Near The River

 

The other day I had a rather large flying insect enter my inner sanctum in the van with a name. It was some kind of moth, and it flapped around running into the walls and lights. I swiped at it with my makeshift fly swatter, that in reality is just a park folder you get when  you enter a National Park. I have two, one from Lake Mead and another from North Cascades, and both are veterans at insect dispatching.

Offical National Park Fly Swatters Collect All 63

This bug was so big it just laughed at my meager  attempts to extinguish it. I even opened the door hoping it would return to the wild, and I thought it had as I hadn’t seen it for a couple of days. Early this morning I switched on the light, and voila the moth reappeared. It was 2:00 am and I didn’t have a plan to deal with it then, but when it reappeared at breakfast time I remembered how when plagued with some little, tiny flying insects a couple of years ago  I sucked them up with my vacuum and released the survivors into a Lowes parking lot.

It took a couple of tries with the vacuum but I captured the thing. Then remembering how the little bugs got out of the vacuum once or twice I blocked the moths escape route with a paper towel. I wasn’t going to look for a Lowes so I opened the vacuum at my camp here at Highline Lake. It fell to the ground and might have still been alive but I crushed it and put the remains on the picnic table to show any other bugs don’t come in here, it ain’t  gonna turn out good for you.

Bugs Stay Away!

With lots of photos of the Gold King Mine, it was time to move on.

I found Lees Ferry on the map, and because I knew the camp was small, I got a early  start and headed that way. That turned out to be a good idea as the campground filled up shortly after I got settled. 

The turnoff to Lees  Ferry is just past Navajo Bridge that has become a familiar landmark on this trip

Navajo Bridge

Rock balancing must have been a  team sport back in the day, as there are several examples along the road.

Classic Flxible Bus Converted To A Motor Home

Lees Ferry is the only place within Glen Canyon that you  can drive to the river so it is a popular place for rafters to put in.

I have no raft but it was fun to explore and  walk along the river. The orchard at the  Lonely Dell Ranch was interesting.

Colorado River At Lees Ferry

The only disappointment of dry camping at Lees was I discovered that the new batteries gave out on the second night, and I woke up to a dark house. Not to worry though I have prepared for just this moment and pulled out the emergency Jet Boil for koffee water. It was also discovered that the rechargeable torch I have will sit in a roll of paper towels and shine adequate light.

To the new batteries credit, after I got on the road,  they did charge after a couple of miles and switched everything back on automatically, including the refrigerator avoiding a unauthorized defrost which was very nice especially since I am the only one here authorized to defrost.

Mach 8 Or Less?

 I think I irritated a truck driver today. That wasn’t my intent as I like to be safe and not impede anyone’s travels.

It was on a long stretch of Arizona highway 389   There was a one lane construction stop because the road snake crew was out laying down fresh road snakes, and that operation utilized one way traffic and a pilot car, and backed up traffic pretty good. 

The giant pickups that were ahead of me at the flag stop zoomed off into the distance after the pilot car turned around. I picked the van with a name speed up to 65. That was the speed limit, and that speed cuts down my mileage. 55 is better for my fuel mileage. 

Only two vehicles passed me, which was surprising, and the vehicle behind me for most of the way was  far back . We were east bound and Highway Patrol had a customer west bound and then everyone behind me got further away. Vans cruise  control was still  set on 65, we just went along.

Finally at my junction at highway 89 I pulled over to make sure my GPS route was spot on and to take a stretch and breathe air that is snow free. That is where the truck that was quite  a ways back behind cars that were not in my sight  gave me the look, like all his troubles in the world were caused by me because he couldn’t do Mach 8 and pass everyone, driving his semi faster than a very fine Austin Healey could go.

You Only See Tail Lights From This Car

My question to the world is how fast should you go once you go  over the speed limit???

I Would Show Them I Would Do 6 MPH

Further along on highway----the road passes through the Navajo Reservation and the makeshift trinket stands line just about every  level spot on the right of way. Gone are the days of the one stop Curio shop where a traveler might be able to use the washroom before buying authentic Navajo trinkets that are made in China.

Shacks In The Right Of Way Have Replaced Stone Curio Shops

The van with a name and I are heading to Cottonwood Arizona  for a couple of night stay. I got a  spot at a RV park for residents. There was full hookups but no amenities like a pool or shower or a laundry. . it wasn’t until after I paid for the spot I remembered that I have been to Cottonwood before and stayed at the very nice State Park, that had hookups, and showers and cost less than this spot. Oh well no matter as my pals Huckleberry and Kevlar  are driving down tomorrow so we can make a proper  assault into Jerome in their car and tour the famous  Gold King Mine & Ghost Town

My last attempt in the van to tour the mine resulted in not being able to find parking,  anywhere in Jerome, as the town was full up. Standing room only. 

We left early and found the Miners Café.  Parked right out front. Nice owners but my breakfast the hashbrowns were rock hard. My scrambled  eggs looked like some were missing, but the bacon was excellent, and the sourdough toast was tasty too. I probably won't be going back. The breakfast wasn't that great but the deal breaker was when Huckleberry and Kevlar tried out the the "Rock Em Sock Em Robots,  they were busted, and the owner didn't care. 

A Proper Pair Of Rock Em Sock Em

Next it was up to the mine. Again, parking was not a problem, and even though we were a little early for the 10:00 am opening, they let us in and didn’t seem to disappointed when we declined the extra entry fees that included feeding the chickens and goats.

The mine proved to be a excellent place for photos…

A Very Classic Corbitt 

Who Dosen't Love A Tree Truck?

A Classic Chevrolet Wrecker

 

 

 

 

Austin - Texas Or Nevada?

 Well  after some awesome soaking at the Crane Hot Springs I headed south on 95 and ended  up rolling  out of Oregon at McDermitt. On my map McDermitt looks to still be in Oregon, but when I pulled into the filling station no deaf guy, like the one in John Day,  who talked as loud as he could at me the whole time he pumped my gas, appeared. I was clearly back in the land of Self Service.

I Had The Feeling I Was Being Watched

Highway 95 ends or starts in Winnemucca, depending if you are north or south bound. Also, I discovered that alone in the van with a name traveling to Winnemucca, you can make up all kinds of rhymes using the notorious F work, and Winnemucca.  Go ahead and give it a try.

I thought about staying in Winnemucca, but I was running out of rhymes, so I headed east to Battle Mountain, the town with a giant BM painted on the side of the mountain and has conflicting stories if the town was named after a actual battle with the 18 century locals and white settlers. Or after the mountain range.

I ended up staying at a RV park I have stayed at before and was treated to a second night of temperatures in the teens.

It was south bound in the morning with a heading to Austin Nevada, a town that could be just about in the center of Nevada. It is also on highway 50, and in these parts, it’s called the “loneliest Road” I used to live on highway 50 high in the Sierra Nevada at Lake Tahoe. Not very lonely there.

Austin Fire Alarm. It Should Work?

Lots of new pavement on this section of Highway 50.  It made for some smooth running.

At Ely I turn off 50 and head south on 93.My destination is Cathedral Gorge state park. What a great little park, with excellent camping spots. I selected on with electricity and settled in to go explore the rock formations. 

From The Top Looking In

Across From The Campground

I’m returning to civilization tomorrow with a stop in Saint George. It seems to soon to go in I haven’t even gone feral yet.

 

 

 

 

 

Couple Of Chairs

I bought a couple of chairs, and after a couple of hours sitting in the first one I wanted to get up and go outside. I couldn’t as the chair was  fastened to a Boeing. Even in high zoot section you don’t want to be sitting there as long as the flight  as those seats get more uncomfortable  the further you fly.

Atmost Fired Beethoven

My first chair had a pedal. I think it’s for in a emergency if the plane is skidding off the runway the driver will ask you to pump it like a brake in hopes of slowing that sky carriage down.

Seated Here You May Be Asked To Help In A Emergency

The first leg of my travels was also interesting as the woman across from me remained covered un in a flirtation cape, blanket  and coughed occasional like she had tuberculosis or her lung was loose. Fortunately, she wasn’t contagious to me.

My second seat on  a older 737 east bound for GEG was  way back on the edge of the high zoot section  and had no  pedal. Those senior jets must have had better brakes and needed no assistance stopping from the riders.

My first order of business once  the door was open was to get around the woman on the most forward seat, who on boarding fussed and fussed with her carrion bag, as she had to have blankets eye masks, head phones moisturizer, special hydration,  and who knows what all for a 45 minute  fright from SEA to GEG, and you guessed she had  to put all that stuff back in her bag to be able to pack it off the sky  carriage.

I said excuse me rather loud and she scampered back into her area to fuss with her stowing and not impede me and who knows how many hundreds  of humans that  were behind me cramed into the most popular  for airlines jet in the sky.

Once in the terminal I needed to use the restroom and did so.  I hadn’t been on the ground very long and was still adjusting to seeing no snow, and thinking that the light jacket I had worn from home where it was negative 27 when I left ,was going to be to warm when I had the misfortune of spotting a felon 47 cult member   in full regalia with a felon 47 hat but what really said I am a racist was the big red T shirt with printing large enough for the blind to read that boldly stated “ I’m charlie kirk, jesus and guns. “

Where Ice Gal lives, racism is wrong. Celebrating a racist is wrong. And being a racist is wrong. If you feel different then this probably isn’t the blog for you.

Stop With The Racism & Fascism

The van with a name roared to life once the battery cables had been connected to the battery. This disconnecting the battery seems to be working out.

With the van loaded and stocked up it was time to head out. But first I had to fill up with water, and doing so discovered that my water heater was now a artesian well. This was not good because with all the water leaking out the water heater, I had no water for flushing the toilet, washing dishes…

I Might Need A Water Truck For My Leak

I didn’t quite know what to do but down the road in Pasco I passed the Blue Wave RV shop. I had a really good experience with replacing the house batteries at their shop in Liberty Lake, so I thought why not stop and see what they could do.

Only one person in the service department, but he dropped his other jobs to come out and take a look at the van with a name.  Yes, the water heater was history, but Joe knew where the valves were to bypass  the heater, and after removing a panel under the refrigerator he closed the valves and now the rest of the plumbing is working great.

And the hot water not to worry, I found an new hot spring just a little ways past Burns Oregon called Crane Hot Springs. Definitely worth a stop if you are in the neighborhood. It even has a RV Park

Van With A Name At The Hot Springs RV Park