Camper Convoy

 Well after a fancy dinner at a equally fancy Vegas hotel casino, where just like on the ship the maître d wears a green jacket, it was decided that we would head out of Vegas and see what we could see. It’s a group ride but with camper vans, and  I  immediately discovered that hand signals are not very effective.

First stop was the painted rocks, just a few miles out of town.

Moving At Painted Rocks

The bright colors of the rocks are the perfect contrast to the desert and provided a nice background for my photo assignment. Of motion.

After the rocks we wanted to see some special sights. Some superior scenery, but all we could find near us was the “Grand Canyon”  It is Arizona after all.

It was unanimously decided to visit the  Grand Canyon Skywalk.  We turned the vans noses south out of the city on highway 93 and then  turned north towards  the town of Dolan Springs.

The road meanders through the desert. There are lots of desert cactus, whose green sharply contrests with the red stone.

Cactus 

Eventually the road turns into Hualpia tribal lands,  and  just before the site, you have to go through a checkpoint where you are asked if you have any alcohol or weapons I said no even though the van with a name,  bar is fully stocked, and my hatchet could be considered a wepon. The fellow liked my answers and said I could park anywhere I wanted.

I chose to park over by the 7 or eight motor coaches that had dropped of their riders at the skywalk

All the passengers of the tour buses were causing quite a commontion in the gift shop trying to decide which tour package to purchase. The choices were difficult and confusing to the tour bus riders, but seemed simple to me. Skywalk and lunch, or skywalk and no lunch.

Fortunately  for us another cashier  opened up across the room, and we walked over and instanly decided on the skywalk and lunch.  

Tickets in hand we walked outside to join the queue to wait for the bus to take us to the skywalk . Soon we boarded a bus that is very similar to a city bus back home, and began the journey to the skywalk. Our driver tried his best to entertain us with interesting facts about the skywalk in hopes of a tip.

At the actual skywalk we had to put our cameras and phones in lockers that are provided free of charge, and then wait in a long queue before nearing the actual door to the skywalk. Then just when you thought you were goin  out on the walk you are given booties to cover your shoes. Then your turn finaly comes to go out on the skywalk.

The Skywalk

The skywalk is excellent. You have a panoramic view of the canyon that is several thousand feet below your feet. 

If you are ever in the neighborhood go do the skywalk. The lunch isn’’t bad either.

 

 

 

Camping In Vegas

 After the blizzard conditions that the van with a name pulled us through without so much as a slip, or a skid , we continued to travel south through eastern Nevada. In one end and out the other of  Elko.

We did a run down 229, and intersected with US 93 the original Lincon highway in Nevada.

What Is Left Of The Linclon Highway Marker

Then it was south to Ely and on a night in a KOA that I gave low marks to a couple of years ago, but this time the showers were hot. The night was not as the low temperature got down to 9 above zero.

The van with a name, heater did a lot of running overnight , sometimes on high, and the noise from the thing made for a restless night. Needless to say, in the am the water was frozen, but would thaw out later in the day, and without any damage.

The infamous Trones noticed that she needed to be at the Las Vegas sooner than we anticipated, so we started to make a more direct trip to be able to meet the deadline. This provided us with a unique opportunity to sample some motorway food.

Is The Box More Nutritious?

It was quite exciting to arrive in Vegas and be treated to combat driving on the city’s many multi lane highways full of fast-moving cars.

After getting tied down at the world-famous Arizona Charley’s RV paradise we were treated to auto acrobatics by a couple of uber drivers who invented the traffic laws as the speeded through the traffic.

Trones got to the airport on time and Kriss got her hired camper van picked up in time.  

I put  all my money on red 32, and well I may not have any change left for blog ink.

 

 

 

Free Flying

 As any real laskan sourdough or sour Jill knows just about the only way to get in or out of laska is in a plane, and as I was getting ready to go on a holiday that involved air travel I was getting just a little more apprehensive than  normal, because, as everyone should be aware by now our great felon 47 and his pal musk have been dismantling our government , and stealing the money for themselves, and as my travel day grew closer who knew if there would be a FAA by then.

No Rules No Problem

When I called the airline, they said there shouldn’t be a issue but just in case they suggested arriving at the airport early to practice on the slides, they had installed at the gate,  so in case of evacuation I would be ready.

Straight slide for high class passengers and twisty slide for everyone beyond row 4

The flight went off without a hitch and soon enough  I was sitting in the high-class lounge in SEA trying to get club soda out of a overcomplex soda machine. 

Ice Cold Back In The Day 

The flight into Spokane was also uneventful and soon we were on the ground bags in hand, and off to see Buster.

Buster Will Eat Your Ice 

The next day it was time to fire up the van with a name.  The van had had quite a winter sitting in some cold temperatures. My clear dishwashing liquid was now white. A can of club soda left in the refrigerator had exploded and ripped the can to shreds. The tabasco sauce left over the winter was fine after a few shakes of the bottle.

The vans battery was dead, but the engine came to life after a jump. Hoping that the battery might take a charge we went for a test drive, got the tire pressure checked, and returned to the vehicle with the jumper cables. The battery was having nothing to do with taking a charge. All it took to get the battery replaced was a call to a local shop, a short drive, and a credit card. The van was back in business.

The trip  out of Spokane and into Pendleton Oregon was a smooth ride, and just about long enough for a first day on the road.

It was Sunday so there were no tours at the famous Pendleton Woolen mills. But you could peek into the works of the mill.

Since Planning is everything when starting off on a couple of months road trip,  I like to start off in some lousy weather, and I was not disappointed on this trip.

Just A Minor Blizzard

The second day our we ran into snow. More snow than I had driven in all winter. The snow was followed by a frigid night in Ely Nevada.

Finally dropping down out of the very high desert into the high desert the temperatures warmed up and by the time we pulled into Las Vegas the weather was just about perfect…

 

 

Great Basin

 

It was good to get out of Utah. I had only spent one night there in the holy city of provo, but that was more than enough.

Being a former Tahoe resident  crossing the border into Nevada felt like coming home. Even though it looked the same as Utah.

Now I didn’t travel very far into Nevada for this first night because I wanted to stay in Great Basin National Park. I even stopped at the park's visitor center to check to see if the campgrounds were open.

The Lower Lehman camp was indeed open, the road and sites had been cleared of snow, but some snow was still hanging on, I was told. The tours of the caves were still closed for the season, and that was all right with me.

Nothing That A Gingham Table Cloth Couldn't Handle

To get to the paved road that goes up to the accessible part of Great Basin Park you have to go through the town of Baker.

Lot Of Area To Cover When The Road Is Open

Now one of the reasons I wanted to stay in the park was because I thought I had never been here but looking around I had previously been in Baker on a motorbike road trip I think around 2018.

Baker Street Art

We never went into the park on that trip but did stay in a  dated cabin in the towns RV park.

RV Park Cabins My Traveling Compadre Really Liked The Gravel Driveway

Going into the park and spending the night would still be a first so up the road I went to Lower Lehman.

The camp only has 15 or so dry sites, the water wasn’t on yet, and the sites were not level but for $10.00 the fresh smells of the pinion and juniper pines just budding out, the sound of a clear stream, and a night sky if it hadn’t gotten cloudy, made it all worth it.

High  Country Great Basin 

The park road extends all the way to the high country, but the road to the summit wasn’t open yet. Perhaps another visit to this park is required

Not far from Great Basin national park is the town of Ely Nevada, home to the northern Nevada Railroad Museum.

Some Of The Trains At The Museum 

This had been a previous stop too, but as long as I am in the neighborhood, the museum is worth a visit.

The museum has all the regular trains, shops, old buildings, that you can wander around, and look at their collection. The trains also move around, and they offer rides but not today.

Perhaps the most famous thing about the museum was it’s cat Dirt

I met dirt on my last visit, but he only lived until 2023. His sidekick Dirt Junior or DJ has assumed the role of Top Cat. I looked for him but didn’t see him. Perhaps he was out murdering songbirds.

Dirt's Grave

Ely is not a very big place, and food options are limited, but when I found Racks that advertises itself as “Non-Smoking” I figured that was the place to go.

The food was good, the air was clear, the people nice and I remembered eating here on my prior trip.