Kent tried out his new black light and found a cool little scorpion out under the creosote bush in our “front yard”.
Scorpion
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Category Archives: Southwest
Day one: Car repairs
It was not on Kent’s to-do list but off he goes to the Ford garage to have the focus transmission worked on again. They rebuilt the clutches back in 2017 but over the past couple days it has dropped out of gear unexpectedly a couple times. Not good. The garage confirms it is the transmission computer module, they have one, and it is covered by the extended warranty applied back in 2017. Repairs have been made. We are all set, thankfully.
Quartzsite bound
We break camp and head south to give Carol a taste of unstructured boondocking. Kent has a honey-do list but otherwise the Quartzsite area is pretty quiet this time of year but it can be nice to hang out and do absolutely nothing for a while. We find a nice spot just far enough from everyone else, along a wash to increase the odds of critter watching, and with a bit of television reception. The forecast is clear and in the low 80s so just about perfect for lolling in the shade. There are a few attractions to check out over the next few days if we get a bit of wanderlust. We will see how it goes.
Homies: we couldn’t leave town without one more stop
We leave our Vegas home at Planet Hollywood with Carol with us, grab some breakfast (including those delicious cinnamon rolls), then it is on toward Willow Beach for one last night before we resume our wanderings. It is a beautiful morning so we stop at lake overlooks and walk the bridge at Hoover Dam. The evening is perfect for a campfire with the requisite s’mores, plus people and bird watching in camp.
One more day in Vegas
It is a beautiful morning for a stroll along The Strip to people watch and absorb the view. We make it as far as Caesars and decide that we just have to see the Fall of Atlantis statue performance. Carol has never seen it and it is impossible for me to adequately describe. It is as cheesy this time as last but still fun. We take a few and relax with a drink overlooking the casino then head back to relax before our evening out “Mindfreak”.
Kent is back into town and joins us after a little guy time out at the motorhome by himself. He is just in time for a delicious lunch at the Earl of Sandwich.
Mindfreak. It is time for Criss Angel with his magic, escapes, and a magnificent levitation illusion. The show is loud and chock with flashy distractions but the tricks are truly mind boggling.
We close out the evening with dinner at Yolo’s; classic Mexican fare and smooth Margaritas.
Girls night out
Kent heads back to the motorhome after he drops the kids off at the airport and I stay in town with Carol. We have a quiet afternoon then head out to a Japanese restaurant, Koi. It is a great choice. We start with steamed edamame with garlic and spices…not spectacular but interesting. The wasabi braised short ribs and the scallop dish that follow are fantastic. We even try dessert, mochi, ice cream in a flavored marshmallow-like wrapper. Ours are mango, caramel and berry coated discs with a smooth vanilla center. It was a perfect little sweet.
It is a lovely evening for strolling so out we check out the Bellagio fountain shows after dark. Streams of water dance and sway to Cher, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and Broadway tunes.
It is the kids last day
They don’t fly out until evening so we manage to fit in a stop at the Neon Museum. They have a pretty cool collection of signs; some familiar from movies and ads and some less known like a “happy shirt” from a cleaners (who claims to have done Liberace’s laundry). The docents are great at answering questions…do you know the difference between skeleton and channeled neon? Now I do! It is worth a stop. More restored signs are scattered along Las Vegas Boulevard and the neighborhood is home to several more of the older style casinos. We check them out as we make a quick stop at Ethyl M chocolates in the Californian Casino. Now it is time to head back to the strip to meet Carol for a late lunch.
Gordon Ramsey Fish and Chips is the place. It is busy with long lines and little seating but it works out splendidly. As you might expect, the food was great.
There is a bit more strolling then we send Brian and Johnna on their way back to Texas.
Thanks for joining us guys. It was a wonderful visit.
Red Rock Canyon
Well, the weather advisory was right. It is windy plus it is in the 50s. It would have been a terrible day on the river but we decide to brave it for a day out at Red Rock.
We get our first good look at the signature red rocks that are visible from the visitor center. The resident desert tortoises are all still holed up in their heated borrows so we head on out to explore. Up close we see that rock climbers dot the cliffs and we talk a short walk out to see petroglyphs, It is pretty but just too chilly to head out on any of the trails or even stay out for very long.
Dinner is at one of Kent and my favorites, A&W. It is not very sophisticated but you just can’t beat that frosted mug!
Weather has just not cooperated so no camp fire tonight…we compromise and close out the day with s’mores built with marshmallow toasted over the gas flame of the stove. That works.
Dam Day
Today we are off to see Hoover Dam. We walk, gawk, take photos, and learn lots.
We are disappointed to learn that our Colorado Float trip for tomorrow is cancelled because of a high wind advisory in the river canyon. New plan, off to Red rock Canyon tomorrow.
That is why we are here
This is Johnna’s first trip to Vegas so that is the destination for day I. We stroll the casinos, the kids do some modest gambling, we watch the Bellagio fountains and the cheesy statue show at Caesar’s. Along the strip there are MANY showgirl photo ops for the guys and even a few chances for pics with some of the showguys. No one partakes…except Johnna with a quick pic with Elvis.
We lunch in Paris with delicious food and a great sidewalk table for people watching and resting our weary feet. There is a bit more walking and sampling of street fare like Gordon Ramsey Fish and Chip chips and Ben and Jerrys ice cream.
Now it is time for the show: Cirque so Del Mystere. Kent gets to be part of the preshow entertainment and some popcorn antics….he loved that of course. The rest of us certainly did. The next 90 minutes are filled with fantastic acrobatics of every imaginable kind. Some are graceful and fluid like dancers in the air. Some are feats of brute strength still others of unbelievable flexibility and uncanny balance. It was pretty amazing.
We catch the monorail back to the car but we can’t be done yet. One more stop, the Fremont Experience in old downtown. It is chilly and spitting rain and we have walked about 7 miles already but we just have to check it out. The overhead light display is pretty cool. There are three live stages within the two blocks creating a nearly overwhelming cacophony near the center.
We stroll through The Golden Nugget where we are greeted by the clatter of real coin slots and a bit thicker smell of smoke in the air. We have dinner at their Claim Jumper restaurant to round out the experience.
We roll back into camp well after 1AM; way past our pumpkin hour but it has been a great day.