatic tire mounting/dismounting equipment and had to do the whole job manually. It took about 2 hours (and $50) to complete the job and we finally got on road at 11 AM.
Our trip to Laughlin, via Las Vegas, took us 3 hours and we were happy to see the Hotels and Casinos along the River Walk in the distance:
We checked into the Riverside RV Park and we have a very large and nice site that sits up on the terraced park:
This is our view from the front of the rig:
The RV park is huge - 740 sites - and this photo gives some idea of the size and also notice the storm moving in:
That particular storm missed us, but we have been having storms, off and on, since we arrived. In fact, there is a heavy downpour and lots of lightning and thunder right now. It has been weeks since we've seen rain, so it is welcomed.
Last night we had a great dinner at a Mexican Restaurant in Bullhead City as we went there to check on the hours for the Sams Club. We also tried out the Casino in the Riverside and took just a few dollars to check out the changes in the Casino. Not bad - we played for a long time and I won $110 to take home for the night. I hope it's a good sign of the way it will go for the week.
Tonight we do the show at the Riverside - The Lettermen - and are looking forward to spending a relaxing week here in Laughlin...
There was a Ford dealer just down the street, so we stopped there. They saw a nail in the tread of the tire, but they didn't have the proper tire mounting equipment for a dually wheel, so they suggested another place in town. I never heard of a dealership that sells these vehicles not having the equipment to fix them. After putting some air in the tire, we went to John's Diesel in Mesquite. Of course, he was very busy, but said he could squeeze us in and have the tire checked and repaired if necessary.
I had to drop the fifth wheel in the street so they could work on the tire in their shop:
It seemed like it took forever to repair the tire, and it did. They didn't have automatic tire mounting/dismounting equipment and had to do the whole job manually. It took about 2 hours (and $50) to complete the job and we finally got on road at 11 AM.
Our trip to Laughlin, via Las Vegas, took us 3 hours and we were happy to see the Hotels and Casinos along the River Walk in the distance:
We checked into the Riverside RV Park and we have a very large and nice site that sits up on the terraced park:
This is our view from the front of the rig:
The RV park is huge - 740 sites - and this photo gives some idea of the size and also notice the storm moving in:
That particular storm missed us, but we have been having storms, off and on, since we arrived. In fact, there is a heavy downpour and lots of lightning and thunder right now. It has been weeks since we've seen rain, so it is welcomed.
Last night we had a great dinner at a Mexican Restaurant in Bullhead City as we went there to check on the hours for the Sams Club. We also tried out the Casino in the Riverside and took just a few dollars to check out the changes in the Casino. Not bad - we played for a long time and I won $110 to take home for the night. I hope it's a good sign of the way it will go for the week.
Tonight we do the show at the Riverside - The Lettermen - and are looking forward to spending a relaxing week here in Laughlin...
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Valley of Fire and Lake Mead
There were two places we traveled to yesterday that were only about 40 miles from Mesquite. The first one was to the first State Park in Nevada - The Valley of Fire. As it was a state park and not a national park, we had to pay a $10 entry fee for the day. It was well worth the fee.
We arrived there at around 10 AM:
and went to the Welcome Center to get all the info to get started:
Just a short distance down the road, the stops began with a short hike to see the Elephant Rock:
the funny part is that the short trail just made a U-turn and the Elephant Rock is actually seen on the roadside:
With a little imagination, you can see the elephant. Anyway, we started to take the longer trail (Arrowhead Loop) but decided against that.
The road wound through these beautiful red rock formations:
and we passed the next group called the 7 sisters:
the next stop was probably the most interesting of the day - The petroglyphs and Mouse's Tank:
The petroglyphs were fascinating:
and we finally arrived at Mouse's Tank (read the short story on the sign above), which was at the very end of the trail:
The other significant stops were at the Arch Rock:
and the Atlatl Rock:
These rocks were balanced on the edge of the larger rock and you can see that they are not attached. Someday, and maybe soon, they will tumble off their footing.
The drive through the park was probably 20 miles in total and included some very nice scenes of rock formations, mostly of the red rock type:
We really enjoyed the time spent at the Valley of Fire and, even though it isn't like a Zion National Park, it was beautiful and included a very nice campground that would be a potential stay in the future.
Our next stop for the day was at Lake Mead:
We stopped in a little store near the marina and the woman behind the counter told us that the restaurant and hotel had closed 3 years ago and the small town is now pretty much abandoned except for a few Snow-birds that stay in the small campground at the entrance to Echo Bay. What a shame.
It's off to Laughlin today and we are looking forward to revisiting one of our favorite towns for the next week...
We arrived there at around 10 AM:
and went to the Welcome Center to get all the info to get started:
Just a short distance down the road, the stops began with a short hike to see the Elephant Rock:
the funny part is that the short trail just made a U-turn and the Elephant Rock is actually seen on the roadside:
With a little imagination, you can see the elephant. Anyway, we started to take the longer trail (Arrowhead Loop) but decided against that.
The road wound through these beautiful red rock formations:
and we passed the next group called the 7 sisters:
the next stop was probably the most interesting of the day - The petroglyphs and Mouse's Tank:
The petroglyphs were fascinating:
The other significant stops were at the Arch Rock:
and the Atlatl Rock:
These rocks were balanced on the edge of the larger rock and you can see that they are not attached. Someday, and maybe soon, they will tumble off their footing.
The drive through the park was probably 20 miles in total and included some very nice scenes of rock formations, mostly of the red rock type:
We really enjoyed the time spent at the Valley of Fire and, even though it isn't like a Zion National Park, it was beautiful and included a very nice campground that would be a potential stay in the future.
Our next stop for the day was at Lake Mead:
We drove about 20 miles into the park before arriving at the Echo Bay Marina. It was a shock to see how low the lake was as can be seen in this photo of the launch area:
We stopped in a little store near the marina and the woman behind the counter told us that the restaurant and hotel had closed 3 years ago and the small town is now pretty much abandoned except for a few Snow-birds that stay in the small campground at the entrance to Echo Bay. What a shame.
It's off to Laughlin today and we are looking forward to revisiting one of our favorite towns for the next week...
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